Intro To Philosophy Flashcards
Greek definition
Love of wisdom
Modern definition
The study of fundamental values of knowledge, reality and existence, academic discipline
The methods of philosophy include:
•Questioning
•Critical discussion
•Rational argument
•Systematic presentation / argument
Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy helps explaining theoretical concepts and approaches
What are the 3 C’s of Philosophy
• Constructing
• Clarifying
• Criticizing
Philosophers try to construct _______ __________ for their views, showing they follow ____ from more basic principles
Rational arguments
Logically
What is a useful way of dealing with dogmatism
Trying to construct arguments against opponents which will move the DEBATE forward helping everyone understand the STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES of the different positions and the relations between them
What are the 4 era’s in philosophy?
- Ancient
- Medieval
- Modern
- Contemporary
Name 3 ancient philosophers
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Name 3 medieval philosophers
Thomas Aquinas
Augustine of Hippo
Anselm
Name 3 modern philosophers
Thomas Hobbes
Rene Descartes
John Locke
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Kant
Hegel
Nietzsche
Marx
Name 3 contemporary philosophers
Jean-Paul Sartre
Bertrand Russell
Juergen Habermas
Elizabeth Anscombe
John Rawls
Robert Nozick
Peter Singer
By questioning beliefs and testing them out in a rigorous way you can identify:
- Personal prejudices
- Wishful thoughts
- Lazy assumptions
In Greek philosophy 2000+ years ago, what branch of philosophy was developed?
Moral philosophy
The relationship of morals and ethics are interdependent in society, the workplace and individuals in a way that contributes to:
Order
Harmony
Expectations
Ethics comes from the Greek word ‘ETHIKOS’ and relates to ethos or character. It concerns judgements such as:
• Good/bad
• Praise/blame
• Fair/unfair
• Better/worse
CAN BE CONSIDERED RELATIVE/CONDITIONAL
Ethics = Values
It is proposed that values are deeper than attitudes and more embedded into our character, thus longer lasting
Developed over time and subject to relative forces
Values —> Attitudes—> Behavior
Remember, NOBODY IS VALUE FREE
Values are learned
“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them” - (whom?)
Epictetus
What are morals?
Morals = Norms
Morality comes from the Latin term MORALIS, and is concerned with ACTIONS and not human character.
Morals concern issues of:
• Just/Unjust
• Punishment/Clemency
• Guilt/Innocence
• Right/Wrong
Can be considered ABSOLUTE/UNCONDITIONAL (UNIVERSAL)
Name the 3 Categories of Action and briefly describe them
Moral - if they reflect a person’s values or those of society
Immoral - if they go against or are the opposite to a person’s or society’s values. (Knowing the difference between right and wrong) - know it’s wrong but choose to do it anyway
Amoral - if they do not reflect choices based on values or norms of a person or society (have no sense of right and wrong) - children are amoral, they don’t know
“Morality is ultimately practical: though it matters morally what we think and feel, morality is, at heart, about what we do” -
Kwame Appiah
“There has been a shift of emphasis in philosophical discussion of ethics, away from the purely abstract questions to more practical ones…. This shift of concern towards ‘applied ethics’ has been beneficial” -
Jonathan Glover
“To be interested in ethics is to be interested in life!… Faced with two equally convincing arguments, how do you decide which is ‘right’?” -
Mel Thomson
What are the goals of successful ethics and morals?
Authenticity
Relevance
Practicality
How are these goals achieved/applied?
Organic - adapt over time or as situations demand
Easily implemented
Recognised means
What shapes ethics and morals?
Are ethics and morals stagnant?
Do your ethics and morals coincide with those of your parents, friends, associates, etc?
Affected by extrinsic forces? (Outside forces that have a direct bearing on outcomes)
Name 7 extrinsic forces
Economics
Politics
History
Culture/tradition
Religion
Law/rules
Media
MODERN MEDIA is intrusive and tries to create a modern day ethic and morality through the means of:
Journalism: new, investigative and forensic reporting
Social media: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
Entertainment: reality TV, talk shows, documentaries
Moral / ethical changes that were influenced by extrinsics (supported by legal but changed regardless):
•Slavery
•Apartheid
•Universal suffrage
•Homosexuality
•Abortion
•OTC sale of contraceptives and the morning after pill
•Child labour
•Basic education
•Animal experimentation
How do we know what is ethical/moral?
By knowing and understanding what is ethical we get a sense of what is unethical.
If it prohibits or IMPEDES FLOURISHING (well-being) it can be judged to be unethical
Briefly describe personal and professional ethics
Personal ethics are a set of values that a person holds. Example, they do not believe in child labor but have a collection of Persian rugs at home.
Professional ethics are a set of standards adopted by professions, e.g. integrity, transparency, accountability, etc. - an example of this is personal belief in gender equality, yet no female board member.
What is the existing definition of engineering ethics?
“Engineering ethics is a body of philosophy indicating the ways engineers should conduct themselves in their professional capacity” - Fledderman, C.B.
The existing definition sucks. Provide the new working definition by Doherty:
“Engineering ethics is a body of applied philosophy that has a practical use on the workplace by engineers. It can assist in the understanding and refining of a sense of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in a way consistent with the other professional responsibilities and duties of an engineer”.
