Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Philosophy and ethics

Understanding Adverbial Clauses

Clauses of Time

They are often introduced by subordinators such as after, before, since, until, when, while, as soon as, and once.

Example: When I first met you, you were still studying.

Clauses of Place

They are introduced by where or wherever.

Example: They always went for their holidays wherever they could afford to go.

Clauses of Condition and Concession

This category includes two related types:

• Conditional Clauses: These express the dependence of one set of circumstances on another.

Example: If you are late, I will have gone away.

Concessive Clauses: These imply a contrast between two circumstances; the main clause is surprising in light of the subordinate one.

Example: Although I was late, she waited for me.

Specific

... Continue reading "Mastering Adverbial Clauses: Types, Subordinators, and Usage" »

1. C. Thi Nguyen: Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles

Understanding Epistemic Bubbles

• Missing opposing views through omission.
• Caused by algorithms, selective exposure, and homogeneous friend networks.
• Effects: Poor informational coverage and inflated confidence.
• Solution: Adding missing information; exposure typically works.

The Nature of Echo Chambers

• Opposing views are actively discredited.
• Members hear outside information but reject it due to systemic distrust.
• Uses cult-like strategies: "outsiders = corrupt/evil"; "insiders = only trustworthy."
• Evidential pre-emption: Criticism is reframed as "proof" of a conspiracy.
• Much harder to escape; facts often backfire.

The Role of Trust

• Modern knowledge requires trusting experts, which creates inherent vulnerability.

... Continue reading "Modern Ethics: Information, Media, and Social Justice" »

Decision Making and Career Development

• Decision Making: A wise decision, be faced with, feel uncertain about, give priority to, have the freedom to, lose out, reach a decision, settle on, struggle, take advice, think over, weigh up.
• Professional Terms: Account, current, hands-on, invest, get a foot in the door, on the lookout, result in, suit.
• Career Path: Growing industry, pension plan, reference letter, starting salary, vacant position, be made redundant, be self-employed, get a promotion, health insurance, perks of the job, work overtime, be fired, board, lead, set, fold, point.

Financial Literacy and Time Management

• Finance: Allowance, balance, blessing, debit card, donate, fortune, income, live on, repay debt, savings, small change, wealthy.

... Continue reading "Essential English Vocabulary for Professional and Personal Success" »

4 Tactical Tasks: Learning From the Other Party

1. Assess the Other Party's Position

Assess the other party’s target, resistance point, and cost of terminating the negotiation (resistance and BATNA). There are two ways to do this:

• Direct assessment: Asking or observing directly.
• Indirect assessment: Analyzing external factors and behaviors.

2. Manage the Other Party's Impression

Manage the other party’s impression of your target, resistance point, and cost of terminating negotiations.

Screening Activities

• Concealing information: Keeping sensitive data like your target point, resistance point, and BATNA confidential.
• Calculated incompetence: Exploiting the other party's lack of knowledge by providing misleading information or negotiating with those

... Continue reading "4 Tactical Negotiation Strategies for Better Outcomes" »

OECD Corporate Governance Principles

Contemporary discussions of corporate governance tend to refer to principles raised in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports.

• Rights and Equitable Treatment of Shareholders

  Organizations should respect the rights of shareholders and help shareholders to exercise those rights. They can help shareholders exercise their rights by openly and effectively communicating information and by encouraging shareholders to participate in general meetings.

• Interests of Other Stakeholders

  Organizations should recognize that they have legal, contractual, social, and market-driven obligations to non-shareholder stakeholders, including employees, investors, creditors, suppliers, local communities,

... Continue reading "Corporate Governance Principles: OECD and Core" »

The Enlightenment: Ideas and Impact

The Enlightenment fostered a critical attitude among the intelligentsia and promoted the advancement of literacy among the population. This era saw significant societal shifts, including educational reforms and a surge in published works.

Educational and Literary Advancements

• Prussia introduced the world's first primary education system for boys and girls.
• In England, book publications dramatically increased from 21,000 in 1710 to 65,000 in 1790. Religious content was increasingly replaced by works of science, arts, philosophy, and literature.

Key Enlightenment Philosophers

While these achievements were significant, some Enlightenment thinkers believed they were insufficient, leading to radical critiques of the... Continue reading "Enlightenment Thinkers & Reformation's Impact on Society" »

Identifying Common Logical Fallacies

Fallacy	Trigger Phrase	Meaning
Slippery Slope	“If we allow X, chaos will follow”	One small step inevitably leads to extreme, negative consequences.
Middle Ground (Argument to Moderation)	“Both are wrong/right a little”	Assumes the truth is always found exactly in between two opposing positions.
False Cause (Post Hoc)	“A caused B just because it came first”	Assumes a causal relationship without sufficient evidence, based only on sequence.
Anecdotal	“It happened to me!”	Uses a personal story or isolated example instead of robust evidence or statistics.
Burden of Proof	“Prove me wrong”	Asserts a claim is true until the opponent proves it false.
Apples & Oranges (False Equivalence)	“Why change X? We don’t

... Continue reading "Essential Academic Writing and Research Skills Toolkit" »

Can Lies Be Morally Justified?

Telling the truth is generally considered a fundamental moral obligation. However, the question of whether lies can ever be morally justified requires a more nuanced approach. I argue that lying can be morally justified only in exceptional situations in which it prevents serious harm and no truthful alternative can achieve the same protective effect. This claim is intentionally limited and does not suggest that lying is acceptable in ordinary circumstances.

Real-World Scenarios and Moral Outcomes

There are real-life situations in which strict truth-telling leads to serious harm. For example:

• Safety: Refusing to reveal the location of a person hiding from an attacker is widely seen as the morally right choice, even

... Continue reading "When Is Lying Morally Justified? Ethical Perspectives" »

Fundamentals of Ethics

Ethics: Meaning and Scope

Ethics refers to a set of moral principles and values that guide the behavior of individuals and professionals. In engineering, ethics ensures honesty, responsibility, safety, and accountability in all technical and professional activities.

Personal Versus Professional Ethics

• Personal Ethics: Moral values shaped by culture, family, and belief systems. They include honesty, kindness, and integrity.
• Professional Ethics: Rules and standards defined by the profession, ensuring public safety, transparency, and quality.

Example: A person may be honest personally, but professionally they must also maintain confidentiality and follow safety standards.

Civic Virtue

Civic virtue means acting responsibly as a citizen—respecting... Continue reading "Core Principles of Professional Ethics and Gender Equity" »

Henri Lefebvre: The Trialectics of Space

• Perceived Space (Spatial Practice): Physical reality, daily routines, and commuting networks.
• Conceived Space (Representations of Space): The abstract space of planners, maps, and technocrats; the dominant space in capitalism.
• Lived Space (Representations of Space): The symbolic, emotional, and clandestine space of inhabitants.

In the modern city, conceived space often crushes lived space. The "Right to the City" represents the ongoing struggle to reclaim lived space.

David Harvey: Political Economy and Dispossession

Harvey argues that cities are built not for human well-being, but to absorb surplus capital. When companies generate excess profit, they invest in infrastructure like skyscrapers.

Dispossession:... Continue reading "Urban Theory: Lefebvre, Harvey, and Social Justice" »