Virtuous Minds: Intellectual Character Development

Shaping Character Begins with Shaping How You Think Good education is not just about content; it's about character. In Virtuous Minds, Philip E. Dow presents a compelling case for recovering intellectual character in our schools, communities, and personal lives. When society struggles with dishonesty, lazy thinking, and arrogance, the cultivation of intellectual virtue offers a transformative path forward. This wise and practical guide explores seven essential intellectual virtues that form the foundation of good thinking and ethical living. Through engaging stories, biblical wisdom, and practical insights, Dow shows how these virtues are teachable traits that can produce flourishing lives. This book equips readers to cultivate virtue in themselves while also helping them transform the spaces where they teach and lead. The recovery of virtue, Dow argues, is not about doing the right things, but about becoming the right kind of person, someone who demonstrates love for both God and neighbor. Key Features of Virtuous Minds:

- Explores seven key virtues: courage, carefulness, tenacity, fair-mindedness, curiosity, honesty, and humility - Offers a distinctively Christian approach to intellectual character development - Equips educators, administrators, and education students with practical, substantive instruction they can apply directly in their classrooms

What's New in the Second Edition:

- Updated material engaging the most current conversations in intellectual virtue - New chapters dedicated to practical classroom application - A new preface situating this work at the forefront of a growing movement toward intellectual character development

This deep yet practical book is great for Christian educators, parents, pastors, and students who long to cultivate integrity and virtue in themselves and their students. Virtuous Minds provides the biblical foundation and practical tools needed to transform thinking habits and develop intellectual character that honors God.

© 2027 IVP Academic (Ebook): 9781514016176

Release date

Ebook: 23 February 2027