ABSTRACT
Virtue acquisition resembles skill acquisition, but only for very complex skills. Some moral learners move directly and smoothly from mere potential, to incontinence, to continence, to virtue, but most take a zigzagging, branching, bumpy path. I propose a medical approach to moral development. Just as medical researchers seek the causes of diseases, so psychological researchers should seek the causes of vices. Just as doctors prescribe wellness-enhancing practices, administer therapies to patients, and promote public health measures targeting the causes of diseases, so facilitators of moral development should employ character cultivation and rehabilitation strategies, and deploy public prevention strategies targeting the causes of vices. These strategies will be numerous and messy.
