Notes, abstracts, papers, exams and problems of Philosophy and ethics

Epistemology: Understanding Knowledge

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that studies problems related to knowledge.

Key Concepts in Epistemology:

• Knowledge: True knowledge or knowledge in the strict sense; understanding phenomena.
• Innate Ideas: Ideas believed to be present since birth.
• Empiricism: Argues that perception is the main source of our ideas.
• Rationalism: Maintains that reason or understanding also provides some ideas without recourse to sensory experience.
• Criterion of Truth: The essential feature and main value of knowledge. We appreciate and value knowledge primarily for its truth.
• Correspondence Criterion: The oldest criterion, holding that a proposition is true if it corresponds with the facts.
• Consistency Criterion: A proposition

Genealogical Method

Trace origins and assess how worldviews arise.

Genealogy of Language

A culture-critical conception of knowledge can deconstruct language.

Language, Reality, Truth

• Language is an approximation of reality.
• Truth is knowing objective and universal reality.
• Genealogy challenges language, asserting it stems from life experiences (e.g., pain, pleasure).
• Language doesn't mirror reality directly; it's a medium, an art form based on metaphor.

Logic

Violence against fundamental human instincts can't yield knowledge. We construct metaphors of reality, subjecting individuals to universal questions. Logic, however, invents order in chaos, reflecting our need for security. It's not objective, depending on individual experiences.

The Concept of Metaphor

Sensation... Continue reading "Genealogy, Language, and Morality: Deconstructing Truth and Reality" »

Characteristics of Metaphysics

Metaphysics is always a knowledge of principles. It aims to analyze the first principles of reality, those from which all others are derived and that allow us to understand what we mean when something *is*. It has a character that lies in analyzing reality and trying to find what constitutes the being of concrete things. It allows you to exercise a kind of radical critique that never stops.

Metaphysics Has a Claim to Totality

It seeks to overcome the differences of particular things. It is not content with partial solutions or with a limited specialty. It wants to analyze all of reality to find its meaning. It flows into a particular world picture, which explains what is considered real.

Metaphysics Considers Human

Three Basic Ideas in Plato:

The Good (Agathon)

The concept of the Good is central to Plato's philosophy. The higher the idea, the better it is. The Good is the ultimate reason for excellence. Plato uses the word Agathon, which doesn't just mean good morals or actions, but also excellence. The highest form of the Good is appropriate or inappropriate. The idea of the Good, when applied to the social world and politics, is identified with the idea of Justice [Justice = OK].

Plato compares the Good with the idea of the Sun. The sun illuminates and gives life to everything. Similarly, the idea of the Good illuminates and gives meaning to all other ideas. The Good provides existence, identity, and perfection to all things knowable. It is the principle... Continue reading "Plato's Core Concepts: Agathon, Eros, and the Idea of Unity" »

Ethics and Morality: A Philosophical Exploration

Defining Ethics and Morality

Ethics is the philosophical reflection on morality, residing in the realm of thought. Morality, on the other hand, is lived experience—how we act. While often used synonymously, they represent distinct concepts. Morality encompasses life's choices, while ethics delves into the reasoning behind those choices. Being demoralized implies an inability to make decisions, while living morally means being a fully realized person, ready to face any challenge.

Moral Structure and Content

All individuals possess a moral structure, the capacity to choose between alternatives and justify their selections. This makes us accountable for our choices. Moral content comprises the norms,... Continue reading "Exploring Ethics, Morality, and Existential Questions" »

Truth: Theories and Perspectives

2.4 Against the Problem of Knowledge and Truth

Parmenides distinguished two ways: truth and opinion. Connecting with this idea, Plato argued that there was a kind of true knowledge, while error belongs to the sphere of opinion. Marx and Hegel argued that error and falsehood are constituent elements of the process of knowledge. They signaled that there were false and ideological conceptions that have attempted to be presented as true.

Positions on the Subject-Object Relationship

• Idealism: The criterion of truth is about the subject that creates or constructs the object. Reality cannot be known directly. The cognitive structure of the human being is imposed and determines how to see things.
• Realism: The criterion of

Case 9.

1. This case concerns a labor contract under which the contractor, SA Aerodynamicist, undertakes to implement a diffuser for Renault. Renault, in turn, agrees to pay a certain price for the work.

Regarding the first question, we set out the following:

The contract is perfected when Renault makes an offer and Aerodynamic Engineers conduct simultaneous acceptance (Art. 1262 CC). Acceptance is the willingness shown by Aerodynamic Engineers to whom the offer is made, giving their consent to it. This also applies the principle of autonomy, but more limited in supply, because when accepting the offer coincides with the contract is perfected. Acceptance may also be revoked, provided it has not been made known to the offeror.

The time and place... Continue reading "Labor Contract Case Study: Diffuser Manufacturing for Renault" »

What is a Natural Abortion?

A natural abortion, also known as a miscarriage or spontaneous abortion, is the spontaneous death of an embryo or fetus before it is developed enough to survive. This can occur even before a woman knows she is pregnant.

Most miscarriages occur during the first three months of pregnancy, before the twelfth week of gestation. A small number of natural abortions – less than 1% – are stillbirths, occurring after the twentieth week of pregnancy.

Symptoms of Abortion

Many women never even know they have had a miscarriage and interpret it as a particularly heavy menstruation.

Some women experience abdominal cramps, blood spotting, heavy bleeding, abdominal pain and/or pelvic pain, weakness, or back pain. A small amount of... Continue reading "Natural Abortion: Causes, Symptoms, and Types" »

World View of the Big Bang

The World View of the Big Bang breaks with the static idea of the universe and embraces the idea that it is continually evolving. It provides a starting point for the universe (the Big Bang) and a potential end point (Grand Pasgón). The expansion caused by the Big Bang generated new material, resulting in chemical elements and their clusters.

The Term "Sense"

Sense, purpose, or direction: From this point of view, human actions make sense when pursuing a purpose and are appropriate for it. The question of environmental concerns arises if they are appropriate means to the desired end. The term "meaning" is intended to assert that the universe has an ultimate goal, that the universe has a "why."

Sense makes sense as meaning... Continue reading "Big Bang and the Evolving Universe: Meaning and Value" »