Capstone Practical Notes Latest Update. A Pass Guaranteed

Capstone Practical Notes Jürgen Habermas - Public intellectual – German newspaper; public has access to his thoughts. - Born before WWII started – was 16 when the war ended. - Public reason – can we use this, as public citizens, to talk to one another? o We can all adapt to and that can be in the service of a liberal democratic society. o Communicative action – thought public debate and discourse, using reason, we can come to a place where the things that we decide as a society (moral norms/laws/politics) can be good for the majority of people. - Multiple modernities – Habermas. - Hypothesis that there is one modernity; all societies across the globe will eventually modernize in the same way. - Westerners believe that their view of modernity in regard to family life, capitalistic economy, political structures of liberal democracy, urbanization, mass communication, and individualism – all societies are going to modernize in the same way. - This hypothesis represents a universal (single) modernity. - Habermas says there are multiple modernities – many are changing but it doesn’t look the same. - Max Weber – Entzauberung (disenchantment); de-magication the world; look at modern societies as superstitious; there is an overall disenchantment of nature – as we modernize, we no longer see nature as enchanted and what is replacing the enchantment is science – rationalization. o Linear trajectory from pagan polytheism with magic and superstition moving towards monotheistic traditions, and then towards godless modern science. Science replaces even monotheism. - John Rawls – public use of reason. o Requires that moral and political rules that regulate our common life, to some degree, must be justifiable or acceptable to all the persons over who the rules purport to have authority. o We are all free and we are all equal – without freedom or equality, this vision of public reason does not work. o If we are all born free and equal, how can we let ourselves be subjected to rules and regulations? Is it possible? o Freedom and equality are 2 moral norms – not true or right but are commonly held values. We are all equally free to be different. o Public reason only functions if there is a group of reasonable persons that are going to accept the outcome. o 2 criteria for reasonable persons: ▪ Ready to propose principles as fair terms of cooperation, abide by them willingly, given assurance that others agree as well. ▪ Burden of judgement – accept consequences; we willingly freely accept that if we break this law, we will be punished. - Gerald Gaus – members of the public; shouldn’t expect to find idealistic reasonable persons; allows for more diversity; different forms of reasoning. o Habermas criticizes – allows for so much difference, no common ground. - Habermas o Theocracy – run by religion. o Finds Rawls’ location of religion too strict – impossible to annex out something that is religious. o Cooperative act of translation – we can speak from our religious traditions and beliefs in a way that becomes universal and translatable. o Religious people can benefit the common good. Elizabeth Shakman Hurd - Two Faces of Faith = good religion and bad religion. - How international relations look at religion. - Bad religion: o Religious extremism. o Unorthodox versions of tradition. o Subject to correction and discipline. - Good religion: o You yourself will take care of extremism within your own community. o Promote peace and international human rights. - Takes issue with the idea that religion is an “it” – an object. - Category of religion experts. - Further marginalization from the political need to promote a certain image of them as a good religion – lose sight of the real lived experience of the Sahrawi people and their own beliefs of how they practice Islam. Policy Briefing Note Frame it in positive language Inspire confidence and show you are accountable Neutral position How minister would respond to all sorts of questions Issue/Purpose: Sex-ed curriculum changes in Ontario. Key Message: Different time; protect kids from technology and earlier puberty growths; be careful about wording things of value (open-minded); reflect changing realities of our society to be inclusive of same sex relationships. Background: history of how the situation came about; last changed in 1998 and tried it 5 years ago but it was shut down because of protests. Current Status: Toronto public health, teachers, parents and children, school board. Parents are taking children out of school, protests September 21, 2017 The Protestant Reformation and Secularization - Protestant Reformation (16th century, Europe) – Martin Luther. He wanted to reform the Church – his followers started a new movement. - Catalyst to what is happening in terms of modernization and secularization. - Started with decentralization of Catholic Church in Europe. - Wars of Religion (). Fighting over whether to be protestant or Catholic. - Protestants – only referred to scripture. - Secular/Reformation Age: 1.) More than one religion. 2.) Disenchantment 3.) Two Kingdoms – theory that separates the state from the church. Rulers should live in a secular way; God will rule the spirit; Kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of Earth. 4.) Priesthood of all believers – everybody is a priest; everyone should have access to God, unmediated through priests. Reason: Pre-modern, Modern, Post-modern - Pre-modern – Middle Ages (5th to 15th C) o Reason starts from the assumption that God exists (Thomas Aquinas, 13th C). o Tried to use reason to prove the existence of God. - Modern – Enlightenment (18th C) o Reason starts with the individual, but is universal. - Post-modern – (1970s and on) o Reason starts with the cultural and historical context in which individuals and communities find themselves. Immanuel Kant () - Phenomenal vs. Noumenal worlds. o Phenomenal – how the world appears to us; everything that we experience. o Noumenal – reality in itself; something we can’t experience. - We can’t experience the world as it really is. - “What is Enlightenment?” – have the courage to make use of your own understanding without the direction of another. - Enlightenment Values: o 1.) Autonomy – we should not be dictated the truth by anyone; we should think for ourselves and be independent. o 2.) Freedom – we have to be afforded the freedom to be independent; free in our thinking. o 3.) Progress – progress more and more towards the good; optimistic belief. Famous Modern Critics of Religion 1.) Marx: religion as a drug. 2.) Freud: God as answer to psychological need; wish for an all powerful parent to protect us. Grow up and accept that God is an illusion. Illusion is based on wish fulfillment. 3.) Nietzsche: Christianity is the religion of slaves; strong and determined few are essential for progress; we should be honouring the elite and those who are powerful. Pity preserves weakness; instead of pulling people up, we push them down (Christianity). Human nature is not essentially good but for only purposes of power. Post-modernity - Michel Foucault – every interpretation of truth, is an assertion of power. - The way we reason depends on our context, experience, sexuality, gender, etc. - Post-modernity goes against universal reason. - Post-modernity tries to uncover the biases and conditions that shape history and religious truths – things like gender, ethnicity, racialization, economy, politics and culture. - Moving from the universal to the particular. - Participant in, not observer of, reality. Charles Taylor – A Secular Age 3 Types of Secularity 1.) Emptying of religion from the public sphere. 2.) Waning of belief and practice (private sphere). 3.) Belief is one option among many. a. “Fullness”; “the middle condition” – in the middle condition, we have to keep chaos at bay; it’s not fullness or emptiness. b. Fullness – depth of feeling (love, emotions). - Transcendence – source of meaning is external to oneself. - With modernization, we become more of an imminent society. We look to ourselves – self-sufficient humanism. September 28, 2017 - Choose a TOPIC (Canadian context) – don’t do anything that’s more than a few years old. Toronto Star, CBC – something that is straightforward. Be aware of editorials, opinionated pieces. o From a newspaper article, television or radio news. - What is the ISSUE? o Framed as a statement naming the problem or controversy. o One statement that is clear. - What is the KEY MESSAGE? o Commitments, priorities, accountability, what decisions have been made, framed with positive language. o Can be a number of bullet points but make sure sentence is clear. - What is the BACKGROUND? o Historical context, events, research, geography, etc). o Should take up half of policy briefing note – 1 page. o Add bibliography at the end. - What is the CURRENT STATUS? o Key players? What is happening now? Quebec, Secularism, and Laïcité - 1.) The Quiet Revolution - 2.) The Charger of Values - De-privatization – religion is often thought of belonging to the private sphere. - Public religions – how can they be public? What does that look like? - Common understanding can separate secular public guided by universal reason. - Private guided by ethnic group. - Public religions should be able to participate in the public sphere by being a voice of ethical criticism – don’t need to hide the fact that they are religious. - Referendum 1980 – separation, sovereignty. - Referendum 1995 - 1950s – thoroughly religious community. - 1970s – the most secular province in Canada. - More focus on neo-conservatism understanding of the free market – strong economy. - Government is spending less money for social services. - Church became highly critical of the government – this is how they became a public religion in Quebec; it was using ethical criticism against the government. - Church became a voice for justice issues. Supportive of aboriginal, welfare, women’s issues, environment, newcomers, labour unions. Catholic church became vocal and became de-privatized. David Seljak – Public Religions Les Grandes Orientations (Catholic Social Thought) 1.) The responsibility of citizens to participate in social policy decisions. 2.) Balancing of rights and duties in light of the common good. 3.) Equitable distribution of rights and responsibilities. 4.) Concern for spiritual and cultural elements of society. 5.) Solidarity among peoples. Quebec Charter of Values - Remove ostentatious religious symbols. - Drainville: symbols are “emblematic” and have become “civil.” - “Patrimoine” – heritage.