Philosophy Now Forum

I think that an education is more useful if it gives us knowledge. Is ethical knowledge possible? I think yes, we know that we value and we know what is in our interests to value (welfare, flourishing).

I agree that it is an objective fact that we value things, and also that some things are more valuable to us than others. I do not mean "mind independent" but "whether we like it or not". Being axiologically situated is part of our existential condition. I don't think existential...

I would agree that education is at least ethically relevant, because for me ethics is a response to a world-of-value, and education can have value. However as well as being good in itself education is instrumental, so we ought to consider what is taught. Alsongside sciences and practical crafts I fe...

...today. I joined a new forum which is uncharacteristic. So if you are not pleased to see me, don't worry, you don't.

If inequality is a non issue than that implies relative amounts of wealth are unimportant. So would anyone give me their life savings if that is believed to be true. Of course wealth matters to people, and therefore (as relative wealth determineds purchacing power power) so does inequality.

Ideology stems from Ideals, Principles help us realise their content, Values are the conceptual basis of ideals because they inform us of the worth or preferability of a state of affairs, Virtues are personality traits that enable us to know true values and form related ideals and principles, Vices ...

I have a question about intrinsic value. Is it generally conceiived as a binary (on or off, black or white) quality, or a fuzzy one (coming in percentages or degrees)?

Nick_A wrote:Who has a higher quality of life than a dictator surrounded by obedient slaves who satisfy all the needs of the dictator? There is simply no intellectual reason to deny this ethical goal of self serving supremacy

What goes around comes around? Culture is shared.

I agree that well being is good. That seems almost to be true by definition.

good is whatever the strong says it is... -Imp This may be the case, but it is not necessarily true. What is true is theat in some sense the strong or powerful may have more influence over what is regarded as good. But to say therefore it is good sounds like making goodness claims performative utte...

I believe a good is anything with positive value. A bad thing has negative value. Eg something with instrumental value is good if we need to use it, like a spoon being handy when we eat soup. Or something can have educational value, and if we are in dneed of educating, it is a "good thing"...