The epistemic virtues, as identified by virtue epistemologists, reflect their contention that belief is an ethical process, and thus susceptible to the intellectual virtue or vice of one's own life and personal experiences. Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the question "How do we know?" Some epistemic virtues have been identified by W. Jay Wood, based on research into the medieval tradition. The list below substantially overlaps with his.
Being an epistemically virtuous person is often equated with being a critical thinker.
- attentiveness
- circumspection
- benevolence (Principle of Charity)
- coachability
- creativity
- curiosity
- discernment
- discretion
- foresight
- intellectual honesty
- intellectual humility
- imaginativeness
- interpretive sensitivity
- objectivity
- parsimony (Occam's razor)
- perceptiveness
- prudence/practical wisdom
- studiousness
- tenacity
- truthfulness
- understanding
- warrant
- wisdom
Note that in this context curiosity bears the modern connotation of inquisitiveness, in contrast to the medieval connotation of attraction to unwholesome things.
These can be contrasted to the epistemic vices such as:
- closed-mindedness
- curiosity
- dogmatism
- epistemic blindness
- folly
- gullibility
- intellectual dishonesty
- obtuseness
- self-deception
- superficiality of thought
- superstition
- willful naïveté
- wishful thinking
Note that in this context curiosity bears the medieval connotation of attraction to unwholesome things, in contrast to the positive studious (or perhaps inquisitive).
Famous quotes containing the word virtue:
“There’s only one way for an individual to remain upright, not to fall to pieces, not to sink into the mire of self-oblivion ... or self-contempt. That’s calmly to turn away from everything, to say, “Enough!” and, folding one’s useless arms across one’s empty breast, to retain the ultimate, the sole attainable virtue, the virtue of recognizing one’s own insignificance.”
—Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev (1818–1883)