Ethics

Jan 8, 2018

Basic concepts:

  • Everyone is a philosopher, but...

  • Beneath (beginning) and Beyond (climax, end) every discipline, you find philosophy

  • Philosophy as Love of Wisdom

  • Wisdom as making sense of our suffering (Victor Frankl, Friedrich Nietzsche)

  • Data --> Information --> Knowledge --> Wisdom

  • Buddha's basic insight: This too will pass away

  • "Man's Search for Meaning": Victor Frankl ("Logotherapy")

  • Nietzsche: "He who has found a WHY can cope with any HOW."

  • "That which does not kill you makes you stronger"

  • John Izzo: Five Secrets you must discover...

  • "Useless, but not meaningless" ("Nutzlos, sondern nicht Bedeutungslos"). For one page article see here

    • Philosophy, like love, poetry and prayer are useless, and significant and meaningful.

Please come prepared with the following materails.

Find attached: Session plan and Introd to Phil (Taken from http://philosophybasics.com/)

Jan 9, 2018

What is philosophising?

  • Definitions of Philosophy (Philosophy cannot be defined, but approached, responded to, encountered)

  • "Life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be encountered."

  • Problem vs mystery (Gabriel Marcel)

  • "I am a mystery unto myself." Horizon.... Ever approachable, never attainable

  • Life, love and relationship are mysteries to be encountered (and are "useless" in themselves.

  • Art for art's own sake: Philosophy for its own sake.

  • Only 4% of the known universe is known to us ("dark matter", "dark energy")

  • Johari Window

  • The basic philosophical question: "Who am I?"

  • "Every understanding is self-understanding."

  • Definitions of philosophy (From Notes)

  • Key to philosophy: critical reflection, systematization and dialogue

  • Use reason to realise its own limits

  • Reason may be flawed

  • Metaphysics

  • Epistemology --> Truth

  • Ethics --> Goodness

  • Aesthetics --> Beauty

  • Truth, Beauty, Goodness : Sat, cit, ananda

First Assignment: Choose the topic (Philosopher of key idea) from your PRN number of the corresponding topic (you may exchange it with those underlined themes, if you want) and write 500 words summary of it; Then make it a PPT slide; discuss it with your group; get their feedback and make any changes and submit it. Details for submission will be given later. See attached file for the list of themes. Due date: Jan 30, 2018. The basic materials for the summary and PPT could be as follows:

  1. Basic biographical Info

  2. At least 3 basic ideas/key insights

  3. Books or main contributions related to author/concept

  4. Up to three quotes, that make it memorable for readers

  5. Some relevant photos

Read through the notes (From PhilosophyBasics.com) at least thrice before coming for the next class. Get into the flow of the story, without memorizing all concepts. Three model slides are attached. You may also use the three attached pdf books for reference.

Dates to Note: Prepare your allotted slide by 29 Jan. On 30 January, please share in your group. After the feedback, revise the slide and submit to me at kuru@jdv.edu on Jan 30 before 11:00 PM. This will be counted for attendance.

Jan 15, 2018: No class (Akshy Kumar)

Discussion Groups

One:

  1. Megha Nair- 17060321060

  2. Nikita madhani - 17060321067

  3. Isha Nair- 17060321124

  4. Varsha Jayaprasad- 17060321116

  5. Kulsimran Bedi- 17060321125

  6. Fatema Deesawala -17060321030

  7. Shubhangi Anandi - 17060321100

  8. Yashona Sarkar - 17060321119

  9. Vedika Bajoria - 17060321118 (Leader) (vedika.bajoria@ssla.edu.in)

Two:

  1. Aashna Khosla: 17060321003 aashna.khosla@ssla.edu.in

  2. Meera Keshav: 17060321058

  3. Abhishek Sam: 17060321005

  4. Deepshikha Roy: 17060321025

  5. Hridya Venkatraman: 17060321038

  6. Diksha Choudhary: 17060321026

  7. Geeta Gunjal: 17060321034

  8. Sanjana Shetty: 17060321090

  9. Megha Rangaraj: 17060321059

Three:

  1. Ankita Mathur 17060321014

  2. Archi Kulkarni 17060321017

  3. Rahel Rao 17060321018

  4. Disha Pathak 17060321027

  5. Harini Vinayakam 17060321036

  6. Khushi Bajaj 1706032146

  7. Rutuja Shinde 17060321083

  8. Tanvi Sawant 17060321108

  9. Vandana Krishnan 17060321114

  10. Varad Godase 17060321115 (Group Leader) varad.godase@ssla.edu.in

Four:

  1. Adithi Hebbar

  2. Jesita Sarosh Limathwala

  3. Qandeel Qazi

  4. Nicole Jemimah Hardy 17060321066 nicole.hardy@ssla.edu.in

  5. Trista Aria

  6. Damini Tiwari

  7. Janhavi Sahay

  8. Purvi Prajapati

  9. Rajat

  10. Shriya Mathapati

Five :

1. Mrinal (17060321063): Group Leader mrinal.rajeev@ssla.edu.in

2. Kshipra (17060321051)

3. Yash (17060321122)

4. Hriday (17060321038)

5. Bharat (17060321022)

6. Meghna (17060321061)

7. Ayaan (17060321021)

8. Keshav (17060321045)

9. Tishya (17060321110)

Six:

  1. Amarabati Bhattacharyya: Group Leader amarabati.bhattacharyya@ssla.edu.in

  2. Ramya Iyer

  3. Grace Mary Mathew

  4. Shaun Solomon

  5. Sameeksha Mehta

  6. Radhika Singh

  7. Manvee Bhansali

  8. Pronoy Basu

  9. Juhi Shah

  10. Lakshmi Panicker

  11. Krishika Sakhrani

Group Seven:

  1. Rohit Pradhan (rohit.pradhan@ssla.edu.in) - 17060321082

  2. Raghav Kocchar - 17060321077

  3. Avnie Agnihotri - 17060321020

  4. Sanjana Pandit - 17060321089

  5. Nirav Muthiyan - 17060321068

  6. Raag Trivedi - 17060321075

  7. Soumujeet Chakraborty - 17060321104

  8. Noel George - 17060321069

  9. Monisha Jain - 17060321062

Group Eight:

  1. Abhirami B. P. -17060321004

  2. Adithi Shetty -17060321007: adithi.shetty@ssla.edu.in

  3. Antara Dharane -17060321016

  4. Shivani Ranganath -17060321094

  5. Shreya Panigrahi - 17060321095

  6. Sowmya Dasagari - 17060321105

  7. More students

Feb 5-6

The details are in the attached PPT files "8.normative ethics.....", which you may download below.

Feb12-13 Research (Two short essays),

I. My Life as a Story (700-1000 words): Personalised Essay on you, including your biodata.

  1. Me: Who am I? What do I want to become? Why? What are some of my dreams?

  2. World: What do I wish for the world? How do I want to change the world?

  3. God? What do I deeply believe in? why? What are my deepest aspirations? Where do I feel at home?

  4. Optional: In addition to this, you may make one slide PPT Profile of yours, including the key ideas.

II. One critical essay on any one of the topics dealt in the class (700-1000 words)

    1. Consequentialism

    2. Utilitarianism

    3. Deontology

    4. Kant’s Categorical Imperative

    5. Ross’s Pluralistic Deontology

    6. Singer’s Ethics

    7. Natural Law…

    8. Any other topic suggested by you.

Please submit these two essays before Feb 13, midnight. It is preferable to submit them together in the group. Mail to: sslakuru@gmail.com.

Best Wishes.

April 2, 2018

John Rawls, Amartya Sen and G. E. More (Intutionism): see ppt intuitionism new.

April 3, 2018: Intuitionism (contd). Am I really free? See both ppt and doc attached.

Please see the questions for discussion (also for exam). See attached file Ethic Questions...