MIDTERM Ethics - Concerned with issues of right and wrong,

LESSON 1: The Human person Flourishing in Terms of responsibility, and standards of conduct.
Science and Technology Aesthetics - Studies the nature of beauty and art.

Philosophy
• Philosophy, (from Greek, by way of Latin, Martine Heidegger (1889-1976)
philosophia, “love of wisdom”) the rational,  German philosopher whose work is associated
abstract, and methodical consideration of reality as with phenomenology and existentialism.
a whole or of fundamental dimensions of human  His ideas have exerted influence on the
existence and experience. Philosophical inquiry is a development of contemporary European
central element in the intellectual history of many philosophy.
civilizations.  His best-known work is Being and Time (1927).
Philosophy He gave a very impressive analysis of human
• Philosophy is an activity of thought, a type of existence, the prominence of the important
thinking. Philosophy is critical and comprehensive themes of existentialism like care, anxiety, guilt
thought, the most critical and comprehensive and above all death is brought out here.
manner of thinking which the human species has Martine Heidegger (1889-1976)
yet devised.  He begins “The Question Concerning
• This intellectual process includes both an Technology” by examining the relationship
analytic and synthetic mode of operation. between human and technology, a relationship
Philosophy as a critical and comprehensive process Heidegger calls a free relationship. If this
of thought involves resolving confusion, unmasking relationship is free, it opens our human
assumptions, revealing presuppositions, existence to the essence of technology”. This
distinguishing importance, testing positions, essence of technology, however, has nothing to
correcting distortions, looking for reasons, do with technology. Rather, as Heidegger
examining world-views and questioning conceptual suggests, ‘The essence of a thing is considered
frameworks. to be what the thing is.”
• It also includes dispelling ignorance, enriching  Heidegger examines two definitions of
understanding, broadening experience, expanding technology. Firstly, he offers that “Technology is
horizons, developing imagination , controlling a means to an end”(Instrumental definition).
emotion, exploring values, fixing beliefs by rational Secondly, he proposes that “Technology is a
inquiry, establishing habits of acting, widening human activity (Anthropological definition).
considerations, synthesizing knowledge and The Question Concerning Technology
questing for wisdom. • Heidegger begins by portraying his investigation
of technology as the building of a path.
BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY • He examines the common understanding of
Metaphysics - Addresses the ultimate nature of reality; technology as a neutral instrument under the
what is real and exists. control of humans.
Epistemology - Examines the nature of knowledge. • He proposes to get to the true sense via the
Logic - Focuses on the examination of ideas in an correct sense
orderly and systematic way and how ideas relate to • He analyses the notion of instrumentality to
each other. reach the truth or the essence of technology- it
Axiology - Examines the nature of values. is traced to causality.
• Technology is a very particular kind of revealing to,
and the description articulates the key terms of
Heidegger’s philosophy of technology:
 Modern technology challenges-forth nature to •Causa efficiens - Which brings about the effect that is
yield treasures to humans; technology sets-upon finished
(positions and orders) the yields of nature so that •Causa finalis - End
they are available and of humans, becoming part of
the standing reserve.
The Question Concerning Technology
• He discusses the relation of modern science to the
essence of technology-
• He claims for the sciences the aggressive approach
to nature that goes well with technology, but poorly
with science.
• The enframing of technology is destiny. Destiny is
neither an inevitable fate that descends on Aristotle four
humanity nor the result of human willing. Causa eficiens
• Disclosure of destiny and human freedom are one WAR
and the same. Intention: unsolved contradiction
• There is a twofold danger to destiny. One is the PEACE
danger that human being reduces itself to standing Peace-making transformed contradiction
reserve and in so appearing to have taken total
control encounters nothing any more. Causa materialis
• The other is the danger that the disclosure of the WAR
enframing forecloses every other dispensation and Intention: unsolved contradiction
conceals that too is a disclosure. PEACE
• Still the enframing is a disclosure. It involves human Peace-making transformed
being, therefore harbors the possibility of saving contradiction
power.
Doctrines of Causality Causa formalis
• The modern concept of causality, even if WAR
philosophically a challenge, is rather simple. A thing Capability: anus and army
or an event causes another thing or event. The first Rules ad bello
thing or event is called a cause, the second is called Rules in bellum deep culture
an effect. If I hit the tennis ball with my racket, my DMA deep structure of hierarchy
hitting is the cause of the ball flying. In ancient
philosophy the concept of cause is a lot more PEACE
elaborate. The modern understanding of cause is Peace-keeping nonviolent peace forces
what the ancients would know as the efficient Rules of conviviality
cause, the causa efficiens. In Aristotle’s classical Rules of mediation-conciliation deep culture TeY-YTr
scheme of causes this would be one of totally four deep structure of equiarchy
causes, viz. the formal cause, the material cause,
the efficient cause, and the final cause. Causa finalis
Doctrines of Causality WAR
•Causa materialis - The material, the matter out of Victory by winning
which an object is made. PEACE
•Causa formalis - The form, the shape into which the Peace-building by transcending
material enters.
Bringing Forth •Calculative thinking is the more technical kind of
o The bringing forth-poesis-which underlies human thought, in which people gather information
causality is a bringing out of concealment. and put it together in order to put it to some
o The revealing is what the Greeks call truth- specific use.
Aletheia- means unhiddedness or disclosure. •Calculative thinking is always in use with mankind, as
o Technology brings forth as well, and it is a it is necessary to the more practical activities and
revealing. motivations of life. It is the more active aspect of
o This is seen in the way the Greeks understood human thought, concerned more with the doing of
techne, which encompasses not only craft, but a thing than of considering the possible
other acts of the mind and poetry. consequences.
Bringing Forth Meditative Thinking
o Heidegger characterizes modern technology as •Meditative thinking involves something much deeper
a challenging forth- very aggressive in its activity. than practical calculation, and it takes much more
o With modern technology, revealing never effort.
comes to an end. •Meditative thinking tells us why we should do or
o The revealing always happens on our own terms should not do a thing, beyond the simple calculative
as everything is on demand. process of actually doing it.
o He also described modern technology as the •Meditation is not limited to expanding on calculation,
age of switches, standing reserve and stockpiling for and it does not necessarily have to have an end
its own sake. product, as does calculation. 
Bringing Forth
 Examples:
o Volcanic Eruption- challenging forth
o Coral Bleaching- challenging forth
o Planting tress- bringing forth
o Mining- challenging forth
o 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.
•Thus, 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. Everywhere we remain unfree and
chained to technology, whether we passionately
affirm or deny it. But we are delivered over to it in
the worst possible way when we regard it as
something neutral; for this conception of it, to
which today we particularly like to pay homage,
makes us utterly blind to the essence of technology
(1977,p1)
On Martin Heidegger's "The Memorial Address"
Calculative Thinking
MIDTERM EUDAIMONIA
LESSON 2: Human Flourishing - Happiness According to the greeds
o How do we know that we are progressing? What Aristotle
are the indicators of the development? More often - There is an end of all the actions that we perform
than not, development is equated with growth and which we desire for itself. Flourishing is the greatest
greater consumption. The more that a population is good of human endeavors and that toward which
able to consume, the wealthier it is. Likewise, the all actions aim. The good is what is good for
more that a person is able to buy stuff, the higher purposeful and goal-directed entities.
he/she is on the development scale. - He presented the various popular conceptions of
o The planet, however, is already overburdened with the best life for human beings;
human activities. It is about time that we rethink (1) a philosophical life,
our standards of development if we truly want to (2).life of pleasure and
live a good life, (3) a life of political activity.
o Jason Hickel, an anthropologist at the London Aristotle
School of Economics, challenges us to rethink and Eudaimonia means good spirit is a property of one’s
reflect on a different paradigm of “de- life when considered as a whole. It is formally
development.” egoistic in that a person’s normative reason for
o The progress of human civilizations throughout choosing particular actions stems from the idea that
history mirrors the development of science and he must pursue his own good or flourishing. It also
technology. The human person, as both the bearer implies a divine state of being that humanity is able
and beneficiary of science and technology, to strive toward and possibly reach.
flourishes and finds meaning in the world that - Happiness is “doing well” and” living well”. It is a
he/she builds. pleasant state of mind.
o In the person’s pursuit of the good life, he may Epicurus
unconsciously acquire, consume, or destroy what Eudaemon a life of pleasure maintains that life of
the world has to offer. pleasure coincides with the life of virtue. He
o Science and technology must be taken as part of understands Eudaimonia as a more or less
human life that merits reflective and meditative continuous experience of pleasure and, also
thinking – Martin Heidegger, German philosopher. freedom from pain and distress. Virtue is only
o To able to appreciate the fruits of science and instrumentally related to happiness.
technology, they must be examined not only for Happiness = Pleasure
their function and instrumentality but also for their Socrates
greater impact on humanity as a whole. The various He believed that virtues such as self-control, justice,
gadgets, machines, appliances, and vehicles are all courage, wisdom, piety and related qualities of
tools that make human lives easier because they mind and soul are absolutely crucial if a person is to
serve as a means to end. lead a good and happy life. Virtues guarantee a
Human Flourishing happy life-Eudaimonia
o It is defined as an endeavor to achieve self- Socrates
actualization and fulfillment within the context of a The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in
larger community of individuals. This also means seeking more, but in developing the capacity to
access to the pleasant life, the engaged or good life enjoy less.
and the meaningful life. Plato
o It requires the development of attributes and social Eudaimonia depends on virtue (arête) which is
and personal levels that exhibit character strengths depicted as the most crucial and the dominant
and virtues that are commonly agreed across constituent of eudaimonia.
different cultures.
Pyrrho Virtue (Mean)
- He founded of Pyrrhonism, a school of Brave Temperate Generous
philosophical skepticism that places the attainment Truthful Witty Friendly
of ataraxia (a state of equanimity) as a way to Spirited Conscientious Indignant
achieve Eudaimonia. Benevolent Industrious
- Pyrrhonist practice is for the purpose of achieving
epoch.
EQUANIMITY Vice (Excess)
- Mental calmness, and evenness of temper, Rash Ascetic Extravagant
especially in a difficult situation Boastful Buffoonish Bootlicking
Virtue Boisterous Deferential Retributive
- Virtue, by definition, is the moral excellence of a Self-sacrificing Single-minded
person. Morally excellent people have a character
made-up of virtues valued as good. They are
honest, respectful, courageous, forgiving, and kind,
for example. They do the right thing, and don’t
bend to impulses, urges or desires, but act
according to values and principles. Some might say
good qualities are innate, but we’re not perfect.
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- bravery
Temperance- moderation
Liberality- spending
Magnificence- charisma
Magnanimity- generosity
Ambition- pride
Patience- calm
Friendliness- social IQ
Truthfulness- honesty
Wit- humor
Modesty- ego
Justice- indignation

THE VIRTUES
Vice (Deficiency)
Cowardly, Addictive, Stingy, Self-deprecating,
Boorish, Quarrelsome, Melancholy, Depraved,
Envious, Mean, Lazy,
MIDTERM maybe to have a license and land a promising job in
LESSON 3: THE GOOD LIFE the future.
- Everyone is in pursuit of the good life. We do certain Every human person, according to Aristotle, aspires
things because we want to achieve a life which will for an end. This end, we have learned from the
make us happy and content. By studying and working previous chapters, is happiness or human
hard, we try to attain this goal not only for ourselves but flourishing.
also for our loved ones and the rest of humanity. All human activities aim at some good. Every art
People’s definition of the good life may vary and differ and human inquiry, and similarly every action and
in the particulars. In general, however, we recognize pursuit, is thought to aim to some good; and for this
universal truths that cut across our differences. reason the good has been rightly declared as the
•In Ancient Greece, long before the “word science” has which all thing aim (Nicomachean Ethics 2:2).
been coined, the need to understand the world and … both the many and the cultivated call it
reality bound with the need to understand the self happiness, and suppose that living well and doing
and good life. well are the same as being happy (Nicomachean
•For Plato, the task understanding the things in the Ethics 1:4).
world runs parallel with the job of truly getting into Now such a thing as happiness above all else, is
what will make the soul flourish. held to be; for this we choose always for itself and
•It was Aristotle who gave a definite distinction never for the sake of something else, but honor,
between the theoretical and practical sciences. pleasure, reason, and every virtue we choose
Aristotle counted ethics and politics. Whereas indeed for themselves, but we choose them also for
“truth” is the aim of theoretical sciences, the the sake of happiness, judging that by means of
“good” is the end goal of the practical ones. them we shall be happy. Happiness, on the other
•Every attempt to know is connected in some way in an hand, no one chooses for anything other than itself
attempt to find the “good” or as said in the previous (Nicomachean Ethics 2:7).
lesson, the attainment of human flourishing It is the activities that express virtue that
It is interesting to note that the first philosopher control happiness, and the contrary activities that
who approached the problem of reality from a control its contrary. (Nicomachean Ethics 1:10).
“scientific” lens as we know now, is also the first Virtue, then, being of two kinds, intellectual and
thinker who dabbled into the complex moral, intellectual virtue in the main owes its birth
problemazation of the end goal of life: HAPPINESS. and growth to teaching, which moral virtue comes
This man is none other than Aristotle. about as a result of habit (Nicomachean Ethics 2:1).
•Aristotle extends this analysis from the external world
into the province of the human person and declares •Happiness as the Goal of a Good Life
that even human beings are potentialities who •In eighteenth century, John Stuart Mill declared the
aspire for their actuality. Every action that Greatest Happiness Principle by saying that an
emanates from a human person is a function of the action is right as far as it maximizes the attainment
purpose (telos) that the person has. of happiness for the greatest number of people.
•When a boy asks for a burger from a Filipino burger •Mill said that the individual happiness of each
joint, the action that he takes is motivated by individual should be prioritized and collectively
primarily by the purpose that he has, inferably to dictates the kind of action that should be endorsed.
get full or to taste the burger that he sees on TV.
•When a girl tries to finish her degree in the university, •Happiness as the Goal of a Good Life
despite the initial features she may have had., she •The ethical is, of course , meant to lead us to the good
definitely is being propelled by a higher purpose and happy life. Through the ages, man has
than to just graduate. She wants something more, constantly struggled with the external world in
order to reach human flourishing. History has given
 birth to different schools of thought, all of which •The is the spirit of most scientist who thought that the
aim for the good and happy life. world is place and space for freely unearthing the
Materialism world in seeking for ways on how to improve the
•The first materialists were the atomists in Ancient lives of its inhabitants.
Greece. Democritus and Leucippus led a school
whose primary belief is that the world is made up of
and is controlled by the tiny indivisible units in the
world called atomos.
•For Democritus and his disciples, the world, including
human beings, is made up of matter. As such, only
material entities matter. In terms of human
flourishing, matter is what make us attain
happiness.
Hedonism
•The hedonists, for their part, see the end goal of the
life in acquiring pleasure. The Pleasure has always
been the priority of hedonists.
•For them, life is about obtaining and indulging in
pleasure because a life is limited.
•The mantra of this school of thought is the famous
“Eat, drink, and be marry for tomorrow we die.”
Stoicism
•Another school of thought led by Epicurus, the stoics
espoused the idea that to generate happiness, one
must learn to distance oneself and be apathetic.
•The original term, apatheia, precisely means to be
indifferent.
•For stoics, happiness can only be attained by a careful
practice of apathy.
•Some things are not within our control.
Theism
•Most people find the meaning of their lives using God
as a fulcrum of their existence. The Philippines, as a
predominantly Catholic country is witness to how
people base their life goals on beliefs that hinged on
some form of supernatural reality called heaven.
•The ultimate basis of happiness for theists is the
communion with God.
Humanism
•Humanism as another school of thought espouses the
freedom of man to care his own destiny and to
legislate his own laws, free from the shackles of a
God that monitors and controls .
•For humanists, man is literally the captain of his own
ship.
MIDTERM living longer lives free from genetic disease. Next,
LESSON 4: Why does the future not need us? advance in stem cell research might soon allow us
to regenerate any tissue in the body. Lastly, the
Technology is changing our world at an overwhelming widespread use of psychotropic drugs like Prozac
pace. Most people are deeply involved with technology. and Ritalin that can make everyone happy without
They tend to be ever optimistic about its prospects and the side effects of the drugs.
persistently eager to adopt and promote it. Many •Jacques Ellul warns that as technological capabilities
focused their optimistic remarks on health care, food, grow, they results in countless means to accomplish
energy, environment, education, economy and tasks than ever before. The more dependent we
agriculture. become on technology, the more it conforms our
•In the span of a few short years, social media, mobile behavior to its requirements rather than vice versa.
devices and internet have transformed how we •William Gibson, who coined the term “cyberspace”,
communicate and get information about the world. has said the ‘the future is here”- it’s just not evenly
Rapid advances in science and technology distributed”. Some of the important changes in the
foreshadow a world that can displace some forms future will come not from a new technology, but
of human labor. from a large number of people having access to
•In addition, nearly everyone expressed concerns about something that already exists (Scharre, 2017).
the long-term impact of new tools and techniques
on the essential elements of being human.
However, many shared deep worries and 21st Century Technologies
trepidation about the danger brought by rapid •Genetic Engineering
technological change. •It is the process by which an organisms’ genetic
• It is of course true that no one can predict the future. material is altered or manipulated so that the
The key variable in understanding the future is organism will have specific characteristics.
rarely technology alone, but how humans use it, •It has been applied in numerous fields including
perceive it, and adapt to it. research, medicine, industrial biotechnology and
•[Link] argued that humanity, so –called power over agriculture.
nature “turns out to be a power exercised by some •It can be used in Cloning, Genetically Modified
men over other men with Nature as its instrument’. Organisms (GMOs), Gene therapy.
He feared that modernism and its ability to explain •Robotics
away everything but “nature “would leave us •It Is an interdisciplinary research area at the interface
emptied of humanity. All that would be left is our of computer science and engineering. It involves the
animal instincts. conception, design, manufacture and operation of
•The choice we have to see humanity as a complex robots. (Wikipedia).
combination of both material and spiritual •Characteristics of Robots:
components or else to be reduced to machines •Robots all consist of some sort of mechanical
made of meat ruled by other machines with nothing construction, Robots need electrical components
other than natural impulses to guide them. He also that control and power the machinery.
warned us of a society that has explained away •Robotics
every mystery, and the danger of what he calls •Types of Robots:
“man-molders which will be armed with the powers •Pre-Programmed Robots ( operate in a controlled
of an Omni-competent state and irresistible environment where they do simple, monotonous
scientific technique. tasks)
•According to Francis Fukuyama, there are three •Humanoid robots ( robots that look like and/ or mimic
possible scenarios for the near future. First, the human behavior- Sophia)
genetically enhanced intelligence or the prospect of
•Autonomous Robots ( operate independently of • Ethical issues
human operators • Social isolation
•Teleoperated Robots ( mechanical bots controlled by • Environmental Problems
humans),
•Augmenting Robots ( either enhance current human List of Emerging Technologies that will shape our
capabilities or replace the capabilities a human may Future
have lost),
•Robotics • Electric/ self-driving cars
•Nanotechnology • Robot butlers
•It is the study and manipulation of atomic or molecular • Flying cars
scale to improve or even revolutionize many • Space tourism
technology and industry sectors. • Colonization of other planets
•Artificial Intelligence • Wearable screens
•Refers to “machines” that respond to stimulation • 3D printed Food and Metal
consistent with traditional responds from human, • 5G-6G connectivity
given the capacity for contemplation, judgement • Re-engineering and Recycling
and intention. • High-rise farms
•Alan Turing established the fundamental goal and • Lab-grown meats
vision of artificial intelligence. It is the attempt ro • Robot soldiers
replicate or simulate human intelligence in • Roads over rivers and seas
machines. • Holography
•Norvig and Russell defined Artificial Intelligence in four • Body implants prosthesis
approaches: Thinking rationally, thinking humanly,
acting rationally and acting humanly.
•Artificial Intelligence
•It is being used in health care, energy development,
finance, transportation, aviation and
telecommunications.
•It includes autonomous vehicles such as drones and
self-driving cars, playing games such as chess or Go,
search engines such as Google search, online
assistants such as Siri, image recognition in
photographs, predicting flight delays and medical
diagnosis.
•Methods and Goals in AI: The symbolic ( or top-down)
approach-seeks to replicate intelligence by
analyzing cognition independent of the biological
structure of the brain in terms of the processing of
symbolic label. and the connectionist ( bottom-up)
approach- involves creating artificial neural
networks in imitation of the brain’s structure.

Potential Risks to Society

• Devaluation of humanity
• Decrease in demand of human labor
• High costs of creation