What is Philosophy
What is Philosophy?
· The word means “love of wisdom”
· Note that we use the term much differently than it's used in everyday speech.
· Critically examining all aspects of everything. More specifically it's a methodological inquiry into the principles and presuppositions of any field of study.
· & OntologyLinks to an external site.
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· Philosophy of Law
· Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics
· Philosophy of Math
· Political Philosophy
· Philosophy of Science
· Philosophy of Language
· Philosophy of Mind
· Phenomenology
Ethics
· Study of action/focus of good action
· Ethical theories are supposed to guide actions
· Ethics and/versus Religion
· Religion is NOT necessary for morality
· Not to say that religion and morality can’t be related, but rather they aren't NECESSARILY related.
· Egoism
· I can and should do whatever I want to do.
· Like Hedonism: you should pursue pleasure above all else)
· Relativism
· What is right/good is determined by particular groups
· Tends to avoid “objectivism” (there is some universal concept of right and wrong)
· Virtue (morality requires the development of a good character)
· We become habituated to acting well by developing virtuous characters
· How each person acts virtuously depends on his or her own abilities
· Consequentialism (evaluates based on outcomes)
· You determine the rightness of an act based on the outcomes it will produce
· Utilitarianism : aprx. The greatest good for the greatest number.
· Deontology (evaluates intention)
· You determine the rightness of an act based on the intent behind it.
· Kant: you always have to see if the intention is a good intention
· Rights
· This gets complicated and messy.
· What is a right?
· A claim against?
· A claim to?
· A power over?
· How do they square with duties?
· Necessary correlate?
· Which has priority?
· What is the ontological relationship?
· Justice
· Do we have obligations to others?
· Distribution v. Entitlement
Moral Agent and the Moral Patient
· Moral Agent is someone who is responsible for their actions, such that when that act badly we can reprimand them.
· Moral Agents are rational, autonomous, volitional beings.
· Rational = capable of reason
· Autonomous = self-legislating (can decide how to act for yourself)
· Volitional = capable of acting of their thoughts (free, free will).
· Moral Patient
· A being that deserves moral consideration.
· Moral consideration means that we need to think about how our acts will affect the being. This doesn’t mean that we need to treat all moral patients equally.
· How we decide the criteria for moral consideration is open for debate.
· Sentience = feeling pleasure or pain
· Consciousness = self-awareness
· Harmable = capable of experiencing either physical or mental harm
· Human
