Interpreting Celebrity Biography: Robeson, Trump, and the Stubborn Call of Virtue Ethics

Abstract:How should we regard the characters and accomplishments of celebrities? We examine this question by drawing upon virtue ethics in political philosophy as a set of analytical tools and a framework for thinking about life writing about celebrities. We apply our virtue ethics framework, informed especially by Aristotle's views about human excellence and honor and Alasdair MacIntyre's concept of narrative unity and self-reflection, to the life stories of the well-known humanist, activist, and performer Paul Robeson and the celebrity president Donald Trump. Our analysis helps account for both the nature of discontent with celebrity culture and why we admire a subclass of celebrities who display particular attributes. It also demonstrates life writing's relevance to and inseparability from central concepts in virtue ethics.