Abstract
One of the hallmarks of virtue is reliably acting well. Such reliable success presupposes that an agent (1) is able to recognize the morally salient features of a situation, and the appropriate response to those features and (2) is motivated to act on this knowledge without internal conflict. Furthermore, it is often claimed that the virtuous person can do this (3) in a spontaneous or intuitive manner. While these claims represent an ideal of what it is to have a virtue, it is less clear how to make good on them. That is, how is it actually possible to spontaneously and reliably act well? In this paper, we will lay out a framework for understanding how it is that one could reliably act well in an intuitive manner. We will do this by developing the concept of an action schema, which draws on the philosophical and psychological literature on skill acquisition and self-regulation. In short, we will give an account of how self-regulation, grounded in skillful structures, can allow for the accurate intuitions and flexible expertise required for virtue. While our primary goal in this paper is to provide a positive theory of how virtuous intuitions might be accounted for, we also take ourselves to be raising the bar for what counts as an explanation of reliable and intuitive action in general.
Highlights
One of the hallmarks of virtue is reliably acting well.1 Such reliable success presupposes that an agent (1) is able to recognize the morally salient features of a situation, Ellen Fridland and Matt Stichter both contributed to this manuscript
We will give an account of how self-regulation, grounded in skillful structures, can allow for the accurate intuitions and flexible expertise required for virtue
By thinking of skill and expertise as sophisticated forms of self-regulation, we are able to get a handle on intuition, generally, and on the ways in which reliably accurate intuition may develop in virtue
Summary
Synthese and the appropriate response to those features and (2) is motivated to act on this knowledge without internal conflict. Reliably accurate intuitions play a central role in explaining how the virtuous person is able to reliably act well, and to reliably act well in a spontaneous fashion.5 While these claims represent an ideal of what it is to have a virtue, it is less clear how to make good on them. We will lay out a framework for understanding how it is that one could reliably act well in an intuitive manner We will do this by developing the concept of an action schema, which draws on the philosophical and psychological literature on skill acquisition and self-regulation. We will give an account of how self-regulation, grounded in skillful structures, can allow for the accurate intuitions and flexible expertise required for virtue. Self-regulation theories cover both the considerations involved with setting goals and striving to accomplish those goals. In this paper we will briefly outline the main features of self-regulation, and explore some of the implications of the research on self-regulation for skill acquisition and the ‘virtue as skill’ thesis
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