In his most recent column, David Brooks quotes Princeton professor Kwame Anthony Appiah (leaving some ambiguity as to whether he shares the opinion) as distinguishing between the "philosopher's" view of possessing character and virtue and the "psychologist's" view of being a "community of competing selves" which "are continually popping in and out of existence... have different desires, and they fight for control - bargaining with, deceiving, and plotting against one another." This latter view is propped up by "a century's worth of experiments" which show people often behave differently in different contexts.
Arguing against a straw man is one tell tale sign of a weak claim. Classical thinkers, of course, even without the benefit of psychological "experiments", understood well our divided and competing natures (after all, they were people too!). They taught stories of heroes with character and virtue, not to raise awareness of our true, or fixed, nature but to encourage our better angels. Their central insight was that behavior is largely habitual and habits can, largely, be developed.
Stripped, then, of its scientific pretense, this "psychologist" critique is merely functional. It offers -- actually, sells -- greater self-satisfaction. The traditional teaching promotes better behavior.
From a societal perspective, the classical view is obviously more beneficial. Which is, in the end, to be expected of a teaching that has passed the test of time.
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