Philosophy (B-KUL-HBA52A)

3 ECTSEnglish26 Second term
Verhoeven Inge (coordinator) |  Corner Mark |  Verhoeven Inge
OC Business Administration FEB Campus Brussel

Every science and every profession will at some stage confront its practititioners with fundamental questions. This also holds for economics and business. For instance, one might wonder to what extent managers should take into account other than strictly economic principles, such as social, ecological, philosophical, or ethical principles. The difficulty with such philosophical questions is that they transcend the framework of a strictly scientific or technical approach. They presuppose a wider view of the human being and of society, a view whose validity is not always self-evident. Yet, those questions are important to anyone who would like to understand what they are occupied with, and to anyone for whom professional activities are not just a means to an income.

In this course, the following key objectives are (partially or fully) realized:

  • Has a functional multidisciplinary knowledge to identify social phenomena and to reflect on them, also from a philosophical-ethical perspective, and link them with the corporate and market reality in a reasoned way.
  • Shows interest in current affairs and broadens his background knowledge.
  • Estimates the impact of business operations on various stakeholders and society.
  • Connects the psycho-social and ethical insights with the (business) economic reality in a reasoned way.
  • Reflects on business and economic thinking and behaviour from a social and ethical point of view.

The position of the course in the framework of the learning objectives of the programme can be found under the section “Objectives” of the “Bachelor of Business Administration (Brussels)”.

No prior knowledge is required for this course.

 

This course is identical to the following courses:
Y00919 : Filosofie
HBH23A : Filosofie
HLH24A : Philosophy (No longer offered this academic year)

Activities

3 ects. Philosophy (B-KUL-HBA52a)

3 ECTSEnglishFormat: Lecture26 Second term
OC Business Administration FEB Campus Brussel

The course consists of two parts. Part 1 deals with Western Philosophy, part 2 deals with Eastern/comparative Philosophy.
Part I examines some of the philosophical principles underlying economic theories and presumptions. It looks at the way economists explain the origin of money, the problem of debt and the management of the economy and asks whether their ideas are philosophically sustainable. It will make particular use of the economists Francois Quesnay, Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Thomas Malthus, John Maynard Keynes, the philosophers John Locke and David Hume and the physicist Isaac Newton.
Part 2 broaches subjects such as joy, choice, nature, power,…. How do we deal with those subjects in daily life and how can philosophy help us to answer questions related to those topics. What are the different historical and cultural perspectives? Students are offered a comparative approach in  which the following persons play a major role: Confucius, Socrates, Siddhartha Gautama, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tuttu, Matthieu Ricard...

Course is in English. Handouts are in English.

Lectures. Students are given the possibility to ask questions.

Evaluation

Evaluation: Philosophy (B-KUL-H70022)

Type : Exam during the examination period
Description of evaluation : Written
Type of questions : Multiple choice


Credits: 3
* A credit is used to express the study load of each degree programme or course. Definition Credit: It is an internationally accepted unit that corresponds with 25-30 hours of prescribed teaching-, learning-and evaluation activities. 
Contact Hours: 26
Study time and examination: 
Overview Assignments / Training Periods:
 

Exam period June: Written exam. 



 

Exam period Aug/Sep
 

Cf. first exam period