Abstract

Today some scholars consider Descartes a virtue epistemologist. In my paper, I examine this position, making a positive contribution to his claim. After a brief clarifying premise about the meaning and scope of virtue epistemology, I present two major theoretical positions that argue, in a different way, that Descartes can be considered a virtue epistemologist: that of Ernest Sosa, usually acknowledged as virtue reliabilism; that of Richard Davies, more inclined towards a so called responsibilist virtue epistemology. Finally, I deal myself directly with some specific Cartesian texts, especially from the Discours de la méthode, in order to draw elements for strengthen and deepen the previous positions, thanks mostly to the passion virtue of generosity.