A (Different) Virtue Responsibilism: Epistemic Virtues Without Motivations

Acta Analytica 33 (3):311-329 (2018)
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Abstract

Debate rages in virtue epistemology between virtue reliabilists and responsibilists. Here, I develop and argue for a new kind of responsibilism that is more conciliar to reliabilism. First, I argue that competence-based virtue reliabilism cannot adequately ground epistemic credit. Then, with this problem in hand, I show how Aristotle’s virtue theory is motivated by analogous worries. Yet, incorporating too many details of Aristotelian moral theory leads to problems, notably the problem of unmotivated belief. As a result, I suggest a re-turn to Aristotle to develop a distinctively epistemological virtue theory that does not require any motive or affect for epistemic virtue. Nevertheless, my theory affirms that virtues are acquired, agent-expressive traits. The result is a conciliar responsibilism that leans closer to reliabilism. I end by arguing that my virtue responsibilism can solve worries facing both reliabilism and responsibilism.

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Benjamin McCraw
University Of South Carolina Upstate

Citations of this work

Social Epistemology and Epidemiology.Benjamin W. McCraw - 2024 - Acta Analytica 39 (4):627-642.

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References found in this work

Knowing Full Well.Ernest Sosa - 2010 - Princeton University Press.
Theory of knowledge.Keith Lehrer - 2000 - Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press.
Theory of Knowledge.Keith Lehrer - 1990 - Boulder, Colo.: Routledge.

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