Virtue Epistemology: Contemporary Readings

Virtue epistemology is a diverse and flourishing field, one of the most excitingdevelopments in epistemology to emerge over the last three decades. Virtue epistemology begins withthe premise that epistemology is a normative discipline and, accordingly, a central task ofepistemology is to explain the sort of normativity that knowledge, justified belief, and the likeinvolve. A second premise is that a focus on the intellectual virtues (individual intellectualexcellences) is essential to carrying out this central task. This collection offers some of the mostinfluential and agenda-setting work at the heart of virtue epistemology's research program. Takentogether, they will equip the reader to enter the ongoing discussion and debate in the field. Theselections range from seminal contributions by Ernest Sosa, who introduced the notion ofintellectual virtue into the contemporary literature, to a study of "epistemic justice"that draws on To Kill a Mockingbird and The Talented Mr.Ripley. The readings include overviews of the field that also serve to advance thediscussion; investigations of the nature of knowledge; reflections on the value of knowledge;examinations of credit and luck; and explorations of future directions for research.