ABSTRACT
My chief aim in this chapter is to explicate the main philosophical argument of Jonathan Edwards's The Nature of True Virtue. In chapter 1 of that dissertation, entitled 'Showing Wherein the Essence of True Virtue Consists,' Edwards argues for a metaphysical account of the nature or essence of true virtue and spells out some of the consequences of this account. I shall try to exhibit the merits of Edwards's views on true virtue by subjecting the argument of that chapter to critical examination. My effort is motivated by the conviction that Edwards has a contribution to make to contemporary discussions of virtue ethics; his views are of more than merely antiquarian interest. To be sure, they will need to be revised in some respects in order to bring them into alignment with our own sensibilities and way of thinking. But I shall try to show that Edwards's position has considerable plausibility if it is revised in fairly minor ways in response to criticism.
