CONTEMPORARY ISSUES of debate in SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY

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CONTEMPORARY ISSUES of debate in SOCIAL
PHILOSOPHY

• Dr. D Nesy
• Prof Head
• Dept. of Philosophy, University of Kerala, India.

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Why Social Philosophy?

• Our goal is a healthy, happy and satisfactory
  life based on values and ideals.
• Peace, freedom, justice and welfare of all
  peoples is our dream
• Science and technology has given prodigious
  mechanical power and material prosperity.
• Debates on the gap between the factual and the
  normative, is and the ought, the way in which
  society has been functioning and how it should
  function are important in this context.

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I. Multiculturalism

• Products are conceived in one country, designed
  in another, manufactured in a third using
  components from half a dozen others and sold
  world wide. Relationships between organizations
  and individuals in different countries are not
  only those of supplier, customer and competitor
  but of ownership, partnership and alliance, of
  advisor and facilitator.

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Implications..

• People from different cultural and religious
  backgrounds
• People who do not understand one anothers
  patterns of thought
• Are required to work together in constructive
  and harmonious partnerships
• Where mutual trust is very much in need
• Respect for the marginalized and minority groups
  and the problem of language.

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2. Science and Technology

• The world has achieved brilliance without
  wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world
  of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know
  more about war than about peace more about
  killing than we know about living.

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3. Environment

• Are we morally obligated to respect the
  environment?
• What obligations do we have to the future
  generations?
• Anthropocentrism versus non-anthropocentrism or
  Bio-centrism or Eco-centrism?

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4. Equality and Justice

• Normative foundations of equality and justice
• Justice when resources are scarce and recipients
  are many.
• Question of development- quantitative /
  qualitative
• Human development, sustainable development or
  alternative development

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Equality and Justice

• Changing role of religion.
• Development
• Peace
• Not in war and conflicts.

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Case I Clinical Trials in India

• The Drugs and Cosmetic Industry in India earned a
  revenue of 70 million in 2004 and is expected to
  be 1 billion in 2010.
• In January 2005 the Drugs and Cosmetic Act was
  amended to allow multi-centric trials to be
  conducted in India.
• Next big thing after IT but it is forgotten
  that IT deals with inanimate computers and
  peripherals but CT involves humans.

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Problems..

• Ineffective Institutional Committees (IES)
• Informed Consent
• Patient Protection
• Money Factor
• Post Trial Commitments

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Case 2. Environment

• Indian concept of family not necessarily
  nuclear, provides vital support in practical,
  material and psychological realms and forms our
  most important social duty and obligation.
• It extends even to clan or sub-caste, friends and
  neighbors.
• We take care of those who are dear and near and
  remain indifferent to the rest.
• Proud of the sumptuous luxury apartments and
  immediate habitat.
• Acute sense of personal hygiene with two baths a
  day.
• Land of tree huggers and chipko andolan

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Environment..

• Lack of civic culture with dirty and garbage
  strewn public places, path-holed and neglected
  streets, vandalized or dis- functioning public
  amenities.
• De forestation and over cultivation, un treated
  effluents, reeking and over flowing sewages, more
  and more cars on the already congested roads and
  more and more toxins and poisons flowing in to
  air and water

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Environment

• Development is taking place
• Environment ?

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Development versus Environment

• The first test case in the country of the
  conflict between the needs of development and
  environment.
• The state of Kerala was the first to elect
  communist party to power by ballot in the world
  as far back as 1957.

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Case 3- Silent Valeey

• Kerala is the classical paradox with
• Near-total literacy, few infant mortality,
  abundant skilled people etc.
• Abysmal economic development particularly
  industrial growth
• Widespread unemployment
• Silent Valley hydro electric project proposed in
  1970s to dam the Kunthipuzha river and generate
  120 mwts of power using the water otherwise
  flowing wastefully to the Arabian sea.
• Lack of industry because of the lack of power.

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Silent Valley

• Unique strip of forest uninhabited even by
  tribals in the Western ghats.
• Possessed many types of flora and fauna including
  a very rare primate, the lion-tailed macaque.
• Internationally recognized as one of the hot
  spots of bio diversity in the globe.
• Marked by the presence of the priceless plants
  such as the wild variety of rice that contains
  genes that can resist pests which attack new
  high-yielding varieties of rice.
• Natural store house with incalculable economic
  benefit.
• The Silent valley hydro electric project raised a
  fierce controversy.

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Silent valley

• Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP), a group of
  Science teachers and other progressive
  professionals banded together to take a close
  look at the pros and cons of the project.
• Scientific books translated in to Malayalam, the
  native language.
• Started engaging debates about environment and
  development.
• Assessed the economic and ecological values of
  preserving this this unique region.

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Continue

• National and international protests
• Global environmental organizations like the World
  Wild Life Fund and International Union for
  conservation of Nature intervened.
• Interestingly, the Kerala State Electricity Board
  asked the protesters Are monkeys more important
  than men?
• Finally the Supreme Court put its foot down for
  the attempts of politicians and industrialists to
  de reserve the national parks and exploiting the
  natural resources.

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Continue

• The Central Govt. decided to call off the project
  and
• The issue was resolved in favor of the
  environmentalists to preserve this rain forests
  in western ghats.
• Silent Valley was declared a National Park.

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Conclusion

• Human beings aspire for wholesome lives.
• Abundant power is at his disposal
• Issues of peace and war, poverty and abundance
  and conflicts of racial and political nature
  confront him from every side.
• A scientific and critical attitude to problems
  will create a new thinking pattern.

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• THANK YOU!