Summary Of Exemplarist Virtue Theory By Linda Zagzebski

In the Introduction of Linda Zagzebski’s essay titled Exemplarist Virtue Theory, she describes exemplarism as a “radical kind of virtue theory that is foundational in structure but which is grounded in exemplars or moral goodness” (41). In addition to this, she proposes that the concepts of the good, right to act and virtue are “defined by reference to such exemplars which are directly identified through the emotion of admiration. Finally, in the introduction she explains that what makes a good person is determined empirically as opposed to being given a priori. The theory of exemplarism places high importance on empirical investigation and the narratives surrounding the idea of an exemplar. Zagzebski explains that she uses the “Putnam-Kripke