Aeronautical Engineering Ethics - Module 1

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the introduction to philosophy and ethics within an aeronautical engineering context, including historical developments from ancient to contemporary thinkers.

Philosophy

Derived from the Greek words philo (love) and sophia (wisdom), it is the systematic and rational study of fundamental questions concerning existence, knowledge, values, and reasoning.

Science

A systematic approach that focuses on observable, measurable, and testable evidence to explain the natural world, primarily answering 'how' questions.

Religion

A framework grounded in faith, spirituality, and belief in transcendent or divine realities, often addressing 'why' questions concerning meaning and purpose.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, 2023)

States that human factors and ethical decision-making are central to aviation safety culture, as many operational failures stem from human judgment errors.

Socrates

An Ancient Greek philosopher who introduced a method of inquiry centered on questioning assumptions and famously emphasized that 'an unexamined life is not worth living.'

World of Forms

Plato's theory that the physical world is only a shadow of a higher, unchanging reality where true knowledge is derived from intellectual understanding of ideal concepts.

Virtue Ethics

Aristotle's concept that moral excellence is achieved through habit and balance, focusing on character development and practical reasoning.

Golden Mean

Aristotle's principle that ethical behavior is not extreme but is balanced between excess and deficiency.

St. Augustine of Hippo

A medieval philosopher who argued that moral truth originates from divine order and that conscience reflects a higher spiritual truth.

Natural Law

Thomas Aquinas' concept which argues that moral principles are embedded within human reason and can be discovered through rational reflection on human nature.

Radical Doubt

René Descartes' method of systematically questioning everything until reaching something undeniably true, as a foundation for certainty.

Cogito, ergo sum

The Latin phrase for René Descartes' famous conclusion 'I think, therefore I am,' which established self-awareness as the first indubitable truth.

Tabula Rasa

John Locke's empiricist theory that the human mind begins as a 'blank slate' and all knowledge is formed through sensory experience and reflection.

Deontological Ethics

Immanuel Kant's moral framework focusing on duty and universal principles, where moral actions are defined by rational obligation rather than consequences.

Friedrich Nietzsche

A contemporary philosopher who challenged traditional moral values, arguing they were constructed and criticized 'slave morality' for suppressing individual strength.

Existentialism

Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy centered on human freedom and responsibility, arguing that individuals are 'condemned to be free' and responsible for their choices.

Michel Foucault

A contemporary thinker who analyzed how power operates within society to shape knowledge, behavior, and what institutions consider to be 'truth.'