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Can arts institutions be virtuous? Collective virtues, vices, and epistemic responsibility.

Authors :
Coppola, William J.
Source :
Arts Education Policy Review. 2025, Vol. 126 Issue 1, p12-24. 13p.
Publication Year :
2025

Abstract

Although virtues and vices are typically thought of as individual qualities, a growing body of philosophical inquiry suggests that they can comprise collective qualities as well. In this paper, I expand upon the work of philosopher Miranda Fricker to question whether arts organizations can be considered institutionally virtuous and/or vicious. I begin with a discussion of collective epistemology, as offered by Margaret Gilbert, which lays the foundation for how collectives can function as "plural subjects" in pursuit of a common belief or goal. From here, I offer a brief overview of virtue/vice epistemology, which I then connect to Fricker's model of collective, and by extension, institutional virtue. Throughout, I provide illustrations of arts organizations who might themselves be said to possess institutional virtue and/or vice. I conclude by elaborating on the accountability of individuals working on behalf of, and sometimes in opposition to, the inner ethos of arts organizations—particularly when those organizations might fall into the harmful realm of institutional vice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
10632913
Volume :
126
Issue :
1
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Arts Education Policy Review
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
181549877
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2022.2126575