Conscientiousness: Epistemic Virtue

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Epistemology is study of knowing and allowing oneself to find the truth. Correspondingly, conscientiousness is the act of caring about truth and getting proof of that truth. Conscientiousness is an epistemic virtue because through this act, a person can carefully make sure that their thoughts or conclusions are correct. In this paper, I will discuss the vices of conscientiousness, such as a person’s demands for proof being either too high or too low; while also discussing the virtues of conscientiousness, such as a person being able to draw the theoretical line in-between what is too much of a demand for proof and what is too little of a demand for proof. After establishing my case that conscientiousness is an epistemic virtue, I will apply …show more content…

Conscientiousness allows people to be more self-trusting while also digging deeper into truth and gaining the virtuous middle ground that we all strive to achieve. Conscientiousness, like any other epistemic virtue, has its vices. The two vices that I will discuss in this paper are on opposite ends of the conscientiousness spectrum, but very obviously correlate. The first vice that I will discuss, is a person not demanding enough proof when seeking truth. Even without an explanation, it is obvious why this is a vice of conscientiousness. Like I stated before, conscientiousness itself is caring about truth, and by not seeking enough proof, or even having a very low requirement for proof, a person is doing the opposite of their epistemic requirement to not only seek truth, but value it as well. Not valuing the truth and accepting the bare minimum may make a person come off as ignorant or uneducated, even if that wasn’t their intention. The art of seeking truth in a fair and epistemically virtuous way is a difficult task, and many people overestimate the amount proof that they think they need to come to a true and fair conclusion. This brings me to my next vice: a person having

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