R
ribozyme
Guest
Who do you regard as the greatest 20th century philosophers?
Epistemology: Karl Popper
Moral philosophy: Peter Singer
Political Philosophy: John Rawls
Popper’s greatest contribution to philosophy was his idea of falsification as an alternative to induction in scientific inquiry. Furthermore, his emphasis on the imperfect nature of human knowledge has humbled me and this should be considered in epistemology. I learned that one should be relentless when pursuing truth and we should try to be aware of our own errors and mistakes. Popper’s approach to science can also be applied in the political realm. Popper noted that political philosophies that claimed to possess absolute truth and did not tolerate dissent (such as Nazism and Marxism) always lead to totalitarian regimes. He argued that liberal democracy must recognize the fallibility of humans. Instead of pursuing a utopia (as was the goal of communism), he advocated “piecemeal social engineering” and negative utilitarianism. (He noted that it is difficult to pursue happiness and argues that instead of pursuing a eudaemonic utopia, we should focus on reducing suffering instead.)
Peter Singer’s defenses of “animal rights” are ones that I have taken to heart. In addition, I regard him as the true intellectual heir of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Of course, I do not completely agree with him on some ethical issues.
Rawls’ original position and veil of ignorance are unbiased ways one can formulate ethical judgments. One can ask whether a tax cut is moral or not. Of course, wealthy people will favor it, and the poor will more likely be averse to it. For the original position, we are likely to formulate policy congruent with the difference principle (inequality in society is tolerated if it benefits the least well off.) To me, it seems that people such as Rawls and Singer (and their intellectual ancestors such as Mill and Bentham) displaced the need for Christian moral philosophy. These people provide a secular justification for caring for the poor.
Epistemology: Karl Popper
Moral philosophy: Peter Singer
Political Philosophy: John Rawls
Popper’s greatest contribution to philosophy was his idea of falsification as an alternative to induction in scientific inquiry. Furthermore, his emphasis on the imperfect nature of human knowledge has humbled me and this should be considered in epistemology. I learned that one should be relentless when pursuing truth and we should try to be aware of our own errors and mistakes. Popper’s approach to science can also be applied in the political realm. Popper noted that political philosophies that claimed to possess absolute truth and did not tolerate dissent (such as Nazism and Marxism) always lead to totalitarian regimes. He argued that liberal democracy must recognize the fallibility of humans. Instead of pursuing a utopia (as was the goal of communism), he advocated “piecemeal social engineering” and negative utilitarianism. (He noted that it is difficult to pursue happiness and argues that instead of pursuing a eudaemonic utopia, we should focus on reducing suffering instead.)
Peter Singer’s defenses of “animal rights” are ones that I have taken to heart. In addition, I regard him as the true intellectual heir of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Of course, I do not completely agree with him on some ethical issues.
Rawls’ original position and veil of ignorance are unbiased ways one can formulate ethical judgments. One can ask whether a tax cut is moral or not. Of course, wealthy people will favor it, and the poor will more likely be averse to it. For the original position, we are likely to formulate policy congruent with the difference principle (inequality in society is tolerated if it benefits the least well off.) To me, it seems that people such as Rawls and Singer (and their intellectual ancestors such as Mill and Bentham) displaced the need for Christian moral philosophy. These people provide a secular justification for caring for the poor.
