Philosophy 7/8421: Seminar in Epistemology

Virtue Epistemology

Spring 2003

David Henderson

EVALUATION:

Weekly short responses to the assigned readings. These are worth 10% of your grade. I need these each week, no later than Monday, noon. They serve to keep all of us on task—reflecting your conscientious preparation and informing my discussions.

One take-home exam, relatively late in the semester (week 10, April 7). This will provide 30% of your grade. It will call for clear exposition.

A term paper. This should be the fun part, and it provides 60% of your grade. I want to see a draft of this paper by week 12, April 21. I will provide comments and the finished product is due by May 7.

TEXTS:

Fairweather, A. and Zagzebski, L. (2001): Virtue Epistemology. Oxford University Press.

Sosa, Ernest (1991): Knowledge in Perspective. Cambridge University Press.

Zagzebski, Linda (1996): Virtues of the Mind. Cambridge University Press.

SCHEDULE:

Week	Reading
1	Quine, W. V. O. (1969), “Epistemology Naturalized,” Ontological Relativity and Other Essays. (Electronic Copies available). Philip Kitcher, “The Naturalists Return” The Philosophical Review, Vol. 101, No. 1, Philosophy in Review: Essays on Contemporary Philosophy. (Jan., 1992), pp. 53-114. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0031-8108%28199201%29101%3A1%3C53%3ATNR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-U
2	Alvin I. Goldman, “Strong and Weak Justification” Philosophical Perspectives, Vol. 2, Epistemology. (1988), pp. 51-69. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1520-8583%281988%292%3C51%3ASAWJ%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H Sosa, Ernest (1991): Introduction and Chapter 6. Nature Unmirrored and Naturalized Epistemology One might also wish to look at Greco’s online overview in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology-virtue/
3	Sosa, Ernest (1991): Chapter 8, “Reliablism and Intellectual Virtue. Sosa, Ernest (1991): Chapter 10, “The Raft and the Pyramid.”
4	Sosa, Ernest (1991): Chapter 11, “The Coherence of Virtue and the Virtue of Coherence.” Greco, John (2002): “Virtue Epistemology,” in Moser (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Epistemology.
5	Zagzebski, Linda (1996): Virtues of the Mind, pp. 77-164
6	Zagzebski, Linda (1996): Virtues of the Mind, pp. 165-258.
7	Zagzebski, Linda (1996): Virtues of the Mind, pp. 259-339.
8	Audi, Robert (2001) “Epistemic Virtue and Justified Belief,” in Fairweather and Zagzebski, Virtue Epistemology. Goldman, Alvin (2001): “The Unity of the Epistemic Virtues,” in Fairweather and Zagzebski, Virtue Epistemology.
9	Sosa, Ernest (2001): “For the Love of Truth,” in Fairweather and Zagzebski, Virtue Epistemology. Henderson and Horgan, Chapter 5, MS
10	Battaly, Heather (2001): “Thin Concepts to the Rescue,” in Fairweather and Zagzebski, Virtue Epistemology. Alston, William, “Epistemic Desiderata,” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Vol. 53, No. 3. (Sep., 1993), pp. 527-551. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0031-8205%28199309%2953%3A3%3C527%3AED%3E2.0.CO%3B2-C
11	John, Greco (2001): “Virtues and Rules in Epistemology,” in Fairweather and Zagzebski, Virtue Epistemology. Horgan and Henderson, Chapters 6 and 7, MS
12	Sosa, Ernest (1991): Chapter 13, “Knowledge and Intellectual Virtue.” Sosa, Ernest (1991): Chapter 16, “Intellectual Virtue In Perspective.”
13	Axtell, Guy (2001): “Epistemic Luck in Light of the Virtues,” in Fairweather and Zagzebski, Virtue Epistemology.

Some other sources:

Code, Lorraine (1987): Epistemic Responsibility. University Press of New England.

Goldman, Alvin (2002): “The Unity of the Epistemic Virtues,” Pathways to Knowledge. Oxford University Press.

Greco, John (2000): Putting Skeptics in Their Place. Cambridge University Press.

Greco, John (2002): “Virtue Epistemology,” in Moser (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Epistemology.

Kvanvig, Jonathan (1992): Intellectual Virtues and the Life of the Mind. Roman and Littlefield.

Montmarquet, James (1986): Epistemic Virtue and Doxastic Responsibility. Roman and Littlefield.

Plantinga, Alvin, (1993): Warrant: The Current Debate. Oxford University Press.

Plantinga, Alvin, (1993): Warrant and Proper Function. Oxford University Press.