Episode 62 - Reasons and Impartiality as Minimum Requirements For Morality Defined

Summary

This session delves into the ethical considerations humans must navigate, emphasizing the importance of reason, rationality, and fairness. It explores our innate capacities for reason, compassion, and judgment, drawing from philosophical traditions. The discussion advocates for impartiality and fairness, suggesting these values should extend to all beings we share the world with, including non-human entities. It also touches on the need for minimum ethical standards to foster equitable coexistence and the responsibility to critique actions, promoting a broader understanding of ethics beyond human-centric views.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The session emphasizes the importance of reason, rationality, and fairness as fundamental ethical considerations for human beings.
• 🤔 Human beings possess the capacity for reason, compassion, and judgment, which are crucial in everyday life and future decision-making.
• 📚 The speaker's epistemic background in Canan and transcendental philosophy influences the discussion on the origins of compassion, reason, and judgment.
• 🌱 Cultivating the capacity for reason is a responsibility that extends to ensuring our actions and thoughts align with standards of rightness and wrongness.
• 💭 Compassion arises from the ability to imagine ourselves as others, which is vital for ethical considerations in human interactions.
• 🛑 Judgment is essential in deliberations and decision-making, with Aristotle's ethics highlighting the need for decisions to propel action.
• 🔄 Reason and rationality are not just personal capacities but are shared in public interactions and contribute to the discourse of the public good.
• 🤝 The concept of reasonableness involves the ability to communicate reasons and understand others' perspectives for ethical deliberation.
• 🏛️ Impartiality and fairness are key values in public and professional life, influencing decisions with universal effects on current and future generations.
• 🌐 The minimum requirements for ethical considerations should be inclusive, considering the experiences of non-human and non-sentient beings, as well as marginalized groups in society.
• 🔮 While rationality is a strength, it is also important to remain open to new phenomena and extend our ethical considerations to a broader range of beings and ideas.

Q & A

What are the minimum requirements for ethical considerations as discussed in the script?

The minimum requirements for ethical considerations discussed in the script are reason, rationality, and the ideal of fairness.

How does the script define the capacity for reason in humans?

The capacity for reason is defined as the ability to think, will, and judge, which is not only used in everyday life but also in making decisions and judgments in history.

What is the significance of the capacity for compassion in ethical considerations?

The capacity for compassion stems from the ability to imagine oneself as another person, which is important for empathizing and sympathizing with others in ethical considerations.

How does the script connect the capacity for judgment with Aristotle's ethics?

The script connects the capacity for judgment with Aristotle's ethics by emphasizing the importance of arriving at decisions through deliberation, which is a form of judgment that propels action.

What role does reasonableness play in our interactions with others according to the script?

Reasonableness allows us to communicate our reasons to others, assess their reasons, and engage in deliberation without dictating what others should think or feel.

Why is impartiality important in ethical considerations?

Impartiality is important because it ensures that our decisions and judgments are fair not only to ourselves but also to others and the public good, considering the impact on future generations.

How does the script suggest we should approach ethical considerations with non-human beings?

The script suggests that we should extend our ethical considerations to non-human beings by including their experiences and perspectives, recognizing our shared world with them.

What does the script imply about the relationship between rationality and fairness?

The script implies that rationality should be practiced with fairness and impartiality, ensuring that our judgments and decisions are not harmful to all beings involved.

How does the script view the role of reason in conflict resolution?

The script views reason as a tool for conflict resolution that should not lead to violence or harm, but rather should be employed with the ideals of fairness and impartiality.

What is the script's stance on the inclusion of new phenomena and species in our ethical considerations?

The script encourages the inclusion of new phenomena, species, and forms of thinking in our ethical considerations, advocating for an expanded imagination and understanding beyond our own rationality.

What responsibility does the script assign to individuals with rational capacity?

The script assigns the responsibility of accepting and making criticisms and critique to individuals with rational capacity, not only of their own actions but also of others and communities.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Ethical Considerations and Human Capacities

The speaker introduces the session's focus on ethical considerations, emphasizing the importance of reason, rationality, and fairness as fundamental human requirements. The session's outline is presented, which includes an introduction to human capacities such as reason, compassion, and judgment. The speaker, a Canon scholar, discusses the origins of these capacities within the framework of Canan philosophy and the critical tradition. The capacity for reason is highlighted as essential for thinking, willing, and judging, which are not only used in everyday life but also in making decisions and historical judgments. The capacity for compassion is explored as the ability to imagine oneself as another, which is crucial for ethical considerations. The capacity for judgment is seen as vital for making decisions, with a reference to Aristotle's view on the importance of deliberation leading to action.

05:00

🧠 Reason, Rationality, and Reasonableness in Public Discourse

The speaker delves into the importance of reason, rationality, and reasonableness in public interactions and the discourse of the public good. It is argued that these capacities are not only for personal use but also for sharing with others in public spaces. The concept of reasonableness is introduced as the ability to communicate reasons and understand others' perspectives, which is crucial for entering into deliberation. The speaker acknowledges that not all considerations are rational and that emotions and intuitions also play a role in ethical deliberations. The discussion aims to ensure that reason does not dictate but facilitates understanding and respect for diverse values and interests. The speaker stresses the importance of reason and reasonableness in guiding future generations and in conflict resolution without resorting to violence.

10:03

🌐 Impartiality, Fairness, and Ethical Decision-Making

The discussion turns to the ideals of impartiality and fairness, which are considered essential for ethical decision-making in various contexts, including public life, professional settings, and nation-building. The speaker suggests that these ideals should guide our thinking and actions to ensure fairness to ourselves, others, and the public good. The importance of considering the impact of decisions on future generations is highlighted. The speaker also points out the diversity in human thought processes and the need to include different perspectives, including those of non-human beings, in the pursuit of impartiality and fairness. The session aims to expand the understanding of ethical considerations beyond human-centric views to encompass a broader range of beings and entities.

15:05

🌱 Minimum Requirements for Ethical Considerations and Expanding Ethical Horizons

The speaker concludes the session by emphasizing the importance of discussing minimum requirements for ethical considerations, such as reason, rationality, fairness, and impartiality. These requirements are seen as essential for fostering cooperation, understanding, and equitable living among diverse beings. The speaker calls for an expansion of ethical considerations to include non-human and non-sentient beings, as well as marginalized groups in society. The session ends with a call to not fear the new or unfamiliar but to extend our imaginations and considerations to include them, ensuring that our rational capacities are used responsibly and that we are open to criticism and critique for the betterment of our communities and the world.

Keywords

💡Reason

Reason, in the context of the video, refers to the human capacity for logical thinking and understanding. It is a fundamental aspect of human cognition that enables individuals to make sense of the world, make decisions, and solve problems. The video emphasizes that reason is not just a tool for everyday life but also a responsibility that humans have to cultivate and refine. For instance, the speaker mentions that 'we are capable of thinking, willing, and judging,' highlighting reason as a core component of ethical considerations.

💡Rationality

Rationality is the quality or state of being rational, which involves making decisions or judgments based on reason and logic. The video discusses rationality as a minimum requirement for ethical considerations, suggesting that ethical actions should be grounded in logical thought processes. It is linked to the capacity for reason, as the speaker notes the importance of 'our capacity for reason and understanding' in ethical decision-making.

💡Reasonableness

Reasonableness is the ability to communicate reasons to others and to understand and assess the reasons of others. It is a key concept in the video, which is tied to the idea of engaging in fair and open deliberations. The speaker discusses reasonableness as a means to avoid harm and violence in conflict resolution, emphasizing that 'reason is not a dictator' and that it should be used to foster understanding and fairness.

💡Impartiality

Impartiality refers to the ability to be fair and unbiased, especially in making judgments. In the video, impartiality is presented as an ideal to strive for in ethical considerations. It is linked to the idea of making decisions that are not influenced by personal feelings or interests but are instead based on a universal perspective. The speaker mentions that when making decisions, we should ask if our thoughts are 'fair to the other person, fair to the public, fair to a universal point of view.'

💡Fairness

Fairness is the state of being just, equitable, and impartial. The video underscores the importance of fairness in ethical considerations, suggesting that decisions should be made in a way that is equitable to all parties involved. It is closely tied to the concept of impartiality, as the speaker discusses the need for decisions to impact not only ourselves but also 'the other person, the public good,' indicating a commitment to fairness.

💡Compassion

Compassion is the capacity to feel empathy and understanding towards others. In the video, compassion is described as a crucial human capacity that stems from the ability to imagine oneself as another person. It is seen as an important aspect of ethical considerations, as it allows for a deeper understanding of others' experiences and perspectives. The speaker notes that compassion comes from 'the depth and breadth of how we are able to imagine ourselves as the other person,' which is essential for ethical decision-making.

💡Judgment

Judgment, in the video, refers to the capacity to make decisions and assessments, especially in ethical dilemmas. It is highlighted as a critical aspect of human cognition that goes beyond mere thinking and willing. The speaker references Aristotle to emphasize the importance of judgment in arriving at decisions that propel us into action, suggesting that judgment is a product of our capacity for reason and is essential for ethical action.

💡Deliberation

Deliberation is the act of carefully considering and discussing issues before making a decision. The video discusses deliberation as a space where individuals reason with one another and present reasons for their positions. It is presented as a necessary process that leads to judgment and action. The speaker mentions that 'for Aristotle, it is important that these deliberations end so that we may now continue to act,' indicating that deliberation is a precursor to decision-making.

💡Ethical Considerations

Ethical considerations are the moral principles and values that guide decision-making and actions. The video focuses on ethical considerations as a central theme, emphasizing the importance of reason, rationality, reasonableness, impartiality, and fairness in ethical decision-making. The speaker discusses the need for minimum requirements for ethical considerations to ensure that our decisions and judgments are not harmful and are equitable.

💡Capacity

Capacity, in the context of the video, refers to the inherent abilities or potential of human beings. The speaker discusses various capacities such as reason, compassion, and judgment, which are essential for ethical considerations. The video emphasizes the importance of recognizing and cultivating these capacities for ethical decision-making and living a just life.

Highlights

Ethical considerations require reason, rationality, and fairness as minimum requirements for humans.

Humans possess capacities for reason, compassion, and judgment.

Reason is not just a capacity but also a responsibility to cultivate.

Compassion stems from the ability to imagine ourselves as others.

Judgment is crucial in deliberations and making decisions.

Aristotle's view on the importance of arriving at decisions through deliberation.

Reason, rationality, and reasonableness are essential for public interactions and personal growth.

Reason should not dictate but should allow for the understanding of varied values and interests.

Impartiality and fairness are key values in ethical considerations and decision-making.

The importance of considering the impact of decisions on future generations.

The necessity of including non-human beings in ethical considerations.

The concept of impartiality should extend to all beings we share the world with.

Minimum requirements for ethical considerations are essential for equitable and just societies.

The importance of extending ethical considerations to vulnerable sectors of society.

The potential inclusion of animal sentience and artificial intelligence in ethical considerations.

The responsibility to critique actions and foster an environment of criticism and self-improvement.

The session concludes with a call to not fear the new or the unknown, and to embrace the irrationality of rationality.

Transcripts

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what is our brief claim for this session

in ethical considerations we as human

beings require reason rationality and

the ideal of fairness as our minimum

requirements so just a brief run through

of our outline for the session start

with our introduction and recognition of

some capacities as human beings the

second one is a a brief introduction to

reason rationality reasonableness the

third one is on impartiality and

fairness and the fourth one what does it

mean to have or to require minimum

requirements for ethical considerations

the fifth one would have to be our other

considerations or some harm that this

requirements might involve with the

other groups in our society so for the

first one we have our capacity for

reason our capacity for compassion and

our capacity for judgment now I think it

is important to recognize that as human

beings we are given or at least we have

the rational capacity for reason and

understanding that means that we are

capable of thinking we are capable of

willing and that we are capable for

judging or for for judgment this is not

only capacities that we use um in our

everyday lives but this also includes

our decisions and choices for the future

and our judgments in our history as

human beings our capacity for

reason is not only the capacity that we

as sentient beings have we also have the

capacity for compassion and the capacity

for judgment so before we uh go to the

capacity for compassion we might want to

look into where compassion is coming

from where reason is coming from and

where this judging facility comes since

I am a Canon scholar my epistemic

background would have to be Canan

philosophy and can transcendental

philosophy in his critical tradition so

we recognize that it's important for us

as human beings not only to have and to

employ our capacity for thinking but

it's also a responsibility for us to

ensure that we cultivate this capacity

for reason and this means that we have

standards for the rightness and

wrongness not only for our actions but

of course again for our thinking

capacities and for our logical

considerations our capacity for

compassion I think would have to stem

from

our from the depth and breadth of how we

are able to imagine ourselves as the

other person or in Filipino philosophy

we are not saying that we have the

capacity to absolutely occupy the

understanding the minds and the

perspectives of our fellow human beings

what we are saying here is that we have

capacity to imagine what it's like to be

the other person and we take that as an

important aspect in our ethical

considerations given that we are we can

only live our lives as ourselves and

thus for us to be able to empathize and

for us to be able to sympathize with our

other fellow human beings or other

sentient beings or other beings that

occupy the world it's important for us

to imagine what might be The Experience

from the point of view of these beings

now for the third part capacity for

judgment I think it's uh important to

note that the capacity for judgment is

important not only in deliberations but

also in making decisions we might want

to refer uh Aristotle here in niakan

ethics when he wrote or when he said in

his lectures that it is important for us

to arrive at a decision and that

decision is void by deliberation

deliberations is our space where in

which we are able to reason with one

another or present reason for one

another nevertheless for Aristotle it is

important that these deliberations end

so that we may now continue to act for

the deliberations to end we are required

to decide so that that decision would

provide us a product or would Propel us

into action the decision in a way is a

form of judgment which we are now

capable of U arriving at because we have

been using our capacity for reason again

it is important to understand that we

have been Loosely using the term

judgment or judging in different

situations or in everyday situations but

what we are trying to point out and

clarify here is that for us to be able

to decide properly for us to be able to

um assess the situation properly if it

is an ethical dilemma if it requires an

ethical action we have to make sure that

it is not only our thinking and willing

capacity our think our capacity for

providing reasons our capacity for

feeling for other persons but we are

also

required for um our capacity to judge

and assess properly what's needed not

only in particular situations but also

with uh understanding that uh these

decisions and these judgments have can

take a form of a rule or universal law

which may guide future Generations after

our own lifetimes now the second one why

is it important for us to talk about

reason rationality and reasonableness we

could not hide the fact that we share in

the interactions of of our publics and

that we also we are we also share not

only our deals and actions and

engagements but also um our skills and

their hopes within uh the discourse of

the public good for us to be able to

make sense not only um with other fellow

beings that we share this world with or

that we share the public space with but

for us to also make sense with ourselves

it is important for us to consider not

only our capacity for reason and

rationality which we have um discussed

earlier but also take the idea of

reasonableness so what does this mean

reasonableness well in a way uh is our

capacity to communicate our reasons to

the other person and also to um assess

and uh understand what the others are

their reasons uh their experiences their

point of views for us to be able to

enter into

deliberation we understand that not all

um not all considerations can be

rational or we can say that there are

certain ethical considerations or

deliberations that come from um an

emotional Source or from um an intuitive

Source uh since this uh we are only

discussing the minimal requirements for

ethical consideration here what we can

uh what we are saying as well is that we

might also want to um relate our

concepts of reason with the concepts of

uh that we find in emotions so that we

do not alienate or we do not

marginalize reasons feelings sentiments

and emotions and life worlds that our

other fellow bringing to the table when

we are doing deliberations or when we

are doing ethical considerations this

does not necessarily have to happen in

public spaces this can happen in our

personal relationships in our homes in

our classrooms in our everyday Pik Sala

with our Kapa so it is important for us

to see that through our reason we do not

dictate what the other should think what

the other should feel but because we

have reason and under that is our

capacity again through imagination then

we are made capable of seeing how values

how interests how desires vary across

different beings and that as part of

this

um the experience or the history of

humanity we have to understand that

reason is not a dictator it's not

authoritative but we appeal also to the

ideal or to the concept or to the rule

of reasonableness so that we do not

bring harm to another person nor do we

fall into violence when we are trying to

do conflict resolutions for example the

next one is the other part of our

discussion for this day on impartiality

and

fairness there are I think ideals that

we follow as human beings so this could

be the values of Truth telling the

values of um our family the values of

our desires and hopes and dreams um but

when we are trying to contextualize our

uh discussion on public spaces public

spheres for example or in our

professional lives or even a nation

building and democratic practices it is

important for us um at least to have a

working values or working Frameworks and

how we might be reasonable and how we

might be able to arrive at a decision or

to arrive at an intervention on

particular activities and particular

actions but also with uh Universal

effects not only on our lifetimes but on

future Generations so

one idea that uh we are trying to

discuss in the session is that of

impartiality and fairness and I think um

we are already uh um we are assuming

here a stance of

justice so when we're trying to uh

decide when we're trying to arrive at

results when we're trying to think not

only in ethical considerations but in

everyday situations and our relations

with our friends or families or

colleagues our um government

officials um we ask ourselves okay are

my uh frame of thinking are my thoughts

or my sentiments uh fair fair to myself

fair to the other person fair to the

public fair to a universal point of view

we ask ourselves if uh our uh decisions

that we are trying to arrive at will

impact not only ourselves at also again

the other person the public good we also

look into how our reasons and even the

idea of reasonableness is fair not only

to us who might have been uh practicing

our rationality but also to other groups

who are in rationality might not

necessarily be a value and might not

necessarily be a requirement for their

own capacity for judgment uh I before I

go into why is it important for us to

discuss minimum requirements for ethical

considerations I would also like to

point out that not all sentient human

beings or uh not all human beings are

same in their thought uh processes and

their um thinking capacities we also

have to understand that we have

different approaches and we have we lead

very uh different lives and we are also

given with different uh body capacities

so we have different abled fellows we

also share the world with uh animals we

also share the world with other objects

we also share the world with uh uh

nature we have the trees we have um even

at the level of the bacteria the level

of the atoms um we have to understand

that when we're trying to invoke the

ideal of impartiality and fairness we

might also have to include the other

beings that we share this world with I

think having this idea

and having this reflection and inside we

not only expand our um judging capacity

but it also adds to our understanding of

how we are rooted in this particular

world and how we live this world

together with other beings

so the reason the rationality and the

practice of

reasonableness I think has to take the

stance of impartiality and fairness and

again this has to

include the experiences of beings that

are not necessarily human and that are

not necessarily sent yet so that we

could

arrive well at a working understanding

of what is considered as the good or

what might be considered as ethical in

the general and Universal sense now the

question goes um the next question would

have to be why is it important for us to

discuss minimum requirements for ethical

considerations again of course we are

limited by our human capacities and

human understanding and how we relate to

our world and other being in the world

nevertheless for us to be able to work

with one another for us to be able to

reason with one another for us to be

able to live with one another and to

make this world home it is important for

us to least to reach for minimum

requirements and how we might want to

process and how we might want to

interact with one another and how we

will be able to build our Nations and

communities

equitably and um

justly and because we are looking solely

for minimum requirements which for this

session is that of reason and

rationality and that of the idea of

fairness and impartiality we might also

want to um to consider we might want to

research further on these considerations

so that we understand that our decisions

our

judgments are um aren't harmful to

everyone that is involved so as we have

mentioned earlier we might want to

consider or we might want to extend our

ethical considerations to other beings

and this would have to include beings

that are nonhuman nons sentient the

other things we have also have to look

into to our vulnerable sectors in

society so that have to be the

differently able the active uh the

groups uh Society is actively

marginalized based on their gender their

expression of sexuality their um

expression or their uh belief in a

particular religion and their um

expressions of uh spirituality we might

also want to look into progress in

animal sentience and learning and of

course the recent topic or theme on

machine learning and artificial

intelligence I would just like to point

out and I would just like to end this

session with um with a hope that we may

not want to fear things that are new or

things that we do not understand I think

our responsibilities as National agents

in the world is not only to invoke the

ideal again impartiality and

fairness but also to extend our

imaginations and to our considerations

to things that are strange to us and

that would have to include new phenomena

new species and the animal kingdom new

forms of thinking new ways of expression

new ways of life so that we do not

become imprisoned by our own rationality

and I think vber was the one who uh

theorized and who wrote about the

irrationality of

rationality I think it is important for

us to cultivate our rational capacities

so that we see that we can do more and

we have uh the capacities to do more and

lastly I hope that you also understand

that with our rational capacity comes as

well the responsibility to accept and

make criticisms and critique not only to

our actions but also the actions of

others in our communities and other

communities and in the whole

participants of our world and nature

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