The Inquiring Mind: On Intellectual Virtues and Virtue Epistemology

✍ Scribed by Jason Baehr

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 250
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book is the first systematic treatment of 'responsibilist' or character-based virtue epistemology, an approach to epistemology that focuses on intellectual character virtues like open-mindedness, fair-mindedness, inquisitiveness, and intellectual courage, rigor, and carefulness. Baehr distinguishes four main varieties of character-based virtue epistemology and develops a comprehensive assessment of each. For students and professional philosophers looking for an introduction to this exciting new field, the book offers a brief history of virtue epistemology, an overview of contemporary research in the field, and an introduction to intellectual virtues that distinguishes them from intellectual talents, temperaments, faculties, and skills. For specialists in epistemology, it provides most in depth examination to date of the role that the concept of intellectual virtue might play in a philosophical account of knowledge. Baehr also argues for expanding the borders of epistemology proper to include a more immediate concern with intellectual virtues and their role in a good intellectual life. For virtue theorists and moral psychologists, the book contains an in depth defense of a 'personal worth' account of the nature and structure of an intellectual virtue and situates this account vis-�-vis the views of several other virtue ethicists and virtue epistemologists. Baehr also provides chapter-length analyses of two individual character virtues (open-mindedness and intellectual courage) and an appendix on the relation between intellectual virtues and moral virtues. Overall, the book is a comprehensive and groundbreaking treatment of an important cutting-edge topic in philosophy.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 12
1 Introduction......Page 16
1.1 Intellectual virtue: some examples......Page 18
1.2.1 A very brief history......Page 21
1.2.2 Four varieties of character-based virtue epistemology......Page 24
1.3 An overview of the book......Page 28
2.1 Some natural groupings of intellectual virtues......Page 32
2.2.1 Faculties......Page 37
2.2.2 Talents......Page 40
2.2.3 Temperaments......Page 41
2.2.4 Skills......Page 44
2.3 Conclusion......Page 47
3 Knowledge and Intellectual Virtue......Page 48
3.1 Zagzebski’s account of knowledge......Page 49
3.2 Are intellectual virtues (plus true belief) sufficient for knowledge?......Page 51
3.3 Are intellectual virtues necessary for knowledge?......Page 54
3.3.2 Mimicking an intellectually virtuous agent......Page 55
3.3.3 “Low-level” virtuous motives and actions......Page 56
3.3.4 Conclusion......Page 59
3.4 Prospects for Strong Conservative VE......Page 60
4 Virtue and Character in Reliabilism......Page 62
4.1 The exclusion of character virtues within reliabilist epistemology......Page 64
4.2 Character virtues as reliabilist knowledge-makers......Page 67
4.3 Theoretical reverberations......Page 75
4.4 Conclusion......Page 82
5 Evidentialism, Vice, and Virtue......Page 83
5.1 Problem cases......Page 84
5.1.1 Cases of defective inquiry......Page 85
5.1.2 Cases of defective “doxastic handling” of evidence......Page 90
5.2 Modifying evidentialism......Page 94
5.3 BonJour’s evidentialism......Page 98
5.4 Conclusion......Page 101
6 A Personal Worth Conception of Intellectual Virtue......Page 103
6.1 Preliminaries......Page 104
6.2 Personal worth and intellectual virtue......Page 106
6.2.1 Personal intellectual worth......Page 107
6.2.2 Clarifications......Page 109
6.2.3 The basis of personal worth simpliciter......Page 111
6.2.4 The basis of personal intellectual worth......Page 115
6.2.6 The broad structure of an intellectual virtue......Page 117
6.3 Assessing the account......Page 119
6.3.1 Intellectual carefulness and thoroughness......Page 120
6.3.2 Creativity and originality......Page 121
6.3.3 Intellectual conscientiousness......Page 123
6.3.4 Intellectual generosity......Page 125
6.3.5 Conclusion......Page 126
7 The Personal Worth Conception and Its Rivals......Page 127
7.1.1 Hurka’s “recursive” conception......Page 128
7.1.2 Adams and “excellence in being for the good”......Page 133
7.2.1 Driver’s consequentialist account......Page 138
7.2.2 Hursthouse’s naturalism......Page 142
7.2.3 Zagzebski’s “motivational” account......Page 147
7.3 Conclusion......Page 153
8 Open-Mindedness......Page 155
8.1 Some initial characterizations of open-mindedness......Page 156
8.2.1 The conceptual core of open-mindedness......Page 163
8.2.2 A definition of open-mindedness......Page 167
8.3 Open-mindedness and other cognitive excellences......Page 170
8.4 When to be open-minded?......Page 172
8.5 Conclusion......Page 177
9.1 Intellectual courage vs. moral courage......Page 178
9.2 Some examples......Page 179
9.3 The “context” of intellectual courage......Page 184
9.4 The “substance” of intellectual courage......Page 187
9.5 Intellectual courage: a definition......Page 192
9.6.1 Ill-motivated courage?......Page 194
9.6.2 Easy courage?......Page 198
9.7 When to be intellectually courageous?......Page 201
10 The Status and Future of Character-Based Virtue Epistemology......Page 206
10.1 Four varieties of character-based virtue epistemology......Page 207
10.2.2 Weak Conservative VE......Page 208
10.2.3 Strong Autonomous VE......Page 209
10.2.4 Weak Autonomous VE......Page 214
10.2.5 A final objection......Page 217
Appendix: On the Distinction between Intellectual and Moral Virtues......Page 221
A.1 Belief vs. action......Page 222
A.2 A unifying principle for intellectual virtues......Page 223
A.3 A teleological account......Page 224
A.4 An alternative proposal......Page 229
A.5 Implications......Page 233
A.6 Driver on intellectual and moral virtue......Page 235
References......Page 238
D......Page 246
I......Page 247
R......Page 248
W......Page 249
Z......Page 250