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The moral virtue of open-mindedness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Yujia Song
Yujia Song*
Affiliation:
Philosophy Department, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD, USA
*
E-mail: ysong147@gmail.com
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Abstract

This paper gives a new and richer account of open-mindedness as a moral virtue. I argue that the main problem with existing accounts is that they derive the moral value of open-mindedness entirely from the epistemic role it plays in moral thought. This view is overly intellectualist. I argue that open-mindedness as a moral virtue promotes our flourishing alongside others in ways that are quite independent of its role in correcting our beliefs. I close my discussion by distinguishing open-mindedness from what some might consider its equivalent: empathy and tolerance.

Keywords

Open-mindednessmoral virtueintellectual virtueempathytolerance

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Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Philosophy , Volume 48 , Issue 1 , 2018 , pp. 65 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Journal of Philosophy 2017

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