• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.446-453
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• 2021

This paper deals with two methods regarding fact and value. One is the method of H. Putnam, which is to break the boundary between fact and value and to make a world where the two have an inherent connection. The other is the method of J. Habermas, which regards fact and value as the product of an intersubjective agreement based on argumentation. Putnam, through his position of internal realism, moves from realism to pragmatism, especially by combining the rationalist tradition of Kant and Dewey's pragmatic views. Habermas also stands in the tradition of rationalism and universalism in Kant, at the same time emphasizing the practicability of truth in Hegel's tradition of historical reason. The significance of the strategy of Putnam and Habermas is that they have attempted to revive the realm of value against the strict dichotomy of facts and values and the subsequent devaluation of rationality in the realm of value. The starting point of this attempt is that the practical foundation of rationality is laid on life and practice. This could provide the room for escaping from rationality, which prioritizes only truths that reveal facts, that is, instrument-reduced rationality, the room for the revival of practical rationality through reflection on what is the purpose of life, and, in turn, the room for resisting to pass the realm of values and norms to the logic of habitual routines or customs. However, despite such common goal, there are clear limitations to Putnam's approach due to the differences in the strategies taken on facts and values. Putnam's method can demolish the whole universal framework that is the foundation where pragmatic pluralism will be fostered, eliminating the difference between the specificity of values and the universality of norms and shaking up the status of universal ethics. Therefore, Habermas' ethical theory is proposed as an alternative to establish a basis for universal ethics by relying on communication rationality and to secure the coercion of norms and blossom cultural pluralism as a diverse lifestyle based on this coercion.

• Journal of Korean Society of Archives and Records Management
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.113-138
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• 2011

Records and archives community was forced to face the essence of and social values of its professionalism. The purpose of the present study lies in providing a broader and fundamental perspective to shed lights on professionalism in records and archives management by reviewing previous studies on professionalism and professions. It reviews key concepts from the professionalism literature and scrutinized professional commitments and exclusive privileges, which are two sides of the same coin. Fundamental issues involved in records and archives profession are also taken into account, including the relationship between theory and practice as well as between professional ethics and professional association.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.46
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• pp.189-234
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• 2023

The most common and prevailing system of virtue ethics is based around the idea of personality rather than external behavior and it grew out of the Aristotelian system of virtue ethics. The purpose of this study is to find out the characteristics of the virtue ethics found within Daesoon Thought through comparison to Aristotelian virtue ethics. This can serve as a basis to establish the virtue ethics of Daesoon Thought in further studies. The systems of virtue ethics posited by the two traditions are similar in that they are both teleological as the virtues they recognize are related to human nature in the context of certain metaphysical assumption and they both exhibit the characteristic tendencies of seeking to realize the highest human good. Therefore, in the Aristotelian context, virtues can be defined as "characteristics needed for the realization of eudaimonia," and for Daesoon Thought, virtues are "characteristics needed for the realization of the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence." The representative virtues examined in this comparative study will be the Aristotelian Golden Mean, and the the concepts of guarding against self-deception and great benevolence and great justice in Daesoon Thought. In comparison to Aristotelian virtues, these differ in three main ways. First, Aristotelian virtue is not an innate aspect of character the way it is assumed to be in Daesoon Thought wherein the original human heart bestowed by Heaven is already virtuous. Second, mental virtue in the Aristotelian context centers the mind upon reason whereas in Daesoon Thought, the heart-mind exhibits both reason and emotional concern for others. Third, eudaimonia is a concept limited to humans and their societies whereas the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence is a good that includes all beings including divine beings, animals, plants, and Heaven and Earth. Despite the differences, both require practical reason, continuous education, and effort to succeed in the cultivation of virtues and the proper implementation of virtuous living.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• no.96
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• pp.39-70
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• 2012

In order to locate Kant's concept of the highest good within ethics and the theory of moral religion, it needs to be approached with some qualifications: there are two rough ways to be suggested. The first way is to focus on the concept of the highest good that is explained in terms of the happiness in proportion to a rational being's virtue or to his/her worthiness to be happy. But the happiness determined in the sense outlined above would be (increasingly or decreasingly) changeable according to each one's individual morality-this is what is meant by each one's 'worthiness' here-, and would not be seen as the perfect one. It might even be said that this kind of happiness is possible in a sensible world generally taken, if the existence of God thought of as harmonizing natural phenomena and the moral order is successfully presupposed. The other way is to understand the concept of the highest good literally: in this view, the highest good shows that a rational being's character is completely appropriate to the moral law and for him/her, its corresponding idea, i.e., the perfect happiness, is considered with full justification. But the highest good in the sense sketched above-along with the existence of God and the immortality of the soul-is expected to be realized only in an intelligible world generally taken. This means that it should be appraised as an ideal of the highest good that includes the so-called 'physical happiness' specified in terms of the first way as its element. In this regard, it is seen to be somewhat restricted. Between the two concepts of the highest good already touched upon, the highest good of the possible world would be the one established in terms of the first way. In other words, it is not the highest good in an intelligible world, but the highest good in this world. Of course, it is true that we cannot help but assume the existence of God-a being as higher, as moral, as most holy, and as omnipotent-in order to explain the highest good in this world (namely, in order to establish the possibility of the combination of the happiness and the worthiness). For as long as both morally good acts and the happiness are considered to happen in a natural world, the cause of the nature (i.e., the existence of its creator), that is, God, must be able to be presupposed. In this vein, Kant interprets that most people view that the key of the Bible is to show that the best world which is characterized by an intelligible or heavenly kingdom is also actually feasible in this world. The wish of the people who have the morally good character is that God's kingdom comes and his will is properly achieved in this world. But we cannot know what God really does in order to realize his world in this world. Nonetheless, we are fully aware of what we should do in order to make ourselves a member of his world. It is specified like this: we should do our ethical duties and further proceed to establish an ethical community. Viewed this manner, it is concluded that an ethical community is not a merely ideal thing like the kingdom of the ends, but a human apparatus or institution that exists in this world.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.53-76
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• 2008

The aim of this study is to understand the ethical struggles of Child Protective Service(CPS) social workers and to indicate some implications for future studies by conducting research focusing on their ethical dilemmas and decision-making. This study used qualitative methods, in particular the phenomenological approach and 14 in-depth semi-structured interviews with CPS social workers, and were conducted and analyzed using the procedures of Colaizzi(1978). This study looks at the following research questions: 1) What kind of ethical dilemmas do CPS social workers encounter? This means what ethical dilemmas do they directly or indirectly encounter because of policy or system inadequacies and huge caseloads. 2) How do the CPS social workers make decisions when they are faced with ethical dilemmas? Making the best decisions with all of their responsibilities and burdens is the focus of this question. This study suggests the following discussions: First, efforts to emphasize 'ethics' at CPS are needed. Second, proper policies and systems based on the Korean situation are needed so that CPS social workers won't have to face 'needless' ethical dilemmas. Third, an index of ethical problems or ethical codes is necessary because principles are important to those social workers who face ethical dilemmas. Fourth, an ethical committee that protects the CPS social workers by supporting their decisions and being responsible for them is needed. Last, a debriefing system that reduces a CPS social worker's psychological trauma caused by ethical dilemmas should be available.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.120
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• pp.109-130
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• 2011

The main purpose of this paper is to examine Putnam's recent conception of ethics, and show that it gives rise to an ineluctable incoherence with his rationalism. This suggests that Putnam's philosophy has to be far more naturalized to make his new position cogent. Putnam recently has shown some explicit turn toward pragmatism a la James and Dewey under the name of "pragmatic pluralism." Putnam says that traditional ethics has presupposed some form of ontology in one way or another, which he sees is based on an unnecessary pursuit of a misleading conception of objectivity. Putnam tries to get rid of any notion of ontology in ethics, whereby we can talk about a third view which runs between traditional objectivism and nihilistic relativism. In this sense, he defines pragmatism as "fallibilism cum antiskepticism." Putnam's suggestion makes a good sense as far as it goes. However, his continuous transition toward pragmatism is critically impeded by his own adhesion to the normative conception of "reason." In this light, Putnam himself is wobbling between Kant and Dewey, just as he describes ethics is. Dewey's pragmatism does not have recourse to the very notion of reason to secure objectivity necessary to make sense of moral experience. Putnam needs to be far more naturalized to reach cogently where he espouses, and this can be done only by renouncing the normative conception of reason.

• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.69
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• pp.297-324
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• 2017

Recognizing that the ideological nature of Taoist Gwonseonseo whose publication was concentrated during the reign of King Gojong was connected to that of Jeoseungjeon, a Hangul manuscript novel in the 19th century, this study set out to examine the periodic significance of Taoist Gwonseonseo in the 19th century and check the ideological nature of Jeoseungjeon. Taoist Gwonseonseo puts an emphasis on Confucian ethics including loyalty and filial piety in a didactic aspect and shows that the practice of Confucian ethics brings good fortune, which was prominent in many private Taoist books that were huge hits in the latter part of Joseon, when Chinese Taoist Gwonseonseo was introduced in Joseon, translated and circulated in Korean, and spread widely among the public. Those works offer very specific cases of individuals doing good or evil deeds in this world and suffering the consequences in the next world. Jeoseungjeon presents the Buddhist experiences with the next world as the foundation with the next world depicted around the Great Jade Emperor, who emphasizes Confucian ethics, and the hierarchy of Taoist gods under the ultimate the Great Jade Emperor, thus clearly demonstrating the combination pattern of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in the latter half of Joseon. The work describes the scenes of judgment and punishment in the next world according to the witness of the main character and thus gives specific ideas of daily goods, which is a feature found in the latter half of Joseon different from the previous pattern of next world experiences. It is Taoist Gwonseonseo widely spread among the people those days that connects the link.

• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.32
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• pp.245-278
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• 2008

The purpose of this paper is to create an inter-religious dialogue between the Western Christian concept of the spirit and Eastern ch'i philosophy within the category of panentheism. The Hebrew term ruah means 'moving air' and 'wind' which derive from the particular experience of the ancient Hebrew people living in the desert. The Greek pnuema also means 'life' and 'wind' which denote the natural power. Both ruah and pneuma consist of the main idea of the spirit exploring the symbol of relationality of the divine in Western tradition. Eastern ch'i philosophy indicates a vital force for keeping the body and soul alive, which is unconscious and spontaneous. Ch'i as a vital force constitutes cosmogony and cosmology with the constant movement of yin and yang. Yin and Yang as representing earth and heaven are dynamic breaths, blending harmoniously to become all existence. The ethical implication of the inter-religious dialogue between the spirit and ch'i would be the integration and interconnection of heaven, earth, and human beings. The dialogue suggests becoming one body with nature and human community through embodying the non-dualistic spirit of life. The inter-relationality means that since all modalities of existence are made of the cosmic life, human beings are part of the divine cosmic process. This is related to degree of spirituality in the entire chain of being: rocks, trees, animals, humans, and goods represent different levels of spirituality based on the varying composition of the spirit and ch'i. All beings that internally embody with the spirit and ch'i are organically inter-connected, and they are integral part of a continuous process of transformation of life towards holistic liberation of human and nature community.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.67-96
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• 2015

Do cultural differences affect moral decisions? Two studies were conducted to investigate whether attitudes of individualism vs. collectivism have an impact on ethical decision making. Study 1 (N=92) showed that utilitarianism was preferred in a situation, in which an intervention resulted in the best outcome (i.e., saving more people's lives), while deontology was preferred in a situation, in which the focus was on negative consequences of the intervention (i.e. personal sacrifices). Additionally, there were differences between the idiocentrics and the allocentrics groups regarding morality aspects. In the idiocentrics group, harm and fairness were regarded as more important than other moral aspects, while in the allocentrics group, not only harm and fairness, but also ingroup and authority were perceived as critical moral aspects. In Study 2 (N=30), after lexical decision tasks were conducted for culture priming, the mouse tracking method was used to explore response dynamics of moral decision processes, while judging appropriateness of interventions in moral dilemmas. In Study 2, in a condition, in which the small number of victims were focused upon, there were more maximal deviations and higher X_flips in the individualism priming group than in the collectivism priming group, which showed that the participants in the individualism condition had more deliberative processes before choosing their answers between utilitarianism and deontology. In addition, the participants in the individualism priming condition showed more maximal deviations in the mouse trajectories regarding ingroup related interventions in moral dilemmas than those in the collectivism priming condition. These results implicated the possibilities that the automatic emotional process and the controlled deliberative process in moral decision making might interact with cultural dispositions of the individuals and the focus of situations.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.137
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• pp.81-108
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• 2016

In Medieval and Christian history, disputation between Augustine and Pelagius originated from different perspectives regarding the free-will of humans and the grace of God. This debate has continued throughout the Middle-Ages and the Reformation to date. In this regard, the purpose of this article is to investigate the implication of opposition and disputation between Augustine and Pelagius on today's society. Overemphasis on human capacity and free-will leads to humanism, while the arguments supporting the grace of God can encourage evasion of the ethical obligations of humans. Augustine and Pelagius had opposing views on this subject. Pelagius emerged in the Roman Empire, emphasizing the ethical responsibility of humans with free-will. On the other hand, Augustine argued that human nature and free-will had been damaged. With a pessimistic outlook on human capacity, he emphasized the grace of God. Shocked by the self-indulgence and ethical negligence of the Church of Rome which was the center of Christian nations at that time, Pelagius strongly urged Christians of the Roman Church to take moral responsibility. However, the theology of Augustine justified the status quo of the Roman Church while Pelagius focused on the necessity of an ethical life of humans based on free-will. Viewing Pelagius' strict moralism as a humanist view that emphasizes human capacity and action, Augustine showed strong opposition to such a view and instead emphasized God's grace. Pelagius was condemned as a heretic as his belief in free-will did not follow Augustine's Doctrine of Grace. However, Pelagianism penetrated Christian history and still poses a threat to Christianity to date. Societal corruption and depravity is still prevalent in today's society as it was in the time of Pelagius. South Korea for instance is exposed to serious moral corruption and a lack of social responsibility as shown in the sinking of the MV Sewol in April 2014. For those reasons, Christian society emphasizes Christian ethics and requires an honest leader who will set an example of Christian life. In this light, I want to examine the implications of disputation between Augustine and Pelagius on today's society.