Week 3 Flashcards
Define: collective individuals (Smith, WON)
markets based on individual interest are better, leads to growth, self-interest, regulation is bad
How did feudalism fuel the movement towards the enlightenment?
- thinkers in this time wanted to reject the controlling nature of feudalism and the church, them as limiting reason and freedom
- ex. peasant controlled by church who held only copy of bible, printing press
Explain why Smith believed in deregulation of markets?
- the invisible hand of the market self-regulates
- regulation may lead to lower profits
According to Smith, which division of labour is ideal?
- assembly line model of the division of labour is ideal compared to one expert who does whole process
- division of labour maximizes profits, fast, more efficient
Three issues in the division of labour (Smith)
- Dexterity, when repeating the same task over and over, people are fast, moving to between tasks, leads to laziness
- Time, you can produce more in less time
- Machines, assembly lines should incorporate machines into the process of production
Define: fellow-feeling
-individuals sympathize better with other when they can relate based on their personal experience
Define: authentic understanding
-it is impossible to completely know/understand what another person feels, because you are not that person
According to Smith, what are the risks and rewards in sharing in experiences with others?
- people who share experiences feel rewarded and self-affirmed
- when a friend doesn’t relate, it is jarring, lack of affirmation make us feel as if our feelings are illegitimate
Explain Smith’s quote: “to adopt is to approve, to approve is to adopt”
- by acting out any behaviour, we are implicitly stating that we believe it is the appropriate behaviour for that situation
- the same goes for approving of someone else’s emotional responses or opinions on any situation
- by approving we are implicitly stating it is a rational response
Two standards for applause/blame:
- Perfectionism vs distance, we judge how far away a behaviour is from the perfect response/behaviour fitting the situation
- Joy vs sorrow, joy hales (draws applause) more than sorrow, even when we can relate sorrow is less agreeable
What are the three ways of thinking that have corrupted our moral sentiments? (Smith)
- Respecting the rich/powerful
- Ignoring/disproving of the poor
- Basing all our thoughts on personal experience and desires
Why do people respect those with money and ignore the poor?
- we are drawn to the rich because we want what they have, and respect/celebrate their achievements
- though we relate to the poor, we are repelled by their lack of success
- class differences lead to a lack of empathy, ex. we dehumanize the poor, 2008 stock crash, colonialism
Define: enlightenment (Kant)
-a man leaving his caused immaturity, when one’s intelligence is not guided by another, ex. the church
What is Kant’s belief about individual responsibility to reach enlightenment?
- we are held individually responsible for our immaturity
- though freedom is restricted in the public realm/society, individuals/private realm must strive for enlightenment
- ex. academia uses logic to prove beliefs, this is a model for other institutions
Explain the catch 22 in Kant’s theory of enlightenment?
- individuals can’t reach enlightenment until society is free, but to be free society must reach enlightenment
- Kant says it is impossible for society to enlighten itself (it is irrational, and restricted by social instituations), but that it must still strive for enlightenment
