Linda Zagzebski2016-01-142016-03-302016-01-142016-03-302013-07-01Zagzebski, L. (2013). Moral exemplars in theory and practice. Theory and Research in Education, 11(2), 193-206. doi: 10.1177/1477878513485177http://hdl.handle.net/11244/25386In this article I outline an original form of ethical theory that I call exemplarist virtue theory. The theory is intended to serve the philosophical purposes of a comprehensive moral theory, but it is also intended to serve the practical purpose of moral education by structuring the theory around a motivating emotion – the emotion of admiration. In this theory, basic moral concepts are defined via direct reference to exemplars of moral goodness, picked out through reflective admiration. The theory gives narratives a critical function, and it connects empirical studies with the a priori side of ethics.en-USAdmirationdirect referenceexemplarsimitationmoral theorynarrativesResearch Article10.1177/1477878513485177false