Applied Philosophy
| Group Organiser | Joe Cannavina |
| Venue | Member House (during restrictions - online) |
| Meeting Days | Every 4th Monday (pm) |
| Group Vacancies? | No, but waiting list available |
The members indicating interest in Applied Philosophy was slow. Recently sufficient members have shown an interest and a meeting was arranged for January 2020 when the group decided the format and topics it wishes to consider.
Topics chosen for discussion:
- Virtue
- Utilitarian
- Rational
- Policy
- Human Rights is a Western Construct
- Human Rights or Civil Rights?
Should any other member be interested in Applied Philosophy a descriptor has been added below.
Philosophy at its simplest is the study of knowledge, or "thinking about thinking”. Applied philosophy considers building bridges between theory and practice and, in particular, that philosophy is not only an internal movement in philosophy but also that it can and should play a role in public debate.
Over the millennia expanding knowledge, “from necessity”, has been separated into discreet specialised subjects. Epistemology considered a branch of philosophy is the study of the nature of knowledge, justification, and the rationality of belief.
Beliefs are fundamental in the branch of Moral philosophy with distinct and differing philosophical approaches like Utilitarian, Rational and Virtue Ethics.
An example of building bridges between philosophical theory and practice is:
“Science can be seen as a tool and like a tool it is amoral. Some concerned societies have established Ethical Committees and Codes to control perceived unethical behaviour in Scientific Research. A question is, can or should societies control scientists to behave ethically in their research?”
Other topics could be: the nature of knowledge, the practice of ethics in our society and our institutions, the efficacy of Human Rights, the construct of Justice.
Please contact Joe Cannavina for more details.