Ethics and politics

Ethics and Politics – RAD 1602
Carolina Baudes Imrie 15/04/13

1- Research, study and understand the basic notions of “AXIOLOGY”, (from Greek ἀξίᾱ - axiā-= "value, worth"; and -λόγος -logos -= study). Been the philosophical study of value, it studies mainly two kinds of values: ethics and aesthetics. Ethics investigates the concepts of "right" and "good" in individual and social conduct. Read as much as you can about AXIOLOGY and also FORMAL AXIOLOGY = the attempt to lay out principles regarding value with mathematical rigor. 2- Research and study the “VALUE THEORY” trying to capture the meaning and understanding of how, why and to what degree people value things - “thing” been person, idea, object, or anything else. Study to understand the theory in the context of psychology and axiology. 3- Research and study the “VALUE SCIENCE”, approaching the notion of Hartman Value Profile.
You’ll find plenty of information about the items above searching internet. Important texts to address: a) “Republic” - Books VIII and IX – where the perversions of States and of the individuals who correspond to them are reviewed in succession; and the nature of pleasure and the principle of tyranny are further analyzed in the individual man. You’ll find the text at http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.9.viii.html and http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.10.ix.html, b) http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/help/value.htm, c) http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/help/ethics.htm, d) The annex I am sending, e) or you may research at USP’s library (both physic and virtual – Dedalus).

4- After your study, explain the difference between intrinsic and instrumental value.

We can classify values in different types. An instrumental value is the one we give for those “things” that let us achieve other “things”. For example, my telephone has a value because I can communicate to other