THE
PERUVIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHILOSOPHY No. 8: ETHICS & MORALTHE
PERUVIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHILOSOPHY No. 8: ETHICS & MORAL
August 1997 (Abstracts)
ETHICAL THEORY & PRACTICE Prof. Brenda Almond (President, Society for Applied Philosophy, and Professor of Moral & Social Philosophy,University of Hull, England)
Author makes an introduction to the ethical theory and practice, both of them have appeared simultaneosly with philosophy. In the present practical or applied ethics -also applied philosophy- propose problems and answers derivative of science and technology. But such responses can both retrogress or better the social progress. For those reasons the role of philosophers can be very important if they have voice and participation in the public debates.
IT IS NEEDED A GOD IN ORDER TO BE A MORAL PERSON? Héctor Avalos (PhD, Professor of Religious Studies, Iowa State University)
This paper examines the idea that there exists an absolute morality that derives from a supernatural being. A comparison of different religions shows that a belief in a god does not guarantee the existence of absolute laws. Even within a single reli-gion, such as Christianity, one can show that there are no absolute laws. Moreover, one can show that all moral laws are ultimately determined by human beings even when they profess to believe in a god.
MAN & ENVIRONMENT Leopoldo Chiappo (Emeritus Professor, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia)
This author says that modern man has a technic-industrial-pragmatical-utilitarist conception of world -because of his culture- with three basic principles in relation to nature: 1. Mastery over it; 2. Consider it a thing and control it; and 3. It is something different to man. Then it characterizes a new ecological ethics: 1. Man is part of nature; 2. Nature is life; and 3. We must to reconcile with it.
WHAT IS EUPRAXOPHY? Dr. Paul Kurtz (Emeritus Professor, State University of New York, Council for Secular Humanis, Chairman)
A difference between religion and secular humanism is made. The former gives us a supernatural point of view of reality and the latter a natural one. Then it is proposed the term Eupraxophy -from the Greek roots: eu (good), praxis (practice) and sophia (wisdom)- in order to define secular humanism: a non neutral and not merely theoretic philosophy, by the contrary, a one commited itself to reason and ethics in order to get a better life here and now.
SENECA & STOICISM Luis León Herrera (Emeritus Professor, Universidad Cayetano Heredia)
It is about the ancient pedagogue and philosopher Seneca and his school of thinking: Stoi-cism. The stoic ideal made to whom practices it brave, strong and ele-gant during adversities, affronts and vicissitudes of life (illness, death, treason, poverty, etc.)
THE ANDEAN VIEW’S MORAL NORMS Dr. Mario Mejía Wamán (Professor, Faculty of Modern Languages, Univ. Ricardo Palma)
It is about The Inka’s morality: do not be a killer, do not be a adulterer. Preceding cultures to the Slavery’ mode of production have had moral norms similar to the Andean ones (e.g. the Mosaic Ten Commandments). Also with the Conquest, the Spanish bring here the Christian morality. Finally a brief paralel of the latter with the native morality is made.