HCJ revision notes

1. Outline the verification principle as part of the school of thought known as logical positivism, how might this be applied to journalism.

· The verification principle basically means that if something cannot be verified than it is neither true nor false but just nonsensical. For example a certain moral or ethical belief cannot be proved though means of collecting data or science so its nonsensical
· Ludwig Wittgenstein says that there is no point in talking about things that you can’t prove as it makes no sense.
· Solipsism- people should only talk about things that exist in their world. Some people believe that our minds make up the world so we should only talk about what out actual mind can see rather than things like heaven and hell which can’t be proved.
· In relation to journalism, by following these ideas it means that people will believe only what they see. If someone tells a journalist a story they need to be 100% sure that it is true and before they see it in the world they perceive then they is no point publishing or broadcasting it. Furthermore it must be able to be proved to be true or it is pointless talking about it according to logical positivism. So only when a fact enters your world and you see it can it be considered real, which would avoid any false information being released.


2. What is phenomenology can there be a subjective reality or subjective truth, what standards ought a journalist apply.

· Kant believes that things exist only when we perceive them and that they are only there when we look at them.
· Kant would say that there is a thing in itself ( Noumena) such as a table but it only really exists once we use our senses and perceive it (phenomena)
· Other thinkers such as Locke and Hume think that objects in the world are always there regardless of whether we perceive them. (empirical thinkers)
· Phenomenology is creating things with your mind, the idea that we will the world to exist by thinking of it.
· In existentialism, the intentions that we have make the world, and solipsism is the idea that we can change what we see with our thinking.
· In relation to journalism, a journalist should apply the idea that truth and reality are not always the same. There are things in the world that are true but we must experience them for ourselves to know if they are real or not. Kant thinks that you can have a priori knowledge about some things in the world, which I think is true, but we must experience the noumenal world to understand it.

3. Describe JM Keynes ideas on monetary policy with an indication of how the Keynesian ‘revolution’ came about. Does this lead to social regression, moral failure and serfdom as Hayek asserts.
· Economists try to see world from non phenomenological way
· The depression of the 30’s brought it about (Keynesian revolution)
· In the war the government printed worthless money for total employment.
· The multiplier; people get a pointless job, spend their wages in a shop the person who works in the shop can buy things now etc. Etc. Money makes the world turn.
· Keynes wanted to boost aggregate demand, and thought government should increase spending rather than saving to boost recovery.
· Keynes thinks government spending to keep people employed will keep the flow of cash going round which is key.
· Keynes thinks that even if a country has no gold they should print money and keep people employed.
· Thought the government should intervene to avoid severe unemployment.
· Since the recession of 2008 started, the government has seen a return to a more Keynesian like policy.
· Says that peoples spending will catch up with the new money supply. The key is that people spend and buy what the economy in producing without jobs this isn’t possible.
· Keynes wanted to control the market whereas Hayek wanted them to be free.
· Hayek thinks that saving is the right thing to do and Keynes ideas lead to radical movements in society ‘serfdom’

4. ‘Facts in logical space are the world.’ Tractatus Do you agree?
· It rejects Metaphysics
· Says that there is no ideal form, no noumena, the world is just made of facts that are in our mind
· Facts make the world, I agree as facts are the truth and represent everything in the world.
· Without facts the world could not exsist. FACT.
· Without facts we cannot verify things as we have nothing to compare it to so otherwise everyone is chatting nonsense.
· The world consists of facts which is the basis for logical thinking.
· People have different opinions of the world but the facts are there and cannot be changed.


5. Choose a movement or thinker we have discussed who has affected journalism.

Wittgenstein’s ideas on logical positivism sticks in my mind and not just because it was the most recent thing we studied. He says in the Tractatus that; ‘there are no grounds for believing that the simplest eventuality will actually be realized.’ He uses an example of the sun rising saying that just because it rose doesn’t mean it will again the next day. I have my own example of crossing a road; you look left and right and right again seeing that the road is clear. However this doesn’t mean a drugged up nutcase on a bank robbery get away job can’t come down the wrong side of the road and hit you from the left! The point is you can never assume anything even if it really is the simplest occurrence that happens every day, facts must be checked as they make up the world. You cannot talk about things you don’t actually know and can yourself verify. One of, if not, the biggest mistakes a journalist can make is to get their facts wrong. This is why we must always believe only what we see and can prove, also this school of thought has allowed me to rely on myself and trust myself more in life as well as journalism as I can prove myself what is true and not rely on a next man gassing it.