Jessy Jordan’s New Book on Virtue Ethics

Jasmin Sorrell

Dr. Jessy Jordan, Professor of Philosophy, published his first Philosophy book “The Metaethics of Virtue Ethics: On Nature and Normativity” in January of 2026. 

Jordan’s book focuses on abstract questions within moral philosophy, especially within the Aristotelian virtue ethics tradition. The book deals with foundational questions about moral judgement and moral objectivity rather than specific ethical issues. Jordan explores ideas like natural goodness and natural deficit, arguing that vice is not just a personal feeling, but an objective deficit in human flourishing. He believes we can make objective evaluations about moral character and what it means to live well.

He was partly inspired to write the book because of Alasdair MacIntyre's “After Virtue,” which sparked a revival of Aristotelian virtue ethics in the late twentieth century. While virtue ethics had fallen out of favor compared to Kantian ethics, MacIntyre encouraged philosophers to reconsider Aristotle's framework. This led Jordan to ask whether this tradition could defend itself at its deepest levels against modern philosophical challenges.

He also noticed that much of the conversations around neo-Aristotelian ethics was highly technical and inaccessible, so he intentionally wrote the book with non-experts in mind, hoping to make complex ideas about moral judgment more understandable while also contributing something new to the scholarly discussion.

Jordan became interested in philosophy through his undergraduate studies in theology, where he was drawn to deeper intellectual questions about faith, ethics and what can be known through natural reason. He was interested in understanding how reason could help explain moral and theological truths. This curiosity led him to pursue philosophy in graduate school, where he could explore those questions in a more analytical and professional setting. 

Philosophy has shaped his perspective by giving him a deeper way to engage with big questions he has always wrestled with, like whether objective moral truth exists. Even from a young age, he believed that two contradictory statements could not both be true, and that there had to be real answers to ethical questions.

Teaching philosophy has helped him better understand how to approach these fundamental issues and explore them more thoughtfully. He was never afraid of asking hard questions because in his religious background, he was taught that “all truth is God’s truth,” meaning discovery would not threaten faith. Instead of fear, he saw curiosity and intellectual struggle as part of growing in understanding. 

Dr. Jamie Gianoutsos, Associate Professor of History and Jordan’s wife, had a profound impact on the development of his book, both intellectually and personally. As a historian who studies intellectual history, she views ideas as powerful forces that shape events which deeply influenced the way Jordan thought about the broader implications of moral philosophy.  

Gianoutsos reflected, “It is exciting to see Dr. Jordan translate his extensive knowledge on this subject into an approachable book for students and scholars alike - and I’ve learned a great deal from reading it! This book's clarity and accessibility are testaments to Dr. Jordan's true mastery of this challenging subject. It has been a privilege and joy to serve as Dr. Jordan’s dialogue-partner as he refined each chapter. And of course, our ordinary lives at home have been wonderfully shaped by these conversations, even down to naming out shark vacuum cleaner ‘Sharko,’ a joke that will become apparent after reading the first chapter of Dr. Jordan’s book.” 

The two are lifelong conversation partners, regularly discussing history, politics and philosophy, and she serves as his first and final reader, carefully commenting on drafts and helping refine each chapter.

The writing process took Jordan about four years and was supported by a year-long sabbatical that allowed him to focus deeply on the project. During that time, he followed a simple routine of writing at least two pages a day, which helped him stay consistent even when the work felt difficult. Summers were especially important for productivity because teaching demands made it harder to write during the semester. For him, the key to finishing the book was persistence, and “simply showing up each day and continuing the work” Jordan stated. 

Jordan shared that while he deeply enjoyed the booking writing process and found it especially gratifying to hold the finished copy in his hands, he does not currently have a specific new project in mind. He explained that he would only pursue another book if he felt there was a real intellectual need he could meaningfully contribute to. For now, he remains open to future opportunities, trusting that the right project will emerge in time. 

You can purchase “The Metaethics of Virtue Ethics: On Nature and Normativity” with 20% off through the Bloomsbury publishing site.