Understanding Moral Principles: Freedom, Action, and Obligation
The elements of moral fact are: the freedom that is central to the moral fact, and acquires moral dimension when it comes into the privacy of individuals and extends to their community. Human action is a learned activity, rational, conscious, intentionally affective, and free, whereas humans make their means, ends, circumstances, and consequences based on internal processes (biological, learned) and external (social and environmental) factors. As humans socially encounter a culture, morality becomes
Read MoreKant’s Transcendental Dialectic: Reason and Ideas
The Transcendental Dialectic
To discuss the transcendental dialectic, we must first consider the use of reason. Reason has two primary purposes:
- A theoretical use, which is the scientific application, used to understand things as they are. It organizes experience at two levels: a sensible level and a level of understanding.
- A practical use, which is the moral application. It guides us toward our goals, teaching us how to use our freedom to decide, not as things are, but as they should be.
Ideas of Reason
We
Read MorePlato’s Political Philosophy: Society, Justice, and Governance
Plato’s Political Inquiries
Plato had political interests from a very young age, and he was disillusioned by the political system due to his lack of faith in the system’s ideas. He reflected on the immortal soul and its care. The dependence of this soul should shape policy.
Organization of Society: The Republic
The Republic describes an ideal state of being, where justice can function well. When the soul is just, each part fulfills its function, regardless of the state itself. The state is divided
Read MoreUnderstanding Scientific Literacy and Competence
Science Education: Beyond Concepts
Science education encompasses more than just scientific concepts; it’s the study of how scientific knowledge is produced and validated. This rigorous process is crucial not only for scientists but also for the average citizen. It equips individuals with a prepared mind to approach reality and truth.
Values Fostered by Science Education
- Thoroughness
- Logic
- Free thinking
- Curiosity
- Critical thinking and skepticism
- Creativity
Science education encourages essential skills such
Read MoreDavid Hume’s Moral Philosophy: Sentiment and Utility
Hume’s Text
Historical Context
Hume, born in 1711 and died in 1776, lived fully within the Enlightenment and is himself a perfectly orthodox example of it. In philosophy, he is undoubtedly the most relevant empiricist author. His epistemological doctrine had a major impact on Kant and is at the starting point of positivism and neo-positivism of the 19th and 20th centuries. Similarly, his ethics were instrumental in the utilitarianism of Mill and contemporary moral emotivism.
Theme
The theme of the
Read MoreKant: Enlightenment, Knowledge, and Moral Theory
Immanuel Kant: Enlightenment, Knowledge, and Moral Theory
Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher of the eighteenth century, concludes the cycle of modern philosophy with a system linked to two fundamental roots: the Enlightenment and the epistemological power of modern philosophy. His formal ethical theory opposes traditional formal ethics and the prevailing British emotivism of the 18th century.
Kant and the Enlightenment
Kant’s thought aligns with many elements of the Enlightenment. First, Kant defends
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