Research Methods

2. What is Philosophy?
 Derived from two Greek words, ”Philos” and “Sophia”.
 Philos means ‘love of’ and sophia means ‘wisdom’.
 So the philosophy means “love of wisdom”.
 Philosophy answers,
 What is reality?
 What is life for?
 What is the essence of universe?
 Philosophy is the systematic enquiry into the
principles and presuppositions of any field of study.

3.  Philosophy is “the study of natural and meaning of
the universe and of human life” (Oxford Advanced
Learners Dictionary).
 “Philosophy aims at the knowledge of the eternal, of
the essential nature of things”. (Plato)
 “Philosophy is the science which investigates the
nature of being as it is in virtue of its own
nature.(Aristotle)

5. Nature of philosophy
 Philosophy is a set of views or beliefs about life and
universe ,which are often held uncritically.
 Philosophy is a process of reflecting on and criticizing
our most deeply held conceptions and beliefs.
 Philosophy is a rational attempt to look at the world as
a whole
 Philosophy is the logical analysis which is beyond the
normal physics
 Philosophy interest the people enquire into the
deepest problems of human existence.

6.  ROLE OF REASONING IN PHILOSOPHY ?

7. Branches of Philosophy
 Axiology: Study of the nature of value and valuation
 Metaphysics: Study of the fundamental nature of reality
 Epistemology: Study of the nature, origin, and limits of
human knowledge
 Ethics Philosophy: Study of what is right and wrong in
human behaviour.
 Aesthetics: Study of beauty and taste
 Logic Philosophy: Study of the nature and types of logic
 Political Philosophy: Study of government, addressing
questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public
agents and institutions

8. What is ethics?
 Ethics is concerned with what is good for individuals
and society and is also known as moral philosophy.
 The term is derived from Greek word “ethos” which is
meant for custom, habit, character and disposition.
Ethics covers the following dilemmas:
 How to live a good life?
 Our rights and responsibilities
 The language of right and wrong
 Moral decisions

9. WWYD?
 Scenario 1
You hit a car in the parking lot, leaving a small dent. No one
has seen it. What do you do?
 Scenario 2
You just got back from shopping, and looking at your
receipts, discover that you were not charged for a $75 hoodie.
What do you do? What if you realize at the cash register that
you were not charged for something?

10. Difference Between Morals and Ethics?
• Basically the same, a VERY subtle difference
• MORALS define personal character
• Your moral code is unchanging
• Ethics stress a social system in which those morals are
applied.
• Your ethical behaviour can be affected by other sources

12. Moral philosophy:
Moral philosophy is actually the art of living a decent and
disciplined life. Moral philosophy is the study of what is right
and wrong in human conservation and society.
Moral Judgment:
The judgment which deals with the moral value or quality of an
action which evaluates the rightness or wrongness.
When we examine a moral judgments, we discover
that it has the following elements:
 a subject who will judge
 an object whose action will be judged
 standard against which the subject's movement will be
judged
 the ability to judge the action as required.

13. Why philosophy and ethics are important
in research?
 Research is the pursuit of truth.
 One has to ensue ethical behavior in the pursuit of
truth
 The philosophy and ethics will guide in selection of
research problem
 Design and sampling procedures.
 Responsibilities towards participants of research and
society.
 Publishing the findings and conclusions.

14. Case 1
 A manufacturing company provides jobs for many people in a
small town where employment is not easy to find. The company
has stayed in the town even though it could find cheaper workers
elsewhere, because workers are loyal to the company due to the
jobs it provides. Over the years, the company has developed a
reputation in the town for taking care of its employees and being
a responsible corporate citizen.
 The manufacturing process used by the company produces a by-
product that for years has flown into the town river. The by-
product has been considered harmless but some people who live
near the river have reported illnesses. The by-product does not
currently violate any anti-pollution laws.
 What are the issues of integrity, ethics and law posed in the case
study? What options does the company have, and what should it
do and why?

15. Case 2
 A woman is sexually harassed by a top-level senior executive in a
large company. She sues the company, and during settlement
discussions she is offered an extremely large monetary
settlement. In the agreement, the woman is required to confirm
that the executive did nothing wrong, and after the agreement is
signed the woman is prohibited from discussing anything about
the incident publicly. Before the date scheduled to sign the
settlement agreement, the woman's lawyer mentions that she
has heard the executive has done this before, and the settlement
amount is very large because the company probably had a legal
obligation to dismiss the executive previously. The company
however wants to keep the executive because he is a big money
maker for the company.