Why We Should Be Curious about Each Other
Is curiosity a virtue or a vice? Curiosity, as a disposition to attain new, worthwhile information, can manifest as an epistemic virtue. When the disposition to attain new information is not manifested virtuously, this is either because the agent lacks the appropriate motivation to attain the inform...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Philosophies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/8/4/71 |
| _version_ | 1797225399489396736 |
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| author | Lisa Bortolotti Kathleen Murphy-Hollies |
| author_facet | Lisa Bortolotti Kathleen Murphy-Hollies |
| author_sort | Lisa Bortolotti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Is curiosity a virtue or a vice? Curiosity, as a disposition to attain new, worthwhile information, can manifest as an epistemic virtue. When the disposition to attain new information is not manifested virtuously, this is either because the agent lacks the appropriate motivation to attain the information or because the agent has poor judgement, seeking information that is not worthwhile or seeking information by inappropriate means. In the right circumstances, curiosity contributes to the agent’s excellence in character: it is appropriate to praise the agent for being curious, blame the agent for not being curious, and also prompt the agent to cultivate such curiosity, at least in some of the relevant contexts. We believe curiosity can also manifest as a moral virtue when it helps an interpreter view a speaker as an agent with a valuable perspective on the world. Especially in interactions where either there is a marked power imbalance between interpreter and speaker, or interpreter and speaker have identity beliefs that lead them to radically different worldviews, curiosity can help foster mutual understanding, and prevent the interpreter from dismissing, marginalizing, or pathologizing the speaker’s perspective. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:38:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1d8d41c0855d4850be9bd49d63162b13 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2409-9287 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T14:08:24Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Philosophies |
| spelling | doaj.art-1d8d41c0855d4850be9bd49d63162b132024-04-03T09:39:15ZengMDPI AGPhilosophies2409-92872023-08-01847110.3390/philosophies8040071Why We Should Be Curious about Each OtherLisa Bortolotti0Kathleen Murphy-Hollies1Philosophy Department, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT, UKPhilosophy Department, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT, UKIs curiosity a virtue or a vice? Curiosity, as a disposition to attain new, worthwhile information, can manifest as an epistemic virtue. When the disposition to attain new information is not manifested virtuously, this is either because the agent lacks the appropriate motivation to attain the information or because the agent has poor judgement, seeking information that is not worthwhile or seeking information by inappropriate means. In the right circumstances, curiosity contributes to the agent’s excellence in character: it is appropriate to praise the agent for being curious, blame the agent for not being curious, and also prompt the agent to cultivate such curiosity, at least in some of the relevant contexts. We believe curiosity can also manifest as a moral virtue when it helps an interpreter view a speaker as an agent with a valuable perspective on the world. Especially in interactions where either there is a marked power imbalance between interpreter and speaker, or interpreter and speaker have identity beliefs that lead them to radically different worldviews, curiosity can help foster mutual understanding, and prevent the interpreter from dismissing, marginalizing, or pathologizing the speaker’s perspective.https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/8/4/71curiosityagential stanceepistemic virtuemoral virtuemutual understanding |
| spellingShingle | Lisa Bortolotti Kathleen Murphy-Hollies Why We Should Be Curious about Each Other Philosophies curiosity agential stance epistemic virtue moral virtue mutual understanding |
| title | Why We Should Be Curious about Each Other |
| title_full | Why We Should Be Curious about Each Other |
| title_fullStr | Why We Should Be Curious about Each Other |
| title_full_unstemmed | Why We Should Be Curious about Each Other |
| title_short | Why We Should Be Curious about Each Other |
| title_sort | why we should be curious about each other |
| topic | curiosity agential stance epistemic virtue moral virtue mutual understanding |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/8/4/71 |
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