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Theory of knowledge essay
Theory of knowledge essay
Theory of knowledge essay
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THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE ESSAY
NOVEMBER 2014
PRESCRIBED TITLE #6
“We may agree about general standards in the arts but disagree as to whether a particular work has artistic merit. In ethics the situation is reversed: we may disagree about ethical theories but we all know an unethical action when we see one.” Discuss.
CANDIDATE NAME: Shaelyn Chung
CANDIDATE NUMBER: 002109003
WORDS: 1,515
In this essay, we will discuss the statement “We may agree about the general standards in the arts but disagree as to whether a particular work has artistic merit. In ethics the situation is reversed: we may disagree about ethical theories but we all know an unethical action when we see one.” This statement contrasts the two subjects and areas of knowledge of ethics and the arts. The statement also explores the area of history and culture, as they can effect the people’s individualistic views and perceptions on a situation. People’s individualistic views and perceptions also can rely on a person’s evoked emotions on the work or situation. Although, this can be contradicted to reason and how we know that a situation is ethical or a work is meritable from the guidelines and general standards that society has set. So, in this essay we will discuss the areas of ethics and the arts, through the WOK’s of history and culture and the AOK’s of emotion and reason.
In the arts, there are general standards that are set to help determine whether a piece of work has a the level of excellence to be considered meritable. These standards can include composition, technique, ability to tell a story, culture, and many other aspects. Artistic merit is a term that is used in relation to cultural products when referring to the judgment...
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"Venus Figurines." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2014. .
"Vitruvian Man." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2014. .
"Non-aggression Principle." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Aug. 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014. .
"Deontological Ethics." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Aug. 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014. .
"Consequentialism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Aug. 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014. .
"Utilitarianism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Aug. 2014. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. .
In Gaut’s essay, “The Ethical Criticism of Art”, he addresses the relevance of an art piece’s ethical value when making an aesthetic evaluation. His key argument revolves around the attitudes that works of art manifest such that he presents the following summary “If a work manifests ethically reprehensible attitudes, it is to that extent aesthetically defective, and if a work manifests ethically commendable attitudes, it is to that extent aesthetically meritorious”. In direct contrast with formalists, who divine a work’s merit through an assessment of its style and compositional aspects, Gaut states that any art piece’s value requires a pro tanto judgement. This pro tanto position allows for pieces considered stylistic masterpieces, to be
Margaret R.,DeCosse, David, Andre, Claire, & Hanson Markkula, Kirk O. (1988). Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Issues in Ethics, V. 1, N. 2. Sobel, Russell S. &
Ladd argues that attempts to make professional codes of ethics are confused about the nature of ethics (Ladd, pg 130). I will be arguing that Ladd’s thesis is not true and that the supporting arguments for his claim do not hold up. To do so, I will first be stating and explaining Ladd’s arguments for his thesis. Next, I will show why these arguments do not hold up using reasoning and counterexamples. Lastly, I will consider possible responses to my arguments from Ladd and disprove those as well.
In existential thought it is often questioned who decides what is right and what is wrong. Our everyday beliefs based on the assumption that not everything we are told may be true. This questioning has given light to the subjective perspective. This means that there is a lack of a singular view that is entirely devoid of predetermined values. These predetermined values are instilled upon society by various sources such as family to the media. On a societal level this has given rise to the philosophy of social hype. The idea of hype lies in society as the valuation of something purely off someone or some group of people valuing it. Hype has become one of the main driving forces behind what society considers to be good art and how successful artists can become while being the main component that leads to a wide spread belief, followed by its integration into subjective views. Its presence in the art world propagates trends, fads, and limits what we find to be good art. Our subjective outlook on art is powered by society’s feedback upon itself. The art world, high and low, is exploited by this social construction. Even when objective critique is the goal subjective remnants can still seep through and influence an opinion. Subjective thought in the art world has been self perpetuated through regulated museums, idolization of the author, and general social construction because of hype.
Our perception of moral judgments sometimes affects the ways in which knowledge is produced. In these two areas of knowledge, the natural sciences and the arts, the ways of knowing are different as is the nature of the knowledge produced. Likewise, ethical judgments may or may not limit knowledge in these areas but in different ways. Ethical judgments may lead to questioning the means by which some scientific knowledge is produced. Significant, meaningful works of art are produced only when the artist is able to transmit an emotion to the spectator, reader or listener effectively. This is why powerful emotional reactions to a work of art sometimes produce strong and often opposing ethical judgements which can limit the artist’s opportunities to produce knowledge.
...ledge in both the arts and the natural sciences. However, they are limited differently in art and natural sciences area. In general, for natural science, the ethical judgments more depended on social judgment. Because of the product as the result of an ethical issue is measurable, as long as the product is way more valuable than the ethical issue, this issue would be ethical. In other words, if the product is not as valuable as the ethical issue, this issue would be unethical. However, in the art area, because of the product as the result of an ethical issue is hard to measure in terms, the ethical judgments are more depended on the personal judgments. Which the personal judgments are mainly depended on three different parts: the position of a person; the educational content of a person; and the emotional judgments. They are all related and none of them is absolute.
The attempt to set up a standard for assessing the merit of works of art, based upon contingent connections between these works and the sentiments (feelings of pleasure or displeasure) of spectators, was famously made by David Hume. His attempt remains the locus classicus for those philosophers who attempt to found the aesthetic judgment upon empirical, rather than a priori, grounds. I have myself given it a limited defense (1). Recently, Hume's argument has been severely attacked by Malcolm Budd (2). His central contention is that Hume completely fails to introduce any normative element into the aesthetic judgment; he fails, that is, to give any content to the claim that some judgments on the value of a work are more warranted or appropriate than others...
Just as other works that reflect art, pieces in the category of fine arts serve the important message of passing certain messages or portraying a special feeling towards a particular person, function or activity. At times due to the nature of a particular work, it can become so valuable that its viewers cannot place a price on it. It is not the nature or texture of an art that qualifies it, but the appreciation by those who look at it (Lewis & Lewis, 2008).
Mayhew, Robert. The Journal of Ethics , Vol. 1, No. 4 (1997) , pp. 325-340
The Level of Ethical Analysis: Sometimes one will run into the issue of not finding an acceptable moral to apply
Production of knowledge is generally seen in a positive light. However, when ethics and morality become involved in the process of production, judgements will undoubtedly be made that may seem to limit the availability of that knowledge. Ethical judgements are made by the combination of a knower, his or her standard of value, and the situation itself. In the field of the arts and natural sciences, ethics plays a crucial role in the extent one may possibly be allowed to go to when discovering new knowledge. Reason and emotion are important ways of knowing that help guide knowers in making certain moral decisions. Both ways of knowing can be associated with teleological or deontological arguments; the ethics are based on either an objectives-focused or obligations-focused mindset. In this essay, I will be discussing the limitations set on both the arts and the natural sciences as areas of knowledge. To what extent do ethical implications hinder the way art can be produced or the methods involved in expanding society’s knowledge of science?
There are areas that are considered unethical ... ... middle of paper ... .... Kieran, M. (2008, January 28). Art, censorship and morality. Open Learn, the Open University.
4. Unknown. Ethics. Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. 29th March 2004. http://cseserv.engr.scu.edu/NQuinn/COEN288/EngrHandbook_Ethics.pdf
Ethics is the study of moral values and the principles we use to evaluate actions. Ethical concerns can sometimes stand as a barrier to the development of the arts and the natural sciences. They hinder the process of scientific research and the production of art, preventing us from arriving at knowledge. This raises the knowledge issues of: To what extent do moral values confine the production of knowledge in the arts, and to what extent are the ways of achieving scientific development limited due to ethical concerns? The two main ways of knowing used to produce ethical judgements are reason, the power of the mind to form judgements logically , and emotion, our instinctive feelings . I will explore their applications in various ethical controversies in science and arts as well as the implications of morals in these two areas of knowledge.
Every day we are confronted with questions of right and wrong. These questions can appear to be very simple (Is it always wrong to lie?), as well as very complicated (Is it ever right to go to war?). Ethics is the study of those questions and suggests various ways we might solve them. Here we will look at three traditional theories that have a long history and that provide a great deal of guidance in struggling with moral problems; we will also see that each theory has its own difficulties. Ethics can offer a great deal of insight into the issues of right and wrong; however, we will also discover that ethics generally won’t provide a simple solution on which everyone can agree (Mosser, 2013).