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 RATIONAL IMAGINING, RESPONSIBLE KNOWING

Lorraine Code

in Ecological Thinking: The Politics of Epistemic Location

Although knowing other people often seems to offer better exemplars of the complexity of knowing than does knowing medium-sized physical objects, the scope and limits of such knowledge need to be ... More

Although knowing other people often seems to offer better exemplars of the complexity of knowing than does knowing medium-sized physical objects, the scope and limits of such knowledge need to be examined. It is unclear how well anyone can imagine/claim to know another person’s experiences, circumstances, situation, feelings; and expressions of empathy are often imperialistic, insensitive, coercive, intrusive. Considering Mark Johnson’s The Moral Imagination, and Marguerite La Caze’s work on the arrogance of the analytic imaginary according to which anyone can, with a little effort, imagine being in someone else’s shoes, this chapter addresses the difficulties of knowing well enough to think responsibly, beyond one’s “own” situation. How might such thinking be possible, and who, specifically, is in a position to claim such knowledge? Issues of vulnerability, both as exposed in the Oxford Amnesty Lectures 1992, and in Susan Brison’s accounts of the aftermath of a brutal rape inform the analysis.Less

Being Human While Being American: Agenda for the American Future

Donald W. Shriver, Jr.

in Honest Patriots: Loving a Country Enough to Remember Its Misdeeds

This chapter celebrates public occasions and measures in recent years where the American government and citizens’ groups acknowledged national “misdeeds” in international relations, especially in its ... More

This chapter celebrates public occasions and measures in recent years where the American government and citizens’ groups acknowledged national “misdeeds” in international relations, especially in its wars. The chapter begins with the 1998 Pentagon award of three soldiers’ medals to the helicopter crewmen who sought to call the My Lai massacre to a halt. It then describes recent presidential apologies for American failures to curb massacres in Bosnia and Rwanda. The author then nominates some still-to-be-acknowledged occasions for repentance in this country’s recent international affairs: the civilian-bombings of World War II, failures of public leaders to mourn — or even to count — the deaths of enemies in war, and the arrogance of American claims to global “full spectrum dominance”. The chapter concludes with pleas that America listen more carefully to its friendly critics in other countries, especially the two countries with which the book began: Germany and South Africa.Less

Winning is not everything

G. Anandalingam and Henry C. Lucas

in Beware the Winner's Curse: Victories that Can Sink You and Your Company

This chapter examines the reasons why winner’s curse is endemic in contemporary business, whether in the US or globally. Many important business decisions have the potential to encounter the winner’s ... More

This chapter examines the reasons why winner’s curse is endemic in contemporary business, whether in the US or globally. Many important business decisions have the potential to encounter the winner’s curse, but not all of them do. It is argued that certain conditions play a role in a manager’s (especially senior manager’s) susceptibility to the curse. These specific behaviors and expectations are outlined.Less

Arrogance and Related Vices

Voula Tsouna

in The Ethics of Philodemus

This chapter examines On Arrogance, which is probably the full title of the tenth book of Philodemus' On Vices. The discussion proceeds as follows. The first section presents Philodemus' outline of ... More

This chapter examines On Arrogance, which is probably the full title of the tenth book of Philodemus' On Vices. The discussion proceeds as follows. The first section presents Philodemus' outline of arrogance, as well as the principal characteristics of that vice, the ways in which it influences one's attitudes and relationships to others, and its consequences. It also discusses the contrast between the sage and the arrogant man whom the sage is sometimes accused of being. The next section concerns Aristo's treatment of people who are arrogant on account of their good luck and Aristo's therapies for arrogance. The third section shows how arrogance is further individuated by being compared and contrasted with other traits. The next section focuses on Aristo's account of the characters of which arrogance is an important constituent. In particular, it analyses Aristo's conception of complex vices containing arrogance, speculates on their nature, and gives reasons why Aristo's typology can be considered an appropriate end for Philodemus' treatise.Less

Humility

Robert C. Roberts and W. Jay Wood

in Intellectual Virtues: An Essay in Regulative Epistemology

Humility as an intellectual virtue is the absence of intellectual vanity, arrogance, and domination (among other vices of the same family). As such, intellectual humility is a low level of concern to ... More

Humility as an intellectual virtue is the absence of intellectual vanity, arrogance, and domination (among other vices of the same family). As such, intellectual humility is a low level of concern to be well regarded by other people for one's intellectual accomplishments or prowess, where the concern for others' good opinion is swamped in a higher concern for intellectual goods. Humility is a disposition not to ‘infer’ some illicit entitlement from one's (perhaps genuine) intellectual superiority. It is a low level of concern to have the personal importance that derives from power or influence over others' minds. The concerns of which humility is the relative absence are extraneous to the pursuit of intellectual goods, and so may erect various stumbling blocks to intellectual success.Less

In Grace

Tilo Schabert

in The Second Birth: On the Political Beginnings of Human Existence

The way of grace is a “more beautiful” way toward awareness than the merely human way of consciousness. It is not attained by the effort of human beings but given to them for the recognition of both ... More

The way of grace is a “more beautiful” way toward awareness than the merely human way of consciousness. It is not attained by the effort of human beings but given to them for the recognition of both their creative freedom and the boundaries of human creativity. But these boundaries have been felt from the start as constraining in the desire to break out of them and to be “like gods.” The work of grace, through which human beings maintain an awareness of their existing in a world already bounded, was rejected in the Western modern age through the pathological project of creating a purely human world. This modern pathology of power was prefigured from the beginning, as the Biblical story of the Fall of Man demonstrates, which was masterfully analyzed by Augustine in his distinction between a city or society of men, founded in self-love and contempt of God and the city of God, founded in love of God and contempt of self.Less

Humility and Epistemic Goods

Robert C. Roberts and W. Jay Wood

in Intellectual Virtue: Perspectives from Ethics and Epistemology

Some of the most interesting works in virtue ethics are the detailed, perceptive treatments of specific virtues and vices. This chapter aims to develop such work as it relates to intellectual virtues ... More

Some of the most interesting works in virtue ethics are the detailed, perceptive treatments of specific virtues and vices. This chapter aims to develop such work as it relates to intellectual virtues and vices. It begins by examining the virtue of intellectual humility. Its strategy is to situate humility in relation to its various opposing vices, which include vices like arrogance, vanity, conceit, egotism, grandiosity, pretentiousness, snobbishness, haughtiness, and self-complacency. From this list vanity and arrogance are focused on in particular. Humble persons are not distinguished from arrogant persons by being unaware of or unconcerned with entitlements; rather, they lack the arrogance that entails a specific kind of motivation called ‘ego-exalting potency’. Humble people are motivated by pure interests regarding entitlements given their ability to serve as means to some valuable purpose or project. The chapter ends by considering a wide variety of ways intellectual humility can promote the acquisition of epistemic goods.Less

Implicit Definition and the a Priori

Bob Hale and Crispin Wright

in The Reason's Proper Study: Essays towards a Neo-Fregean Philosophy of Mathematics

This paper discusses the idea, labelled as “the traditional connection” that implicit definitions aim to found a priori knowledge of logic and mathematics. In the first part, it discusses and rejects ... More

This paper discusses the idea, labelled as “the traditional connection” that implicit definitions aim to found a priori knowledge of logic and mathematics. In the first part, it discusses and rejects a specific understanding of certain constraints (existence, uniqueness, possession problem, and explanation problem) on the theory of implicit definitions, as suggested by Horwich, on the basis of it being committing to some robust Platonist version of meaning facts. In contrast, it motivates further new constraints on the success of implicit definitions, such as arrogance, conservativeness, Evan's generality constraint, and harmony. Then, the standard view of implicit definitions for scientific terms, which appeals to so called Carnap Conditionals is discussed and an alternative model, i.e. the inverse Carnap Conditional is proffered. Lastly, this latter model is then applied to Hume's Principle and the conditionalized version of Hume's Principle as offered by Field is rejected. Furthermore, the problem of the ontological commitments of Hume's Principle and its status as a meaning––conferring successful stipulation are further discussed.Less

Conclusion

Gary Peters

in Improvising Improvisation: From Out of Philosophy, Music, Dance, and Literature

This conclusion briefly reflects on how one might bring something to an end. It also considers the arrogance of those who celebrate their own achievements in this regard. Finally it accepts that if ... More

This conclusion briefly reflects on how one might bring something to an end. It also considers the arrogance of those who celebrate their own achievements in this regard. Finally it accepts that if the book as a whole has managed to indicate what Nietzsche (writing of his own 'good books') describes as a 'new series of experiences,' then at least it might be considered a 'good' book. That's the claim anyway.Less

A Record of Family Reverence in Practice 《紀孝行章》‎

Henry Rosemont and Roger T. Ames

in The Chinese Classic of Family Reverence: A Philosophical Translation of the Xiaojing

In this chapter, Confucius is explaining to Master Zeng the more personal dimensions of family reverence. According to Confucius, “Filial children in serving parents in their daily lives show them ... More

In this chapter, Confucius is explaining to Master Zeng the more personal dimensions of family reverence. According to Confucius, “Filial children in serving parents in their daily lives show them real respect (jing), in tending to their needs and wants strive to bring them enjoyment (le), in caring for them in sickness reveal their apprehension, in mourning for them express their grief, and in sacrificing to them show true veneration. With these five dispositions firmly in place, they are truly able to serve their parents.” Confucius tells Master Zeng that arrogance, defiance, and contentiousness must be set aside in order for a child to be considered filial.Less

Interviews and Comments: A Selection

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

in On Earth As In Heaven: Ecological Vision and Initiatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

This chapter contains a selection of interviews by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with various journalists on television, in newspapers, and in journals.

Antidotes for Arrogance

G. Kelly James

in Becoming Ecological: An Expedition Into Community Psychology

A redefinition of the psychologist's job is advocated, and a new set of criteria for the hallmarks for this profession is proposed. Being a community psychologist is more than being a good ... More

A redefinition of the psychologist's job is advocated, and a new set of criteria for the hallmarks for this profession is proposed. Being a community psychologist is more than being a good psychologist, for community psychology is a sufficiently different activity. To achieve valid training for this field, accommodations to the heritages, assumptions, and styles of previous training are sharpened and redefined. Developing competences for work in the community is a different task and requires new political alliances and new criteria for personal and joint accountability between the community and the psychologist. The spirit of the community psychologist is the spirit of a naturalist who dotes on his environment. The recommended way to prevent professional extinction is participation in the local community; the preferred antidote for arrogance is an ecological view of man.Less

Insults and Scandals

Jacqueline de Romilly

in The Life of Alcibiades: Dangerous Ambition and the Betrayal of Athens

This chapter discusses Alcibiades' scandals, which resulted from his insolence that went very far back, to childhood and early adolescence. The anecdotes collected by Plutarch are sufficient to ... More

This chapter discusses Alcibiades' scandals, which resulted from his insolence that went very far back, to childhood and early adolescence. The anecdotes collected by Plutarch are sufficient to suggest Alcibiades' character—and all the dangers therein. The many assets he enjoyed gave rise to increasingly serious faults in his day-to-day life. Handsome, rich, and noble, Alcibiades took no account of others and felt entitled to everything. This attitude appeared first in his manners. People say that he raised fighting cocks; he enjoyed leading the life of a spoiled youth. In relations with others, this meant an attitude of deliberate arrogance. It was said he was so sure of himself that he would have criticized even the twelve gods. What's more, he could, out of pure insolence, ridicule the very rules of the city. The chapter then looks at the area most scandalous of all, relating not to Alcibiades' wealth, but to his beauty: his love life. It is not surprising that his good looks would lead to scandal: he was involved with both men and women. It was said that even here he always wanted to win. Ultimately, all the insolence and scandalous behavior was diverting and amusing. However, from the moment Alcibiades entered politics, they acquired some weight and played a role—one that historians have not failed to reflect on, beginning with Thucydides.Less

The Young Nationalist

B. R. Nanda

in The Nehrus: Motilal and Jawaharlal: With a New Preface

This chapter examines Jawaharlal’s growing passion for politics. He read the proceedings of the Indian National Congress and had a strong dislike for racial arrogance, which was often seen on the ... More

This chapter examines Jawaharlal’s growing passion for politics. He read the proceedings of the Indian National Congress and had a strong dislike for racial arrogance, which was often seen on the railways. The chapter first looks at the defeat of the Russian fleet by the Japanese navy, and notes that Jawaharlal’s return to Harrow only increased his interest in politics. It then studies the events in 1907 that led to Motilal’s entry into active politics. It discusses the tension between the Extremists and the Moderates, as well as the tensions that had been building since Lord Curzon’s viceroyalty. The chapter also discusses the first political conflict between Motilal and Jawaharlal, the Surat Congress, and Jawaharlal’s growing radicalism and militant nationalism.Less

Westerners in Shanghai: The Chinese Malaise

Joshua A. Fogel

in Maiden Voyage

This chapter focuses on the attitudes of the Japanese, who came to Shanghai on board the Senzaimaru in 1862, toward Westerners in the city. One of the main objectives of the mission to Shanghai was ... More

This chapter focuses on the attitudes of the Japanese, who came to Shanghai on board the Senzaimaru in 1862, toward Westerners in the city. One of the main objectives of the mission to Shanghai was to observe and assess the international community engaged in international commerce. To achieve that goal, the Japanese had to interact with and examine the Westerners in Shanghai. This chapter considers what they had to say about how the Westerners were behaving in the city. In particular, the Japanese noted the Westerners' arrogance and condescension with respect to the Chinese. The chapter also looks at Shanghai customs and the admiration of the Japanese for the West's technical achievements.Less

Contempt and the Vices of Superiority

Macalester Bell

in Hard Feelings: The Moral Psychology of Contempt

In this chapter it is argued that contempt provides the best response to the vices of superiority. Arrogance, hypocrisy, and other vices of superiority involve seeing oneself as having comparatively ... More

In this chapter it is argued that contempt provides the best response to the vices of superiority. Arrogance, hypocrisy, and other vices of superiority involve seeing oneself as having comparatively high status, desiring that this status be recognized, and, in at least some cases, attempting to exact esteem and deference on this basis. Contempt is the best way of answering the attitude of superbia at the heart of these vices.Less