HCJ Test Revision Notes

Here's a simple break down of the answers to the questions. You may need to elaborate more, these are only bullet points but they may be helpful reminders in the exam.

1. Outline the verification principles as part of the school of thought known as logical positivism. Hoe might this principle be applied in the day-to-day work of a journalist?

-The verification principle is a way of categorising truth claims as: true, false or meaningless.
-If a claim can not be proven to be true or false then it is regarded as meaningless and should not be spoken about, because it can not be proven in any way.
-This relates to journalists because we need to make sure that everything we print or broadcast is fast, accurate and fair. Our articles or packages would not be accurate if we cant verify them as true or false. If they are not verifiable than there is no reason to talk about it as it must be meaningless.
-Religious and Cartesian people do not believe in this as God can not be verified to be true or false, therefore he is meaningless and should not be spoken about.
- Logical positivism is believed in by the Vienna Circle who were a group of philosophers who greatly influenced 20th century philosophy.
-Logical positivism questioned the validity of other philiosophical schools of thought such as metaphysics.
- Modern philosophy combines empirical knowledge with the deduction of human knowledge.

2. What is phenomenology: can there be such a thing as a subjective reality or subjective truth? What sort of standards ought a journalist apply?

-Phemonmenology is a branch of philosophy that deals with the subjective experience and your own personal reason of how and why you react that way.
-Solipsism- The world is a projection of your own being.
-Truth can be subjective - it is what you want to believe.
- Impircists Locke and Berkley believe that there is no way you can believe the door is there without thinking about it.
- It is a crazy idea but proved by quantum mechanics.
- The mind builds the data on the 5 senses.
- HUSSERL - Intention > if you want to see a tree you will see a tree. You WILL the world in to existence.
-HEIDEGGER > Phenomenologist, after the war he was concerned with our intentions that make the world then dealing with the consequences of those choices.

3. Describe in broad terms Keynes ideas on monetary policy, with an indication of how Keynesian “revolution” came about. Does “Keynesianism” inevitably lead to social regression, mortal failure, and serfdom as Hayek asserts?

-Check out Charlotte Clarks blog for a catchy rap that really helped me out on this question.http://charlotteaclarke.blogspot.com
-KEYNES, BOOST AGGREGATE DEMAND TO GET OUT OF UNEMPLOYMENT.
- K wants to steer markets, the circular flow when people are earning and then spending back out in to the economy.
- K if the markets are low we need to increase government spending.
- K believes that wars boost the economy because virtually everyone is employed.
- K State intervention can counter depression.
-K wanted to print more money which then resulted in more employment and good circulation.
-K believed you could pay people money even if the gold was not in the bank. The people would spend their money on rent, food etc and so the money would find it's way back out in to the economy making more jobs for people and allowing people to actually sell their wares. If people invested it like HAYEK wanted the money would not be circulating.
-K is the economist that theorised price controld by the governments central bank. Lower the interest rates when the economy is doing well and raise the interest rates when the economy is falling and slipping in to a depression or recession. This will mean that people will not be saving when there is a recession they will be spending the money and circulating the money.
- K argued the wages should not be cut because if they were there would be less spending and less money circulating the economy.
- HAYEK wrote the road to serfdom and argued that if the government take control of economic decision making then there will be an abandonment of individualism, liberalism and freedom resulting in a socialist or fascist oppression with serfs working for the State.
- H wants the markets set free.
- H believes KEYNES theory conceals the mechanics of change and is a simple quick fix solution.
- H says that we are only left with debt after circulating the market and believes we should save our money and let it grow in the banks. The market coordinates time with interest.
- H - MALINVESTMENTS WRECK THE ECONOMY and the boom devalues capital.
- Employment is a means but not an end to a recession or depression.

4. “Facts in logical space are the world” Witgenstein in Tractatus .Do you agree?

- It is a declaritive statment which is meant to be self evident.
-A fect is something that can be independently verified as true, false or meaningless.
- In the critque of pure reason Kant explains that what we experience physically is not the real world but a replica made with our brains.
-The brain consists of thoguhts which is close to the world being made up of facts
- Kants 'brain' could be Wittgensteins 'logical space'.
- The world is of facts not things.
-The world divides in to facts.
-The totality of facts determines what is the case and what is not.
-The World perceived is not made up of substance but of facts.
-SO..... if the world is made up of facts and the logical space is the experience of which we put these facts then that is the world we perceive. The facts in the logical space can only be verified as true or false because meaningless facts should not be spoken or thoguht about so should not be in the logical space.

5.Looking back at HCJ as a whole choose a topic/philosopher. Explain why they are important for journalistic reasons.

-This is to be revised and written individually so you'll have to come up with your own topic/philosopher.

Hope that has been of some use to you, Good Luck!

HCJ - The Stranger by Albert Camus

This book is short, sweet and to the point, in every way. The Stranger encompasses phenomenology and existentialism.

Existentialism is that you choose your life and your decisions and you then have to live by those choices. It also includes that there is no higher meaning and that potentially you have no soul. Camus explores this in his book when the main character Mersault tells the Prosecutor that he does not believe in God, thus making the prosecutor believe that he has no soul. The chaplain is also shocked when he hears that Mersault does not want to pray or believe in God.

Phenomenology is observing occurrences in the world. Mersault spends large amounts of time observing the street outside of his window, as well as his neighbours observing Raymond and his Mistress.

Heidegger had, 'The Structure of Being' which was three fold.

The past= guilt

The present= dread

The future= fear of the unknown

Mersault does not look to the past or to the future. When Marie asks if he will marry her he does not think about the future, settling down with her. He simply says, "yes" because he would like to kiss her. He does not have an opinion on love, the future or what life may be like with her. He does not fear the future, have guilt from the past or dread for the present. He lives his life how he likes and has routines but is not bothered when the routine is disrupted.

Mersault refuses to be determined by other people or lie. When his lawyer tells him he should lie about how he acted at his mothers funeral he refuses to. Even though this is what condems him to being executed. Different people, throughout the book question Mersault on his actions and instead of agreeing with them he carries on with his life and lives his life not answering to anyone and simply making his own decisions.

Mersault killed the Arab and instead of feeling guilty he just feels like it was an accident. He think about his execution and does try to think of how he can get out of the prison but finally resides himself to dying. He rationalises it in the fact that every person must die at some point and that his is simply coming earlier than liked.

When first starting to read this book i did not understand why he did not feel much for his mother. I kept expecting him to break down in tears and feel guilty that he was not there for her or that he did not want to picture the future without her but he does not do this. He carries on his life with ease and only think about little lines his mother used to say or remembers sense he felt on the day of his funeral. For example on the day he killed the Arab he remarked that the heat he felt was the same as the day of his mothers funeral.

Instead of acting how society would like him to act he repels this and does as he pleases. This is what kept him in prison and eventually his execution. On the day of his mothers funeral he could not remember her age, he did not cry, he slept, drank coffee and smoked cigarettes. He was questioned about many of these things and by simply answering or acting how society expected him to act would have given a different impression on the person and the jury that later heard what he had done. He did not do this but remained true to himself and did not live a lie, this is what makes him an existential hero; he refuses to be determined by other people.