McSweeney, Michaela Markham2020-04-102020-04-102020-02Michaela Markham McSweeney. 2020. "Theories as recipes: third-order virtue and vice." Philosophical Studies, Volume 177, Issue 2, pp. 391 - 411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-019-01398-70031-81161573-0883https://hdl.handle.net/2144/40094A basic way of evaluating metaphysical theories is to ask whether they give satisfying (not necessarily truthful!) answers to the questions they set out to resolve. I propose an account of “third-order” virtue that tells us what it takes for certain kinds of metaphysical theories to do so. We should think of these theories as recipes. I identify three good-making features of recipes and show that they translate to third-order theoretical virtues. I apply the view to two theories—mereological universalism and plenitudinous platonism—and draw out their third-order virtues and vices. One lesson is that there is an important difference between essentially and non-essentially third-order vicious theories. I also argue that if a theory is essentially third-order vicious, it cannot be assessed for more standard “second-order” theoretical virtues and vices, like parsimony. This motivates the idea that third-order virtues are distinct from second-order ones. Finally, I suggest that the relationship between truth, progress, and third-order virtue is more complex than it seemsp. 391 - 411en-USAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Theoretical virtuesMetaontologyPlatonismMereological universalismPlenitudePhilosophyArticle10.1007/s11098-019-01398-7504299