Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, and Virtue
This chapter offers an overview of how virtue-based concepts have been used by philosophers of science to shed light on epistemic aspects of science. In the epistemology of science, the word virtue has referred to two different concepts. First, virtue can be understood as excellence, where excellence is a quality of a model, a theory, or a hypothesis. Second, virtue can be understood more narrowly as a stable character trait and/or disposition of scientists themselves. The first meaning is connected to the long-standing debate on the qualities that make a scientific theory a good scientific theory. The second meaning is connected to a much more recent conversation exploring the connections between virtue epistemology and philosophy of science. I explore how these two meanings of virtue have been developed, and I highlight underexplored areas that can advance our understanding of the relation between virtue theory and philosophy of science.