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Ad hominem arguments and virtue epistemology: How to attack the person without committing a logical or moral failure in the attempt

Rivera-Novoa, Angel (2022) Ad hominem arguments and virtue epistemology: How to attack the person without committing a logical or moral failure in the attempt. THEORIA. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science, 37 (3). pp. 357-377. ISSN 2171-679X

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to offer an explanation of the legitimacy of certain ad hominem arguments by appealing to virtue epistemology. The main thesis is that there are ad hominem arguments that are acceptable if they are conceived as inductive arguments, whose soundness is given by a fair appeal to the interlocutor’s epistemic vices. It is argued that some abusive ad hominem arguments are acceptable if they rest on a fair pointing out of the interlocutor’s lack of agential intellectual virtues. Likewise, some circumstantial ad hominem arguments would be acceptable if they rest on a fair pointing out of the interlocutor’s lack of non-agential intellectual virtues. The paper exposes some problems of other attempts to vindicate ad hominem arguments.


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Item Type: Published Article or Volume
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Rivera-Novoa, Angelangel.riveran@udea.edu.co0000-0001-6793-0307
Additional Information: ISSN: 0495-4548 (print)
Keywords: ad hominem arguments, virtue epistemology, reliabilism, responsabilism, agency
Subjects: General Issues > Ethical Issues
General Issues > Rhetoric of Science
General Issues > Social Epistemology of Science
General Issues > Values In Science
Depositing User: Unnamed user with email theoria@ehu.es
Date Deposited: 06 Feb 2023 20:59
Last Modified: 06 Feb 2023 20:59
Item ID: 21731
Journal or Publication Title: THEORIA. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science
Publisher: Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea / Universidad del País Vasco
Official URL: https://ojs.ehu.eus/index.php/THEORIA/article/view...
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.1387/theoria.23046
Subjects: General Issues > Ethical Issues
General Issues > Rhetoric of Science
General Issues > Social Epistemology of Science
General Issues > Values In Science
Date: September 2022
Page Range: pp. 357-377
Volume: 37
Number: 3
ISSN: 2171-679X
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/21731

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