BA2 CTIPS Short Terms Module 1

Created using the completed study guide sent in the BASS gc

Critical thinking

Critical thinking

• Analysis to opinion

• Skepticism

• Analysis-breaking

Critique of critical thinking

• Marcuse

• Production modes of domination and suppression

• =/= critique

Realism

• Things you see

• True & independent from humanity

• Universal concepts => ideas anti-X?

Epistemology

• Study of knowledge

• "How do we know what we know?"

• Shaping social scientist's orientation to subject

Ontology

• Study of being/existence/reality

• 3 sub-fields: Empiricism, Realism, Constructivism

• Existence independent 'real' world?

Metaphysics

• Study nature of reality

• Types of existence

• Hobbes: X materialism (materiality <-> consciousness)

Hermeneutics

• Interpretation, esp. from Bible & philosophical texts

• Classification epistemological position

• Interpretation with skepticism

Scholasticism

• Dialectical reasoning, answering questions or resolving contradictions

• Medieval school of philosophy

• Silence doubts regarding faith

Moral deductivism

• Start w idea good society -> deduce how to arrange good politics

• Hobbes critique: what is 'good'?

• Machiavelli critique: focus on effective truth of things, not imagination

Effective truth of things

• Machiavelli, actual pol conditions of society

• Critique moral deductivism

• Realistic about man -> origin pol science

"Man as he really is"

• Hirschman: prior 17th C look at man from "ought to be" iso "man really is"

• Machiavelli: effective truth of things

• Spinoza: pol science should study man as he is

Epistemological turn

• Time period philosophers stress knowledge ISO belief

• Shift away from medieval metaphysical q's

• Foucault's "art of governance"

Representationalism

• Universe made of indiv objects that can be measured

• Human centric version of realism

• Polanyi: econ is real w boundaries that can be interpreted

Sovereignty

• State = highest power, govern itself

• Internal vs external X

• EU = pooled X, diff X states give up X for larger group

Government

• Statecraft to manage & guide population to desired outcome, opposed to use of force

• Democracy, oligarchy, monarchy -Incl. offices, departments & people

Objectivity

• Methods/results of science not influenced by perspectives/values/emotions

• BUT affected by prénotions?

• Can involve positivism, empiricism, quantitative measures, ...

Cartesian

• Refers to Rene Descartes

• X dualism distinct body-mind (foundations of existence)

• Mind (consciousness) foundation reality, independent from body (cannot think)

Analysis/Analytical method

• Study of nature, essential features -> separating entity, find starting point knowledge (break down world to get knowledge)

• Socrates: ask q's to break down

• Linked with essentialist reduction

Essentialist reduction

• Understand overall meaning by reducing to distinct elements

• Start analytical method

• "Cut nature at its joints", recognize true nature of soc/pol/natural phenomena

Unhappy consciousness

• Consciousness doesn't match reality, rules & ideas no longer match

• Linked to Hegel's alienation: world doesn't make sense anymore -> alienation

• Fukuyama: end of history = end X