Ethics

All educational institutions not only teach an explicit curriculum but also a hidden curriculum, which Perry Shaw describes as “the potent sociological and psychological dimensions of education, which are usually caught rather than intentionally taught.” He further explains that the hidden curriculum is made up of “pervasive environmental features”, including: the nature of behaviours which [...]

This is my attempt to summarise the key elements of Epicurus’ philosophy, without critique. There are, however, obvious aspects of his philosophy which call for such a critique, e.g. his over-reliance on empiricism (inadequate epistemology), his deism, his life-after-death-denying materialism and concept of self-achieved pleasure rather than of a blessedness that comes from God alone. [...]

In our last study of Habermas’ thought we concluded with Habermas’ movement from the paradigm of consciousness to the paradigm of language and his emphasis on communicative action: that the human species maintains itself through the socially coordinated activities of its members and this coordination is established through communication. Indeed, fundamental to Habermas’ thought is [...]

The January/February 2011 issue of Philosophy Now is entitled The Death of Morality? In the editorial Joel Marks, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of New Haven and a Bioethics Center Scholar at Yale University observes: So if the meaning of moral relativism is that there is no absolute morality, then, in effect, there [...]

This is my summary of MacIntyre’s postcript to this classic work in which he seeks to respond to some of the criticisms his account of the virtues evoked. Postscript to the Second Edition of After Virtue Posted February 26, 2011 www.facetofaceintercultural.com.au

This is my summary of the final chapter, Chapter 18, of MacIntyre’s classic work After Virtue. MacIntyre Chapter 18 Posted February 22, 2011 www.facetofaceintercultural.com.au

This is my summary of Chapter 17 of MacIntyre’s classic work After Virtue. MacIntyre Chapter 17 Posted February 19, 2010 www.facetofaceintercultural.com.au

I am currently reading a stimulating book by philosopher, Mary Midgley: Wickedness. A Philosophical Essay. In her opening chapter she cites Eric Fromm’s explanation of his reasons for carefully analysing the motives of some prominent Nazis in his book The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness: I had still another aim; that of pointing to the main [...]

This is my summary of Chapter 16 of After Virtue. The chapter is actually entitled From the Virtues to Virtue and After Virtue. MacIntyre Chapter 16

I’ve just finished reading No Country For Old Men by Pulitzer Prize winner Cormac McCarthy, which was also made into an Academy Award winning movie. It’s a dark and disturbing novel with the interspersing of Sheriff Tom Bell reflections indicating the progressive disintegration of American society. For example, he speaks of coming across a survey sent out [...]