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Adam I
“Adam II” represents the internal, character-building side of human nature. Brooks associates Adam II with a person’s “eulogy virtues”—their qualities of character such as “humility” or “generosity.” Adam II is after moral joy and triumph over personal flaws rather than the external happiness Adam I seeks. Because it seeks self-victory over weakness, Adam II approaches life with a paradoxical logic: a person must surrender themselves in order to find themselves, and triumph over their weaknesses in order to become strong.
In modern society, Adam II represents a culture that has been left behind. Adam II holds to the old moral realist view that human nature is both flawed and gifted, and that character does not come to one naturally but instead is built over time through the constant effort of confronting oneself. Modern culture has left behind this notion and therefore has become inarticulate about morality and the inner life. Brooks’s aim is to turn society’s attention back to Adam II.
Ultimately, Adam II represents the solution of a person’s struggle between inner and outer aims. If a person only focuses on their Adam I side, their inner life dries up, and they remain only partially satisfied. However, when one focuses on their Adam II side, both their internal and their external goals come into harmony. Therefore, Adam II is a symbol for the point of view a person should adopt in order to become the best version of themselves.
Adam II Quotes in The Road to Character
The The Road to Character quotes below all refer to the symbol of Adam II. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Introduction: Adam II
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To nurture your Adam I career, it makes sense to cultivate your strengths. To nurture your Adam II moral core, it is necessary to confront your weaknesses.
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Without a rigorous focus on the Adam II side of our nature, it is easy to slip into a self-satisfied moral mediocrity […] A humiliating gap opens up between your actual self and your desired self.
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Chapter 1: The Shift
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Only Adam II can experience deep satisfaction. Adam I aims for happiness, but Adam II knows that happiness is insufficient. The ultimate joys are moral joys.
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Chapter 2: The Summoned Self
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One sees this in people with a vocation—a certain rapt expression, a hungry desire to perform a dance or run an organization to its utmost perfection. They feel the joy of having their values in deep harmony with their behavior.
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Chapter 6: Dignity
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The non-violent path is an ironic path: the weak can triumph by enduring suffering; the oppressed must not fight back if they hope to defeat their oppressor; those on the side of justice can be corrupted by their own righteousness.
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Chapter 10: The Big Me
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Eventually [humble people] achieve moments of catharsis when outer ambition comes into balance with inner aspiration, when there is a unity of effort between Adam I and Adam II, when there is that ultimate tranquility and that feeling of flow—when moral nature and external skills are united in one defining effort.
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Adam II Symbol Timeline in The Road to Character
The timeline below shows where the symbol Adam II appears in The Road to Character. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Introduction: Adam II
...adopts a concept from Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik: every person has two natures, Adam I and Adam II. Adam I is career-oriented and has the resume virtues, while Adam II is internally moral...
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...different ways of reasoning. Adam I reasons economically, maximizing their strengths in order to succeed. Adam II , however, reasons morally. He surrenders himself to something outside himself to gain inner strength....
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...or be dependable. Brooks claims that when one doesn’t build inner character and nurture their Adam II , their external success will eventually crumble as well.
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Brooks states that his book will be about Adam II and people who have built strong inner character. He explains that he himself was drawn...
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...this problem sacrifice success to deepen the soul. In them, Adam I “bows down” to Adam II.
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Chapter 1: The Shift
...innate, but that it is built through hard work. One’s success—one’s Adam I—depends on one’s Adam II.
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...in “the moral struggle” against themselves. While Adam I only achieves success by conquering others, Adam II builds character by conquering the self.
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...is profoundly satisfying because Adam I is constantly desiring more. On the other hand, one’s Adam II side can achieve satisfaction because it knows that moral joys are true joys. Brooks’s goal...
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Chapter 10: The Big Me
...and finally overboard to a competitive meritocracy. The meritocracy focuses on Adam I but neglects Adam II , which leaves people imbalanced, without fulfillment of the soul. The meritocracy tells a person...
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Adam II ’s moral dictionary has shrunk, leaving people at a loss for how to articulate moral...
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...I only, leading to a narcissistic society. To restore balance between our Adam I and Adam II natures, we must go back to what we’ve left behind and ask the important questions,...
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