Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Philosophy and ethics for Vocational training

Scholasticism

Scholasticism was a philosophical and theological movement conducted in schools and universities of medieval Europe from the mid-11th century until the mid-15th century. Its ideal was to integrate into an ordered system both the philosophical knowledge of Greece and Rome and the knowledge of Christian religion. Its main principles are:

1. Fundamental harmony between reason and revelation. Any apparent opposition between revelation and reason could be traced to either a misuse of reason or a misinterpretation of the words of revelation. In conflicts between religious faith and philosophical reasoning, faith was always the ultimate arbiter. During the scholastic period, philosophy served theology.
2. The problem of universals: Are universals

The Composition of the Real: Aristotle's Hylomorphism

The Hylomorphic theory is the defining feature of Aristotle's philosophy, distinguishing it from Plato's Theory of Ideas while retaining certain similarities and extensions. As Aristotle matured, he partially rejected the Theory of Ideas, recognizing the limitations of Plato's perspective. While he maintained a Platonic mindset, he disagreed with the notion that ideas exist separately from physical objects.

Aristotle argued that every being must contain an explanation of itself within itself. He proposed that reality is a composition of matter and form. Furthermore, he explained that change is a union between matter, form, and essence. While many of his concepts mirror Plato's, the primary...

Understanding the Core Characteristics of Academic Writing

Academic writing in English is linear, clear, simple, and direct. It has a clear audience and a clear purpose, and it is also clearly structured. Academic English must be learned through observation, study, and experiment, because no one speaks or writes it as a first language.

There are five main features of academic writing:

1. Complexity

Written language is generally more complex than spoken language. It uses more subordinate clauses, more "that/to" complements, longer sequences of prepositional phrases, more attributive adjectives, and more passive voice constructions than spoken language.

While written texts can be more concise, they often employ longer words or phrases.

Examples of...

Value of Interest and Amount

The security interest is a quantitative assessment. In damage insurance, the value of interest is determined by objective criteria that take into account the value of the thing at the time of the accident. In personal insurance, by contrast, the value of the interest is usually set by fixed amounts agreed upon beforehand.

Insured Amount, Full Insurance, Overinsurance, and Underinsurance

The insured amount represents the maximum compensation payable by the insurer for each incident. The sum insured is also known as the capital insured. The ratio of the value of interest and the insurance amount results in situations of full insurance, underinsurance, and overinsurance. Overinsurance and underinsurance can be caused...

Conflict: It is a clash of positions arising among several people or groups of people because of some behavior damaging the achievement of the objectives of another.

Types of Disputes

People Involved

1) Group (Collective):

• It occurs among workers in a company, taken together, and the company as such.
• The goal of conflict is often a general discrepancy in working conditions.
• Its solution globally affects all involved.

2) Individual:

• Occurs between a boss and a subordinate.
• The goal is usually a claim of a personal/family nature.
• The solution only affects the worker and the employer.
• Can occur between two persons of the same hierarchical level.

Features of Interest

• Standards: It is produced by different interpretations of labor standards.
• Economic: The economic

The Insurance Contract

Definition of an Insurance Contract

An insurance contract is an agreement where the insurer, in exchange for a premium, agrees to indemnify the insured for losses or damages arising from a specified risk, within agreed-upon limits. It can also involve the payment of a capital sum, income, or other agreed-upon benefits.

Characteristics of an Insurance Contract

• Bilateral: Both parties (insurer and insured) have obligations.
• Consideration: Both parties seek economic benefits.
• Aleatory: The performance of the contract depends on a random event (the occurrence of the insured risk).

Elements of an Insurance Contract

The Insurer

The insurance company that assumes the risk and collects premiums.

The Policyholder

The person who signs the...

Negotiation: Strategies and Conflict Resolution

Negotiation is a process in which two or more parties make deals to reconcile their differences. It involves:

• Two or more parties
• A common goal
• Each party looking after its interests
• Peaceful problem-solving

Types of Negotiation

By Object

• Organizational and Management: Relations within the company
• Commercial: Sales
• Legal: Conflict resolution
• Social: Negotiation between employers and workers

By Subject

• Interpersonal: Negotiation between two people in conflict
• Intergroup: Negotiation between groups in conflict
• Direct: Persons involved directly in the negotiation process
• Delegate: Negotiation through a representative
• Third-Party Intervention: Involving a neutral party

By Maneuverability and Influence

• Competitive: Negotiators

Ancient Philosophical Schools

• The Stoa: Led to Stoicism, initiated by Zeno of Citium.
• The Garden: Created by Epicurus, representing Epicureanism.
• Cynicism: Initiated by Antisthenes.

Stoicism

The founder of this school was Zeno of Citium (c. 334 – 262 BC). Other prominent representatives include Marcus Aurelius, Seneca of Cordoba, and Epictetus. Stoic ethics sets the goal of existence as happiness. Happiness is achieved by living according to nature, that is, living in harmony with the Logos. One must align their individual Logos with the universal Logos to understand everything that occurs in nature. Stoicism posits an active Logos (fire) and a passive Logos (matter), which need each other to exist and generate relationships of sympathy between...

Aristotle's Conception of Man: Body, Soul, and Rationality

For Aristotle, man is a composite of body and soul. The body is identified with matter and potentiality, while the soul (the life principle) is identified with form and actuality. The union between soul and body is substantial, forming a synolon. The human soul, primarily identified with rational knowledge, also encompasses vegetative and sensitive functions.

Man as a Political Animal and the Polis

Aristotle posits that man develops fully within the city (polis), as it is the environment where he achieves moral development and flourishes. Hence, he famously defines man as a political animal (zoon politikon), emphasizing that morality is intrinsically linked to the political sphere. Man...

**Human Action: Features, Reason, and Societal Impact**

**Features of Human Action**

Human action is characterized by intelligence and the ability to imagine, organize, and realize desires, projects, plans, and illusions. It allows us to transcend the realm of necessity and recreate new worlds. Our actions always represent a symbolic character, hence the creative nature arises.

**Key Traits of Human Action**

• Intentionality: Aristotle understood intentionality as the way a subject acts, moving into the world as an external reality. According to him, there are two modes of directing oneself toward an object: the theoretical, which expresses the human will, and the practical, designed to meet human needs.
• Purpose: Means are defined for a purpose, presenting