virtue epistemology

formula for Gettier style cases:

Start with situation where there’s a belief that fits the definition but is false due to bad luck.

The change the situation to one where the belief fits the situation but is true due to good luck.

In the second case, the belief will fit the definition as it is still the same as the first case, but this shouldn’t be knowledge as it is true due to luck

Reason for all definitions being defeated

The truth condition and third condition are simply added together, not linked, therefore there is a gap where lucky cases can incorrectly fit the definition. This gap motivates Zagzebski to remove the truth condition altogether, and have the truth implied by the idea of an act of intellectual virtue

Definition - Linda Zagzebski

knowledge = believed + arisen from an act of intellectual virtue

moral virtue:

the actor intends to do good and achievs their goal

Intellectual virtue:

You must have the correct motivation and succeed as a result, eg. your motivation is to find the truth and you succeed because you acted virtuously.

What do virtues allow us to do:

• they motivate us to pursue what is good - good knowledge is also true

• they enable us to achieve our goals, hence allowing us to reliable form true beliefs

definiton - Ernest Sosa

knowledge = belief is true + believed + due to an exercise of intellectual virtue

archer analogy - accuracy

archery = the arrow hits the target

knowledge = the belief is true

Both could be due to luck however.

archer analogy - adroitness

archery = the archer is skilled

knowledge = the believer has intellectual virtue

However just because you have a skill, it does not mean that skill is what caused you to succeed, aka. you could still get lucky

archer analogy - aptness

archery = the arrow hits the target because the archer is skilled

knowledge = the belief is true because the believer has intellectual virtues

This last condition provides a link between truth and the third condition, ruling out the Getteir style cases to defeat it as a result of luck

objecting fake barn county

in this situation, Sosa would not say Henry had knowledge when he believes ‘there’s a barn’ because despite his belief being true and formed by a reliable method (his eyesight), he only formed the true belief as a result of luck, not because he used his intellectual virtues.

problem: children and animals

Virtue epistemology rules out the possibility of children and animals having knowledge as they are unlikely to possess intellectual virtues, even though they arguable to know many things.