Philosophy and SPoR – Module 23

Requirements

 

Previous studies in SPoR

 

Description

 

This is an introductory approach to philosophy and critical thinking from a SPoR perspective. The module explores the fundamentals of philosophy with special attention to the risk and safety industry.

 

SPoR approaches philosophy from a foundation of Semiotics and Poetics and is not interested in traditional propositional arguments about right or wrong philosophy. The philosophy of SPoR is focused on persons and Socialitie and these form the value of what and who matters. This means that the philosophy of SPoR is founded in visual, verbal and relational thinking that rejects the assumption of meaning found in measurement.

 

SPoR is opposed to mechanistic philosophies that have a trajectory of demonising and objectivising humans and so reject the foundations of Materialism, Positivism, Behaviourism and Deontological ethics. SPoR rejects such philosophies because of their ethical trajectory. Rather SPoR philosophy focuses on what is positive, practical and ‘upbuilding’ for persons. For this reason SPoR also rejects the negative anti-human philosophy of Nihilism (Nietzsche) and the Nothingness philosophy of Satre.

 

The philosophy of SPoR is an Existentialist (not existentialism), Phenomenological, Dialectic philosophy recognising aspects of radical Christianity (not Orthodox). The philosophy of SPoR is informed by many philosophers in this genre including: Ellul, Jung, Kierkegaard, Ricoeur, Breuggemann and others.

 

The outcome of this module is to enable beginners in philosophy to explore a range of philosophical schools of thought and to develop their own ontology or better articulate their own worldview with wisdom and grace.

 

Required text

 

Long, R., (2020)  Envisioning Risk, Seeing, Vision and Meaning in Risk. Scotoma Press.  Kambah

 

Videos Lectures

 

The video lectures can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/10696533

Pw on registration.

 

Learning Outcomes

 

By the end of this module participants will:

 

1. Better understand the nature of philosophy (schools of thought, History of ideas)
2. Sharpen critical thinking around critical questions of being human?
3. Consider a range of philosophers relevant to beliefs in risk and safety.
4. Better understand the connection between philosophy, methodology, method and ethics.
5. Work on one’s own ontology, beliefs, values and worldview.
6. Critically examine common beliefs in risk and safety (https://safetyrisk.net/safety-beliefs-as-cultural-indicators/)
7. Trace methods back to methodology.
8. Leaning by omission and silences (https://safetyrisk.net/category/safety-culture-silences/).
9. Overview of the common -isms.
10. The promotion of wisdom and vision in risk.

 

Content

 

The following questions inform the content of the module:

 

• What is truth? Can it be known? Must truth be coherent?
• If propositionalism effective?
• What is the mind-body problem?
• What is real? What is evidence? What is faith?
• Why be rational? What is aRational?
• What is being? What is becoming? What/who is the self?
• What is freedom? What is necessity?
• Who is the moral person? What is good? What is evil?
• What is justice? What is the nature of power?
• What is beauty?
• What is personhood?
• How is knowing constructed? What is meaning? What is learning?
• What is learning? Who is the educated person?
• What philosophies guide and influence risk and safety?
• How is the philosophy of SPoR different to safety?
• How is philosophy understood semiotically?
• What is your ethos, ethic and ontology?

 

Assignments

You are expected to keep a journal (A4 if possible) of reflections particularly in relationship to reading the readings and making visits on a related semiotic walk.

Your journal is a thinking, documenting, reflecting book where you use the visual and spacial literacy tools provided in previous units (and experience from the unit on Semiotics) to interrogate space and place and how these relate to following-leading. The key questions for thinking are on the visual and spacial literacy tool.

Your journal can include: photos, floor diagrams, concept mapping, sketches, dot points, flyers, pictures, notes, Venn diagrams, images of semiotics, concept maps, doodles, notes on words, slogans and text or any form of input that helps show how you think and reflect on what you saw.

The purpose of the journal is for you to demonstrate your skill in interrogating place and place and how this defines philosophy.

All philosophy (methodology) is displayed in method, design and the physical world. Eg. Architecture as a philosophy is evident in design, art, music, theatre, literature and the Poetics of Space.

Your journal needs to be posted to Rob at 10 Jens Place Kambah ACT 2902 or rob@cllr.com.au

 

Contact

 

admin@cllr.com.au

mb:0424547115

 

Dropbox

 

CLLR maintain a dropbox readings account where all readings relevant to studies can be accessed.

 

Reading List

 

Arendt, H., (1958) The Human Condition. University of Chicago Press. Chicago.

 

Benner, D., (2016) Human Being and Becoming, Living the Adventure of Life and Love. BrazosPress, Michigan.

 

Berger, P., (1969) The Sacred Canopy, Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion. Anchor Books. New York.

 

Berger, P., (1976) Pyramids of Sacrifice, Political Ethics and Social Change. Anchor Books. New York.

 

Brueggemann, W., (1993) Texts Under Negotiation, The Bible and Postmodern Imagination. Fortress Press.  Minneapolis.

 

Brueggemann, W., (1997) Theology of The Old Testament, Testimony, Dispute and Advocacy. Fortress Press. Minneapolis.

 

Brueggemann, W., (2001) The Prophetic Imagination. Fortress Press. Minneapolis.

 

Buber, M., (1958) I and Thou. Scribner Classics. New York.

 

Damasio, A., (1994) Descartes’ Error, Emotion, Reason, and The Human Brian. Penguin, New York.

 

Damasio, A., (2003) Looking for Spinoza, Joy, Sorrow and the Feeling Brain. Harvest Books.  New York.

 

Deleuze, G., (1983) Nietzsche and Philosophy. Columbia University Press. New York.

Douglas, M., (1966) Purity and Danger, An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo. Ark. London.

 

Douglas, M., (1992) Risk and Blame. Essays in Cultural Theory. Routledge. London.

 

 

DK Books. (2011). The Philosophy Book.  DK Books.  London.

 

Eliade, M., (1957) The Sacred and Profane, The Nature of Religion. Harvest Books, New York.

 

Ellul, J., (1976) The Ethics of Freedom. Eerdmanns, Michigan.

 

Fuchs, T., (2018) Ecology of the Brain, The Phenomenology and Biology of the Embodied Mind. Oxford University Press. London.

 

Hollindale, R., (ed.) (1977) The Nietzsche Reader. Penguin Books. London.

Hong, H., and Hong, E., (eds.) (2000) The Essential Kierkegaard. Princeton University Press. Preinceton.

 

Ihde, D., (1979) Technics and Praxis, A Philosophy of Technology. D. Reidel Publishing Company. Boston.

 

Jung, C. G., (1958) Answer to Job. Bollingen Press. Princeton.

Jung, C.G. (1959) Mandala Symbolism. Bollingen, Princeton.

Jung, C. G., (1960) Syncronicity. Princeton University Press, New York.

Jung, C. G., (1964) Man and His Symbols. Dell, New York.

Jung, C. G., (1968) Psychology and Alchemy. Bolligen, Princeton.

Jung, C. G., (1968) The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious. Bolligen, Princeton.

 

Kahneman, D., (2011) Thinking Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York.

 

Kierkegaard, S., The Concept of Anxiety. A Simple Psychologically Oriented Deliberation in View of the Dogmatic Problem of Hereditary Sin. Translated and Edited Hannay, A., (2014) Norton and Co. New York.

 

Lakoff, G., and Johnson, M., (1980). Metaphors We Live By.  University of Chicago Press.  Chicago.

 

Lakoff, G., and Johnson, M., (1999).  Philosophy in the Flesh, The Embodied Mind and Its Challenges to Western Thought.  Basic Books, New York.

 

Long, R., (2020)  Envisioning Risk, Seeing, Vision and Meaning in Risk. Scotoma Press.  Kambah.

 

Long, R.,  (2018). Fallibility and Risk, Living with Uncertainty.  Scotoma Press.  Kambah.

 

Lotman, Y., (2000) Universe of the Mind, A Semiotic Theory of Culture. Indiana University Press. Bloomington.

 

Lotman, J., (2013) The Unpredictable Workings of Culture. TLU Press. Tallin.

 

Mizzoni, J., (2010) Ethics, The Basics. Wiley-Blackwell. West Sussex.

 

Myhre, P., (ed.) (2009) Introduction to Religious Studies. Anselm Academic. Winona.

 

Nitzsche, F., (2007) Twilight of The Idols, With The Antichrist and Ecco Homo. Wordsworth Classics. London.

 

Noth, W., (1995) Handbook of Semiotics. Indiana University Press, Bloomington.

 

Polanyi, M., (1966) The Tacit Dimension. University of Chicago Press. New York.

 

Raaven, H., (2013). The Self Beyond Itself, An Alternative History of Ethics, the New Brain Sciences and the Myth of Free Will.  The New Press.  New York.

 

Ricoeur, P., (1967) The Symbolism of Evil. Harper and Row. New York.

 

Ricoeur, P., (1974) The Conflict of Interpretations, Essays in Hermeneutics. Northwest Universty Press. Illinois.

 

Ricoeur, P., (1975) The Rule of Metaphor. Routledge. New York. Ricoeur, P., (1986) Fallible Man. Fordham University Press. New York.

 

Sainsbury, R., (2009) Paradoxes. Cambridge. London.

 

Saunders, C., Mossley, D., Boss, G., and lamb, D.,  (2010) Doing Philosophy, A Practical Guide.  Continuum Books.  London.

 

Semler, L., Hodge, B., and Kelly, P., (2012) What is the Human? Australian Scholarly. North Melbourne.

 

Solomon, R., and Higgins, K.,  (2010) The Big Questions, A Short Introduction to Philosophy. Wadsworth.  Sydney.

 

Warburton, N., (2010)  Philosophy, The Basics.  Routledge.  London.

 

Wetherell, M., and Potter, J., (1998) Discourse and Social Psychology – Silencing Binaries. Theory and Psychology. Sage Publications. New York.

 

Yelle, R., (2013) Semiotics of Religion, Signs of the Sacred in History. Bloomsbury, London.