scholarly journals The Metaphysics of Moral Explanations

2020 ◽  
pp. 170-194
Author(s):  
Daniel Fogal ◽  
Olle Risberg
Keyword(s):  
Moral Principles ◽  
Metaphysical Grounding ◽  
Moral Explanations ◽  
Data Points ◽  
Laws Of Metaphysics ◽  
Moral Properties ◽  
The Way

This chapter defends the view that general moral principles play an ineliminable role in moral explanations. More specifically, it argues that this view best makes sense of some intuitive data points, including the supervenience of the moral upon the natural. The chapter considers two alternative accounts of the nature and structure of moral principles: (i) “the nomic view,” on which moral principles are laws of metaphysics of the same broad kind as the laws that (plausibly) figure in metaphysical explanations more generally; and (ii) “moral platonism,” on which moral principles are facts about kind-applying (as opposed to particular-applying) moral properties. Along the way, the chapter criticizes the competing view that moral principles are not explanatory in the way just suggested. The chapter also considers a number of related issues, such as the distinction between metaphysical grounding and metaphysical analysis. It concludes by discussing the sense in which moral principles obtain of necessity.

scholarly journals At-Ta’reef wal Irshaad bi ‘Aqaa-id Ahlus-Sunnah

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 454-459
Author(s):  
Sekou Toure
Keyword(s):  
Moral Principles ◽  
The People ◽  
Way Of Thinking ◽  
The Way

Most of the books of Islamic Creed found in Islamic heritage are characterized by their presentation of theology from the perspective of a particular sect out of the major Islamic sects. This methodology has given rise to serious and detrimental problems that affect the ummah (Muslim nation) up until this day, and from it stems the issues that divide the ummah. It is thus apparent that it is incapable of presenting the issues of theology from the perspective of that unites the Muslims. It is true that this methodology had been sound at one point during which it had to be applied; it had been the means of expression in dialogues and the way to answer questions related to pertinent matters of the time, as well as to address urgent new issues at that particular time. However, the goal of teaching Islamic Creed in this time of ours academically in specific is not based upon the instabilities and issues that it had once driven it. Hence, it is necessary to change the approach, methodology, and discourse to suit the change in impetus to and the goal of authoring such books, as well as the change in the general way of living of the people and their way of thinking. It is also worth noting that the universal moral principles associated with such changes do not necessarily contradict religion. This review undertakes a new book attempting to respond to a challenge resulted out of the classical discourses and arguments in presenting Islamic worldviews, and hence the reality of so-called Ahl Sunnah Wal Jama’ah

Exploitation of Health on Instagram

2021 ◽  
pp. 164-185
Author(s):  
Michael G Blight
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Data Points ◽  
The Way

This chapter focuses on the exploitative nature of Instagram as a community-based platform. Individual users build, maintain, and participate in communities as a way to connect with experiences and insights that resonate with them. Because users are motivated by different gratifications and are met with social support along the way, brands can use influencers to exploit the community-based practices (i.e., liking, sharing, and curating content) to access a variety of data points from users. Ultimately, users' data is routinely at risk as a byproduct of this subversive use of the platform.

Being British

2002 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhikhu Parekh
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Political Community ◽  
General Analysis ◽  
Important Distinction ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Moral Content ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Way

In This Article I Do Two Things. I Begin With A Brief Discussion of the nature of political community in general, and argue that a political community is defined and constituted by the common public commitments of its citizens. Its identity is political not ethnic or cultural in nature, an important distinction that is obscured by the term ‘national identity’ and often ignored in much of the discussion of it. Its identity has an inescapable moral content. Although the latter is often shared with other communities, what distinguishes a political community is the way in which it interprets and institutionally articulates these moral principles. I then apply this general analysis to Britain and suggest how we might best define its identity.

An Assessment on the FCM Classification of Thermodynamic-Property Data

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Avila ◽  
Arturo Pacheco-Vega
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Formulation ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Classification Performance ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Local Optima ◽  
Property Data ◽  
Fcm Clustering ◽  
Data Points ◽  
The Way

In the present study we consider the algorithmic classification of thermodynamic properties of fluids using the fuzzy C-means (FCM) clustering methodology. The FCM is a technique that can find patters directly from the data. It is based on the minimization of an objective function that provides a measure of the dissimilarity of the data being classified in a particular group. The dissimilarity in the data is commonly formulated in terms of the Euclidean distance between the data points and the cluster centroids. This mathematical formulation and the efficient implementation are among its advantages. However, some drawbacks that lead to misclassification include the convergence to local optima, the particular form of the data, and the choice of the parameters embedded in the scheme. To assess the correct classification performance of FCM algorithm, published data of pressure, volume, and temperature are used with emphasis on the way the algorithm is affected by the natural scale of the data, and the following strategies for the classification: (1) data normalization, (2) transformation, (3) sample size used, and (4) data supply to the algorithm. The results of this assessment show that the natural scaling, and the normalization and transformation strategies are important, whereas the way the data are presented to the algorithm is not a critical factor in the classification. Also, a decrease in the number of data considered degrades the quality of the clustering. A complete consideration of the issues studied here may be helpful when a FCM classification is tried on new data.

Jus in vi

2021 ◽  
pp. 200-232
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Brunstetter
Keyword(s):  
Just War ◽  
Just War Theory ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Jus In Bello ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Risk Principle ◽  
Psychological Risk ◽  
Risk Driving ◽  
The Way

Jus in vi is the set of moral principles governing how limited force is used. Taking the traditionalist jus in bello principles as a starting point, this chapter interrogates what necessity, proportionality, and distinction look like in a limited force context and makes the case for the novel psychological risk principle by evaluating how concepts such as “excessive,” “military advantage,” and “harms” and “goods” fit into our thinking about vim. The keystone of jus in vi is the predisposition toward maximal restraint maxim. The chapter thus begins by making the case for why jus in vi principles should be more restrictive than their jus in bello counterparts. It continues by exploring how a circumscribed view of necessity sets the groundwork for constraining proportionality calculations and shaping the way we think about distinction in more restricted ways. The notion of jus in vi proportionality is then explored, with concerns about escalation and psychological risk driving the analysis. Drawing insights from revisionist just war theory to consider jus in vi distinction, the chapter concludes by making the case for affording greater protections to both combatants and non-combatants compared to standard just war accounts. Unlike war, in which almost any soldier can be targeted, in a context of limited force only those who are an active threat can be justly targeted. Both innocent non-combatants and non-threatening combatants should be preserved from the more predictable harms of limited force, though this differs depending on whether the use of limited force is protective, preventive, or punitive.

How Principles Ground

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Enoch
Keyword(s):  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Important Work ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Metaphysical Grounding ◽  
Moral Facts

Specific moral facts (like the fact that you ought to send the paper by that deadline) seem to be grounded in relevant natural facts (that you promised), together with relevant moral principles (that you ought to keep your promises). This picture—according to which moral principles play a role in grounding specific moral facts—is a very natural one, and it may be especially attractive to non-naturalist, robust realists. A recent challenge from Selim Berker threatens this picture, though. Moral principles themselves seem to incorporate grounding claims, and it’s not clear that this can be reconciled with according the principles a grounding role. This chapter responds to Berker’s Challenge, utilizing a (moderate) grounding pluralism. In particular, it argues that distinguishing between normative and metaphysical grounding is the key to saving the natural picture. It also shows how such a distinction is one that you have a reason to endorse independently of this challenge, as it does important work elsewhere in moral philosophy.

scholarly journals The Explanationist Argument For Moral Realism

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Moral Realism ◽  
Roll Call ◽  
States Of Affairs ◽  
Natural Properties ◽  
The World ◽  
Moral Explanations ◽  
Moral Properties

In this paper I argue that the explanationist argument in favour of moral realism fails. According to this argument, the ability of putative moral properties to feature in good explanations provides strong evidence for, or entails, the metaphysical claims of moral realism. Some have rejected this argument by denying that moral explanations are ever good explanations. My criticism is different. I will argue that even if we accept that moral explanations are (sometimes) good explanations the metaphysical claims of realism do not follow.According to moral realists, moral properties such as justice and goodness take their own unique place in nature's ontological roll-call. Although realists disagree about the nature of these moral properties — for example, whether they are reducible or otherwise constituted by non-moral or natural properties — they all agree that such properties are genuine constituents of the world that are sometimes instantiated by objects, events or states of affairs.

scholarly journals Freedom and Praxis in Plotinus’s Ennead 6.8.1-6

2020 ◽  
pp. e03031
Author(s):  
Bernardo Portilho Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Human Agency ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Practical Syllogism ◽  
Practical Life ◽  
The Way

In this paper, I argue that Plotinus does not limit the sphere of free human agency simply to intellectual contemplation, but rather extends it all the way to human praxis. Plotinus’s goal in the first six chapters of Ennead 6.8 is, accordingly, to demarcate the space of freedom within human practical actions. He ultimately concludes that our external actions are free whenever they actualize, in unhindered fashion, the moral principles derived from intellectual contemplation. This raises the question of how the freedom of practical actions might relate to the freedom of intellectual contemplation. After considering two previously offered models – a model of double activity, and an Aristotelian model of practical syllogism – I offer a third alternative, namely a model of moral attunement, according to which our rational desires assume a kind of ‘care of the soul’ through active supervision. Practical life is thus imbued with freedom to the extent that the soul supervises its actions to conform to its will and choice of the good.

scholarly journals THE CORRELATION BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND REALITY

2021 ◽  
pp. 45-51
Author(s):  
Iryna Kachur
Keyword(s):  
Complex Structure ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
The World ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Grammatical Structures ◽  
The Universe ◽  
The Way

The correlation between language and reality is investigated in this article. The question whether language shapes the way we think or it is the reality which defines what we say is highly disputable. Any language is a complex structure of vocabulary and grammar which serves as the main means of communication, and with the help of which people can render their thoughts, achieve their goals, or simply socialize. The influence of language on our way of thinking can be observed on the example of the process of word formation in different languages or the usage of specific words, which describe phenomena common to this or that culture. However, at the same time, the reality influences lexicon as well and plays a significant role in building a culture. Moreover, grammatical categories of time and gender, which differ from language to language, may also affect the way people perceive the world. As for the category of gender, it may restrict human beings in the choice of adjectives they attribute to different entities, depending on the word being masculine or feminine. Meanwhile, the very essence of time vary from language to language, depending on it, speakers may give prominence to different chunks of information expressed in a sentence. To achieve these not only grammatical structures but also certain words may be used. Due to the differences in world images that speakers of different languages have, some cultural misunderstanding may arise. It has to be mentioned that a culture is a combination of values, moral principles, customers and traditions of a nation which are reflected in its language. Moreover, great emphasis was put on the process of acquiring a new language which has the power to alter human perception of the universe. Therefore, learning a foreign language a person as well studies its culture and begins to see the world from a different perspective. Thus, language has an impact on the human perception of the world, but at the same time, the reality has an influence on what we say.

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