Abstract

The paper distinguishes between the concepts of «exemplarity» [Exemplarisch] and that of «example» [Beispiel] in order to highlight the problematic implications of the common view according to which the two terms are conceptually similar. Such common place implies that «exemplarity» is taken merely as a suitable image for being reproduced, thus acquiring a notorious moral emphasis. Against this view, the author argues that the «exemplarity» refers to the notion of autonomy and, more particularly, to a special conception of the intentionality of action, characterised as being unrepeatable or unpredictable. This approach about the «exemplarity» allows going beyond the common interpretation of Kant's notion of «cunning» as a way of speaking of virtue, since this interpretation merely captures the mechanicistic meaning of a more complex term.