976 resultados para philosophy, philosophie, ethics,
Resumo:
Global climate change and intentional climate modification, i.e. geoengineering include various ethical problems which are entangled as a complex ensemble of questions regarding the future of the biosphere. The possibilities of catastrophic effects of climate change which are also called climate emergency have led to the emergence of the idea of modifying the atmospheric conditions in the form of geoengineering. The novel issue of weather ethics is a subdivision of climate ethics, and it is interested in ethical and political questions surrounding weather and climate control and modification in a restricted spatio-temporal scale. The objective of geoengineering is to counterbalance the adverse effects of climate change and its diverse corollaries in various ways on a large scale. The claim of this dissertation is that there are ethical justifications to claim that currently large-scale interventions to the climate system are ethically questionable. The justification to pursue geoengineering on the basis of considering its pros and cons, is inadequate. Moral judgement can still be elaborated in cases where decisions have to be made urgently and the selection of desirable choices is severely limited. The changes needed to avoid severe negative impacts of climate change requires commitment to mitigation as well as social changes because technical solutions cannot address the issue of climate change altogether. The quantitative emphasis of consumerism should shift to qualitative focus on the aspiration for simplicity in order to a move towards the objective of the continuation of the existence of humankind and a flourishing, vital biosphere.
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The role of animals in the philosophy of mind is primarily to help understand the human mind by serving as practical examples of cognition that differs from ours either in kind or in degree. Kant regarded animals as beings that only have the faculty of sensibility. By examining what Kant writes about animal experience we gain knowledge concerning the role of sensibility in experience, free from the influence of understanding and reason. I look at Kants view of animals in the historical context of alternative views presented by Descartes and Humes views. Kants view can be seen as a counterargument against Descartes doctrine of animal machines according to which animals do not have minds and they do not think. I suggest that while it can be argued that some kind of elementary experience could be possible in the physiological level, this only makes sense when it is possible to become conscious of the unconscious sensation, and this requires a mind. A further option is to claim that there is only a difference in degree between human and animal cognitive capacities. This is Humes view. I argue that even though Kants and Humes view on the cognitive capacities of animals seems to depart from each other to a considerable extent, the differences between them diminish when the focus is on the experience these capacities enable. I also briefly discuss the relation of the metaphysics of animal minds to animal ethics.
Resumo:
Kierkegaardian Intersubjectivity and the Question of Ethics and Responsibility By Kevin Krumrei. Kierkegaard's contributions to philosophy are generally admitted and recognized as valuable in the history of Western philosophy, both as one of the great anti-Hegelians, as the founder (arguably) of existentialism, and as a religious thinker. However valid this may be, there is similarly a generally admitted critique of Kierkegaard in the Western tradition, that Kierkegaard's philosophy of the development of the self leads the individual into an isolated encounter with God, to the abandonment of the social context. In other words, a Kierkegaardian theory of intersubjectivity is a contradiction in terms. This is voiced eloquently by Emmanuel Levinas, among others. However, Levinas' own intersubjective ethics bears a striking resemblance to Kierkegaard's, with respect to the description and formulation of the basic problem for ethics: the problem of aesthetic egoism. Further, both Kierkegaard and Levinas follow similar paths in responding to the problem, from Kierkegaard's reduplication in Works of Love, to Levinas' notion of substitution in Otherwise than Being. In this comparison, it becomes evident that Levinas' reading of Kierkegaard is mistaken, for Kierkegaard's intersubjective ethics postulates, in fact, the inseparability and necessity of the self s responsible relation to others in the self s relation to God, found in the command, "you shall love your neighbour as yourself."
Resumo:
Introduction Fundamental to the philosophy of Buddhism, is the insight that there is "unsatisfactohness" (dukkha) in the world and that it can be eliminated through the practice of the Noble Eight Fold Path. Buddhism also maintains that the world as we experience and entities that exist are bereft of any substantiality. Instead existence is manifest through dependent origination. All things are conditional; nothing is permanent. However, inherent in this dependent existence is the interconnectedness of all beings and their subjection to the cosmic law of karma. Part of cultivating the Eight Fold path includes a deep compassion for all other living things, 'trapped' within this cycle of dependent origination. This compassion or empathy (karuna) is crucial to the Buddhist path to enlightenment. It is this emphasis on karuna that shows itself in Mahayana Buddhism with respect to the theory of the boddhisatva (or Buddha-to-be) since the boddhisatva willingly postpones his/her own enlightenment to help others on the same path. One of the ramifications of the theory of dependent origination is that there is no anthropocentric bias placed on humans over the natural world. Paradoxically the doctrine of non-self becomes an ontology within Buddhism, culminating in the Mayahana realization that a common boundary exists between samsara and nirvana. Essential to this ontology is the life of dharma or a moral life. Ethics is not separated from ontology. As my thesis will show, this basic outlook of Buddhism has implications toward our understanding of the Buddhist world-view with respect to the current human predicament concerning the environment. While humans are the only ones who can 4 attain "Buddhahood", it is because of our ability to understand what it means to follow the Eight fold path and act accordingly. Because of the interconnectedness of all entities {dharmas), there is an ontological necessity to eliminate suffering and 'save the earth' because if we allow the earth to suffer, we ALL suffer. This can be understood as an ethical outlook which can be applied to our interaction with and treatment of the natural environment or environment in the broadest sense, not just trees plants rocks etc. It is an approach to samsara and all within it. It has been argued that there is no ontology in Buddhism due to its doctrine of "non-self". However, it is a goal of this thesis to argue that there does exist an original ontology in Buddhism; that according to it, the nature of Being is essentially neither "Being nor non-being nor not non-being" as illustrated by Nagarjuna. Within this ontology is engrained an ethic or 'right path' (samma marga) that is fundamental to our being and this includes a compassionate relationship to our environment. In this dissertation I endeavour to trace the implications that the Buddhist worldview has for the environmental issues that assail us in our age of technology. I will explore questions such as: can the Buddhist way of thinking help us comprehend and possibly resolve the environmental problems of our day and age? Are there any current environmental theories which are comparable to or share common ground with the classical Buddhist doctrines? I will elucidate some fundamental doctrines of early Buddhism from an environmental perspective as well as identify some comparable modern environmental theories such as deep ecology and general systems theory, that seem to share in the wisdom of classical Buddhism and have much to gain from a deeper appreciation of Buddhism.
Resumo:
This thesis explores the comparison utilitarianism and Buddhist ethics as they can be applied to animal research. It begins by examining some of the general discussions surrounding the use of animals in research. The historical views on the moral status of animals, the debate surrounding their use in animals, as well as the current 3R paradigm and its application in Canadian research are explored. The thesis then moves on to expound the moral system of utilitarianism as put forth by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, as well as contemporary additions to the system. It also looks at the basics of Buddhist ethics well distinguishing the Mahayana from the Therevada. Three case studies in animal research are used to explore how both systems can be applied to animal research. It then offers a comparison as to how both ethical systems function within the field of animal research and explores the implications in their application on its practice.
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Dans ce texte, nous revoyons certains dveloppements rcents de lconomtrie qui peuvent tre intressants pour des chercheurs dans des domaines autres que lconomie et nous soulignons lclairage particulier que lconomtrie peut jeter sur certains thmes gnraux de mthodologie et de philosophie des sciences, tels la falsifiabilit comme critre du caractre scientifique dune thorie (Popper), la sous-dtermination des thories par les donnes (Quine) et linstrumentalisme. En particulier, nous soulignons le contraste entre deux styles de modlisation - lapproche parcimonieuse et lapproche statistico-descriptive - et nous discutons les liens entre la thorie des tests statistiques et la philosophie des sciences.
Resumo:
Selon la tradition, seulement trois rgimes purs monarchie, aristocratie et dmocratie sont identifis comme tant capables, sous certaines conditions, de permettre latteinte du bien commun . Ce texte suggre quune typologie complte des rgimes politiques doit inclure lanarchie non pas en tant que forme dvoye de la dmocratie, mais bien comme un idal type de rgime pur. La nouvelle typologie devrait inclure la monarchie (le rgne dun seul), laristocratie (le rgne dune minorit), la dmocratie (le rgne de la majorit) et lanarchie (lauto-gouvernement de tous, par consensus). Au final, il est ncessaire de se rappeler que la vie politique ne se limite pas ltat, et que lanarchie peut sincarner ici et maintenant dans des communauts et des groupes politiques locaux et de petite dimension. Le rejet radical de lanarchie par les philosophes qui prtendent que sa ralisation est impossible dans notre monde moderne est donc trompeuse et appauvrit ncessairement notre pense politique.
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Ce mmoire tudie la srie Aux Abattoirs de la Villette photographie par Eli Lotar en 1929. Il montre comment elle a t assimile par lhistoire de lart au texte Abattoir de Georges Bataille, aux cts duquel ont t reproduites trois photos du corpus sous la rubrique Dictionnaire critique de la revue Documents. Cette emprise thorique sur la srie est mise en perspective au regard de la dmarche artistique dEli Lotar et des autres photomontages dont elle a fait lobjet ensuite. Le premier chapitre insiste sur la formation dEli Lotar et introduit son sjour La Villette en lien avec la thmatique de labattoir dans lentre-deux-guerres. Il analyse ensuite la fortune critique dAux Abattoirs de la Villette qui sappuie sur la philosophie de linforme chez Georges Bataille. Le deuxime chapitre analyse le photomontage de la srie fait par E.L.T. Mesens dans Varits (1930) et le photoreportage reconstitu par Carlo Rim dans Vu (1931). Selon des points de vue et un travail formel diffrents, tous deux accentuent la dimension humaine de lindustrie dabattage animal. Le troisime chapitre fait apparatre le regard pos par Eli Lotar sur le site de La Villette en tenant compte de ses proccupations socio-artistiques travers ses collaborations auprs de Germaine Krull et Joris Ivens. Finalement, il dresse une analyse comparative de la srie avec la toile Abattoir dAndr Masson, le pome Porte Brancion de Raymond Queneau et le film Le sang des btes de Georges Franju pour renforcer les spcificits du mdium photographique.
Resumo:
Ibn Khaldun(1332-1406) fut homme dEtat et historien des conflits et des changements politiques au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique du Nord. Il a ecrit la Muqaddima, une vaste analyse du declin de la civilisation arabe. Dans cet ouvrage l ethique du Juste est presentee comme lobeissance a la loi et lapplication des sciences rationnelles a la tradition. Ceci le mene a condamner l ethique du Bien en tant que calcul de son propre bonheur. Le conflit actuel reflete bien ce dualisme sous de nouvelles formes deudemonisme telle que lutilitarisme. Sa theorie du changement politique et des conflits est toujours dactualite : le developpement economique conduit a la destruction des dynasties au pouvoir ; ce dernier repose sur lAsabiya, une forme specifique du capital social. Le pouvoir politique dure trois generations et connait une evolution faite dessor, dapogee et de declin. Cette theorie des trois phases du developpement permet de mieux comprendre les conflits que connait actuellement le monde arabe.
Resumo:
Hans Jonas is considered one of the principal leaders of the ecological doctrine that fights against the hegemony of technical power upon society. We will study the conception of man in Jonas ideology through the lens of nature and of responsibility. He brandishes the specter of disaster (heuristics of fear) as a guard against technological excesses. He appeals to a prospective, universal and categorical responsibility to protect nature and to save future generations. Jonas considers responsibility as a method of anticipating the threat to that which is vulnerable, ephemeral, and perishable. Thus, the responsibility that Jonas decrees implies an ethics of conservation. Jonas writings aim to procure a new dimension of acting, which necessitates an ethics of foresight and responsibility.
Resumo:
Denis Goulet (1931-2006) was probably the main founder of work on development ethics as a self-conscious field that treats the ethical and value questions posed by development theory, planning and practice. This overview of a selection of papers presented at a conference of the International Development Ethics Association (Uganda, 2006) surveys Goulets work and compares it with issues and approaches in the selected papers. Ideas raised by Goulet provide a framework for discussing the set of papers, which especially consider corruption, professional ethics and the rights to water and essential drugs. The papers in turn provide a basis for comparing Goulets ideas with actual directions of work on development ethics. Rather than as a separate sub-discipline, development ethics takes shape as an interdisciplinary meeting place, aided though by the profile and intellectual space that Goulet strikingly strove to build for it.
Resumo:
Cet article discute des problemes de gouvernance et de corruption en Afrique dans le cadre dun debat politique et philosophique large entre universalisme et relativisme, idealisme et realisme, ainsi que entre individualisme et communautarisme. Premierement, je defends que lapproche realiste de lethique politique et du leadership ne permet pas de differencier entre les elements descriptifs et prescriptifs de la gouvernance et peut aisement etre utilisee pour justifier les Mains Sales des dirigeants au nom de linteret superieur de la nation, meme dans les cas ou linteret personnel est la seule force motivationnelle pour les actions qui sapent les codes sociaux et ethiques ordinaires. Deuxiemement, larticle montre la faillite de la confiance publique dans le gouvernement et la faiblesse de lEtat renforce les politiques communautariennes sub-nationales qui tendent a etre fondees sur lethnie et exclusive, et par consequent, qui viole le cur de lethique publique, cest-a-dire limpartialite. Finalement, larticle suggere que les principes dethique universels pour les services publiques soient introduits en complement plutot quen concurrence avec les ethiques locales, socialement et culturellement limitee au prive. Cela requiere, dune part, que nous comprenions mieux la complexite historique, les circonstances economiques et sociales et les arrangements politiques transitionnels dans les pays africains. Dautre part, un nous devons investir dans une education ethique civique et professionnel reflexive qui adopte un point de vue nuance entre le realisme politique et lidealisme comme point de depart des reformes institutionnelles, aussi bien que modalite de changement des comportements a long terme.
Resumo:
Cette etude de cas est issue dun module final de formation pour les employes du service public dune agence de leau. Nous explorons les resultats de plusieurs strategies utilisees pour souligner le besoin de changement dans les comportements individuels et institutionnels en vue dameliorer les services aux clients. En particulier, nous explorons certaines manieres douvrir la discussion sur les pratiques de corruption de maniere non-triviale sans offenser les sensibilites ou provoquer lindifference. Comme point de depart, il est demande aux participants de relever les problemes institutionnels quils caracterisent comme ethiques, meme si dautres problemes appartiennent a dautres categories identifiees plus tard. Pour eviter une approche purement theorique des devoirs et obligations envers les clients, ils sont derives de la mission de lagence telle que definit par la loi qui la creee.
