...The term ethics is derived from the Ancient Greek word ethikos, which is derived from the word ethos which means habit or custom. The branch of philosophy axiology comprises the sub-branches of Ethics and aesthetics, each concerned with concepts of value. As a branch of philosophy, ethics investigates the questions “What is the best way for people to live?” and “What actions are right or wrong in particular circumstances?” In practice, ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality, by defining concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. As a field of intellectual enquiry, moral philosophy also is related to the fields of moral psychology, descriptive ethics, and value theory. The three major areas of study within ethics are: 1.Meta-ethics, concerning the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions, and how their truth values (if any) can be determined 2.Normative ethics, concerning the practical means of determining a moral course of action 3.Applied ethics, concerning what a person is obligated (or permitted) to do in a specific situation or a particular domain of...
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...Reflection Walden University Introduction to philosophy PHIL 1001 How can you prove weather at this moment we are sleeping, and all our thoughts are a dream; or weather we are awake, and talking to one another in the waking state? Plato For this reflection I founded it fascinating to consider different understanding of reality, I really enjoyed Plato Alegory of the cave amazing piece of art work what a great philosopher for that time period, also movie Matrix great movie directed by Wanch brothers. So questions we can all ask ourselves: Are things we see around us real, are they our reality, and how do we know that for sure, how do we know if we are dreaming or not. These are questions that unfortunately are out of our reach and only time will answer. The Alegory of the cave is a famous story from the Plato Republic, it is a profound allegory with many interpretation, and in this reflection I will compare it to the movie Matrix, and my view of reality. “ Imagine the condition of men living in a sort of cavernous chamber underground, with an entrance open to the light and a long passage all down the cave. Here they have been from childhood, chained by the leg and also by the neck, so that they cannot move and can see only what is in front of them, because the chain will not let them turn their heads. At some distance higher up is the light of a fire burning behind them, and between the prisoners and the fire is a track with a parapet built along...
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...Pre-Socratic Period Thales of Miletus Background: Thales of Miletus (fl. c. 585 BC) is regarded as the father of philosophy. Thales of Miletus was considered one of the Seven Wise Men of ancient Greece. Thales was the first of the Greek natural philosophers and founder of the Ionian school of ancient Greek thinkers. Works/Writings/Philosophy: His is said to have measured the Egyptian pyramids and to have calculated the distance from shore of ships at sea using his knowledge of geometry. He also predicted an eclipse of the sun. In geometry Thales has been credited with the discovery of five theorems like the one that a triangle inscribed in a semicircle has a right angle. He tried to discover the substance from which everything in nature is made off and suggested water. Thales is important in bridging the worlds of myth and reason. He initiated the revolutionary notion that to understand the world one needed to know its nature and that there was an explanation for all phenomena in natural terms. That was a giant step from the assumptions of the old world that supernatural forces determined almost everything. While considering the effects of magnetism and static electricity, he concluded that the power to move other things without the mover itself changing was a characteristic of "life", so that a magnet and amber must therefore be alive in some way (in that they have animation or the power to act). If so, he argued, there is no difference between the living and the dead...
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...The Examined Life FOURTH EDITION author J. P. White Chair, Department of Philosophy Santa Barbara City College contributing author Manuel Velasquez Professor of Philosophy Santa Clara University This Telecourse Study Guide for The Examined Life is part of a collegelevel introduction to philosophy telecourse developed in conjunction with the video series The Examined Life, and the text Philosophy: A Text with Readings, tenth edition, by Manuel Velasquez, The Charles Dirksen Professor, Santa Clara University. The television series The Examined Life was designed and produced by INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications, Netherlands Educational Broadcasting Corporation (TELEAC/NOT), and Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR) Copyright © 2007, 2005, 2002, 1999 by INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications, 150 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 300, Pasadena, California 91105-1937. ISBN: 0-495-10302-0 Contents Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Lesson One — What is Philosophy? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...
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...The Thief of Time The Thief of Time Philosophical Essays on Procrastination Edited by Chrisoula Andreou Mark D. White 2010 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2010 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The thief of time: philosophical essays on procrastination / edited by Chrisoula Andreou and Mark D. White. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-537668-5 (hardback: alk. paper) 1. Procrastination. I. Andreou, Chrisoula. II. White, Mark D., 1971– BF637.P76T45 2010 128'.4—dc22 2009021750 987654321 Printed in the United States of...
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...Volume 6 Number 2 (2012): 73-84 http://www.infactispax.org/journal/ Editorial Essay The Importance of Philosophy for Education in a Democratic Society Dale T. Snauwaert The University of Toledo Dale.snauwaert@utoledo.edu This essay explores the importance of philosophy for the study and practice of education in a democratic society. It will be argued that at its core education is a normative enterprise, in that it is driven by fundamental social values as well as the imperatives of social justice. These values and imperatives powerfully shape every dimension of educational theory, policy, and practice. From this perspective, education requires a normative frame of reference. Democracy, understood as not only a political system but more fundamentally as a way of life grounded in specific values and principles, provides a powerful point of reference. At the heart of democracy is the value of liberty, understood as self-determination. Self-determination requires that there should be careful reflection upon and rational deliberation concerning social values and, in turn, the imperatives of justice that inform the purposes and practices of education. It will be argued that philosophy constitutes a mode of inquiry and a discipline that enriches the capacity for reflection and rational deliberation, and hence it is essential for both democracy and the study and practice of education in a democratic society. Education as a Normative Enterprise There are a number...
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...reporting pratice and ethics paper hcs405 Reporting Practices and Ethics Paper By Ben Parks Introduction Every successful business has considered a role in reporting practices and ethics to be a significant part to their success. For many companies it can be a difficult burden when faced with the ethical compliance and accuracy for financial management. In this paper we can discuss the basic elements of financial management reporting practices and ethical standards in a health care world that is reforming as we speak. With great amount of changes will comes accountability to everyone inner and outer of the organization. This subject will explain the elements of financial management, general financial ethical standards, and will oversee some corporate scandals involving ethics, fraud, and abuse. The way an organization correlates, organizes, and prepares the reports for its financial information is part of its financial practices that it adheres too in order to accomplish the goals for its ethical standards. Today’s health care plans play a very important role in financial management. A company would be unable to operate without proper financial planning. The importance of storing and tracking all accounting records while being up to date will be the main factor as to whether the guidelines are being followed. This also allows the outer management to determine how the company is doing as a whole and also be aware as to where most of the funding is going. With new...
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...HSM 230 Week 7 Appendix D What are some potential legal and ethical issues present in this case study? There many things wrong in this case. The first is fraud. Taking money from possibly government and private funds and not using them for intended purposes. Embezzlement is another because obviously they are using the money saved for private reasons. The total disregard of the people that they are supposed to be helping. He has opened the entire origination to law suits and public scrutiny. How would you characterize the director’s behavior? Criminal, immoral and unethical. Is the director an ethical role model? Why or why not He is not ethical. He went against the subordinates thoughts. He used another employees input that had never been to the facility. He did not care about the residents’ fears or concerns. He did not take the law into concern. Were the director’s messages congruent with the organization’s stated mission? Explain your answer. No. In this mission statement it states to improve the quality of life. He injured people although they were not serious he did not improve it. He went as far as not to take the advice from Ms. Armstrong. What impact did the director’s actions and attitudes have on the Acre Woods culture? There are a few. He could be considered to be a sexist because he overlooked the advice from a female employee and he promoted a male that had no regard for the residents. His actions make Acre Woods appear as though there...
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...P LA T O and a P LAT Y P U S WA L K I N TO A B A R . . . Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes < T H O M A S C AT H C A RT & D A N I E L K L E I N * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * P l at o a n d a P l at y p u s Wa l k i n t o a B a r . . . PLATO and a PLAT Y PUS WA L K I N T O A B A R . . . < Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Th o m as Cat h c a rt & Dan i e l K l e i n A B R A M S I M AG E , N E W YO R K e d i to r : Ann Treistman d e s i g n e r : Brady McNamara pro d u c t i on m anag e r : Jacquie Poirier Cataloging-in-publication data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress. ISBN 13: 978-0-8109-1493-3 ISBN 10: 0-8109-1493-x Text copyright © 2007 Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein Illlustration credits: ©The New Yorker Collection 2000/Bruce Eric Kaplan/ cartoonbank.com: pg 18; ©Andy McKay/www.CartoonStock.com: pg 32; ©Mike Baldwin/www.CartoonStock.com: pgs 89, 103; ©The New Yorker Collection 2000/ Matthew Diffee/cartoonbank.com: pg 122; ©The New Yorker Collection 2000/ Leo Cullum/cartoonbank.com: pg 136; ©Merrily Harpur/Punch ltd: 159; ©Andy McKay/www.CartoonStock.com: pg 174. Published in...
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...iEhics There are a lot of famous person influencing the world just because they created something extraordinary which we utilize it every day. Steve Jobs was one of the greatest people who affect our lives not only because his amazing products, but his creativity has enhanced the current products to follow its style and design. For example, the iPhone have led the chief of cellphone industry; the iPad is leading the android tablet and windows tablets to follow its shape and design. That is only the positive side of him. What about his negative side about the ethics of a successful businessman and inventor can be barely seen? Not everyone is perfect. Steve Jobs was one of the kind. The categorical imperative is the best term that depicts Steve Jobs’ behavior because he broke the contract with the shipper. As the categorical imperative telling us, we should not adopt a principle if we cannot make a promise to others. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple as a CEO, he complained that their shipping company did not do their work fast enough and did not even ship Apple’s spare parts on time (AUSTEN). However, the shipping company said they could not do better anymore and they didn’t want to do. Because the shipper has signed a contract with Apple, Apple would involve lawsuit if they break the contract with the shipper. Without any consideration, Jobs did not want to play game with the shipper any more, then fired the shipper. Then of course the shipper did sue Apple. Consequently,...
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...Explain Plato’s analogy of the cave. (25 marks) The analogy of the cave is written in Plato’s famous book known as Republic. It is one of the three similes he uses to illustrate his theory of Forms. Plato uses analogy to help describe philosophical difference between physical world and the difference of the world of forms. In short the analogy explains to others about the physical world as nothing but full of illusion. He describes the true reality is to be found in the eternal unchanging world of forms. The analogy begins in the cave. The cave represents the visible world or the world of sense experience, where the shadows seem more real than truth itself. It indirectly represents the human body, which imprisons the soul preventing it from seeking the true knowledge. People are chained up in the cave such a way that all prisoners are facing the wall. They are chained up in a way that they can only look ahead of them at the wall of the cave. The only light in the cave comes from the fire. There is a wall behind the prisoners and fire is located behind the wall. Behind the wall other people are walking up and down carrying statues on their heads. The prisoners observe the shadows that flicker before them. The prisoners believe the shadows are reality as that is all they are able to see. If they hear the people behind the wall they associate the sounds made by individuals with the shadows. They think of the shadows as the true reality. Plato represents our condition as human...
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...Every person claims that he knows something. Our whole live is the great source of gaining knowledge: a person reads books, listens to other people’s opinions and his own intuition and looks at his own experience in life. For centuries great philosophers such as Phaedo, Socrates. Plato, and others argued on questions concerning knowledge. Is it possible to have knowledge at all? Does our knowledge represent reality as it really is? For every person including myself, gaining knowledge begins with birth. Though some philosophers such as Phaedo say that we had knowledge before that, but we forget it when we are born. And then we just recollect it. Phaedo also discusses perfect justice, beauty, goodness and equality and states that we have never seen these things yet we know they exist. From his point of view knowledge of perfect things must be innate. I cannot agree with this statement. For me your parents, then your teachers and people in your society give you understanding of what is right or wrong, true or false, good or bad. Later you start analyzing everything from your own perspective, deciding what to believe relying on your previous knowledge. This is why I agree to the Socrates point of view. He says that we can distinguish true from false and the standards for that are based on our soul. At the same time Plato was correct when he said that difference between knowledge and opinion must be rationally justified. For years we are chained in our caves interpreting shadows on...
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...Sample Guidelines for Writing Ethical Arguments Your essay should be a position paper, not a report. The paper must make an ethical argument in defense of a thesis. It doesn’t matter what thesis you defend, but the argument must be clear and coherent. Depending on the topic, some outside research may be appropriate, but do not let that obscure the main purpose, which is to make an ethical argument. There are several possible ways to structure the paper, including one (or more) or the following: • Articulating and applying principles (such as love, respect for autonomy, respect for persons, the principle of utility, etc.) to the issue or to cases. • Investigating how one or more ethical sources work to support a particular view: for instance, how biblical principles or a religious tradition or a particular philosopher/philosophical school can be used to support your position on a focused issue. Such an approach should be critical, that is, with an awareness of where the philosophical or religious tradition is unclear or problematic and how others could use the tradition in a different manner. • Contrasting the arguments of two or more authors on an issue. • Developing and contrasting the pro and con arguments for a particular position. • Developing and answering a series of questions from general to particular, or particular to general. • Analyzing a case study. The reader of an ethical argument is looking for three main things in your essay: 1. a clear and interesting...
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...The theory of knowledge, or Epistemology, is an important area in philosophy. Many great philosophical debates have developed because of the different views and principle issues dealing with epistemology. Although there are several principle issues in epistemology, my areas of focus are, empiricism, rationalism, Skepticism, and Justification. Empiricism is the theory that experience is the main focus in giving us knowledge of the world. Empiricists believe that knowledge without personal experience is impossible. Some empiricist believe that a new born baby come into the world knowing nothing and everything that they learn is only by experience. The mind is furnished with information from experience. The concept that all knowledge is arrived from the senses, leads me to believe that empiricist think that it is unreasonable to talk about things we have not experienced. Most radical empiricists believe that religions have no concrete evidence and consequently religious beliefs are insignificant. In essence, empiricism requires solid physical evidence to be considered knowledge. In contrast to empiricism, rationalism is the belief that reasoning is the most important aspect of acquiring knowledge. Rationalists believe that we have some instinctive knowledge. Certain things we just know with having personal experience directly disputes the theory that empiricists believe about newborn babies. Rationalists also believe that some truths can be worked out without having...
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...Addressing International Legal and Ethical Issues LAW421 June 25, 2012 Kurt Lofland Addressing International Legal and Ethical Issues The simulation of addressing international legal and ethical issues showed me there are many tough choices a business has to make. International law is very different than every day United States law. There are legal disputes that need to be resolved in the best way possible so you can still keep relations with the country you are doing business with. The issues involved with resolving legal disputes are making sure not to violate the contract. If the business violates the contract then the business can be sued by their partner in the foreign country. In my simulation with CadMax, I decided to use arbitration (Melvin, 2011 pg. 637) to resolve conflicts. This worked out very well in the simulation and made my business work well with my partner. Another option a business could use to resolve a conflict would be international mediation (Melvin, 2011 pg. 639). If mediation or arbitration does not work to solve the issue and the contract is breached then legal action may be needed. If legal action is needed the business can go to the International Court of Justice (Melvin 2011, pg. 635). The International Courts of Justice is used to settle legal disputes among countries. When taking legal action against a business partner based in another country, the business would most likely be unable to work with them in the future. This could also void...
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