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

Kant's Life and Influences

The Enlightenment and Prussian Context

Immanuel Kant's life unfolded in Prussia during the Enlightenment, a period profoundly influenced by French thought. While the Enlightenment's arrival in Germany was somewhat delayed, it gained momentum under the reign of Frederick II. Kant, a Protestant, championed the Enlightenment ideal of human reason's maturity, advocating for liberation from religious dogma.

Despotism dominated the political landscape, with monarchs implementing social reforms inspired by Enlightenment principles, albeit without popular participation. The Encyclopedia, a powerful expression of Enlightenment ideals, championed tolerance, cosmopolitanism, and respect for human dignity. The concept of progress,... Continue reading "Immanuel Kant's Moral Philosophy: A Deep Dive" »

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

Anthropology and Knowledge

Anthropology

Man is a substance composed of body and soul. The body is mortal, the soul is immortal. In this sense, Aquinas is closer to Plato, who speaks of the immortality of the soul and not the body. Aristotle's hylemorphic theory (where body is the subject, and soul is the form) is also influential, although there are Aristotelian elements.

The doctrine of creation points to the relation between God and the rest of us; these beings are contingent. They exist, but they could not exist. This leads St. Thomas to affirm the distinction between essence and existence. The essence is what a thing is, and existence is that it is. The only being in which essence and existence are identical is God.

The assertion that all created... Continue reading "St. Thomas Aquinas on Human Nature and Divine Existence" »

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" »

Understanding Ethics

Ethics derives from the Latin mos, moris, and the Greek Ethos, meaning custom. The Greeks believed that habitual action is what makes us who we are.

Ethics as a Science

• Theories
• Codes of conduct

Objectives of Ethics

• Individual happiness
• Welfare-basis:
  • Ideology, religion, common good
  • Moral Values: ideal patterns of behavior such as goodness, justice, love, gratitude, peace, equality, and freedom.

Five Core Ethical Rules

The five fundamental rules of ethics are:

• Do good and avoid evil.
• Treat others as you want them to treat you.
• Aid others and accept their help when you need it.
• Earn your living from your work.
• Live and let live.

Reason and Social Interaction

Rules of Civility

Rules of civility:

• Facilitate the treatment of persons.
• Contribute

Descartes' Discourse on Method: Key Insights

Part 2: The Quest for Method and Certainty

This text delves into the second part of René Descartes' seminal work, Discourse on Method. Here, Descartes primarily addresses the fundamental problem of method. He advocates for abandoning all opinions not yet proven by reason and proposes four foundational rules to guide our thinking. Drawing inspiration from the mathematical model, Descartes posits that reason, when used properly, is a foolproof tool capable of knowing everything. This method, he argues, should apply to all sciences. However, since all other sciences derive their principles from philosophy, philosophy itself must adopt this method to build a scientific foundation.

Part 4: The Discovery

Mythical vs. Rational Explanations

Mythical Explanation

1. It involves the divination and personification of the forces of nature.
2. The happenings of the universe are considered arbitrary.
3. The explanation is held as true because of the strength and authority of tradition.
4. The authority of tradition is not questioned.

Rational Explanation

1. It interprets phenomena and natural forces.
2. Natural events occur according to laws that are investigated and known.
3. The explanation is considered true because of the force of the argument it is based on.
4. Any rational explanation may be subjected to criticism.

Degrees of Knowledge

Opinion

This is a subjective assertion that has not undergone examination. It lacks a foundation, is shallow, and is exposed to unsafe changes. It... Continue reading "Foundations of Knowledge: Reason, Truth, and Belief" »

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

Friedrich Nietzsche's Core Philosophy

His philosophy presented the world as illusory yet real. Nietzsche reproaches Kant's metaphysical knowledge, and his sarcasm targets Kant's Critique. For Nietzsche, Kant is a despised figure, a "German platter" due to his rationalist and mystical tinge. Nietzsche uses the term "Dionysian."

Regarding the Ding an sich (thing in itself), questions about the soul, God, and freedom find their application in Kant's moral practice and moral faith.

Nietzsche and Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner was, for a time, the prototype of the creative artist for Nietzsche. However, Nietzsche's hope regarding the work Parsifal led to disappointment and a subsequent break between them.

The Philosophy of Life and Will to Power

Both Nietzsche... Continue reading "Nietzsche's Philosophy: Will to Power, Nihilism, and the Death of God" »