Title: Intellectual Virtue and the Good Life: Ethical and Epistemic Values
Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council

Abstract: Philosophers typically understand "ethics" as concerned with questions about conduct: what should I do, how should I behave, how should I live? These are questions about our "practical" lives - our lives as people who act, who do things. "Epistemology," by contrast, is understood to concern questions about thought: what I should I believe, how should I reason, what can I know? These are questions about our "intellectual" lives - our lives as people who think, form beliefs and opinions, and acquire knowledge. Philosophers - going back to ancient Greece, and up to the present day - have talked about an idea that seems to belong both to ethics and to epistemology: the idea of "intellectual virtue." A successful discussion of "intellectual virtue" requires bringing these two areas of philosophical inquiry, which are sometimes kept separate, together. The definition of "intellectual virtue" itself is controversial; philosophers have included, on lists of intellectual virtues, such character traits as humility and openmindedness, skills or abilities such as practical wisdom, and faculties such as perception and intuition. Aristotle devoted a chapter of his Nicomachean Ethics to the intellectual virtues, defending the importance of insight, scientific understanding, and practical wisdom for living a good life. In contemporary epistemology, many have urged an examination of such character traits as openmindedness, humility, and intellectual integrity. Insight, scientific understanding, practical wisdom, openmindedness, humility, intellectual integrity - these all sound like good things. My research asks: what makes these "intellectual virtues" good, why are they valuable? Why should we want to have these virtues? Is it because these virtues will make us happy? Because it will make us better people? Because it will make us better citizens in a liberal society? Or does the value of these virtues derive -- as some philosophers argue -- from a special "intellectual" or "epistemic" domain of value? Does the idea of such a domain of value, assumed by many philosophers, even make sense? My approach to these questions combines a variety of philosophical methods. First, there is work to be done getting clear what philosophers mean (and have meant) by "intellectual virtue." Second, there are arguments to be explored in philosophical ethics, challenging the value of such virtues as coherence and intellectual integrity. A case can be made, for example, that there are situations where it is better to be incoherent - as when you are torn between allegiance to diverse values. Third, psychologists have found that there are substantial differences between individuals when it comes to their "intellectual" character traits - e.g. in the extent to which people are biased. My project will explore these differences and potential correlations with personality and mental health, through collaboration with psychologists. Part of my project aims to disseminate the results of my research to a non-academic audience, and in particular educators and education policymakers. There is an important debate to be had about the function of education (at all levels): whether its primary function is to instill factual or theoretical knowledge (as is sometimes suggests), or whether it has an equally important function of promoting and developing certain valuable character traits, skills, and abilities - in short, the intellectual virtues. The nature and value of the intellectual virtues is relevant to this question: if, for example, intellectual humility is essential for living a good human life, then there might be a responsibility to foster such a virtue in education. I aim to engage with educators and philosophers of education as part of my project, both to inform my research and to provide potentially useful new frameworks and concepts for those working in education outside the academy.


Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH