180027 VO Intellectual virtue (2013S)

Our daily talk is full of intellectual virtues and vices. We say that George Bush is a bigot, that Nelson Mandela has intellectual integrity, that Giordano Bruno was intellectually courageous. We not only make such judgements all the time but we really care about them. When I call you a bigot, it hurts; you try to show me that I am mistaken. But what are these virtues we take so seriously really? Are they natural capacities, like being able to sing in tune, or acquirable character traits, like being generous? And why do we care whether we are intellectually virtuous, anyway? These questions matter for how you should live your life. If, for example, intellectual virtues and vices turned out to be just natural capacities like being able to sing in tune, then it would be pointless criticising you for being a bigot; more seriously, it would be equally pointless for you to try to be more open-minded.

FIRST MEETING: 18 March 2013 - no reading