Recently philosopher, Nick Byrd, asked whether reflective reason is a virtue. https://byrdnick.com/archives/13007/reflection-and-virtue#more-13007 Is the capacity to think in a rational and reflective manner--for example, when evaluating the cogency of an hypothesis or performing mathematical operations "in our heads"-- a moral virtue? It may or may not be. In order to ask that question though, there is another question regarding free will and determinism that must be first be addressed.
I. Must we have free will in order to possess virtues?
Many people (philosophers and otherwise) hold that free will is an illusion, that our actions are largely if not wholly determined by causal chains. It has been argued that in order to say that a person possesses a virtue, that person must have free will of the kind that is incompatible with hard determinism (the position that everything one does is a necessary result of prior causes and conditions governing behavior). The argument runs thus:
Virtues must be under voluntary control in order that they can be praiseworthy or blameworthy. If a person is not responsible for cultivating virtue/s, then they deserve neither praise nor blame. That would be like praising one (as opposed to appreciating one) for the color of their eyes or hair.
On this view any and all virtues:
a) must be under voluntary control in order that
b) they can be praiseworthy or blameworthy.
Suppose
reflective reasoning turns out to be deterministic rather than
voluntary? Suppose, for example, it depends not on agency or free will
but rather genetic and environmental determinants.
This
issue is raised in Byrd's post. But it is equally problematic for the
well established virtues (courage, moderation, etc.). These could also
be distributed unevenly due to genetic and environmental determinants--
or at least strong influences. So the problem of whether reflective
reasoning "can be a virtue" if it is not voluntary is a generic problem when considering any alleged virtuous traits and behaviors which may turn out to be deterministic.
Thus, if that
is the main argument against calling reflective reasoning virtuous,
then I think it is safe to say that reflective reasoning is as much a
virtue as the more familiar virtues I mention above. In other words, the
problem raised has less to do with the moral status of reflective
reasoning as such than the question of whether or not non-voluntary
behavior can ever be virtuous at
all. If we say,
"No," then by definition reflective reasoning is not
virtuous no matter how much it may benefit ourselves and others.
II. Tentative Reason for believing Reflective Reason is a Virtue:
Let's
suppose that, as I suspect, reflective reasoning can be refined even if
we are born with unequal capacities. The virtue, then, would lie in
learning how to think more clearly about problems in order to make
better decisions, and thus act with greater prudence. Prudential wisdom
is certainly a virtue, and as Aristotle discusses, it depends on the
ability to think rationally and carefully about matters at hand. One
should certainly be praised for long and patient efforts to think about
problematic situations skillfully and rationally. I would argue that it
is clear that rational thinking that is refined by learning skills such
as critical thinking/informal logic is one vitally important factor in
making good judgments that benefit ourselves and others.
So why is it sensible to call reflective reasoning a virtue?
I think it is sensible because most putative virtues (generosity, friendliness,
courage, et al.) also do not insure good ethical judgment without the support of other virtues.
Courage alone doesn't insure good judgment in general. Brave behavior can be
found in terrorists as well as heroic firefighters. Intelligence,
concern for the well-being of others, and other qualities, must be in
place in order for the virtue of courage to result in good judgment and
wise action. True courage requires the cooperation of other virtues in order to count as true courage (as opposed to reckless risk-taking, for example). In the same way, rational reflection is one among several
basic virtues. Reflective reasoning without concern for the well-being
of one's fellow human beings (compassion), without the ability to face
our fears (courage), without the ability to avoid extremes (moderation)
can lead to destructive and reckless acts. This line of thought leads to
the old idea that the virtues are interdependent; that in some sense
they form a unity. Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics all held to some
variant of this idea (see https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9329.2007.00354.x ) as do Buddhist ethics and Confucian ethics.
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Questions:
1) Must virtues be under voluntary control of an agent? Can one be virtuous even if the virtue is determined by causes outside the agent's control such as genetics?
2) Is Reflective Reason a virtue or does it depend on the use to which it is put in our decisions and actions?
3) Do you think virtues such as courage, moderation, kindness, and others, are separate from each other or must they work together in some kind of harmony or unity in order to result in a life of virtue?
(These questions are suggestions only.)
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