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Critical Inquiry As Virtuous Truth-Telling: Implications of Phronesis and Parrhesia ______
______________________________________________________________________________ Critical Inquiry as Virtuous Truth-Telling: Implications of Phronesis and Parrhesia ______________________________________________________________________________ Austin Pickup, Aurora University Abstract This article examines critical inquiry and truth-telling from the perspective of two comple- mentary theoretical frameworks. First, Aristotelian phronesis, or practical wisdom, offers a framework for truth that is oriented toward ethical deliberation while recognizing the contingency of practical application. Second, Foucauldian parrhesia calls for an engaged sense of truth-telling that requires risk from the inquirer while grounding truth in the com- plexity of human discourse. Taken together, phronesis and parrhesia orient inquirers to- ward intentional truth-telling practices that resist simplistic renderings of criticality and overly technical understandings of research. This article argues that truly critical inquiry must spring from the perspectives of phronesis and parrhesia, providing research projects that aim at virtuous truth-telling over technical veracity with the hope of contributing to ethical discourse and social praxis. Keywords: phronesis, praxis, parrhesia, critical inquiry, truth-telling Introduction The theme of this special issue considers the nature of critical inquiry, specifically methodological work that remains committed to explicit goals of social justice and the good. One of the central concerns of this issue is that critical studies have lost much of their meaning due to a proliferation of the term critical in educational scholarship. As noted in the introduction to this issue, much contemporary work in education research that claims to be critical may be so in name only, offering but methodological techniques to engage in critical work; techniques that are incapable of inter- vening in both the epistemological and ontological formations of normative practices in education. -
How Philosophers Rise and Empires Fall in the Work of Leo Strauss
City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2019 Ungodly Freedom: How Philosophers Rise and Empires Fall in the Work of Leo Strauss Eli Karetny The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2819 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] UNGODLY FREEDOM: HOW PHILOSOPHERS RISE AND EMPIRES FALL IN THE WORK OF LEO STRAUSS by Eli Karetny A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2019 © 2018 Eli Karetny All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. PROFESSOR COREY ROBIN _________________ ____________________________________ Date Committee Chair _______________ PROFESSOR ALYSON COLE Date ____________________________________ Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Corey Robin Alyson Cole Carol Gould THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract UNGODLY FREEDOM: HOW PHILOSOPHERS RISE AND EMPIRES FALL IN THE WORK OF LEO STRAUSS by Eli Karetny Advisor: Professor Corey Robin This dissertation argues that to fully understand the work of Leo Strauss, scholars must look beyond the Platonic and Machiavellian elements in Strauss and explore how Nietzsche’s ideas about nihilism, the will to power, the eternal return, and the ubermensch influence Strauss’s critique of modernity, his understanding of the relationship between philosophy and politics, and his redefinition of the philosopher as a prophetic lawgiver. -
Commentary on Thomas Aquinas's Virtue Ethics J
Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-16578-6 — Commentary on Thomas Aquinas's Virtue Ethics J. Budziszewski Frontmatter More Information Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s Virtue Ethics Although St. Thomas Aquinas famously claimed that his Summa Theologiae was written for “beginners,” contemporary readers i nd it unusually difi cult. Now, amid a surge of interest in virtue ethics, J. Budziszewski clarii es and analyzes the text’s challenging arguments about the moral, intellectual, and spiritual virtues, with a spotlight on the virtue of justice. In what might be the i rst contemporary commentary on Aquinas’s virtue ethics, he juxtaposes the original text with paraphrase and detailed discussion, guiding us through its complex arguments and classical rhetorical i gures. Keeping an eye on con- temporary philosophical issues, he contextualizes one of the greatest virtue theorists in history and brings Aquinas into the interdisciplinary debates of today. His brisk and clear style illuminates the most crucial of Aquinas’s writ- ings on moral character and guides us through the labyrinth of this difi cult but pivotal work. J. Budziszewski is Professor of Government and Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, where he also teaches courses in religious studies and in the law school. His work includes numerous books as well as a blog, The Underground Thomist . Budziszewski thinks and writes chiel y about classi- cal natural law, conscience and self-deception, moral character, family and sexuality, religion and public life, authentic versus counterfeit toleration and liberty, and the state of our common culture. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-16578-6 — Commentary on Thomas Aquinas's Virtue Ethics J. -
Forthcoming in Episteme Educating for Intellectual Virtue
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by PhilPapers Forthcoming in Episteme Educating for Intellectual Virtue: a critique from action guidance Ben Kotzee (Birmingham), J. Adam Carter (Glasgow) & Harvey Siegel (Miami) Abstract: Virtue epistemology is among the dominant influences in mainstream epistemology today. An important commitment of one strand of virtue epistemology – responsibilist virtue epistemology (e.g., Montmarquet 1993; Zagzebski 1996; Battaly 2006; Baehr 2011) – is that it must provide regulative normative guidance for good thinking. Recently, a number of virtue epistemologists (most notably Baehr, 2013) have held that virtue epistemology not only can provide regulative normative guidance, but moreover that we should reconceive the primary epistemic aim of all education as the inculcation of the intellectual virtues. Baehr’s picture contrasts with another well-known position – that the primary aim of education is the promotion of critical thinking (Scheffler 1989; Siegel 1988; 1997; 2017). In this paper – that we hold makes a contribution to both philosophy of education and epistemology and, a fortiori, epistemology of education – we challenge this picture. We outline three criteria that any putative aim of education must meet and hold that it is the aim of critical thinking, rather than the aim of instilling intellectual virtue, that best meets these criteria. On this basis, we propose a new challenge for intellectual virtue epistemology, next to the well-known empirically- driven ‘situationist challenge’. What we call the ‘pedagogical challenge’ maintains that the intellectual virtues approach does not have available a suitably effective pedagogy to qualify the acquisition of intellectual virtue as the primary aim of education. -
Malebranche's Augustinianism and the Mind's Perfection
University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations Spring 2010 Malebranche's Augustinianism and the Mind's Perfection Jason Skirry University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the History of Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Skirry, Jason, "Malebranche's Augustinianism and the Mind's Perfection" (2010). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 179. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/179 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/179 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Malebranche's Augustinianism and the Mind's Perfection Abstract This dissertation presents a unified interpretation of Malebranche’s philosophical system that is based on his Augustinian theory of the mind’s perfection, which consists in maximizing the mind’s ability to successfully access, comprehend, and follow God’s Order through practices that purify and cognitively enhance the mind’s attention. I argue that the mind’s perfection figures centrally in Malebranche’s philosophy and is the main hub that connects and reconciles the three fundamental principles of his system, namely, his occasionalism, divine illumination, and freedom. To demonstrate this, I first present, in chapter one, Malebranche’s philosophy within the historical and intellectual context of his membership in the French Oratory, arguing that the Oratory’s particular brand of Augustinianism, initiated by Cardinal Bérulle and propagated by Oratorians such as Andre Martin, is at the core of his philosophy and informs his theory of perfection. Next, in chapter two, I explicate Augustine’s own theory of perfection in order to provide an outline, and a basis of comparison, for Malebranche’s own theory of perfection. -
Thomas Aquinas' Metaphysics of Creatio Ex Nihilo
Studia Gilsoniana 5:1 (January–March 2016): 217–268 | ISSN 2300–0066 Andrzej Maryniarczyk, S.D.B. John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin Poland PHILOSOPHICAL CREATIONISM: THOMAS AQUINAS’ METAPHYSICS OF CREATIO EX NIHILO In keeping with the prevalent philosophical tradition, all philoso- phers, beginning with the pre-Socratics, through Plato and Aristotle, and up to Thomas Aquinas, accepted as a certain that the world as a whole existed eternally. They supposed that only the shapes of particu- lar things underwent transformation. The foundation for the eternity of the world was the indestructible and eternal primal building material of the world, a material that existed in the form of primordial material elements (the Ionians), in the form of ideas (Plato), or in the form of matter, eternal motion, and the first heavens (Aristotle). It is not strange then that calling this view into question by Tho- mas Aquinas was a revolutionary move which became a turning point in the interpretation of reality as a whole. The revolutionary character of Thomas’ approach was expressed in his perception of the fact that the world was contingent. The truth that the world as a whole and eve- rything that exists in the world does not possess in itself the reason for its existence slowly began to sink into the consciousness of philoso- phers. Everything that is exists, as it were, on credit. Hence the world and particular things require for the explanation of their reason for be- ing the discovery of a more universal cause than is the cause of motion. This article is a revised and improved version of its first edition: Andrzej Maryniarczyk SDB, The Realistic Interpretation of Reality. -
The Structure of the Virtues a Study of Thomas Aquinas’S and Godfrey of Fontaines’S Accounts of Moral Goodness
Alexander Stöpfgeshoff The Structure of the Virtues A Study of Thomas Aquinas’s and Godfrey of Fontaines’s Accounts of Moral Goodness Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Sal VIII, Universitetshuset, Biskopsgatan 3, 753 10, Uppsala, Monday, 10 September 2018 at 14:15 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The examination will be conducted in English. Faculty examiner: Professor Bonnie Kent (The Department of Philosophy, UC Irvine). Abstract Stöpfgeshoff, A. 2018. The Structure of the Virtues. A Study of Thomas Aquinas’s and Godfrey of Fontaines's Accounts of Moral Goodness. 173 pp. Uppsala: Department of Philosophy, Uppsala University. ISBN 978-91-506-2713-8. This dissertation is a study of Thomas Aquinas’s (1225–1274) and Godfrey of Fontaines’s (d. 1306) moral philosophies. In this study, I conduct a detailed analysis of two Aristotelian commitments concerning the character virtues, namely, The Plurality of the Character Virtues and The Connection of the Character Virtues. Both Aquinas and Godfrey think that there are many distinct character virtues (such as moderation and justice), however, one cannot (perfectly) possess these character virtues in separation from each other. In Chapter I, it is established that Aquinas believes in the plurality of the character virtues not because of a specific account of the human soul, but because he is committed to a plurality in what he calls “the notion of goodness.” In Chapter II, it is argued that Aquinas’s account of virtuous action requires that there be a likeness between a person and their actions in terms of the notion of goodness explored in Chapter I. -
The Relative Role of the Intellectual and Moral Virtues in Sustainable Management Decisions: the Case of Practical Wisdom and Justice
sustainability Article The Relative Role of the Intellectual and Moral Virtues in Sustainable Management Decisions: The Case of Practical Wisdom and Justice Natàlia Cugueró-Escofet 1,* and Josep M. Rosanas 2 1 Faculty of Economics and Business Studies, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Rambla del Poblenou, 156, 08018 Barcelona, Spain 2 IESE Business School, Universidad de Navarra, Avinguda Pearson, 21 08034 Barcelona, Spain; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +34-932-535-791 Received: 21 December 2019; Accepted: 27 January 2020; Published: 6 February 2020 Abstract: We analyze the status of virtues in management by going in some depth into the two main virtues, justice and practical wisdom. We next study how ethics requires that all virtues should be present under the ideal concept of a ‘unity of virtues’ for a completely wise person and discuss the practical limitations of this concept. Then, we draw a framework for decision making depending on whether the decision maker possesses justice and practical wisdom or lacks one of them and then discuss which one is better to have. We conclude that justice is more important, as it is about setting objectives and prioritizing, whereas practical wisdom is about attaining these objectives, once listed, in a rationally wise and contextual way. Hence, we conclude that objectives (justice) must come first, because this makes it more likely that, in the end, practical wisdom is developed, and thus we end up having the two virtues. Keywords: Justice; Fairness; Virtue ethics; Practical wisdom 1. Introduction Business ethics has become one of the important fields in management in the last few decades. -
UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Intellectual Virtue And
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Intellectual Virtue and Human Flourishing: An Explanation of the Intrinsic Value of the Intellectual Virtues A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy by Jeremy Vethan Gomer Committee in charge: Professor Georgios Anagnostopoulos, Chair Professor Saba Bazargan Professor Nicholas Christenfeld Professor Paul Churchland Professor Christine Harris 2015 © Jeremy Vethan Gomer, 2015 All rights reserved. The Dissertation of Jeremy Vethan Gomer is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California, San Diego 2015 iii DEDICATION It is debated whether virtue is real or ideal but my wife whom I find most dear proves to me that virtue is most real. It is with gratitude that I dedicate this work to Mizu, whose virtues of love, loyalty, devotion, and kindness have blessed me with an abundance most ideal. iv EPIGRAPH The branch of philosophy we are dealing with at present is not purely theoretical like the others, because it is not in order to acquire knowledge that we are considering what virtue is, but to become good people – otherwise there would be no point in it. Aristotle v TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page.............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication................................................................................................................................... -
What Is Everyday Courage?
CHAPTER 1 What Is Everyday Courage? The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment, but it is no less than a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. People do what they must—in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures—and that is the basis of all human morality. —John F. Kennedy The Evolution of Courage Early Greek philosophers, Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, participated in spirited debates about the definition of courage. They were in agreement that courage was one of four virtues. The four virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, and courage. Aristotle is credited with saying that courage is the first of all virtues. It makes all other virtues possible. It was Socrates who asked, “What is courage?” He spent many hours with his students attempting to discover the answer to this question. Plato’s ideas about courage, found throughout his writings, liken courage to a kind of perseverance. He took into account and considered how cour- age related to everyday common activities such as facing sickness, poverty, pains, and fears. Aristotle’s definition of courage was focused on physical 9 courage, the courage of soldiers on the battlefield or the courage of men in defense of their families, and the role they play in keeping the polis, or city, safe. Aristotle’s conception of courage was that courage as well as the other virtues represented a system of means between extremes. With courage, the two extremes were cowardice and rashness. A coward runs away in the face of danger, as opposed to the extreme of rashness, which is when a person faces danger in a careless or foolish manner. -
Critical Thinking Competency Standards
A Guide For Educators to Critical Thinking Competency Standards Standards, Principles, Performance Indicators, and Outcomes With a Critical Thinking Master Rubric by Richard Paul and Linda Elder Foundation for Critical Thinking Letter to the Reader Much lip service is given to the notion that students are learning to think critically. A cursory examination of critical thinking competency standards (enu- merated and elaborated in this guide) should persuade any reasonable person familiar with schooling today that they are not. On the other hand, a reasonable person might also conclude that no teacher in any single subject could teach all of these standards. We agree. The critical thinking competency standards articulated in this guide serve as a resource for teachers, curriculum designers, administrators and accrediting bod- ies. The use of these competencies across the curriculum will ensure that critical thinking is fostered in the teaching of any subject to all students at every grade level. We can expect large groups of students to achieve these competencies only when most teachers within a particular institution are fostering critical thinking standards in their subject(s) at their grade level. We cannot expect students to learn critical thinking at any substantive level through one or a few semesters of instruction. Viewed as a process covering twelve to sixteen years and beyond, and con- tributed to by all instruction, both at the K-12 as well as the college and univer- sity level, all of the competencies we articulate, and more, can be achieved by stu- dents. We recommend therefore that those responsible for instruction identify which competencies will be fostered at what grade level in what subjects for what students. -
Contemplating Friendship in Aristotle's Ethics
Chapter One Contemplating Friendship in Aristotle’s Ethics Aristotle begins the Nicomachean Ethics by embracing the claim that all human activity aims at the good. Living from 384–322 BC, and having been a student in Plato’s Academy for nearly twenty years before founding his own philosophical school in Athens, the Lyceum, in 335 BC, Aristotle identifies the highest human good as happiness eudaimonia( ). Aristotle defines happiness as an activity of soul in accord with the reason of a serious person, and thus as an activity of soul in accord with virtue. Such a definition is problematic, however, because virtue is divided by Aristotle into two different types: moral virtue and intellectual virtue. Which of these virtues for Aristotle constitutes happiness is one of the most contested debates in the contemporary literature on the Nicomachean Ethics. On one side of this debate are ranged scholars such as J. L. Ackrill and David Bostock who hold that Aristotle has an “inclusive” view of happiness.1 This means that the happy life requires the practice, in some form, of both the moral and the intellectual virtues. Scholars on the other side of the debate, such as C. D. C. Reeve and Thomas Nagel, believe that Aristotle has an “exclusive” or “dominant” view of happiness.2 This view holds that happiness is grounded in the intellectual virtue of contemplation, which is separable from and superior to moral virtue. I argue that Aristotle’s text comprehends both the “inclusive” and “exclusive” views of happiness attributed to it. In acts of moral virtue, Aristotle argues, reason determines the mean and guides the passions to it, which is then usually followed by an external action of the body.