Finals

• Human flourishing


  The good life, marked by happiness and excellence, a life of virtue and meaningful endeavors that empower the human person to be the best version of themselves
• De-development


  A paradigm shift from the traditional notions of growth and consumption towards a more sustainable and ethical model of development
• Development is often equated with growth and greater consumption
• The planet is already overburdened with human activities
• It is time to rethink our standards of development to truly live the good life
• Rational

  (in classical economic theory) economic agents are able to consider the outcome of their choices and recognise the net benefits of each one
• Rationality in classical economic theory is a flawed assumption as people usually don't act rationally
• Marginal utility


  The additional utility (satisfaction) gained from the consumption of an additional product
• If you add up marginal utility for each unit you get total utility
• Eudaimonia


  The good life, marked by happiness and excellence, a life of virtue and meaningful endeavors that empower the human person to be the best version of themselves
• Virtue


  The excellence of character that empowers one to do and be good, cultivated through habit and discipline
• Virtue plays a significant role in the living and attainment of the good life
• The onward progress of science and technology is also the movement towards the good life
• The good life entails living in a just and progressive society whose citizens have the freedom to flourish
• The human person has the autonomy to make choices which may enable the flourishing of his/her self and society
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is the global standard of fundamental human rights for universal recognition and protection
• Good life


  Living in a just and progressive society whose citizens have the freedom to flourish
• Human person


  Has the autonomy to make choices which may enable the flourishing of his/her self and society
• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 10, 1948 as the global standard of fundamental human rights for universal recognition and protection
• Preamble of UDHR: 'Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world'
• Human dignity is an ultimate core value of our existence
• When we fully recognize and appreciate human dignity in ourselves and in all around us, regardless of their status in life


  • We pave way for a just and progressive society
  • We become more free, more rational, and more loving
• Fundamental human rights in UDHR

  • Right to life, liberty and security of person
  • No slavery or servitude
  • No torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
  • Right to recognition as a person before the law
  • Equality before the law and equal protection of the law
• The UDHR has a long, bloody history and now serves as a common understanding of what each person's fundamental rights are
• Artificial intelligence (AI)


  Robots may eventually act and decide like humans
• The Philippines has not yet reached the point of producing robots on a commercial scale for household use
• In the Philippines, the use of AI is gaining ground, especially in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry
• As of August 2017, it is estimated that a million Filipino BPO workers may be affected and lose their jobs with the adoption of artificial intelligence
• Unemployment


  One of the many ethical considerations in the widespread use of AI
• As machines and robots approach having human-like nature, people may also have to consider the ethical treatment for AI
• As the internet gets more intelligent, humans are in danger of becoming less so
• Bill Joy wrote an essay in 2000 titled "Why the future does not need us" contending that 21st-century technologies like robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology pose a threat to the human species
• Brilliant physicists, led by J. Robert Oppenheimer, brought into existence the deadly nuclear weapon, a fatal reminder of the destructive power of science and technology
• Freeman Dyson: 'I have felt it myself. The glitter of nuclear weapons. It is irresistible if you come to them as a scientist. To feel it's there in your hands, to release this energy that fuels the stars, to let it do your bidding.'
• Human nature may be corrupted when the powers of our mind, our rationality, and our science and technology become manifest
• Before the printed word, the written word was prevalent. Yet, the intent to carry information has always been present
• Words


  A combination of sounds that represents something and transmits a message
• For the ancient Greeks, language was an object worthy of admiration. Words have power.
• Words


  Carry "information" and communicate meaning
• Role of language


  • Naming and classifying objects found in nature was seen as a first step in knowing
  • Language was an object worthy of admiration for the ancient Greeks
  • Words have power