CPT Summary
Week 1 Lecture 1: Introduction
What is Philosophy?
Study of fundamental nature of reality, existence and our knowledge
thereof.
- Greek origins
- 'What is' questions: i.e. What is the nature of human being?
Reflection on basic concepts
Structure way we understand phenomena
Enables to asses whether phenomena fall under a concept: Is Uber a
organisation?
Enables critical attitude
Beyond dictionary definition: Meaning and implications
Example
Q: What is an organisation?
A: An organisation is a collection of people working together to achieve a
common purpose
A: An organisation is an open system that transforms inputs form the
environment into product outputs
Look for counterexamples or exceptions —> adjust definition concept and
so on.
Tendency to identify essential characteristics of the content of key concepts:
What-is (Essential) and How-is (Existential)
Example: What is work?
Meaning of the content: Work as transaction (human activity in
exchange for a fee)
Meaning of the relation
Work as means to survive (life supporting)
Work as expenditure of life
CPT Summary 1
, Work as appropriation of life (self-expression and intensification
of life (welfare state)
Meaning of the execution
Does work belong to human nature: Homo Faber?
Arendt on work:
- Vita activa versus vita Contemplativa
- Labour, work, action: Work as social relation
Reflection on basic concepts enables to asses whether phenomena fall
under a concept:
Is helping a friend work?
Philosophy of science and Ethics
Philosophy of science is about how science must be conducted to obtain
reliable knowledge of the world
Questions such as:
Is there such a thing as the scientific method?
Can theories ever be proven true? (Or false?)
Do empirical laws about social (economic) life exist?
Can science be value-free and politically unbiased? Should it be value-
free?
Ethics is systematic reflection on moral questions (‘Wat is the right thing
to do?’) and on relevant values, duties and virtues
Basis for responsible practices
Ethical perspective: normative, impartiality, universal pretention, argumentative,
engagement
Week 1 Lecture 2: Ethics
Wat is ethics?
Thinking about what the morally right thing is to do
Systematic reflection on our moral practices, values and norms, and the
CPT Summary 2
, practical moral questions we encounter
Different levels:
- Philosophical thinking about morality
- Practical reasoning about what one should do in specific situations
What is morality?
The norms and values that determine what is right and wrong in the
way how we act towards one another (“what we owe to each other”)
Morality is paramount, often implicit
Necessary for us to live together (and flourish)
Many of our moral norms we just take for granted, and we mutually
expect each other to comply to those norms
In case someone does not, we ask questions, hold her/him responsible
Morality is not just about personal life, also about how society functions.
(Law)
Difference with law
Many laws are cristallisation of moral values, but
Legal requirement ←→ moral duty
Many laws are morally indifferent
Laws can be morally unjust, wrong
“Morally right” often can’t be legally enforced
Validity of laws limited to jurisdiction / country
Ethics as academic study
Different levels:
- Philosophical thinking about morality
- Practical reasoning about what one should do in specific situations
Descriptive ethics: What is the moral code that certain groups in fact
endorse and act upon?
Normative ethics: How should we act? What are the moral norms we should
embrace?
CPT Summary 3
, Ethical theory
Not necessarily advocacy of normative standpoints, but shows why
certain acts are moral and immoral
Can help structure ethical discussions:
- Helps to find arguments concerning moral issues
- Helps to reflect on ethical arguments
- Helps to critically reflect on moral issues
- Helps to define the good life
Ethical perspectives
Normative
About what one ought to do, or is desirable to do
Ethical reflection about a moral problem
Not primarily about what people think about the problem, what most people
choose, or how often it occurs, (factual, empirical matters)
But about what is right and good
Appeals to values
Examples: well-being, freedom, justice, knowledge, respect,
honesty, biodiversity, knowledge, friendship, etc.
Impartiality (or all-partiality)
What is good and what is owed to others
Not just personal goals but what is good, acceptable, obligatory from an
impartial point of view
Universal
Basic moral claims aspire to universal validity (for example human
rights)
But isn't ethics subjective or relative to culture?
There are many cultural differences regarding what people believe is
morally right
Moral relativism
= Theory that states:
CPT Summary 4
