Robust Virtue Epistemology

The influence of the Gettier problem is leading us to thinking about how we can define the knowledge.The robust virtue epistemology can resolve this problem by stressing the agent’s cognitive success is creditable to his own cognitive ability.But the robust virtue epistemology cannot account for the testimony knowledge.On the one hand,if the robust virtue epistemologists agree that the testimony can be produce in some cases,this means the virtue condition is used in the weak sense,the result is it will compel us to agree some agents in the Gettier cases also gain knowledge.On the other hand,if the robust virtue epistemologists deny the testimony exists,this means the virtue condition is used in the strong sense,the result is we can resolve the Gettier problem,but that will conflict with the testimony epistemology.The question is we have to accept the testimony knowledge can be produced in some cases.Otherwise,we will fall into the skepticism.The robust virtue epistemology thus seems to be in the grip of the dilemma.Pritchard and Kallestrup think the reason why the robust virtue epistemology is in the grip of a dilemma is that it is clearly committed to epistemic individualism.The epistemic individualism cannot ensure the agent will gain the safe and true belief.In order to resolving the dilemma,Prichard appeals to the safety condition on the base of the modest virtue epistemology.By contrast,I prefer to reinterpret the virtue condition.Because if we only appeal to the virtue condition thereby satisfying the anti-luck intuition and the ability intuition,then this approach is more concise.That conforms to the Occam’ s razor.But for now,the epistemologists’ attempt in reinterpreting the virtue condition aren’t satisfied.The key of reinterpreting the virtue condition is how to understand the ability it involves.Green’s extended credit theory can help us to understand this concept.Contrasting with previous credit theory,it won’t be restricted to the epistemic individualism.Corresponding to the extended credit theory,our definition of the knowledge also cannot be restricted to the epistemic individualism.This means the cognitive success in the case of knowledge should be creditable to the ability which was used in forming the true belief.Whether those abilities are contributed solely by the agent or also by other agents.Although this account has a big difference with the robust virtue epistemology,this retains the basic spirit of the virtue epistemology which explains the agent’ s cognitive success by the cognitive ability.