ABSTRACT
To make good the claim that the motivations characteristic of virtues distinguish them from other forms of social intelligence, a structural claim about virtue must be defended. Th e claim is this: virtues, modeled on CAPS (cognitive-aff ective processing system) traits, are tightly integrated bundles of distinctive motivations, cognitions, and aff ective elements, in which the cognitive and aff ective components are shaped and directed by the motivations characteristic of virtue. Th e structural claim about virtue is introduced in section 2, and elaborated and defended in section 3. In section 4, I use an extended example to illustrate how social intelligence theory explains virtuous and vicious behavior. In section 5,
I address additional questions about the use of social intelligence theory in explaining virtue.
