The Perception of Virtue
It is not uncommon for people to like what they take as morally good. And often these feelings of esteem for virtue come prior to conscious cognitive appraisals about character. This chapter outlines a framework for understanding some emotional responses of esteem to perceived good character as representing the character traits as valuable, and hence, as virtues. It is proposed that these esteeming experiences are analogous to perceptual representations in other modalities in their epistemic role as causing, providing content for, and in justifying beliefs regarding the value of the traits they represent. The role of the perceiver’s own character in their ability to recognize and respond appropriately to virtue in others is also discussed. It is shown that moral virtues can also be epistemic virtues when it comes to facilitating knowledge about the character of people we encounter.