An Anthology of Philosophical Studies Volume 2
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Rosalind Hursthouse, on Virtue Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999
Rosalind Hursthouse, On Virtue Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Pp. x, 275. Reviewed by Gilbert Harman, Department of Philosophy, Princeton Univer- sity Virtue ethics is atype of ethicaltheory in which the notion of virtue or good character plays a central role. This splendid new book describes a “program” for the development of a particular (“Aristotelian”) form of virtue ethics. The book is intended to be used as a textbook, but should be read by anyone interested in moral philosophy. Hursthouse has been a major contributor to the development of virtue ethics and the program she describes, while making use of the many contributions of others, is very much her program, with numerous new ideas and insights. The book has three parts. The first dispels common misunderstandings and explains how virtue ethics applies to complex moral issues. The sec- ond discusses moral motivation, especially the motivation involved in doing something because it is right. The third explains how questions about the objectivity of ethics are to be approached within virtue ethics. Structure Hursthouse’s virtue ethics takes as central the conception of a human be- ing who possesses all ethical virtues of character and no vices or defects of character—”human being” rather than “person” because the relevant char- acter traits are “natural” to the species. To a first approximation, virtue ethics says that a right action is an action among those available that a perfectly virtuous human being would charac- teristically do under the circumstances. This is only a first approximation because of complications required in order accurately to describe certain moral dilemmas. -
Educational Rights and the Roles of Virtues, Perfectionism, and Cultural Progress
The Law of Education: Educational Rights and the Roles of Virtues, Perfectionism, and Cultural Progress R. GEORGE WRIGHT* I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 385 II. EDUCATION: PURPOSES, RECENT OUTCOMES, AND LEGAL MECHANISMS FOR REFORM ................................................................ 391 A. EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES AND RIGHTS LANGUAGE ...................... 391 B. SOME RECENT GROUNDS FOR CONCERN IN FULFILLING EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ............................................................. 393 C. THE BROAD RANGE OF AVAILABLE TECHNIQUES FOR THE LEGAL REFORM OF EDUCATION ............................................................... 395 III. SOME LINKAGES BETWEEN EDUCATION AND THE BASIC VIRTUES, PERFECTIONISM, AND CULTURAL PROGRESS ..................................... 397 IV. VIRTUES AND THEIR LEGITIMATE PROMOTION THROUGH THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM ...................................................................... 401 V. PERFECTIONISM AND ITS LEGITIMATE PROMOTION THROUGH THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM ...................................................................... 410 VI. CULTURAL PROGRESS OVER TIME AND ITS LEGITIMATE PROMOTION THROUGH THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM .............................................. 417 VII. CONCLUSION: EDUCATION LAW AS RIGHTS-CENTERED AND AS THE PURSUIT OF WORTHY VALUES AND GOALS: THE EXAMPLE OF HORNE V. FLORES ............................................................................................ 431 I. INTRODUCTION The law of education -
Explaining Emotional Outbursts: a Davidsonian Account of Hursthouse's Arational Actions
Aporia vol. 20 no. 1—2010 Explaining Emotional Outbursts: A Davidsonian Account of Hursthouse’s Arational Actions NICHOLAS BLOOM n his paper, “Actions, Reasons, and Causes,” Donald Davidson dis- cusses what makes an action intentional. According to Davidson, an Iagent acts intentionally if the agent acts for a reason. He defines reason as “a belief and desire” (5). This means that the agent desires to perform an action of a certain type and believes that the action she chooses is of that type. This explanation is very plausible since almost all intentional actions can be explained in this way. For example, if I want to illuminate my room and believe that turning on a light will do so, my turning on the light is intentional. In her essay “Arational Actions,” Rosalind Hursthouse presents a set of counterexamples to Davidson’s belief and desire theory of intentional action. Her counterexamples are supposed to illustrate arational actions, which she claims are intentional but do not fit into Davidson’s belief-desire formula. In this paper, I offer a response on behalf of David- son by arguing that arational actions do not exist as Hursthouse defines them. I do this by showing that Hursthouse’s arational actions either satisfy Davidson’s conditions of intentionality, or they are unintentional. My argument has four parts. First, I will explain Davidson’s causal theory of intentional action. Second, I will discuss Hursthouse’s theory of arational actions and explain how they may threaten Davidson’s theory. Third, I will present a counterargument to Hursthouse’s theory that shows how arational actions either fit into Davidson’s formula or are actually un- intentional. -
Anscombe, Foot, and Contemporary Virtue Ethics
J Value Inquiry (2010) 44:209–224 DOI 10.1007/s10790-010-9218-0 Virtue Ethics without Right Action: Anscombe, Foot, and Contemporary Virtue Ethics John Hacker-Wright Published online: 5 March 2010 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 1 Introduction Working out a criterion of morally right action is central to developing virtue ethics.1 Most advocates of virtue ethics believe that achieving such a criterion is crucial to vindicating virtue ethics as a normative theory. Yet the centrality of this task marks a departure from the views of at least some of the philosophers credited with the revival of virtue ethics in the twentieth century, especially from the views of G.E.M. Anscombe and Philippa Foot. Anscombe especially has sharp criticisms of the way philosophers handle the concept of morally right action along with related concepts like moral obligation. Yet the work of contemporary virtue ethicists such as Rosalind Hursthouse, Michael Slote, and Christine Swanton features little discussion of Anscombe’s criticisms or the reasons that the other virtue revivalists avoided providing a criterion of moral rightness. The dominant assumption appears to be that the earlier virtue revivalists neglect establishing a criterion of morally right action because their concern is to give priority to the evaluation of an agent over his acts as a corrective to the exclusive attention given to act-evaluation in the moral philosophy of the time. For Anscombe and Foot, at least, the concern to give priority to agent-evaluation is not among their motives for advocating a return to virtues.2 Instead, they believe that moral philosophers from the modern period forward have given the terms ‘‘right’’ and ‘‘ought’’ an artificial and incoherent sense. -
Understanding Bernard Williams's Criticism of Aristotelian Naturalism
UNDERSTANDING BERNARD WILLIAMS’S CRITICISM OF ARISTOTELIAN NATURALISM Michael Addison A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of MPhil at the University of St Andrews 2015 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/9315 This item is protected by original copyright Understanding Bernard Williams’s Criticism of Aristotelian Naturalism. Michael Addison This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of MPhil at the University of St Andrews 19th November 2015 Abstract: In Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy (henceforth ELP) Williams claims that holding a naturalistic Aristotelian ethical theory is no longer an option for us—we cannot believe what Aristotle believed about human beings. It is the purpose of this thesis to understand what Williams means by this claim and to evaluate whether or not it constitutes a pressing argument against Aristotelian naturalism. The modern Aristotelian (represented here by Martha Nussbaum, Philippa Foot and Rosalind Hursthouse) seems to be untouched by the claim as presented—they do not have to hold Aristotle’s view of human nature. The Aristotelian approaches human nature, not from an “outside” perspective, like the scientist, but from an “inside” perspective—from the point of view of an ethically engaged agent. The method does not seek to use a theory-independent notion of human nature to vindicate the Aristotelian claim that the properly functioning human being is virtuous. Rather, the Aristotelian is engaged in a project of using the notions of virtue that we already possess, to paint a picture of the kind of lives that we can all identify with, and endorse as properly functioning. -
I ABSTRACT in This Paper I Aim to Explain the View of the Will Put
ABSTRACT In this paper I aim to explain the view of the will put forward by John Duns Scotus in the late 13th- and early 14th-century. First, I will explain Scotus’s account of the will as free and rational. Scotus takes the will to be a self-determining, and thereby free, cause of human action. He understands it as rational insofar as it possesses and applies reasons or principles in its operation, and is thereby capable of opposite effects. Second, I will explain Scotus’s account of the two affections or motivations of the will: the love of justice and the love of the advantageous. For Scotus, the love of justice is a disposition of the will to choose for the sake of the intrinsic goodness of the object of choice (e.g., an act or thing). In contrast, the love of the advantageous is a disposition of the will to choose for the sake of the value that an object of choice has relative to the agent. Finally, I will argue that recent claims to the effect that Scotus’s view of moral motivation amounts to a radical break from eudaimonistic ethical views are unjustified. Indeed, I will claim that the motivational resources of Scotus’s view may not be different from the resources available on Aristotle’s view in the Nicomachean Ethics, and are certainly no different from those available on a plausible eudaimonistic view of ethics. Insofar as dual motives for action—i.e., the love of the advantageous and the love of justice—seem possible on both kinds of view, and insofar as both views share a similar account of the inherent goodness of an action as grounded in the suitability of the action to human nature, the two views do not necessarily seem far apart on the issue of moral or ethical motivation. -
Nussbaum on Moral Perception and the Priority of the Particular
Nussbaum on Moral Perception and the Priority of the Particular Benjamin Visscher Hole IV University of Washington Department of Philosophy Seattle, WA 98195 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (509) 570-8428 Abstract prior to ethical principles. This is her priority of the particular Martha Nussbaum’s account of moral perception holds the thesis thesis and my stalking horse of my paper. that we perceive moral particulars prior to ethical principles. First, I explain her account. Second, I present her with a dilemma: our §1. The Priority of the Particular Thesis perception of moral particulars is either non-inferential or it is Nussbaum’s account of moral perception assumes that inferential. If Nussbaum accepts a non-inferential interpretation, moral value is heterogeneous and non-commensurable.6 She then she is committed to an unsavory view about moral claims that the objects of this moral perception include: new epistemology – one that invites intuitionism and further invites and unanticipated features, the context-embeddedness of relativism. But if she accepts a non-inferential account, then the moral particular is no longer prior to the ethical principle. I suggest these relevant features, and the ethical relevance of particular 7 that her better option is to grab the second horn. This move avoids persons and relationships. the problems of the first horn without sacrificing her neo- We perceive new and unanticipated features the same way Aristoelian commitments or her overarching view that literature doctors perceive the medically relevant features when plays an ineliminable in moral enquiry. At the same time, this move performing differential diagnoses.8 Doctors are trained to renders her priority thesis trivial. -
Hursthouse-Arational-Actions.Pdf
Journal of Philosophy, Inc. Arational Actions Author(s): Rosalind Hursthouse Source: The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 88, No. 2 (Feb., 1991), pp. 57-68 Published by: Journal of Philosophy, Inc. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2026906 Accessed: 08/06/2010 09:57 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=jphil. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Journal of Philosophy, Inc. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of Philosophy. http://www.jstor.org +- 0 -+ THE JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY VOLUME LXXXVIII, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 1991 .4.- 0-* I ARATIONAL ACTIONS* IT is often said that there is some special irrationalityinvolved in wreaking damage or violence on inanimate objects that have angered one, and, correspondingly, something rational about striking people or animals in anger. -
The Specter of Relativism: a Critique of Rosalind Hursthouse's on Virtue Ethics
THE SPECTER OF RELATIVISM: A CRITIQUE OF ROSALIND HURSTHOUSE'S ON VIRTUE ETHICS A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Philosophy University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Ahmad Ghadyani Copyright Ahmad Ghadyani, November, 2016. All rights reserved. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master’s of Arts Degree in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my dissertation work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or in part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Philosophy 9 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, SK Canada S7N 5A5 i ABSTRACT Virtue ethics has been a major ethical theory from Antiquity to the present. -
Science and Evolution in the Public Eye
Science and Evolution in the Public Eye Laurie R. Godfrey Many educators have expressed surprise at the extent to which students believe sensationalistic and catastrophic explanations of the origins of cultural and biological traits. Their inclination is to ignore sensationalism as "unworthy" of serious discussion, but they are being hampered by political pressures from the sensationalists, who tend to view themselves as bearers of "true science" and as opponents of outdated scientific beliefs or orthodoxies. Thus these catastrophic and often cryptoscientific views of racial and cultural trait origins are being given increasing exposure in popular literature, on TV, in movies, and in public school and college classrooms. Among the most notorious examples of this alarming trend are von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods? (1970), Barry Fell's America B.C. (1976), Jeffrey Goodman's Psychic Archaeology (1977), the "In Search of TV series, and the current UFO mania. Organizations with blatantly racist motives, such as the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, who proclaim separate "origins" (or creations) for different "races," are once again growing in visibility. The "orthodoxies" of the anthropological "establishment" are being challenged by students who proclaim separate-origins explanations (a series of invasions from outer space, or "experiments" by a creator) and by some of those proclaiming a single creation. These sensationalist views are financially supported by evangelistic grass-roots organizations. These organizations are politically active in the sense that each is "spreading the word." The various Bible research groups that hold weekly or biweekly meetings on college campuses engage in peculiar mixtures of odd-fact collecting and religious ceremony. -
Power & Theory (Powerpoint Script)
Politics & Society: How much do we need Power and how much do we need Theory? This is a presentation called, Politics & Society: How much do we need Power and how much do we need Theory? It is presented by Dr Neville Buch. For The Philosophy Cafe Meet Up, Brisbane, Australia 1 Introduction There cannot be a wrong answer except for two responses. The question of how much Power and/or Theory is required, is contextual; depended on the exact question. However, if it was said that only power or only theory was required then a fallacy of some type has been performed in such an argument. The reason is simply one cannot conceptually divide the two applications. To perform theory is to have cognitive power; to have power is to possess some understanding that has been shaped in theory, albeit in considerable misunderstanding on a larger scoping. The teaching essay will examine the broad literature to explore a model of the relationships in Power & Theory. The literature comes from two key disciplines, the Sociology of Knowledge, and the History of Knowledge. The former provides models on what occurs, and the latter describes the application of the model and the contextual practice over time. Both are informed in several sub-disciplines of Philosophy, and particularly, the sub-discipline of Epistemology (including its alleged rejection and substitution in other forms of thought). We start with main theories of power, and then look at power relations in theory by considering the ‘theory of theory’. In conclusion, a diagram will be presented of the model of the relationships in Power & Theory. -
Noah's Ark and Ancient Astronauts: Pseudoscientific Beliefs About the Past Among a Sample of College Students
Noah's Ark and Ancient Astronauts: Pseudoscientific Beliefs About the Past Among a Sample of College Students Creationist views are tied to a deeply held set of values and world-view. Cult archaeology and other pseudoscientific beliefs are unrelated to most such variables. Francis B. Harrold and Raymond A. Eve OST PEOPLE are curious about the distant past, especially that of our own species. This curiosity has led to the rise of archaeology Mand related sciences, which have given us a growing understanding of human origins and prehistory; but it has also spawned some of the most outlandish pseudoscience on record. Many people readily accept baseless claims about the past—including college students, as one of us (an anthro- pologist) has come to learn while teaching courses in archaeology and human evolution. Students who held such beliefs when they entered these classes did not always change their minds when they were exposed to scientific ap- proaches to the past. One student wanted to leave no doubt as to where he stood; at the end of a test on the human fossil record, he wrote, "Of course I don't believe any of this. 1 believe in the Bible." Such encounters aroused our curiosity concerning these pseudoscientific beliefs among our students. The result was a research project, using the perspectives and methods of social science, to learn more about these beliefs: how widely and strongly they are held, by whom, and why. The research (for a more detailed report, see Eve and Harrold 1986) helped us progress toward answering these questions and suggested ways to deal with such beliefs.