The book develops the concept of an intellectual virtue, and then shows how the concept can be used to give an account of the major concepts in epistemology, including the concept of knowledge. Epistemology is often defined as the theory of knowledge, and talk of propositional knowledge that is, s knows that p has dominated the bulk of modern literature in epistemology. On epistemology philosopher wadsworth kindle edition by zagzebski, linda. One of the key tenets of linda zagzebskis book epistemic authority. Why are so many epistemologists worried about luck. Because we are selfconscious, we reflect upon our own. Linda trinkaus zagzebski born 1946 is an american philosopher. Exemplarist moral theory hardcover linda zagzebski. This chapter offers an alternative to the standard successoriented epistemological theories by arguing that the highest epistemic good is a state which includes much more than the achievement of true beliefs and the avoidance of false ones. She is also interested in topics like understanding, the intellectual virtues, and wisdom, which were hardly discussed in epistemology when i was a student. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Jensen alex, valerie joly chock, kyle mallard, and jonathan matheson, university of north florida, jonathan. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief 2012 is the preemption thesis for epistemic authority. Exemplarist moral theory by linda zagzebski nook book. Virtue epistemology stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Understanding virtue and the virtue of understanding. The pragmatic turn in explainable artificial intelligence xai.
Linda zagzebski has an interesting project in this book. Zagzebski brings the resources of premodern philosophy to bear on contemporary issues and opens up a line of inquiry that could prove as fruitful for epistemology as it already has for ethics. The epistemological interest of zagzebskis book is found in her attempts to. Distinct from deontrological, consequentialist, and teleological virtue theories, this. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Linda zagzebski thought of pascal wager understanding. Nov, 2017 here is the new spi edition of the single bestselling mock exam devoted to the ardms exam in ultrasound physics. Linda zagzebski is george lynn cross research professor, and kingfisher college chair of the philosophy of religion and ethics, at the university of oklahoma. Understanding in epistemology internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Nothing more than high school physics is necessary. Divine motivation theory 9780521535762 by linda zagzebski. She assumes that reliability in itself has no value or disvalue, but goldman and olsson disagree. The first concerns her argument from selftrust to othertrust.
Zagzebskis diagnosis of what is motivating this problem for reliabilism. A central feature of zagzebski s theory is the place given to exemplars of goodness. In on epistemology linda zagzebski situates epistemological questions within the broader framework of what we care about and why we. At the core of the book lies a form of virtue theory based on the emotions. I dont understand linda zagzebskis the inescapability of gettier problems. First, they view epistemology as a normative discipline. This is my kind of intro to the topic of epistemology. As an introduction to the philosophy of religion this book has four unique features. Linda, whom i know, begins her presentation with a discussion of what we care about and writes that we want to know things about those things we care about. Zagzebski bases her conclusion that we should trust ourselves on the grounds that we will experience psychic dissonance if we dont. We explain why philosophers have turned their attention to. Questions of value shape all of the above questions and explain some significant philosophical trends.
Linda zagzebskis virtues of the mind hilary kornblith university of vermont linda zagzebski has an interesting project in this book. Jul 08, 2008 in on epistemology linda zagzebski situates epistemological questions within the broader framework of what we care about and why we care about it. Taking this to be the defining characteristic, proposes that understanding is a state of comprehending. Written with verve and clarity by a leading philosopher and contributor to the field places key issues and debates in the philosophy of religion in their historical contexts, highlighting the conditions that led to the development of the field addresses the core topics, among them the the existence of. While a number of authors have presented epistemological theories. Zagzebski takes the reader on a walk through deep topics and navigates complicated discussions, careful to present several viewpoints on or approaches to a given problem. Linda zagzebski university of oklahoma, september 27, 2016 at loyola marymount university. The motive for truth in our epistemic lives i assume that a selfconscious being is both conscious of the world and conscious of itself being conscious of the world. In virtues of the mind, linda zagzebski has set forth what is probably, to date, the. Second, they view intellectual agents and communities as the primary focus of epistemic evaluation, with a. In this book, i have tried to show what a modern defense of epistemic authority would look like p. Understanding in epistemology internet encyclopedia of.
The writing is simple and accessible, which is a difficult goal to accomplish in both philosophy and religion. This is the second meetup of our series on major publications in epistemology. Gettier states up front that its possible to have a justified belief that isnt true zagzebski pointed out that if we accept that point, then it will always be possible to come up with gettier cases by starting with a scenario in which a person has knowledge, then tweaking the scenario so that the person is lucky to have knowledge. Epistemic authority a theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief linda trinkaus zagzebski. An inquiry into the nature of virtue and the ethical foundations of knowledge, a groundbreaking book by the philosopher linda zagzebski when it was published in 1996. Linda zagzebski, recovering understanding philpapers. First book to apply the ideas of authority and autonomy as used in moral and political philosophy to the domain of belief. The current debate centres on linda zagzebskis virtues of the mind, a book that claims to have resolved the epistemic problems posed by edmund gettier in 196310. In this book linda trinkaus zagzebski gives an extended argument that the selfreflective person is committed to belief on authority. An accessible and engaging introduction to the philosophy of religion. Two further reservations arise from the way zagzebski employs this understanding of rationality in her argument for epistemic authority. In this book linda zagzebski presents an original moral theory based on direct reference to exemplars of goodness, modeled on the putnamkripke theory which revolutionized semantics in the seventies.
Moral realism, aesthetic realism, and the asymmetry claim. It is perhaps this aspect of kvanvigs book that has prompted the most. As this variety suggests, debates about the nature and value of understanding occur across philosophy. Linda zagzebski, professor of philosophy at loyola marymount university, assembles nine essays authored by philosophers wellversed in both angloamerican philosophy and catholicism to respond to christian philosophers in the calvinist. Epistemic authority is compatible with autonomy, but epistemic selfreliance is incoherent. David bourget 2017 philosophy and phenomenological research 95 2. In this book linda trinkaus zagzebski gives an extended argument that the self reflective person is. The value of knowledge stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. The paper provides a systematic overview of recent debates in epistemology and philosophy of science on the nature of understanding. On epistemology philosopher wadsworth kindle edition. These traits require basic trust in our faculties, and they would not be virtuous unless our faculties were basically trustworthy.
On epistemology philosopher wadsworth zagzebski, linda isbn. Widely regarded as one of the foremost figures in contemporary philosophy of religion, linda trinkaus zagzebski has written a new book that will be seen as a major contribution to ethical theory and theological ethics. Zagzebskis book brims with acute observations and is written in such a way that even those not trained in analytic philosophy will find it an enjoyable read. In the 2018 political climate in the united states, professor zagzebskis book could not be more timely. Add one setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your universitys proxy server configure custom proxy use this if your affiliation does not provide a proxy. For zagzebski, the value of knowledge deflates to the value of mere true belief. But it is also true that zagzebski can be almost excessively uncritical of the evaluative views of. The question of whether this understanding requires the use of natural reason is a central issue in this book. She wishes to develop an epistemological theory which is informed by work in virtue ethics. By this linda zagzebski means to draw attention to ancient, mediaeval, and modern sources and contributions to current debates. She is a george lynn cross research professor, and kingfisher college chair of the philosophy of religion and ethics at the university of oklahoma. She writes in the areas of epistemology, philosophy of religion, and virtue theory. She argues that epistemic and emotional selftrust are rational and. Understanding is a kind of cognitive accomplishment, and the objects of understandingfrom people, to languages, to scientific theories, to logical proofsare strikingly varied.
In this book zagzebski offers a fullyfledged defence of the claim that admiration, and the moral exemplars who form its paradigmatic object, have a crucial role to play in moral theory and practice. In on epistemology linda zagzebski situates epistemological questions within the broader framework of what we care about and why we care about it. Moral understanding, emulation, and resentment featuring dr. Linda zagzebski considers three objections to the argument of pascals wager in the second part of the lecture in my philosophy class considering them to be the many gods objection, wagers presupposes a low view of god and religious faith and we cant believe by making a choice. Taking this to be the defining characteristic, proposes that understanding is a state. They point out that zagzebskis conclusion rests on the assumption of veritism. They point out that zagzebski s conclusion rests on the assumption of veritism. Linda trinkaus zagzebski, exemplarist moral theory, ethics 128, no. By including detailed descriptions of the lives of moral exemplars, zagzebskis book may well inspire admiration of such figures. In this book linda trinkaus zagzebski gives an extended argument that the selfreflective person is. Finds three important, relevant strands of thought in the works of plato and aristotle, among which the most important one is that understanding involves representing the world nonpropositionally, e. The intellectual virtues are qualities of reflective agents in their attempts to reach their epistemic ends. These books will prove valuable to philosophy teachers and their students as well as to other. The philosopher, linda zagzebski, offers a virtue based definition of knowledge.
Linda trinkaus zagzebski, exemplarist moral theory, oxford university press, 2017, 274pp. Proposes an analysis of the concept of understanding. This week were discussing a selection from virtues of the mind. Ultrasound principles from the basic level to understanding exactly the engineering principles of how an ultrasound machine produces an image are nicely and clearly covered in this book. What about other epistemic values like understanding and certainty. The book reads almost like a conversation or class transcript. This remarkable book is the first attempt to establish a theory of knowledge based on the model of virtue theory in ethics. A very good and clearly written for zagzebski responsibilist position. I dont understand linda zagzebskis the inescapability of. In exemplarist moral theory, exemplars are identified through the emotion of admiration, which zagzebski argues is both a motivating emotion and an emotion whose cognitive content permits the. In exemplarist moral theory, exemplars are identified through the emotion of admiration. Throughout the book, she notes that this is a large project and invites the assistance of others. Contemporary virtue epistemology hereafter ve is a diverse collection of approaches to epistemology. Its difficult to understand or manage your emotions lately and you feel unsure about what path you should take.
At least two central tendencies are discernible among the approaches. In my opinion, epistemic authority needs to be regained, but in a modern form. It is also worth noting that zagzebskis book is one that may serve as a source of moral inspiration, a rare virtue in a work of moral philosophy. According to gettier, the traditional definition of knowledge as justified true belief is insufficient11. The role of consciousness in grasping and understanding. Im struggling to make sense of this piece and how this leads to the conclusion that gettier cases are inescapable. However, epistemologists have recently started to turn more attention to the epistemic state or states of understanding, asking. A theory of trust, authority, and autonomy in belief oxford university press, 2012 was based.
For some of the intellectual virtues are best understood as. Jun 30, 2018 this is the second meetup of our series on major publications in epistemology. She arrives at this definition by presenting numerous accounts of knowledge definitions that fail, explore why they fail, then shows how her theory satisfies knowledge criteria. Her focus on the virtues leads her to avoid a style of philosphy that endlessly hgenerates counterexamples and engages in barren possibleworlds speculation. Epistemic authority paperback linda trinkaus zagzebski. Given that snapshot of the current project, readers who are familiar with zagzebskis earlier book, divine motivation theory cambridge university press, 2004, will naturally wonder how her discussion in this book emt differs from, or what it adds to, the defense of moral exemplarism provided in the earlier book.
This allows the theory to assume discrete but overlapping forms in different cultures and religions. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading on epistemology philosopher wadsworth. Widely regarded as one of the foremost figures in contemporary philosophy of religion, this book by linda zagzebski is a major contribution to ethical theory and theological ethics. Zagzebski develops her view by suggesting that understanding has internalist conditions for success. At the core of the book lies a new form of virtue theory based on the emotions. Zagzebski is the author of essentials of ultrasound physics 4.