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Virtue Epistemology and Education

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Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory

Introduction

Virtue epistemology (VE) is an emerging field of study in the theory of knowledge (epistemology) – one emerging yet hearkening back to the very beginnings of Western theorizing about knowledge, particularly in the works of Aristotle (384–322 BC). In simple terms, VE is an approach to the theory of knowledge that emphasizes the role of persons in formation and justification of beliefs. This is (perhaps surprisingly) decidedly contrary to the “traditional” focus of twentieth-century epistemology – the exacting analysis of belief, knowledge, and other epistemically relevant concepts. Virtue epistemologists contend this approach leaves out a key ingredient: the individual knower herself. Thus virtue epistemologists generally forego belief-based approaches and direct their analyses to the (variously understood) characteristics of persons. This has prompted some to refer to VE as “person-based” epistemology.

To understand VE’s significance – and ultimately its implications for...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, USA

    Mark Ortwein

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  1. Mark Ortwein
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Correspondence to Mark Ortwein .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Michael Peters

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Ortwein, M. (2015). Virtue Epistemology and Education. In: Peters, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-532-7_371-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-532-7_371-1

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