Philosophical Reflections on Humanity

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

Explain the main idea of communitarianism as described in the text.

Communitarianism holds that human identities are shaped by constitutive communities and that this idea should inform our understanding of human nature, moral/political institutions, and policies that guide them. It emphasizes the importance of nourishing communities and argues for the centrality of community in human affairs.

What is the main criticism of communitarians against Rawls's view?

Communitarians such as Alasdair MacIntyre, Michael Sandel, Charles Taylor, and Michael Walzer dispute Rawls's view by drawing on Aristotle and Hegel. They argue for the centrality of community, seek to go beyond mechanical individuated regulation of human affairs, and oppose the disinterested account of human nature.

What do communitarians advocate for in terms of social and political interests?

Communitarians have a collectivist understanding of social and political interests and argue for the centrality of community in shaping human identities and guiding moral/political institutions.

How do communitarians view the standards of justice in different societies?

Communitarians target liberalism's universalist pretensions and argue that standards of justice will be found in the particulars of different societies, hence will vary from one society to the next. They emphasize the importance of values and traditions specific to each society. Signup and view all the answers

What is Walzer's argument regarding the universality of a set of standards?

Walzer argues that thinking of a universal set of standards will be so abstract that it will be of little use to people in particular contexts. He emphasizes the importance of considering the specific values and circumstances of each society when adjudicating social structures. Signup and view all the answers

How does Rawls attempt to address the criticism from communitarians?

Rawls attempts to concede to the criticism by claiming that his argument is best for liberal cultures and applicable to those willing to work out a political consensus. He also concedes that liberalism may not be suitable for all times and all societies. Signup and view all the answers

Who are some of the communitarians mentioned in the text?

Some of the communitarians mentioned in the text are Alasdair MacIntyre, Michael Sandel, Charles Taylor, and Michael Walzer. They are known for their critiques of liberalism and their emphasis on the importance of community in shaping human identities and guiding moral/political institutions. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main distinction between communitarians and liberals in their views on human nature and political institutions?

The main distinction lies in the emphasis on community and collective interests by communitarians, as opposed to the individualistic and universalist approach of liberals. Communitarians argue for the centrality of community in shaping human identities and guiding moral/political institutions, while liberals prioritize individual liberties and universal standards of justice. Signup and view all the answers

In what decade were examples of communities cited by communitarians, such as MacIntyre’s Aristotelian society and Walzer’s reference to the caste system, not successful in applying to modern complex societies?

1980s Signup and view all the answers

What led to brief euphoria over the possibility of liberal democracy in the 1990s?

The fall of the USSR Signup and view all the answers

Why could liberal democracy not apply to the developing world according to the text?

Due to various factors Signup and view all the answers

What challenge did East Asia provide to liberal democracy?

Emphasis on values of family and community Signup and view all the answers

Have Asian values been a challenge to liberal democracy?

No, it does not appear that Asian values have been a challenge to liberal democracy Signup and view all the answers

What have East Asian scholars sought to do in debates on human rights?

Imagining how those rights can be made real in societies with different frameworks such as Confucian traditions Signup and view all the answers

What does Taylor propose in the context of cross-cultural dialogue?

Cross-cultural dialogue where interlocutors don’t argue for universal validity but possible errors of their views, emphasizing the need for more cross-cultural dialogue than insistence on universality of human rights doctrine Signup and view all the answers

What does the debate over the self involve according to the text?

Communitarians accusing liberals of advancing an idea of the self that is atomistic, with Taylor’s criticism applying more to Nozick than Rawls Signup and view all the answers

How does liberal theory represent liberal practice according to the text?

Accurately represents liberal practice as of atomistic individuals, and it misrepresents real life by not acknowledging the communitarian nature of liberal individuals Signup and view all the answers

What is the communitarian correction according to the text?

Not to replace liberalism but to point out the communitarian nature of liberal individuals Signup and view all the answers

What does African communitarianism challenge?

The politics of consensus, advocating for realist perspectivism, which prefers conversion of beliefs instead of conformism Signup and view all the answers

How are the identity of individual and reality of community described in the text?

Dialogical, with neither being prior to the other Signup and view all the answers

What classic examples does the text mention in relation to the conflicted ways modern philosophy promoted its own universal and cross-cultural aspirations?

<ol> <li>Hume: pp 55 – 56 2. Kant: p. 56 3. GWF Hegel: p. 56</li> </ol> Signup and view all the answers

According to Eze, what is the wrong way to protect philosophy? Why?

Wrong way to protect philosophy is to ignore interrogating all its facets just because unpleasant topics like colonialism, racism, and ethnocentrism will crop up. Race, class, and gender issues should not be ignored. Signup and view all the answers

What conclusion did W.E.B. Du Bois come to regarding the scientific significance of race differences?

Du Bois concluded that there was nothing scientifically significant about race to imply differences. Signup and view all the answers

According to Appiah, is racism advanced by the denial of the existence of race?

No, racism will always exist whether there is belief in the existence of races or not. Truth-telling about the non-existence of races is in the service of justice. Signup and view all the answers

What are the three types of the Doctrine of Racism mentioned in the text?

The three types are Racialism, Extrinsic Racism, and Intrinsic Racism. Signup and view all the answers

What does Racialism belief involve?

Racialism belief involves the belief that there are characteristics that distinguish races, central to 19th-century attempts of developing different races. Signup and view all the answers

What is the false doctrine according to the text?

The false doctrine is Racialism, as it depends on other doctrines that have been called ‘racism’. Signup and view all the answers

What does Extrinsic Racism make moral distinctions based on?

Extrinsic Racism makes moral distinctions based on the belief that distinctions are morally significant, and evidence to the contrary does not change such racists. Signup and view all the answers

What does Intrinsic Racism believe about the moral status of each race?

Intrinsic Racism believes that each race has a different moral status, and no evidence to the contrary changes the racist. Signup and view all the answers

According to Barker, what does Appiah's position fail to take seriously?

Barker believes that Appiah's position does not take seriously the hurtful incidents of racism. Signup and view all the answers

What does Barker believe about the gradient of what is at stake in relation to racism?

Barker gets the gradient of what is at stake wrong in relation to racism, according to Appiah. Signup and view all the answers

What is Appiah's stance on the existence of race and its relation to racism?

Appiah's stance is that racism will always exist whether there is belief in the existence of races or not, and truth-telling about the non-existence of races is in the service of justice. Signup and view all the answers

What is Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is a philosophy and culture emphasizing the quality of a person within a community. Signup and view all the answers

What does African communitarianism prioritize?

African communitarianism prioritizes community over the individual. Signup and view all the answers

What is central to the concept of Ubuntu in politics?

Consensus or conformity, emphasizing the common good. Signup and view all the answers

Which African thinkers stress the worth of each individual within the consensus?

Ramose and Wiredu. Signup and view all the answers

What process is relied upon due to the absence of a clear African definition of consensus?

Habermas' process of rational acceptance. Signup and view all the answers

Whose interpretation of consensus leads to the suppression of freewill?

Louw's. Signup and view all the answers

What does WVO Quine's principle of charity in interpretation highlight?

Empathy and recognition of fallibility in judgment. Signup and view all the answers

How is Ubuntu seen in contrast to individual objectification?

As unity in diversity. Signup and view all the answers

What do Appiah and Masolo reject the existence of to eliminate discrimination?

Race and identity. Signup and view all the answers

What challenges the theoretical postulations of Appiah and Masolo?

Ongoing postcolonial struggles seeking to affirm African identity. Signup and view all the answers

What may have influenced Appiah's skepticism of race?

The failures of race and identity struggles, leading to his cosmopolitanism. Signup and view all the answers

What has had a lasting influence in Western philosophy according to the text?

Descartes' emphasis on the nature of man's capacity to think. Signup and view all the answers

The reflective foundation of every proposition concerning man, according to Paul Ricoeur, is expressed as?

'I think, I am' Signup and view all the answers

What did Immanuel Kant seek to reformulate with his diverse Logic?

Descartes' thesis Signup and view all the answers

What are the four classifications of problems of philosophy according to Kant?

Metaphysics, morality, religion, and anthropology Signup and view all the answers

According to Kant, what is man's end?

To understand himself as a being endowed with reason Signup and view all the answers

What is the aim of anthropology, according to the text?

To explain the nature of man and be in continuity with Critique of Pure Reason Signup and view all the answers

What does Kant's 'I' involve, as per the text?

Bringing into unity the various representations which at the same time is the unity of consciousness Signup and view all the answers

According to Hume's Treatise of Human Nature, what does it comprehend?

All sciences in the science of human nature and is dependent on it Signup and view all the answers

Which historical periods were crucial in defining the essential qualities of human beings?

The renaissance and enlightenment periods Signup and view all the answers

What was the challenge during the renaissance and enlightenment periods?

To understand the varieties of races and establish essential human qualities Signup and view all the answers

What did the distinction shift from and to, as mentioned in the text?

From barbarian-Latin and Christian-gentile to Civilized-Savage; Historical-Primitive and Progressive-Archaic Signup and view all the answers

What did Descartes' philosophy provide doubt about, as per the text?

The reality of the world and human life Signup and view all the answers

What led to the question of how modern philosophy used race and to what ends?

The lack of distinction between anthropology and philosophy Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards are hidden until you start studying

Study Notes

The Significance of Man in Modern Philosophy

Paul Ricoeur considers "I think, I am" as the reflective foundation of every proposition concerning man.
Immanuel Kant's diverse Logic seeks to reformulate Descartes' thesis but cannot depart from it.
Kant classifies problems of philosophy into metaphysics, morality, religion, and anthropology.
Kant holds that man's end is to understand himself as a being endowed with reason.
Anthropology aims to explain the nature of man and is in continuity with Critique of Pure Reason.
Kant's "I" involves bringing into unity the various representations which at the same time is the unity of consciousness.
Hume's Treatise of Human Nature comprehends all sciences in the science of human nature and is dependent on it.
The renaissance and enlightenment periods were crucial in defining the essential qualities of human beings.
The challenge was to understand the varieties of races and establish essential human qualities.
The distinction shifted from barbarian-Latin and Christian-gentile to Civilized-Savage; Historical-Primitive and Progressive-Archaic.
Descartes' philosophy provided doubt about the reality of the world and human life, sparking philosophical encounters with foreigners.
The lack of distinction between anthropology and philosophy led to the question of how modern philosophy used race and to what ends.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.