Chastedy Johnson
David A. Legg
Freshman Cornerstone
September 8, 2015
Virtuous Minds
Virtuous Minds, written by Philip E. Dow, is designed to make it clear to individuals what exactly intellectual character is and teaches the reader how to become an individual of virtuous intellectual character. The author does this by going through all of the most important intellectual virtues: courage, tenacity, carefulness, curiosity, fair-mindedness, honesty, and humility. Throughout the book all of the virtues are defined and Dow also provides examples of each one. On the front cover, Philip Dow identifies students, educators, and parents as being the targeted audience of the book. The overall purpose of the book is to be a guideline to developing intellectual character. Virtuous Minds presents the readers with a challenge to experience the transformation that takes place because of intellectual thinking.…show more content… Dow sets the structure of the book in a way that separates all the topics into different parts. Part one of Virtuous Minds is focused on defining the seven virtues that are the foundation of the discussions in the book. The second part of the book discusses the fruits of the intellectual character which include: the benefits of knowing more about more, better thinking, loving God, and loving your neighbor. The last section of the book teaches how to become people of intellectual character. All three sections make the reading manageable and do not overwhelm the reader with information. In the concluding chapters of Virtuous Minds, Philip Dow presents the reader with all the necessary tools they need to practice intellectual