R. Compaijen’s scientific contributions

In the present contribution I explore what is involved in recognizing and emulating exemplars, and I do so by critically engaging with the view – recently forwarded by Linda T. Zagzebski – that admiration is the key to understanding these issues. While I believe that recognizing exemplars typically involves admiration, I do not think it is sufficient. Instead, I suggest, understanding what is involved in the recognition and emulation of exemplars requires a richer account. I develop my argument in three steps. First, I engage with Zagzebski’s exemplarist moral theory and elaborate her understanding of the relationship between admiration and exemplarity on the basis of her recent work on the topic. Second, I argue why I believe that we cannot understand the recognition and emulation of exemplars by reference to admiration alone. Third, I elaborate my own account of what is involved in recognizing and emulating exemplars, which involves self-awareness, the possibility of identifying with the exemplar, and what I call ‘motivational continuity’.