Darcia Narvaez, Professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, will join the next two working group meetings as a scholar with the project Virtue, Happiness, & the Meaning of Life. Narvaez’ research focuses on evolutionary theory, neurobiology, positive psychology, and indigenous perspectives in considerations of wellbeing, morality and wisdom across the lifespan.

“Darcia Narvaez weaves together traditional and cutting edge research in developmental psychology with work in anthropology and neurobiology to provide fresh and profound insight into questions about moral development and moral formation,” said Candace Vogler, Co-Principal Investigator for the VHML project. “This is reason enough to be delighted to welcome her as our new Working Group member. But she is also warm, acute, and even-handed–an ideal interlocutor with a sound understanding of cross-disciplinary collaboration. We are very lucky to have her.”

Author or editor of over 140 academic articles and chapters and 13 academic books, her most recent authored books include Embodied Morality: Protectionism, Engagement and Imagination, and Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom, which won the William James Book Award from the American Psychological Association.

“I’m looking forward to hanging out with philosophers who spend much more time in dialogue than do psychologists typically. Psychologists point to the data to close off conversation,” said Narveaz. “Philosophers like to raise more and more questions. It’s very stimulating! Knowledge is a perspectival, moving cloud and the philosophers seem to know that more than empirical psychologists. Can’t wait!”

Narvaez will join the rest of the scholars at the December 2016 and June 2017 working group meetings.