Introduction to Ethics

• Philosophy is the study of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language
• It seeks to understand the underlying principles governing thought, reality, and morality
• Philosophy often involves critical thinking, logical reasoning, and conceptual analysis

Ethics

• Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is the branch of philosophy concerned with principles of right and wrong conduct
• It explores concepts such as morality, values, and ethical theories
• Normative ethics aims to establish moral standards for regulating behavior
  • Includes theories such as Utilitarianism, Deontology and Virtue ethics
  • Utilitarianism: Actions are right if they promote happiness and wrong if they produce unhappiness
  • Deontology: Focuses on moral duties and rules, regardless of consequences.
  • Virtue ethics: Emphasizes the role of character and virtues in moral behavior
• Meta-ethics investigates the nature of moral judgments
  • Explores questions such as whether moral values are objective or subjective
• Applied ethics examines specific moral issues, such as bioethics, environmental ethics, and business ethics

Metaphysics

• Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that explores the fundamental nature of reality
• It investigates questions about existence, being, time, space, causality, and the relationship between mind and matter
• Ontology is a core area of metaphysics that studies the nature of being and existence
  • Seeks to categorize and understand different types of entities
• Cosmology is another aspect of metaphysics that deals with the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe
• Key metaphysical concepts include:
  • Substance: What is the fundamental entity that underlies properties and change?
  • Universals and Particulars: Do abstract concepts exist independently of particular instances?
  • Identity: What makes an object or person the same over time?
  • Free Will vs. Determinism: Are our actions freely chosen, or are they predetermined?

Epistemology

• Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature, scope, and limits of knowledge
• It explores questions such as:
  • What is knowledge?
  • How do we acquire knowledge?
  • What are the sources of knowledge?
  • What can we know?
• Key epistemological concepts include:
  • Justification: What makes a belief justified or warranted?
  • Belief: A mental state of acceptance or confidence in the truth of a proposition
  • Truth: The property of being in accord with fact or reality
• Major epistemological theories include:
  • Rationalism: Emphasizes reason as the primary source of knowledge
  • Empiricism: Emphasizes experience and observation as the primary source of knowledge
  • Skepticism: Questions the possibility of certain knowledge

Philosophy of Mind

• Philosophy of mind explores the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, and consciousness
• It seeks to understand the relationship between the mind and the physical body
• Key issues in philosophy of mind include:
  • The mind-body problem: How do mental states relate to physical states?
    • Dualism: The belief that the mind and body are distinct substances
    • Physicalism: The view that everything, including the mind, is physical
    • Idealism: The belief that reality is fundamentally mental
  • Consciousness: What does it mean to be conscious, and how does consciousness arise?
  • Intentionality: The capacity of mental states to be about or represent things
• Prominent theories in philosophy of mind include:
  • Functionalism: Defines mental states by their functions or roles
  • Identity theory: Claims that mental states are identical to brain states
  • Eliminative materialism: Argues that our common-sense understanding of the mind is false and should be replaced by neuroscience

Existentialism

• Existentialism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes individual freedom, responsibility, and the subjective experience of existence
• It posits that existence precedes essence, meaning that individuals are born into the world without a predetermined purpose or nature
• Key themes in existentialism include:
  • Freedom: Individuals are free to choose their actions and create their own meaning
  • Responsibility: With freedom comes responsibility for one's choices and actions
  • Authenticity: Living in accordance with one's own values and beliefs, rather than conforming to societal expectations
  • Absurdity: The conflict between the human desire for meaning and the apparent meaninglessness of the universe
  • Angst: The anxiety and dread that arise from the awareness of freedom and responsibility
• Prominent existentialist philosophers include:
  • Jean-Paul Sartre
  • Albert Camus
  • Simone de Beauvoir
  • Søren Kierkegaard
  • Friedrich Nietzsche