STAS midterms

• Philosophy


  The term has been derived from two Greeks words, 'Philos' means love and 'Sophia' means wisdom
• Philosophia


  Love of Wisdom
• Philosophy


  Love for knowledge or passion for learning
• Philosophy


  • It is a broad field of knowledge in which the definition of knowledge itself is one of the subjects investigated
  • It spans the nature of the universe, the mind, and the body; the relationships between all three, and between people
  • It is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, mind, and language
• Epistemology


  The theory of knowledge, from the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and logos (word/speech/study), is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin, scope and (possibility/study) of knowledge
• Metaphysics


  • The branch of philosophy concerned with the study of "first principles" and "being" (ontology)
  • The study of the most general aspects of reality, pertaining to subjects such as substance, identity, the nature of the mind, and free will
• Logic


  The study of correct reasoning
• Ethics


  • The "science (study) of morality"
  • The study of right and wrong in human endeavors
• Aesthetics


  A branch of philosophy that explores the creation and appreciation of beauty through critical analysis and reflection
• Other Branches of Philosophy

  • Education
  • History
  • Language
  • Law
  • Mathematics
  • Mind
  • Politics
  • Religion
  • Science
• Martin Heidegger


  • German philosopher whose work is associated with phenology and existentialism
  • His best-known work is Being and Time (1927)
  • He gave a very impressive analysis of human existence, the prominence of the important themes of existentialism like care, anxiety, guilt and above all death is brought out here
• Heidegger's examination of technology


  1. Begins by examining the relationship between human and technology, a relationship Heidegger calls a free relationship

  2. If this relationship is free, it opens our human existence to the essence of technology

  3. The essence of technology has nothing to do with technology, rather it is what the thing is
• Heidegger's definitions of technology

  • Technology is a means to an end (Instrumental definition)
  • Technology is a human activity (Anthropological definition)
• Heidegger's investigation of technology

  1. Begins by portraying it as the building of a path

  2. Examines the common understanding of technology as a neutral instrument under the control of humans

  3. Proposes to get to the true sense via the correct sense

  4. Analyses the notion of instrumentality to reach the truth or the essence of technology- it is traced to causality
• Heidegger's philosophy of technology

  • Modern technology challenges forth nature to yield treasures to humans
  • Technology sets upon (positions and orders) the yields of nature so that they are available and of humans, becoming part of the standing reserve
  • The enframing of technology is destiny, which is neither an inevitable fate that descends on humanity nor the result of human willing
  • Disclosure of destiny and human freedom are one and the same
  • There is a twofold danger to destiny: 1) human being reduces itself to standing reserve and encounters nothing any more, 2) the disclosure of the enframing forecloses every other dispensation and conceals that too is a disclosure
  • Still the enframing is a disclosure, it involves human being, therefore harbors the possibility of saving power
• Causality (modern concept)


  A thing or an event causes another thing or event, the first is called a cause, the second is called an effect
• Causality (ancient philosophy)


  Includes four causes: material cause, formal cause, efficient cause, and final cause
• Bringing Forth (Poesis)


  • The revealing that underlies causality, a bringing out of concealment
  • The revealing is what the Greeks call truth (Aletheia) - means unhiddedness or disclosure
  • Technology brings forth as well, and it is a revealing, as seen in the way the Greeks understood techne, which encompasses not only craft, but other acts of the mind and poetry
• Heidegger's characterization of modern technology

  • It is a challenging forth, very aggressive in its activity
  • With modern technology, revealing never comes to an end, it always happens on our own terms as everything is on demand
  • He also described it as the age of switches, standing reserve and stockpiling for its own sake
• Examples of challenging forth and bringing forth

  • Volcanic Eruption - challenging forth
  • Coral Bleaching - challenging forth
  • Planting Trees - bringing forth
  • Mining - challenging forth
  • Farming - bringing forth
• Questioning as the Piety of Thought

  • Piety means obedience and submission
  • One builds a way towards knowing the truth who he/ she is as a being in this world
  • We shall never experience our relationship to the essence of technology so long as we merely represent and pursue the technological, put up with it, or evade it
• Calculative Thinking


  • The more technical kind of human thought, in which people gather information and put it together in order to put it to some specific use
  • It is the more active aspect of human thought, concerned more with the doing of a thing than of considering the possible consequences
• Meditative Thinking


  • Involves something much deeper than practical calculation, and it takes much more effort
  • It tells us why we should do or should not do a thing, beyond the simple calculative process of actually doing it
  • Meditation is not limited to expanding on calculation, and it does not necessarily have to have an end product, as does calculation
• Human Flourishing


  • An endeavor to achieve self-actualization and fulfillment within the context of a larger community of individuals
  • It requires the development of attributes and social and personal levels that exhibit character strengths and virtues that are commonly agreed across different cultures
• Aristotle's views on human flourishing

  • There is an end of all the actions that we perform which we desire for itself, and flourishing is the greatest good for human endeavors and that toward which all actions aim
  • He presented the various popular conceptions of the best life for human beings: a philosophical life, life of pleasure, a life of political activity
• Eudaimonia


  • Means good spirit, a property of one's life when considered as a whole
  • It is formally egoistic in that a person's normative reason for choosing particular actions stems for the idea that he must pursue his own good or flourishing
  • It also implies a divine state of being that humanity is able to strive toward and possibly reach
  • Happiness is "doing well" and "living well", a pleasant state of mind
• Epicurus' view on eudaimonia

  • Eudamon a life of pleasure maintains that life of pleasure coincides with the life of virtues
  • He understands Eudaimonia as a more or less continuous experience of pleasure and also freedom from plain and distress
  • Virtue is only instrumentally related to happiness
• Socrates' view on eudaimonia

  • Virtues such as self-control, justice, courage, wisdom, piety and related qualities of mind and soul are absolutely crucial if a person is to lead a good and happy life
  • Virtues guarantee a happy life - Eudaimonia
• The secret of happiness is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less
• Plato's view on eudaimonia

  • Eudaimonia depends on virtue (arete) which is depicted as the most crucial and the dominant constituent of eudaimonia
• Pyrrho


  • Founder of Pyrrhonism, a school of philosophical skepticism that places the attainment of ataraxia (a state of equanimity) as a way to a achieve Eudaimonia
  • Pyrrhonist practice is for the purpose of achieving epoch
• Equanimity


  Mental calmness, composure and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation
• Virtue


  • The moral excellence of a person
  • Morally excellent people have a character made-up of virtues valued as good
  • Virtues need to be cultivated to become more prevalent in life
  • With the habit of being virtuous, we take the helm of our own life, redirecting its course towards greater happiness and fulfillment
• Aristotle's 12 Virtues


  • Courage
  • Temperance
  • Liberality
  • Magnificence
  • Magnanimity
  • Ambition
  • Patience
  • Friendliness
  • Truthfulness
  • Wit
  • Modesty
  • Justice
• The idea that new technologies can liberate us from the human condition is a fantasy. In reality, the 21st century will be all too human.
• Human Robot Interaction


  • Robots are utilized for their knowledge, exactness and interminable vitality to perform assignments consistently and profitably, that when performed by people tends to create flaws
  • AI robots have already started an enormous job in improving waste administration and finding distinctive approaches to handle the waste issue endured by most developing nations like India
• Virtues


  • Moderation
  • Liberality - spending
  • Magnificence - charisma
  • Magnanimity - generosity
  • Ambition - pride
  • Patience - calm
  • Friendliness - social IQ
  • Truthfulness - honesty
  • Wit - humor
  • Modesty - ego
  • Justice - indignation
• David Mattin: 'The idea that new technologies can liberate us from the human condition is a fantasy. In reality, the 21st century will be all too human.'
• Robots


  • Utilized for their knowledge, exactness and interminable vitality to perform assignments consistently and profitably, that when performed by people tends to create flaws
• AI robots


  • Improving waste administration and finding distinctive approaches to handle the waste issue endured by most developing nations like India