Abstract

Not much has been written on wit as a virtue. This is surprising given the revival of virtue ethics and Aristotle’s giving it as much discussion space as some other virtues. What has been written denies that it is a virtue (often without much argumentation) or that it is an important one. ¹ Our aim is to offer arguments for and against the claim that wit is a virtue, thus paving the way for a more sustained discussion. Though we are more convinced by the arguments that wit is not a virtue than by those that it is, we conclude by explaining which of Aristotle’s insights regarding wit might be preserved.