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Ethics in Progress, 2024

In this article I aim to show the limits of certain "ways of considering" nature, as well as the ... more In this article I aim to show the limits of certain "ways of considering" nature, as well as the intrinsic contradictions in their modus operandi, following Hegel's analysis in the Introductions to the Encyclopaedic Naturphilosophie and the Berlin Lectures on the Philosophy of Nature. After framing the problem within the broader theme - already explored in Jena - of the relationship between nature and spirit, I will show that both the practical and the theoretical, insofar as they are founded in an original separation between man and nature, result in a subjection of the natural being to man. In order for this to be redeemed from one-sided conduct towards it, it is necessary to access through living intuition a philosophical consideration – both of the living being and of nature as a whole –, the activity of which Hegel understands as a rediscovery of the rationality of nature and its "liberation”.

Ethics in Progress, 2024

This brief introduction sets the stage for the central aim of this issue of Ethics in Progress de... more This brief introduction sets the stage for the central aim of this issue of Ethics in Progress devoted to Hegel: to underscore the enduring relevance of his thought, in particular his Philosophy of Nature and his Realphilosophie, in addressing contemporary challenges. While Hegel may appear to some as an abstract thinker, seemingly surpassed by the demands of our era, the core elements of his philosophy – particularly the dialectical method, his reflections on the complex relationship between Natur (nature) and Geist (spirit), and key concepts such as Anerkennung (recognition) and Wille (will) – continue to provide a vital conceptual framework for addressing pressing issues of our time. These include the environmental crisis and the evolving dynamics between humanity, nature, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. Consequently, this issue strives to approach Hegel through the lens of our contemporary experience, not to distort or “denaturalize” his thought, nor to fall into the trap of anachronism, but to breathe new life into the concept. By doing so, it invites the reader to listen anew to what Hegel’s philosophy might still teach us today.

Ethics in Progress, 2024

This paper critically evaluates the classification of research-related fraudulent activities, wit... more This paper critically evaluates the classification of research-related fraudulent activities, with an emphasis on the specific misconduct falsification. The analysis begins by interrogating the assumption that all acts of fraud in research are intentional, suggesting that some instances may inadvertently arise during the course of scholarly activities. Misconducts like fabrication and falsification are categorized as fraudulent primarily due to their generation during research activities and their direct contribution to the distortion of scientific knowledge. Plagiarism, while deceptive, does not necessarily originate from the research process nor lead directly to such distortion, and therefore is not classified as de facto fraud. The paper proposes that the definition of falsification – as established by the PHS – requires refinement to prevent wrongful allegations and convictions, enhance transparency, and offer clearer guidelines. This nuanced understanding is vital for safeguarding the credibility of the research process and protecting scientists from unfounded career-damaging accusations. Ultimately, this paper advocates for a clearer definition of falsification to protect the integrity of scientific research and prevent the miscarriage of justice.

Ethics in Progress, 2024

Should ChatGPT be viewed merely as a supportive tool for writers, or does it qualify as a co-auth... more Should ChatGPT be viewed merely as a supportive tool for writers, or does it qualify as a co-author? As ChatGPT and similar language models are likely to become more prevalent in assisting with academic writing and research, it seems that we will face with two possibilities: an increase in ghostwriting that could finally undermine the integrity of the knowledge system, or the need to theoretical preparation to recognize the role of non-human contributors. Drawing on Actor-Network Theory, this article examines the question of whether this Chatbot meets, in principle, the requirements for co-authorship. Answering this question in affirmative, it delves into philosophical discussions concerning the agency, moral agency, and moral accountability of such technological entities.

Ethics in Progress, 2024

Four publishing-related organizations, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory ... more Four publishing-related organizations, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the first being dedicated specifically to the creation and dissemination of ethics policies, established a set of 16 principles related to journal and publisher transparency and “best” publishing practices. The first, second, third and fourth versions were published in 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2022, respectively. Membership of these organizations implies that members can only become such if they satisfy these principles. This paper compares the four versions to appreciate how the content has changed over time, as a historical endeavor to gather how publishing ethics has progressed over time. An assessment is also made to determine whether all principles are related to transparency and best principles, and if any may be missing. We concluded that the 16 principles offer broad guidance to several important aspects related to journal and publishing ethics and management. However, the vast majority are in general excessively broad, occasionally vague, or lack sufficient examples or specifics, despite the slight improvement between versions 3 and 4. We argue further that these weaknesses may limit their practical application. Until September 2022, there was no transparency regarding the consequences for any members that might violate, or not abide by, these principles. In the light of these arguments, we are of the opinion that the 16 principles of “best” publishing practices merit additional improvements.

Ethics in progress, 2024

The present study identifies specifics of adolescence by reconstructing the cultural-historical p... more The present study identifies specifics of adolescence by reconstructing the cultural-historical process of the emergence of this age, which is essentially connected to modernity, by means of two epochal works of art from the years 1719 (Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe) and 1774 (Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s Die Leiden des jungen Werthers) which are reflected upon using terms derived from development theory. This study bases its conclusions on a summary theoretical model of adolescence as the awakening of subjectivity, with critical consideration given of current tendencies in dealing with and shaping adolescence. The potential associated with this stage of life as represented amid the unleashing of modernity seems to be decreasing again in its neoliberal late phase. It seems instead to be replaced by empty stagings and conjuration of creativity.

Ethics in Progress, 2024

In recent years, in the journey of building a modern socialist country in the new era, perspectiv... more In recent years, in the journey of building a modern socialist country in the new era, perspective taking has gradually attracted the attention of Chinese scholars due to its contribution to improving social civilization and the adaptability of Chinese citizens to society. New perspectives and empirical research are constantly emerging, and scholars are constantly exploring and improving relevant theories while conducting research based on China’s own national conditions. In order to improve social civilization, they are exploring the specific development of Chinese citizens’ perspective selection, and starting to focus on the intervention and application of perspective taking ability, integrating research into various aspects of education, management, and other aspects of China’s modern social construction. In this essay, we explored the new research achievements of Chinese scholars in the past decade, focusing on the relationship between perspective taking and prosocial behavior, perspective taking and inter group relationships, perspective taking and management of special populations, and the impact of gender factors on perspective taking. It also provides inspiration for China to improve social civilization and solve corresponding social problems.

Ethics in Progress, 2024

The article analyzes Russia’s current war in Ukraine through the perspective of Francis Fukuyama’... more The article analyzes Russia’s current war in Ukraine through the perspective of Francis Fukuyama’s concept of identity politics based on Samuel Huntington’s civilization approach. We argue that Russia’s war against Ukraine is a new type of war – a “war for identity” – a war that is waged primarily for the appropriation of Ukrainian cultural identity and historical heritage, rather than for political or economic resources. We believe that an effective explanatory framework for its consideration is provided by Huntington’s civilizational concept of the world order, in which the most widespread and dangerous conflicts will be between peoples belonging to different civilizations (and cultures). The article emphasizes that the Russian war in Ukraine is a direct consequence of two factors: on the one hand, Russia is not satisfied with its own cultural tradition and seeks to appropriate Ukrainian cultural identity and historical heritage in order to restore the “lost empire”; on the other hand, Russia is historically a region of civilizational fault line between the countries of Western civilization and the countries of Eastern civilizations, it is a “torn” state in terms of cultural identity and has maintained its integrity for centuries only due to its authoritarian political regime, but constantly produces numerous conflicts around its borders.

Ethics in Progress, 2024

Aims. The goal of this meteorological psychology study is to understand the behavioral implicatio... more Aims. The goal of this meteorological psychology study is to understand the behavioral implications on the professional lives of medical professionals in one of the most polluted regions of the world with a compromised air quality index. There is a paucity of literature to explore climate ethics as to how behavioral aspects of morals may alter related to climate change. Methods. The study is a cross-sectional correlational quantitative study formulated through purposive sampling. Research took place during the smog season of the world’s most polluted city. The research instruments of Climate anxiety, pain and distress, and cognitive failure were administered to a sample of 211 medical professionals. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and resulted in robust model fitness with indices between .80 and .90. Item loadings for three factors were statistically ideal of greater than. 30. Barron and Kenny’s approach was applied to conduct mediation through path analysis in which climate anxiety significantly mediates between pain distress and cognitive failure (β = .51; p < .0001). Multiple regression results using bootstrap confidence showed that climate anxiety (β = .993; p < .0001), and pain distress result in cognitive failure. The independent sample t-test was carried out to explore if nurses and doctors are different in terms of experiencing climate anxiety, pain distress, and cognitive failure. Results. There is a strong significant association among climate anxiety, pain distress, and cognitive failure with strong to moderate correlation values, p < .001. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and resulted in robust model fitness with indices between .80 and .90. Item loadings for three factors were statistically ideal at .30. 102 Nurses (M = 85.216; SD = 4.94) were more painfully distressed, prone to cognitive failure, and have climate anxiety as compared to 109 doctors (M = 71.211; SD = 9.23).

Ethics in Progress, 2024

This study aims to: (1) describe the level of ethical climate at middle schools, (2) compare the ... more This study aims to: (1) describe the level of ethical climate at middle schools, (2) compare the ethical climate at public schools based on teacher-student analysis, public school-private school analysis, and district-level analysis, and (3) explore findings to gain an intensive understanding of issues within the ethical climate realm at middle schools. Using a mixed-method approach, the first stage of the research involved 360 participants (consisting of 288 students and 72 teachers), across four schools in the District of Gamping in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Proportional stratified random sampling and a modified questionnaire based on Schulte’s instruments were used for collecting data during the quantitative phase. During the qualitative phase, the data were gathered through focused group discussions (FGDs), involving 20 teachers and four school principals. The quantitative result showed that the level of ethical climate at middle schools in the region was high at an average score of 3.285 out of four (82.125%). The study confirmed that the perceptions were significantly different between teachers and students and among the four schools. No discernible disparity in the ethical climate is found between public and private schools. However, by multiple comparison test, it is evident that there are differences in the level of school ethical climate among schools in the District of Gamping. In the qualitative phase, the study emphasizes the complex nature of promoting ethical behavior and student well-being in educational settings, stressing the importance of considering cultural, social, and institutional factors in intervention design. This study highlights several important implications such as promoting intrinsic motivation by minimizing punitive discipline, fostering positive peer and teacher-with-student relationships also policy improvement regarding regional-level exams.

Ethics in Progress, 2024

This qualitative study aims to explore and compare adolescents’ moral dilemmas in real life and o... more This qualitative study aims to explore and compare adolescents’ moral dilemmas in real life and on social media, focusing on their content, conflict and context. A purposive sampling method was used, involving 130 Slovenian adolescents (mean age 17.3 years). A deductive and inductive approach was used for data analysis. Results show commonalities in moral dilemmas regarding context, mainly involving friends, and content, mainly rooted in the care/harm foundation. Notable differences in conflicts were observed, largely influenced by the unique characteristics of social media. These findings contribute to the relatively unexplored realm of moral dilemmas on social media from adolescents’ perspectives, providing valuable insights for moral education in the context of social media.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

Moral circle expansion has been occurring faster than ever before in the last forty years, with m... more Moral circle expansion has been occurring faster than ever before in the last forty years, with moral agency fully extended to all humans regardless of their ethnicity, and regardless of their geographical location, as well as to animals, plants, ecosystems and even artificial intelligence. This process has made even more headway in recent years with the establishment of moral obligations towards future generations. Responsible for this development is the moral theory – and its associated movement – of longtermism, the bible of which is What We Owe the Future (London: Oneworld, 2022) by William MacAskill, whose book Doing Good Better (London: Guardian Faber, 2015) set the cornerstone of the effective altruist movement of which longtermism forms a part. With its novelty comes great excitement, but longtermism and the arguments on its behalf are not yet well thought out, suffering from various problems and entailing various uncomfortable positions on population axiology and the philosophy of history. This essay advances a number of novel criticisms of longtermism; its aim is to identify further avenues for research required by longtermists, and to establish a standard for the future development of the movement if it is to ever be widely considered as sound. Some of the issues raised here are about the arguments for the moral value of the future; the quantification of that value with the longtermist ethical calculus – or the conjunction of expected value theory with the ‘significance, persistence, contingency’ (SPC) framework; the moral value of making happy people; and our ability to affect the future and the fragility of history. Perhaps the most significant finding of this study is that longtermism currently constitutes a shorterm view on the longterm future, and that a properly longterm view reduces to absurdity.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

Research ethics address concerns related to power imbalances. These dynamics are particularly pro... more Research ethics address concerns related to power imbalances. These dynamics are particularly prominent in refugee camps, where the contemporary ‘protracted’ state (UNHCR, 2004) turns them into quasi-laboratories, where refugees are subjected to scrutiny, measurement, observation, and analysis by researchers, NGOs, and governmental organizations. Researchers typically conduct brief field trips to perform predetermined scientific activities, limiting their comprehensive understanding of the subject under study. Fieldwork conducted in Nakivale Refugee Settlement (Uganda) since 2019 has highlighted an often-one-way communication dynamic between researchers and refugees, where refugees rarely receive feedback on the information they provide. Consequently, refugees develop a lack of trust towards researchers, impacting their subjectivity and self-esteem. They perceive themselves as information providers rather than owners, lacking simultaneous access to that information. The concept of power-knowledge (Foucault 1980) is instrumental in understanding this issue and reflecting on researchers’ responsibilities in studying vulnerable populations.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

This study aims to discuss how to form AI (Artificial Intelligence) ethical behavior with insight... more This study aims to discuss how to form AI (Artificial Intelligence) ethical behavior with insight into the personal and organizational values of prospective accountants. This was a quantitative survey method. The sampling technique with a saturated sample was used as the research sample. Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis was conducted on 421 data points using WarpPLS software. The study results show that organizational and personal values significantly positively affect the intention of prospective accountant students to engage in AI ethics. Organizational values have a positive effect on the personal values of prospective accounting students. Intentions had a significant effect on AI ethics. Personal values did not play a role in mediating the impact of organizational values on intentions toward AI ethics. Intention succeeds in mediating the influence of personal values on the intention to engage in AI ethics among prospective accountant students. The findings referred to are very applicable to be implemented in different cultural settings due to the personal and organizational values tend to be implemented in general situation and condition. The findings provide universal outlook that values within organizations have an essential role in enhancing future accountants to be ethical in respect to AI.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

The article will present the main assumptions of the information marker method, which can be used... more The article will present the main assumptions of the information marker method, which can be used for recognizing the characteristics of conspiracy theories conveyed in the content of informational messages – texts, statements, recordings, etc. The proposed method draws on the conspiracy thinking model CONSPIR (Lewandowsky & Cook 2020) and has a practical component. However, the technique presented in the paper constitutes a modification and addition to the original proposal. First, it deals with a problem frame that is different from that of CONSPIR, since it is applied to formulated information messages. Hence the marker method is not an instrument for analyzing cognitive attitudes or patterns of conspiracy thinking. Secondly, the proposed tool is profiled in terms of content focused on scientific issues (mainly pertaining to the natural and applied sciences). Third, given the characteristics and structure of the communication under consideration, I replace the widely used term “conspiracy theory” with the more universal concept of “conspiracy narrative,” which seems to reflect more adequately the specific features of such information messages. Fourth, given the more specific purpose of the marker method compared to that of the CONSPIR model, I will try (where possible) to refrain from citing specific examples of conspiracy narratives, referring to singular events and personal examples. Consequently, to use a phrase widely used in methodology, the presented technique can be applied to all cases of a given type.

Ethics in Progrerss, 2023

Finding a niche journal for the submission of an academic paper can sometimes be a challenge for ... more Finding a niche journal for the submission of an academic paper can sometimes be a challenge for authors, and finding the right choice may involve a series of submissions and rejections. Emails from editors and journals related to the submission or rejection of a paper should be strictly related to these purposes, i.e., to inform authors that their paper has been received, outline the subsequent editorial handling or peer reviewer steps in the former, or the reasons for rejection in the latter. This paper highlights four cases of - in the author’s opinion - the abuse of such emails by COPE member journals and publishers (Emerald Publishing Ltd., Springer Nature, Elsevier, Wiley) to advertise for-profit English revision and editing services and/or conferences, as a way to maximize these emails for a dual purpose, namely to inform authors of submission-related aspects (valid communication) while also trying to obtain clients and thus business for non-submission-related aspects (invalid communication). Since an abuse of email-based communication for non-academic purposes is an ethics-related matter, there is a need for systematic research of this potential abuse of emails from both COPE member and non-member journals.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

A prevailing lay understanding of retraction in the scientific literature is to correct for misco... more A prevailing lay understanding of retraction in the scientific literature is to correct for misconduct and honest errors. Nonetheless, though historically rare, retractions to limit the spread of results deemed socially harmful (i.e., information hazards), have gained increasing traction and become increasingly common. This study sought primarily to determine the extent to which information hazard-based retraction is supported in the scientific community and as a secondary goal whether individual difference variables moderate receptivity. We tasked a diverse sample of researchers across various disciplines who use social media to evaluate scenarios in which a paper was retracted for misconduct, honest errors, and information hazards. Overall, support for retraction on the basis of information hazards was low, suggesting that researchers overwhelmingly support academic freedom as a concept. Nonetheless, left-leaning ideologies predicted slightly greater defensibility of the practice among individuals early in their careers. We provide training suggestions to mitigate reactance toward controversial scientific findings.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

Kazakh traditional wisdom says “Kaytyp kelgen kyz zhaman” – a girl who returns to her parental ho... more Kazakh traditional wisdom says “Kaytyp kelgen kyz zhaman” – a girl who returns to her parental home after marriage is a disgrace to the family. According to a women’s rights organization, up to 5,000 bride kidnapping acts occur annually in contemporary Kazakhstan. The authors would like to approach this socio-cultural phenomenon through considering the current situation of women and their rights in Kazakhstan. The article examines how outdated traditions and customs violate women’s’ personal boundaries and rights in Kazakhstan. Its main purpose is to attract the attention of the reader and potential researcher and to familiarize them with the topic (a specific form of violence against women), research methods, and research challenges. Until September 2019, there was no special legislation in Kazakhstan aimed at combating domestic violence. However, with the adoption of the Law “On the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence” in September 2019, Kazakhstan introduced institutional measures to prevent and punish domestic violence. Nevertheless, people continue to follow their traditional customs, rather than live in accordance with new legislation.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

The assumption that autistic individuals do not have the theory of mind – the social-cognitive ab... more The assumption that autistic individuals do not have the theory of mind – the social-cognitive ability to understand other people by attributing mental states to them – has been widespread in the psychological literature. However, the empirical evidence from the original research and its replications failed to prove and support autistic mind-blindness. Yet, it is still present in literature on autism spectrum. Meanwhile, convincing research, that has been conducted among autistic researchers and their allies, is often overlooked by non-autistic specialists. This paper focuses on how autistic autism researchers have been influencing their field of study and how academy can benefit from their work.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

This paper concerns ethical considerations when conducting research about the policies, procedure... more This paper concerns ethical considerations when conducting research about the policies, procedures, practices, and culture of organizations and institutions rather than research with the humans owning, operating, employed at, volunteering for, benefiting from, or impacted by the organization. Ethical conventions for research with humans are well developed but less so for research about organizations. A pressing concern in the nascent literature is weighing protecting the public interest versus the organization’s interests when sensitive, controversial, or damning information about the latter emerges from the research. Given the absence of formally codified procedural ethics, organizational researchers are encouraged to constantly reexamine, debate, and address related ethical concerns. In that spirit, an inaugural compendium of ethical concerns and recommended strategies gleaned from the literature reviewed is shared, and a discussion of omissions from said literature is tendered to scaffold future conversations around this ethical aspect of organizational research.

Ethics in Progress, 2024

Ethics in progress, 2024

Ethics in Progress, 2024

Ethics in Progress, 2023

Ethics in Progrerss, 2023

Ethics in Progress, 2023

Ethics in Progress

Ethics in Progress invites submissions on the topic of Ars Moriendi (the art of dying), that is, ... more Ethics in Progress invites submissions on the topic of Ars Moriendi (the art of dying), that is, how to go through the ultimate realities of life with dignity. A prodigious variety and disparate sorts of phenomena are encompassed by the poignant concept of death, and each of them leads to similarly complex and multifaceted interpretations of it. The heuristics of the end-of-life is a liminal one, not only because the subject itself, that is, picturing death and/or dying, is placed at the farthest frontiers of the imagination; but also because it urges breaking through disciplinary boundaries. Death Studies is nowadays a field of inquiry that, besides biomedicine, dips into anthropology, sociology, psychology, and thanatology. Yet, the way we cope with the very idea of finitude persists on a binary fluctuation between the promise of the afterlife offered by religion, on the one hand, and the indefinite prolongment of the actual life promoted by secularized medical practices, on the other. Although a bunch of cultural-symbolic, aesthetic, psycho-social and anthropological representations of death are produced by human communities, there is a general tendency in Western societies to fall back on reductive narrations and euphemisms, which conversely encourage the faith on an indefinite prolongment of life against the very idea of mortality...

Ethics in Progress, 2020

Ethics in Progress invites submissions on the topic of speciesism and anthropocentrism in the con... more Ethics in Progress invites submissions on the topic of speciesism and anthropocentrism in the context of animal ethics. The systematic and unjustified mistreatment we reserve to animals under our husbandry and into the wild is still a widespread reality, as if their value would be only of instrumental or relative importance with respect to human utility and other human-serving values, as Tom Regan pointed out in his 1983 essay, The Case for Animal Rights. Our relationship with nonhuman animals often turns into an explicit exploitation: animals are used for food, clothing, entertainment, work and experimentation. The fact that we treat animals in ways that would be unacceptable for human beings is directly related to another significant issue, namely, the fact that we apply the same discrimination to animals belonging to one or more species, in favour of those which are leisure companions or have a cultural, symbolic, religious or aesthetic significance to us. Much literature has been produced on the topic of the moral standing of animals and scholars made an effort to provide a conceptual understanding of our own behavioural and moral inconsistency toward (some of) them, which took the double name of anthropocentrism and speciesism. Far from being a critical appendix to speciesism and anthropocentrism, the resulting framework turned into a theoretical corpus, composed by multiple ethical theories, such as consequentialism, utilitarianism, rights theories, egalitarian biocentrism, ethics of virtue, ethics of care and responsibility. Deconstructing speciesism and anthropocentrism still means to reconstruct many of their underpinning topics as delivered from education and philosophical tradition, such us personhood, human distinctiveness, nature, dignity, equality, interest, consciousness and so on. With this issue Ethics in Progress proposes to investigate the multiple dimensions of speciesism and anthropocentrism, in particular: to deepen the conceptual connections between them; the way they affect the discussion on the moral standing of animals; speciesism and anthropocentrism as indicators of one’s ability to formulate moral judgments; speciesism not only as an individual prejudice, but also as a public, social attitude towards animals. Possible themes are, but not limited to: a) Relationship between anthropocentrism and speciesism b) Anti-anthropocentrist/anti-speciesist critique c) Practical solutions to speciesism d) Relation between speciesism and violence e) Anthropocentrism and speciesism within culture and education f) Social-psychological examination of human-animal relationship The submission should be in English language. The cover page must include the author(s)’s first and last name, affiliation, e-mail address, ORCID number (if available), title, abstract and keywords. Please save the submission in OpenOffice or Microsoft Word document file format. Ethics in Progress follows the APA citation style. A further anonymized version of the paper should be submitted, for the review process. Papers should be emailed to the Guest Editors email accounts. Prof. Dr. Hab. Maria Vita Romeo: mariavitaromeo@unict.it Sara Sgarlata B.A.: sara.sgarlata@amu.edu.pl Deadline for submissions is 26 November 2020

Ethics in Progress, 2020

Ethics in Progress, 2023

This work presents evidence supporting the relationship between the dual aspect of moral competen... more This work presents evidence supporting the relationship between the dual aspect of moral competence (emotion and cognition) and social networks in school settings. We conducted empirical research with 160 students from various disciplines of the social sciences and different cohorts in two Brazilian public universities. Firstly, the participants responded to Georg Lind's Moral Competence Test (MCTxt). Following this, a sociometric generator regarding relationships of friendship and collaboration in social networks was applied, and several Exponential Random Graphs Models (ERGMs), with the MCT-xt score as an exogenous effect and predictor of these relationships, were utilized. We also used a Crisp-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis in order to determine if the cohorts, where the average MCT-xt was associated with the interactional structure, obeyed the same causal configuration. There exist two conditional configurations: (1) a sufficient score of MCT-xt in a social network with homogeneous status encourages a proactive search of collaboration; (2) an insufficient score of MCT-xt in a social network with homogeneous status encourages a collaborative exchange based on the popularity of some individuals. This work reveals how to interpret, at the grouping level, the results of MCT-xt.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

In this essay, we utilized the following scales: Mobile and Internet Addiction Test, Basic Psycho... more In this essay, we utilized the following scales: Mobile and Internet Addiction Test, Basic Psychological Needs Scale, Negative Coping Style Questionnaire, and Interpersonal Relationships Assessment Scale. With those, we surveyed 1,730 college students, investigating the influence of mobile phone addiction on their interpersonal relationship distress and the mediating chain effect of basic psychological needs and negative coping styles on mobile phone addiction and interpersonal relationship distress. The results indicate that: (1) Mobile phone addiction can predict interpersonal relationship distress in college students; (2) Basic psychological needs serve as the mediating variables between mobile phone addiction and interpersonal relationship distress; (3) Negative coping styles prove to be the mediator between mobile phone addiction and interpersonal relationship distress; and (4) Basic psychological needs and negative coping styles establish a mediating chain effect between mobile phone addiction and interpersonal relationship distress.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

This study aims to conduct an Urdu translation and a validation of the ISBF Stress Management Ski... more This study aims to conduct an Urdu translation and a validation of the ISBF Stress Management Skills Scale in two distinct phases. The first phase includes the forward-back translation method for ISBF. The second phase includes cross validation and the establishment of psychometric properties for the ISBF scale. A sample of 500 adults working in health care was taken from different hospitals and dispensaries. The first phase of the study includes the forward-back translation method. The second phase includes exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with invariance measurement. The total reliability of the scale is reported to be .812. EFA revealed a two-factor structure for ISBF scale, with configural, metric and scalar invariance across males and females, and comparable latent mean scores formales and females. CFA showed goodness-of fit indices for the two factors. The scale showed good internal consistency values. The model fit value includes the value for the goodness of fit index, which was .979, for the adjusted goodness-of fit index: .961, for the comparative fit index: .993, for the incremental fit index: .993, and for the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) value: .033. Good values of composite reliability and convergent validity were measured for both dimensions of the scale. The scale shows that this diagnostic tool can help to assess the skills used to manage stress. For criterion validity, the coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-21) was used, which showed positive correlations. The subscale of stress management was taken from the Health Promoting Life Style Profile II (HPLP-II), which also showed positive correlations. Significant mean differences were found between scores of healthcare workers with stress management skills and with those without stress management skills. The group of mean differences indicated the females have greater stress management skills as compared to men. The Urdu translated and validated instrument will be helpful in understanding behavior in healthcare settings.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

This article recommends the promotion of moral competence in the health and pharmacy professions ... more This article recommends the promotion of moral competence in the health and pharmacy professions to enable them to respect human and patient health rights with a focus on the provision of reproductive and sexual health care services. In certain cultures, health care and drug providers follow their conscientious objection (conscience clause) and decline to perform specific health services, including the provision of legal contraceptives in cases protected by legal and human rights. Such malpractices may violate patients’ and purchasers’ legitime rights. The article also presents findings obtained in Poland with N=121 women experimentally interviewed to examine their experiences as contraception purchasers, to assess their preference concerning facing human vs. robotic pharmacists, to manage the risk of refusal argued by the conscientious objection, and to score their moral competence with one of the dilemmas included in the MCT by G. Lind. This study demonstrated that purchasers with higher C-score (C for moral competence) would not just prefer a robotic pharmacist without a ‘conscience’ but, rather, a competent sales staff able to instruct the patient and advice her on any related queries. It further results that participants with higher moral competence are thus less likely to trust the medical expertise of artificial intelligence. We conclude that public institutions in pluralistic societies must manage normative reproductive health contexts more inclusively, and the election, education, and practice of health professionals in the public health care sector require the development of a normative mindset toward respecting the rights of all patients instead of respecting them selectively at the diktat of particularistic conscience.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

With the present article an extension of the doing gender concept by another important dimension,... more With the present article an extension of the doing gender concept by another important dimension, the body, is proposed. Butler showed that sex results from the materialization and we argue that not only gender emerges from interactive doing, but also does sex. This process is called Doing GenderBody and interestingly we showed that it is not done by doing the gender. After the inactive production of a gender/sex, it follows an evaluation process of this produced gender/sex, called the probation. Moreover, this gender/sex must be a valuable contribution to the community. The valency of the probation figure does not only depend on the collective view, but also on a produced sex/gender which contradict the shared gender/sex knowledge. Further, because of this contradiction the single person sees this as a valuable contribution to the community. The analysis of the art works we have done allowed us to show the fundamental modes of the possibility for probation figures to be constructed.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

A strong ethical culture is the key to any organization’s long-term success. The purpose of this ... more A strong ethical culture is the key to any organization’s long-term success. The purpose of this research was to investigate the link between an organization’s ethical culture and its effect on workers’ well-being, as well as to test the construct validity of the Corporate Virtue Scale (CEV). In South Africa’s Buffalo Municipality, 277 managers from different government agencies made up the sample. The eight-factor CEV scale was validated through a confirmatory factor analysis. Employees’ stress and emotional exhaustion were linked to their views on the prevalence of an ethical culture in public agencies. The results of this study show that an organization’s ethical culture significantly affects its employees’ quality of life on the job. The CEV scale was found to have construct validity, proving its reliability and validity in practice. The government is urged to prioritize the streamlining of regulations and processes that foster an ethical culture in public institutions.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

The main aim of this paper is to propose the inclusion of the expertise of a prudent agent within... more The main aim of this paper is to propose the inclusion of the expertise of a prudent agent within the procedure of reflective equilibrium by adding a disposition for identifying reasonable beliefs. This can be seen as the starting point of the method, and would safeguard against the criticism of conservatism and subjectivism. In order to do this, I will begin by analyzing the core characteristics of the method and its main weaknesses. I will then investigate the characteristics of prudence as a disposition for identifying an adequate means for achieving a good end. With this in mind, I will apply prudence to the procedure which is carried out by an agent who deliberates well and can identify reasonable moral beliefs. These beliefs must be justified according to their consistency with ethical principles and with the factual beliefs of relevant scientific theories. Finally, I will argue that this deliberative process is consistent with ethical pluralism and democracy, and can be interpreted as a kind of moral knowledge.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

This paper aims to address a key topic of speculation within political philosophy, namely the Jus... more This paper aims to address a key topic of speculation within political philosophy, namely the Just War Theory. The Just War Theory works to ethically restrain wars based on principles listed out in jus ad bellum (reasons to go to war) and jus in bello (conduct during war). As such, the theory dominated by the debate between the ‘traditionalists’ and ‘revisionists’ who are concerned about the integration of jus post bellum as the third branch of just war theory and feel it is better suited to the domain of international politics and security. This paper explores this lacunae over the neglect of jus post bellum (post war justice) within the just war discourse. By identifying the limitations of a minimalist jus post bellum and this misrepresentation of peace with security, this paper defends a maximalist account of jus post bellum and also situates post war justice as a necessary third branch of the Just War Theory. The challenges to taking such an extensive stance on post war justice are also addressed. As the first two branches of just war theory have been codified, the neglect of the post war stage leads to unrestrained war endings and ad-hoc solutions. Any just war theory needs to recognize the legitimacy of the third branch of post war justice as well, as only then can the Just War Theory function to restrain wars.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

The article deals with the causes of Russia’s war on Ukraine, which is based on political and geo... more The article deals with the causes of Russia’s war on Ukraine, which is based on political and geopolitical interests, economic and military strategies, ambitions of individual political leaders, and mentality factors. The ontological basis of the war is the historically formed fundamental difference between the spiritual world, mentality traits of Ukrainians and Russians, which formed under the influence of a particular culture, with its ethnic, value and worldview coordinates, and under the influence of ideologies that determined the features of social and political life at different historical times. A strong spiritual system is created in the social and cultural space of the state, which preserves its values from generation to generation in the culture, forming a stable mentality and enduring attitudes. Their conceptual comprehension expands the context of cause-and-effect connections, helps to understand the situation more deeply and to choose optimal effective mechanisms for gradually successfully resolving the complex geopolitical situation that threatens the whole world.

Ethics in Progress, 2023

A multidisciplinary forum for research bridging A multidisciplinary forum for research bridging b... more A multidisciplinary forum for research bridging A multidisciplinary forum for research bridging between academic ethics and social practice. between academic ethics and social practice.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

This is a review of Anthony Stavrianakis’ book Leaving. A Narrative of Assisted Suicide (Universi... more This is a review of Anthony Stavrianakis’ book Leaving. A Narrative of Assisted Suicide (University of California Press, 2019). Medically-assisted suicide still raises many issues and controversies of various types: ethical, legal, organizational and institutional. The situation varies greatly between countries, and depends on health care policies and socially recognised values. However, the overriding question is as follows: under what conditions should this form of death be allowed? Among the arguments that are well known, recognized and now tame, Stavrianakis’ research brings new light and perspective. The author goes deeper and searches for the real motives driving people to choose this manner of death. He sees the nuances and recounts the difficulties. In this article, I highlight aspects of Stavrianakis’ work that I find relevant and crucial for the issues considered.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

Humanity has practised animal sacrifice for the greater part of its history, from the time of the... more Humanity has practised animal sacrifice for the greater part of its history, from the time of the Neolithic Revolution. The ritual forms have varied, depending on the culture. They have also been subject to change, in connection with the development of human understanding and knowledge of animals, which is reflected in the ontological, cultural and moral status assigned to animals in the human world. Sacrificing animals involved not only killing them in a particular way – their treatment was sometimes sophisticated or ‘ritualistic’; often it was simply cruel. Human attitudes towards non-human living beings have also evolved in the context of animal killing and sacrifice. The treatment of animals reveals a great deal about human beings – in terms of their culture, beliefs, and morals. The article outlines this issue in a historical manner, referring to the practices adopted in selected cultural circles (in the Mediterranean Basin): ancient Mesopotamia and Greece, as well as in Judaism and Islam. The key findings of researchers are presented, along with the evaluations of philosophers, ethicists and anthropologists.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

Avoidance of discussion about death is common in contemporary Western societies. Plenty of litera... more Avoidance of discussion about death is common in contemporary Western societies. Plenty of literature substantiates that (at the beginning of the sentence), the actual tendency toward death denial can produce many negative effects such as the suppression of death-related thoughts and emotions. Death Education aims to strengthen the psychological anchors that allow us to recognize the profiles of anguish, prevent the decompensating factors of pathological mourning and process the experiences of loss at all ages. The article aims to support the usefulness and use of Death Education interventions in schools and their central role in promoting these interventions.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

The aim of this qualitative study was to consider the question of whether the Italian political m... more The aim of this qualitative study was to consider the question of whether the Italian political management of the pandemic respected the European bio-ethical and bio-juridical approaches in light of the principles of autonomy, dignity, integrity and vulnerability. As no specific consolidated literature exists on the subject, the Italian situation was taken into consideration, specifically the work of a spontaneous commission (DuPre) that collected the reflections of academics and researchers interested in discussing political decisions for the management of the emergency, which was the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The analysis took into account the contributions of scholars during two conferences (without proceedings), which were transcribed and examined. From the texts processed with a thematic analysis, three main themes emerged: ‘pandemic as a state of exception, sovereignty and crisis of democracy’, ‘the value of doubt and refutation’ and ‘elimination of informed consent between persuasion and blackmail’. In this paper, the final bio-political considerations on the European approach and the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy are presented.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

In the recent decade quite a few countries and regions legalised physician assisted death. While ... more In the recent decade quite a few countries and regions legalised physician assisted death. While palliative care is already or becoming the standard end of life care in many countries, the increased availability of physician assisted death coupled with the secularisation of hospice in more settings require – where this has not happened yet – a clear response of palliative care specialists to patients’ requests for physician assisted death. The paper analyses the World Health Organisation’s current description of palliative care with a special focus on its prohibition of hastening death. Some palliative care professionals do not agree with the ban on hastening death, and these professionals’ non-conventional interpretation of palliative care actually seems to meet the wishes of some patients.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

This paper aims at analysing the evolution of palliative care in the international context and th... more This paper aims at analysing the evolution of palliative care in the international context and their role in the path of care for the patient and the family. Method: born in 1967 by Cicely Saunder, palliative care were aimed at assisting the terminally ill, accommodating both the needs of the patient and the family. Not only to be cured or healed, but to be taken care of. The paper examines the definitions of palliative care provided by the World Helth Organization. We observe that palliative care is not only an effective and timely response to the clinical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the sick person and their family in an advanced and terminal stage, but an integrated care to support specialist treatment in the presence of an advanced disease picture; a space for in-depth study for the sick person and the family so that the sick person can consciously and freely choose the available treatment proposals, their limits and their consequences. A treatment path in which the transparency of the proposals is a condition for building a shared consensus with the patient and adequate communication with the family. Palliative care has acquired its own identity, its own role in the path of care for the patient and the family, pursuing the proportionality of therapeutic options and the support of the patient and the family without discrimination, with equity and equality.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

The standard version of the doctrine of double effect, a significant doctrine in applied ethics p... more The standard version of the doctrine of double effect, a significant doctrine in applied ethics particularly medical ethics, not only fails to capture some morally significant components of Aquinas’ view, but it does not resort to proper complementary features in order to accommodate the doctrine to our moral intuitions. We attempt to offer a new formulation of the doctrine incorporating the main components of Aquinas’ view and also to extend the view using some complementary features. We will examine the strength of the formulation applying it into some ethically controversial situations, mainly in medical ethics.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

This paper outlines the proposal for an egalitarian, transhumanist, and communal version of ars m... more This paper outlines the proposal for an egalitarian, transhumanist, and communal version of ars moriendi that should be coherent and meet the consequentialist criteria of the principle of minimizing anti-values and maximizing values, especially the ethical values of freedom and happiness. Transhuman-ist augmented dying (AD) refers to the extended body-mind, free from harmful religious and political ideologies. At present, a feasible art of dying can be systematically supported by anesthetics and psy-chedelics (entheogens), computer games, virtual reality, and good death machines. Its egalitarian form requires a deeply democratic society, and its progress may need a transition to a type 1 society on the Kardashev scale.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

Our daily existence is affected by how we perceive death, be it our own’s death tocome or others’... more Our daily existence is affected by how we perceive death, be it our own’s death tocome or others’ death. The intimidating nature of death has the potential to affect our daily ethical existence in relation to the other, as is seen in various crises in human history. In such a context, since expansive literature in various approaches such as biological, sociological, psychological, and political addressing the question of death is already available, this essay presents an ethico-philosophical perspective on death and argues if death should be seen as the worst event that is to be experienced by being. In this essay, I correlate language, time, and death, contrasting popular analogies, i.e., death is possibility of impossibility (Hegel and Heidegger), and death is impossibility of possibility (Lévinas and Blanchot). Firstly, the essay stages the discussion with contrasting synchronic and diachronic perspectives of language, i.e., historical understanding of language and time in Hegelian terms and the messianic time in Lévinasian terms, to see how sensibility, i.e., universal meaning, is expressed through concept. Secondly, the essay sees how sensibility is expressed through a concept beyond dialectic opposition and negativity while acknowledging that the question of ethics arises only after the end of philosophy, for something is always inexpressible through expression; there is always remnant beyond philosophical significance. This essay not only argues language, time, and death as the ethical responsibility of the self towards the other, but also contributes to the understanding of language as ethics beyond philosophy, and death as passivity beyond ontology following Lévinas’s idea of messianic time and Blanchot’s views on literature and death.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

The aim of this issue of Ethics in Progress is to provide a provisional, open-ended view on the u... more The aim of this issue of Ethics in Progress is to provide a provisional, open-ended view on the ultimate realities of life and the ethical challenges they pose in medical, sociological, and existential contexts. The issue explores axiologies and meta-ethical narratives related to the art of dying, or in other words the moral domain encompassing the quest for a good life and a good death. Two problematic aspects emerge from the latest body of research: (1) the difficulty involved in tackling ethical challenges in medical and sociological contexts; and (2) the marginal role of the patient’s agency and narrative-ownership of end-of-life decision-making. A direction is pointed out that suggests that interventions across interdisciplinary groups involved in medical aid to dying should focus on promoting ethical behaviour on the side of healthcare personnel. Finally, attention to language, discourse, communication, and the narratives of death and dying call this edition of Ethics in Progress to examine the ontological and epistemological categories that underlie the study of lifeworlds and ‘discourse communities’, which are those associated with moral agents interlacing historical motives, language, communication, normative beliefs, social norms and roles, power relations, hard clinical evidence, and contested values in the context of medical practices and, broadly speaking, practices surrounding death.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

A multidisciplinary forum for research bridging between academic ethics and social practice.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

The review addresses the recent monograph Social and Institutional Dimensions of Axel Honneth’s T... more The review addresses the recent monograph Social and Institutional Dimensions of Axel Honneth’s Theory of Recognition by Marcin J. Byczyński (Łódź University Press, Jurisprudence Series, Vol. 17/2021, pp. 1–273). Jakub Kloc-Konkołowicz was the external reviewer of the doctoral dissertation which gave rise to the book. The essential contributions of this book are discussed against the background of former and pioneering recognition research from the Polish context, including this by Jakub Kloc-Konkołowicz and Marek Siemek. In addition, they are supplemented by Hegel’s three rights of freedom and further vital themes. This provides the following review with a contextual ‘surplus.’ Byczyński’s monograph considerably advances an important Warsaw-Poznań research strand and is notable for its originality among the books devoted to Honneth’s Theory of Recognition.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

Citizens’ moral identity is not only reflected on the individual level, but also in terms of belo... more Citizens’ moral identity is not only reflected on the individual level, but also in terms of belongingness, community, and even cosmopolitanism. It is the basic demand of a community with a shared future in morality. Moral identity is closely related to moral behavior, and the study of moral identity can predict one’s moral behavior. Community is the cultural basis of citizens’ moral identity. To study citizens’ moral identity in the community can also enable one to predict people’s moral behavior in that community. At present, the construction of a community with a shared future still lacks a species moral identity generally recognized by all cultures and countries. In order to achieve that goal, we must strengthen cultural inclusion, advocate and practice species moral identity of a community with a shared future. Species moral identity is based on the existence of humankind as a species with autonomous identity, so it is necessary to establish the mechanism of cultural respect and equal discussion, and to strengthen the construction of the species moral identity. Only in that way can we accomplish the mission of establishing species moral identity. In the following paper, I will advocate for these ideas with Kant’s and Marx’ thoughts.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

My considerations are typological in nature. A lie is a disingenuous assertion made to another pe... more My considerations are typological in nature. A lie is a disingenuous assertion made to another person with the intent of deceiving the other person into believing both that the assertion is true and that the liar believes it to be true. This definition is morally neutral. It requires a further, moral judgment to determine whether a lie is a good or a bad thing, or whether, in specified circumstances, a lie is morally right or wrong. However, what if the truth is not only occasionally contaminated but lies are spread en masse in order to make the addressees question their ability to judge or to induce collective self-deception? Beginning with small-scale use of lies, related variants of dishonesty – especially large scale, propagandistic uses of lies – are conceptually characterized and evaluated. Lies can be systematically distinguished via their purposes.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

The research in this paper attempts to outline the connection between Hegel’s concept of action a... more The research in this paper attempts to outline the connection between Hegel’s concept of action and the contemporary philosophy of action. Hegel’s concept of action has some features in common with the ideas of analytical philosophers, and might open unexpected integration of these different philosophical traditions, which would contribute to the development of both of them. A brief overview of ways to comprehend Hegel’s concept of action (from Taylor to Brandom) shows that the cause of ambiguous understandings of this concept lies in the complexity of Hegel’s approach. The following article highlights the tension between “deflationary” interpretations and the complexity of Hegel´s original approach. Further, by revisiting the Section “Teleology” in Hegel’s Science of Logic, the article illustrates how deflationary interpretations of human action can be improved, so that they are topical for both contemporary practical philosophy and the philosophy of action, beyond the unnecessary split between analytical vs. continental philosophy. Such concepts as “purpose” and “mediation” become crucial, as they have sociological and normative extensions in Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, as discussed in the last Section of this article.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

One way to address the question concerning the nature of reason consists in inquiring rational an... more One way to address the question concerning the nature of reason consists in inquiring rational anxieties such as the tension between changeable and unchangeable. The yearning of the particular towards the universal, the iterative, interminable quest of the thinking is namely something which seems to be proper of many systems of classical German philosophy (but not only). In this paper I want to consider this problematic focusing on the figure of the unhappy consciousness which is perhaps the clearest expression of this tension and use it to approach Hegel’s account on speculative reason. After recalling – in the first section – the figures which precede the unhappy consciousness, I will address the question concerning the historicity and universality of the development of the consciousness, asking if it is the case that the unhappy consciousness belongs only to a particular historical age (and needs specific historical preconditions) or if it expresses a general feature of reason or of human experience. In the second and the third sections, namely, I will try to defend this second interpretation by showing that the unhappy consciousness not only is central in Hegel’s system and is re-echoed in several figures of the Phenomenology of the Spirit but it is also central in other philosophical systems. For instance, as I will show in the fourth section, Kant’s ethical thinking could be read under the light of the unhappy consciousness, whose unsatisfied yearning towards the universal is the expression and source of the speculative or metaphysical thinking.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

In the following article, I will explain Hegel’s definition of modernity from the point of view o... more In the following article, I will explain Hegel’s definition of modernity from the point of view of his understanding of “Bildung,” since this is a fundamental and newly relevant theme of Hegel’s philosophy nowadays. “Bildung” can be transliterated as education, but may also be interpreted as a general formative or developmental process, or cultivation (culture, respectively). With the term “Bildung” Hegel also refers to the formative self-development of the mind, its coming to individual as well as collective flourishing. The objective spirit manifests itself in the culture of humans. However, education in the sense of “Bildung” does not take place primarily through the transmission of information, values, norms, etc. by the teacher, but through “experience” [Erfahrung], which signifies the conflicting process by which a spiritual being discovers its own identity or self, while at the same time striving for self-consciousness, which is in the process of self-discovery. Through education, the human mind develops its capacity for understanding, reflection and judgment, and thus overcomes its natural intellectual, spiritual, normative, aesthetic, etc., poverty.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

The article discusses the connection between art and emotion in Fichte’s work and its contemporar... more The article discusses the connection between art and emotion in Fichte’s work and its contemporary reception by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. For the latter, not only selected architectural theoretical studies but also Schinkel’s ideal architectural designs are consulted. Schinkel knew Fichte personally and held him in high esteem. This is evidenced by some of Schinkel’s verbatim references to various forms of the Wissenschaftslehre and its sub-disciplines, as well as his extremely precise transcripts of lectures around the Berlin versions of the Wissenschaftslehre (around 1800). Schinkel was not only interested in the political and religious implications of Fichte’s theory of a cultural history of humankind, but his engagement with Fichte is also characterized above all by the theory of consciousness. This aspect plays a central role in the article. In recourse to the aesthetic emotion of the mind, a main concern of Fichte’s philosophy is to be placed in the horizon of architecture, which manifests itself in these questions: how does one convey a realisation in such a way that the recipient reconstructs it almost independently and it becomes a practical value for him as a criterion for his orientation in life? And furthermore – related to the research discourse on Fichte, which has only recently taken note of his aesthetic position and in particular his comments on architecture – how can this model of cognition be applied in his work from an architect’s point of view? In the investigation part on Fichte for this, first the feeling is reconstructed within the framework of the scientific-systematic philosophy as the reason of consciousness, in order to show with it the instance of the question relevant for Schinkel about the pedagogical effectiveness of a life-practical cultivating architecture. In the examination section on Schinkel, it is shown how Schinkel, in the horizon of Fichte, undertakes a determination of the relationship between feeling and ratio, with which he, for his part, establishes architecture as an instrument of cultivation.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit develops not only the idea of absolute knowledge but also the not... more Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit develops not only the idea of absolute knowledge but also the notion of an inner criterion [Maßstab] of the spirit. The inner criterion or norm of knowledge is what, in the end of the speculative process, appears as the form of absolute knowledge. Experience and inner criterion are responsible for the development of the consciousness that has to become itself. Becoming and absolute, temporality and timelessness are the substance that becomes and is subject. The actuality of this method of analysis of spirit will be shown and discussed in this essay.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

This article examines the foundations for the legitimacy of law from the perspective of Hegel’s p... more This article examines the foundations for the legitimacy of law from the perspective of Hegel’s philosophy. In a first step, Kant’s justification of law is discussed, as Hegel takes the Kantian model as a central point of (critical) reference. Then, in the Section 2, I discuss Hegel’s reasons for rejecting the main strategies of justification of the legal order: natural law, contractarianism and legal positivism. This is further followed by a discussion of the meaning and scope of Hegel’s contextualism, according to which there can be no practical normativity without a certain historical embedding. Finally, I describe a more traditional met-aphysical reading (supported among others by Kevin Thompson) that I consider to be the correct solution, contrasting it with Honneth’s theory of recognition and Bran-dom’s pragmatism.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

Preface by the Editors to the special thematic volume dedicated to the memory of Jakub Kloc-Konko... more Preface by the Editors to the special thematic volume dedicated to the
memory of Jakub Kloc-Konkołowicz.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

The article attempts to show that Hegel’s concept of “civil society” is characterized by a deep a... more The article attempts to show that Hegel’s concept of “civil society” is characterized by a deep ambivalence about the value of the new market economy. On the one side, Hegel believed that the economic system represented by “civil society” succeeded like no other in simultaneously giving free reign to the desires of individual subjects and integrating them into a stable structural framework (I). On the other side, Hegel’s reflections are growingly overtaken by doubts as to whether, in light of its self-destructive tendencies, the market system can be as successful in guaranteeing individual freedom as he first envisaged it to be (II). In the course of this essay, it will ultimately become clear that Hegel’s attempt to redefine “civil society” reveals considerably more conceptual indecision and inner conflict than one might have suspected from the great system builder.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

Table of Contents

Marx the Fichtean, 2021

We ignore the history of philosophy at our peril. Engels, who typically conflates Marx and Marxis... more We ignore the history of philosophy at our peril. Engels, who typically conflates Marx and Marxism, points to the relation of Marxism to the tradition while also denying it. In his little book on Feuerbach, Engels depicts Feuerbach as leading Marx away from Hegel, away from classical German philosophy, away from philosophy and towards materialism and science. This view suggests that Marx is at best negatively related to Classical German philosophy, including Hegel. Yet Engels elsewhere suggests that Marx belongs to the classical German philosophical tradition. In the preface to Socialism, Utopian and Scientific, Engels wrote: “We German socialists are proud that we trace our descent not only from Saint Simon, Fourier and Owen, but also from Kant, Fichte and Hegel” (Marx & Engels, Collected Works). In this paper I will focus on Marx’s relation to Fichte. This relation is rarely mentioned in the Marxist debate, but I will argue, it is crucial for the formulation of Marx’s position, and hence for assessing his contribution accurately. One of the results of this study will be to indicate that Marx, in reacting against Hegel, did not, as is often suggested, ‘leave’ philosophy, but in fact made a crucial philosophical contribution.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

In his Prolegomena to Historiosophy, published in 1838, August von Cieszkowski wrote that we are ... more In his Prolegomena to Historiosophy, published in 1838, August von Cieszkowski wrote that we are at the turning point in history, when facts turn into deeds. This raises the question of what is actually to be understood by the term “deed” [Tat] and why, the hour of the deed should have come precisely now. After focusing on Hegel’s concept of a history of freedom, I will present two models of understanding action and conclude by discussing their consequences. More specifically, I will undertake a search that will lead us – by way of a detour via Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit – to Fichte’s concept of the act of doing. That socio-political practice can be justified in this way, however, is denied by those who argue that society and politics in Hegel fall under the category of objective and not of absolute spirit. The alternative model of action that I will focus on, concerns action in relation to objects, or labour, a model that Hegel had already worked out in Jena, and that Marx will re-discover (rather than invent) and further develop.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

The article interprets the methodological potential of Hegel’s speculative dialectics as a possib... more The article interprets the methodological potential of Hegel’s speculative dialectics as a possible course of spiritual evolution of the Absolute subject. The intention is towards the method, first through the very construction of the “idea of freedom” from the point of view of Logic; second, through the constitutive function of freedom and the transition of the subjective spirit into the objective spirit; third, through the unfolding of mediation in the realms of the objective spirit. This essentially substantial methodologization dissolves the theoretical space of the idea of the mediating function of freedom as an ontological principle of ethical life. In line with the paradigm of such a course, the text considers a project of speculative ethics, a project within the framework of which the methodological and ontological sublation of spiritual evolution takes place.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

In this paper, it will be shown that Hegel’s philosophical thematisation of subjective freedom ha... more In this paper, it will be shown that Hegel’s philosophical thematisation of subjective freedom has given a fundamental contribution to the historical innovation of modernity, which regards not only human rights, but also norms and values. Besides, it played an important role concerning the cultural transformation, i.e., the process of the realization of the historical innovation oriented towards the ideals of modern freedom. To show this, the author will focus on some passages from Hegel’s Philosophy of Right of 1820, in which Hegel regarded subjective freedom as universally-normative and, at the same time, as socially and historically contextualized (situated, respectively). Hegel, namely, explicates modern freedom in its ideality and moral normativity, addressing its realization in particular forms of life. Marriage, for instance, as it will be shown towards the end of this contribution, exemplified as the right to particularity, is the normative basis of modern subjective freedom. Tensions and collisions will permanently challenge this type of freedom and also require permanent (and self-defeating) efforts invested in striving for a (too contextualized and situated) „reconciliation“ (in Hegel´s terms Versöhnung).

Ethics in Progress, 2021

The article discusses a central topic of contemporary understandings of society that seems to hav... more The article discusses a central topic of contemporary understandings of society that seems to have no place in Hegel’s theory: the topic of “identity”, which seems to fall between the process of a “struggle for recognition” on the one hand, and, on the other, a consolidated recognition of subjects and their rights within the established social order. The article would like to propose a further reconstruction here. It discusses which considerations should be included so that the discourse on “identity” does not end in any substantialist or ethno-national, egocentric understandings, but, instead, could become possibly a part of Hegel’s theory. In today’s dynamics and unsettling changes, there are undeniable needs for “identity” (which are also easily addressed, even fuelled, by corresponding offers). These are, as one could learn from Hegel, surrogates of a still not or no longer successful sufficient recognition. In this, “identity” is to be understood as critical work on oneself as a product of becoming, on inheritances, achievements, challenges, divisions, discrepancies, guilt and failures.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

Moving from Fichte’s assumption that “the essence of the I is its activity”, his paper tries to... more Moving from Fichte’s assumption that “the essence of the I is its activity”,
his paper tries to analyze the meaning and implications of the idea of “activity” [Tathandlung] in order to explicate the peculiarities of Fichte’s critical, transcendental, and moral idealism. Fichte’s idea of activity will be examined with reference to such basic concepts as collision [Anstoss], interaction [Wechselwirkung], inter-determination [Wechselbestimmung], and striving [Streben]. However, it is freedom which frames and connects the core components of Fichte’s thinking and sets up the goal of his philosophy of action. What freedom accounts for, can be identified both at the transcendental level, in the internal dynamic of infinity and finitude constituting the subjectivity of the I, and at the moral and social levels of Fichte’s thought, as the goal of the human action in history and in the society. In assuming the unitary character of Fichte’s philosophical system, concluding remarks are developed concerning the moral meaning of the act of striving for freedom and, conversely, the immorality of attitudes and feelings

Ethics in Progress, 2021

In this paper I will focus on education as the core function of reason in Kant an... more In this paper I will focus on education as the core function of reason in Kant and Fichte. The notion of reason carries an intrinsic tendency to universality, which is difficult to be reconciled with its local (cultural, historical, anthropological) background and actualisation. I believe that the stress on the importance of learning, which can be seen in the works of both Kant and Fichte, might provide useful clues to approaching the relation between universality and particularity. I will start by focusing on Kant’s narration on the genealogy of human reason in the Conjectural Beginning of Human History, and then move on to the critical writings and selected lectures in order to focus on the role of human dignity and ethical education for the moral appraisal and the practice of virtue. Later, I will consider Fichte’s lectures on the Vocation of the Scholar, the Vocation of Man and The Characteristics of the Present Age, which are crucial to understanding the social, ethical and political role of the scholar. For Fichte, education is the best instrument to eradicate selfishness, regarded as a historical phenomenon which can lead a nation to ruin. I will then provide some conclusions concerning the two accounts and their implications.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

In Kant's writings, we can discover four moments in the genesis of the development of moral freed... more In Kant's writings, we can discover four moments in the genesis of the development of moral freedom. These are as follows: i) The moment of the original possibility of being free, ii) The act that Kant describes as radical evil, iii) The inner revolution, or conversion toward good, respectively, and iv) The long process of virtue. I am not dealing here with the development of freedom in the human community, as Kant discusses it in his Conjectural Beginning of Human History (AA VIII, 107-123) 1 which goes from the protection of nature to the state of freedom, or with the evolution of legal freedom, as in Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose (AA VIII, 15-31) 2 , which addresses a perfect political constitution both within the state and in the mutual 1 I. Kant, Muthmaßlicher Anfang der Menschengeschichte (1786). Citations to Kant will be provided on the basis of the Akademie-Ausgabe by volume and page (for instance: AA I, 1-2; 3-4). English quotations will be edited according to the Cambridge edition of the Works of Immanuel Kant, except for the Critique of Pure Reason where citations will use the standard A/B edition pagination

Ethics in Progress, 2021

The volume brings together contributions in the spirit embodied by Marek J. Siemek († 2011) and J... more The volume brings together contributions in the spirit embodied by Marek J. Siemek († 2011) and Jakub Kloc-Konkołowicz († 2021), two Warsaw philosophers truly devoted to Classical German Philosophy. They were simultaneously in a relationship between thinker and adept, and thinker and thinker. They both taught philosophy, with a strong emphasis on classic German philosophy, at Warsaw University. Under the theme "Ethical Theory in Classic German Philosophy Then and Now," students and companions continue their discussions with both of them.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

The main objective of this paper is to discuss people’s expectations towards social robots’ moral... more The main objective of this paper is to discuss people’s expectations towards social robots’ moral attitudes. Conclusions are based on the results of three selected empirical studies which used stories of robots (and humans) acting in hypothetical scenarios to assess the moral acceptance of their attitudes. The analysis indicates both the differences and similarities in expectations towards the robot and human attitudes. Decisions to remove someone’s autonomy are less acceptable from robots than from humans. In certain circumstances, the protection of a human’s life is considered more morally right than the protection of the robot’s being. Robots are also more strongly
expected to make utilitarian choices than human agents. However, there are situations in which people make consequentialist moral judgements when evaluating both the human and the robot decisions. Both robots and humans receive a similar overall amount of blame. Furthermore, it can be concluded that robots should protect their existence and
obey people, but in some situations, they should be able to hurt a human being. Differences in results can be partially explained by the character of experimental tasks. The present findings might be of considerable use in implementing morality into robots and also in the legal evaluation of their behaviours and attitudes.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

Nowadays, healthcare and medical education is qualified by test scores and competitiveness. This ... more Nowadays, healthcare and medical education is qualified by test scores and competitiveness. This article considers its quality in terms of improving the moral competence of future healthcare providers. Objectives. Examining the relevance of moral competence in medico-clinical decision-making despite the paradigm shift and discussing the up-to-date findings on healthcare students (Polish sample). Design and method. N=115 participants were surveyed with a standard Moral Competence Test to examine how their moral competence development was affected by the learning environment and further important factors. Results. The sample allowed the identification of a regress in moral competence during students’ preclinical
curriculum, and progress during their clinical curriculum. A gender-related bias, a segmentation effect, and a pronunciation effect were noticed. Explanations. Scholarly literature usually reports a linear decrease of medical students’ C-scores resulting from, e.g., competitive
trends in education. We identified such trends in terms of gender-specific competitive tactics. Religious and ethical affiliations were discussed to explain the unexpected gender bias and the
related segmentation and pronunciation effects. The findings can be regarded as predictive for similar developments in educational institutions regardless of cultural contexts as the sample examined in this article represents medical education in a country facing a transition from a noncompetitive to competitive tertiary education model, and between presecular and monocultural to secular and pluralist social ethics.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

The empirical research reported in this article is based on the Moral Foundations Theory proposed... more The empirical research reported in this article is based on the Moral Foundations Theory proposed by J. Haidt. Objectives. The author examines the impact of moral foundations arguments on early adolescents’ moral judgments regarding violating moral rules and explores gender-related differences between moral foundations preferences. Method. The effect of moral foundations arguments was measured by a newly developed meta-ethical position test (MEPT). The MEPT consists of a pretest questionnaire, treatment by moral foundations arguments, and a posttest questionnaire. The sample contained 178 early adolescents from the Czech Republic (84 females and 94 males). The influence of the moral foundations arguments was analyzed by comparing the pretest with the posttest. Results. 91% of teenagers changed their moral judgment due to confrontations with the moral foundations arguments. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test found that the moral foundations arguments were significantly relevant, since the P-value was lower than 0.001. The Mann-Whitney U test revealed the importance of the gender aspect: P-value care equals 0.01 and liberty 0.01. Girls have a preference for care foundation (21% more than boys), while boys tended to liberty (27 % more than girls). It seems that moral foundations arguments strongly change early adolescents’ moral judgments and can be practically
applied as a valuable platform for early adolescents’ moral development.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

Often we have to decide on difficult problems and conflicts. For this, a certain level of moral c... more Often we have to decide on difficult problems and conflicts. For this, a certain level of moral competence is needed, in order to solve them as quickly and adequately as possible. Otherwise these problems and conflicts can overwhelm us, triggering a feeling of fear and panic, and making us react too slowly or inadequately, or both. Fear and panic
can make us ignore problems and conflicts, attempt to “solve” them through brute force or deceit, or declare them to be beyond our responsibility and let an authority decide what to do. Often such makeshift solutions seem to work, but, more often, they have damaging
effects. Therefore, society tries to curb criminal and anti-democratic activities through coercion, that is, through laws, law-enforcing institutions, and correction facilities – at high costs, and often with little efficacy. In this article I show that such coercion would not be needed if we gave all citizens an opportunity to develop their ability to solve conflicts and problems through thinking and discus-sion. Moral competence would immunize us against fear and panic, and thus
also against immoral practices. Moral competence is not inborn in us, and it does not develop unless it is fostered through proper learning opportunities. Therefore, if we want to live together peace¬fully in a democratic society, we need to provide proper learning opportunities for everyone, not only of a few people. If the masses are infected by panic, a
few rational people cannot stop this pandemic.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

Moral Competence, defined as the ability to solve conflicts on the basis of shared moral principl... more Moral Competence, defined as the ability to solve conflicts on the basis of shared moral principles through cooperation rather than through violence, deceit and power, has received little attention among different psychological approaches; despite its importance in predicting many of our social interactions. The purpose of this study was to investigate
the effect of moral competence on online conformity behavior. 217 students from universities in Teheran were selected for a quasi-experimental study. First, participants’ moral competence was measured with the online Moral Competence Test (MCT) by G. Lind (1978/2019). Then the subjects participated in an online version of an Asch type
experiment in which conformity was induced. The results showed a clear conformity behavior in the use of the internet. An average of 32.09% of participants conformed to each critical question. When compared to Asch`s line judgment task, the mean conformity in this experiment was lower, but still significant enough to indicate conformity behavior
(36.8% compared with 7.4%), which might stem from the online situation, in which some other variables like the deindividuation effect might influence this difference. The results also indicated that there was a weak but negative correlation between moral competence and conformity behavior. The results confirm our hypothesis weakly; subjects with higher moral competence tended to show lower conformity. If the results could be replicated, it would imply that conformity is not a general and stable trait of people, as Asch assumed, but depends on people’s level of moral competence, which can be fostered through education.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

Most all popular moral reasoning or moral judgment tests are based on presenting subjects with tw... more Most all popular moral reasoning or moral judgment tests are based on
presenting subjects with two or more hypothetical moral dilemmas and asking them to make judgments on the moral quality of arguments supporting and questioning a protagonist’s decision (e.g., the Moral Competence Test by G. Lind). Although these tests have been insightful by tapping some aspect of individuals’ moral-cognitive schemas,
moral maturity, or moral development, they also have limitations. Hypothetical moral dilemmas may be too abstract and impersonal, thus failing to create enough emotional salience. Learning more about real-life personally recalled moral dilemmas may reveal more about the individual’s moral mind and experiences. Objective. The current study was conducted to learn more about the personally experienced
moral dilemmas, and how they relate to subjects’ level of moral competence and gender. Method. Subjects were asked to recall the most challenging personal moral dilemma; subjects completed the MCT test to measure moral competence. Results. Among some of the findings was that for both, men and women, higher moral competence scores were positively correlated with recalling personal moral dilemmas where the choice had to be made between some altruistic (care for others) and selfish actions. For men, it was the risk of compromising one’s status, whereas for women it was the risk of personal safety.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

The present study examines the relation between the moral intuitions proposedby the ‘Moral Founda... more The present study examines the relation between the moral intuitions proposedby the ‘Moral Foundations Theory’ according to J. Haidt and the moral orientations in relation with moral competence, as described by the ‘Dual-Aspect Model of Moral Behaviour’ according to G. Lind.
It is an empirical exploration of the relation between the five foundational domains (and/ or the corresponding two higher-order clusters) and the moral orientations, as this results from the theoretical assumptions of both theories, and the influence on and of the moral
competence on these aforementioned relations. The shared affective and, at the same time, habitual characteristics of moral intuitions and moral orientations, although based on different theories (intuitionism, respectively, cognitivism) should converge in a dynamic relationship.
The basic motivation is the need to overcome the affective-cognitive disjunction in the study of moral judgment, which is artificial. The human (moral) reasoning is always a situated and situating one, in a symbolic narrative universe, in which the cognitive-affective dichotomy forms a dynamic unity. This overstated dichotomy is only a methodological
necessity, but unfortunately hypostasized in an explanatory mechanism that leads to the impermissible simplification of the phenomenon that it seeks to understand. The empirical results confirm the limits of both cognitive and intuitions paradigms and advocates for a more nuanced and dynamic approach in understanding the moral judgment within a more comprehensive conception on human personality. Finally, the implications for the contemporary psychology’ paradigm are discussed.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

Researchers who need valid and objective data for evaluating their theories or the efficacy of ed... more Researchers who need valid and objective data for evaluating their theories or the efficacy of educational methods and programs have to choose between two equally undesirable alternatives: either they can use “objective” methods which have a questionable validity, or they can turn to “subjective” assessment methods with better validity. In other words, while subjective approaches to the study of human traits may be,
or really are, valid, they lack objectivity, that is, they may be biased toward the researcher’s theory. On the other hand, objective approaches to the study of psychological traits often lack psychological underpinning but are solely designed to fit a certain statistical model.
Thus, we cannot know what these instruments really measure.
Here I present a new approach to the study of human traits, which claims to be objective as well as psychologically valid, namely the concept Experimental Questionnaire (EQ). An EQ lets us make traits visible without relying on dubious statistical assumptions. Thus, it makes it possible for the researcher to test the psychological theory underlying its designs. The EQ methodology is not only an idea, but it has been applied for constructing the Moral Competence Test (MCT) and for testing the assumptions about the nature of moral competence which were used to design it. So far, all the studies have clearly confirmed their validity. This makes the MCT suitable for testing hypotheses regarding the relevance and teachability of moral competence, and, therefore, also for evaluating the efficacy and
efficiency of educational methods of fostering this competence.
Experimentally designed questionnaires can also be used in other fields of educational and psychological research in which testable theories about the nature of its objects have been developed.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

The findings obtained by G. Lind using his original research instrument – the Moral Competence Te... more The findings obtained by G. Lind using his original research instrument – the Moral Competence Test – suggest that universities lack the capacity to foster students’ moral competence development. The MCT has been translated into 39 languages, all of which have gone through the necessary validation procedure. The article reports on the MCT validation study for the 40th language, namely Lithuanian. The research sample consisted of 526 students of English/German/French languages, future foreign language teachers, in the 1 st to 4th years of study at two universities in Lithuania: the former Vilnius Pedagogical University and the Vilnius University. The majority of the respondents demonstrated low or medium level of moral competence. On the basis of this cross-sectional study (2019–2020), the MCT for Lithuanian has been successfully validated and certified. In the following article, we present and discuss all the validation criteria and revisit the theoretical background of MCT. We also argue for educating students in moral competence and evaluating the effects of moral competence promotion in academic contexts.

Ethics in Progress, 2021

It is a pleasure for me to introduce papers presented at the 14th International Symposium „Moral ... more It is a pleasure for me to introduce papers presented at the 14th International Symposium „Moral Competence: Its Nature, Relevance, and Education” hosted by the Institute of Foreign Languages of the Faculty of Philology at Vilnius University, Lithuania, on 23-24 July 2020, in collaboration with several academic institutions from abroad, such
as Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. Due to the pandemic restrictions, a symposium was organized in an online mode. Six papers were revised and submitted to this special issue as symposium proceedings, completed by two additional and related
papers. The contents offer a thorough insight into the concept of – and reasearch into – the moral competence defined by Georg Lind (Institute for Moral-Democratic Competence; formerly: University of Konstanz) and visualized by his Moral Competence Test (formerly: Moral Judgment Test) certified in 41 languages. In certain papers research findings and methods based on further measuring instruments, as well as the alternative approaches to moral judgment and decision making were applied and discussed (e.g., moral foundations approach).

Ethics in Progress, 2021

Ethics in Progress, 2020

This compilation is based on the original report on a clinical survey conducted in Brussels (1905... more This compilation is based on the original report on a clinical survey conducted in Brussels (1905-1906) by Josephine Joteyko and Varia Kipiani with 43 vegetarians. Having advanced expertise in physiology and experimentalism, Joteyko (with Lithuanian and Polish origins) and Kipiani (with Georgian origins) discussed their findings at the Congress of the Belgian Society for Vegetarianism in 1906. For both children and adults, females and males, regardless of age, the findings demonstrated vegetarian dietary habits to be beneficiary for human development, the subjects’ physical and mental health, welfare, and physical and intellectual efficiency. Surprisingly, Joteyko and Kipiani confirmed C. Darwin’s observation across various nutritional cultures that vegetarian food would increase the energetic balance of the human body. Additionally, their focus on the moteur humain shows affinities with Taylorism, the modernist utopias of labor, the enhancement of human faculties, the protection of workers and their rights from automation, and applied social science represented by Joteyko and Kipiani as multidisciplinary investigators. The compilation was made on: J. Joteyko & V. Kipiani, Enquête scientifique sur les Végétariens de Bruxelles, Conférence donnée à la Société végétarienne de Belgique, le 4 décembre 1906, pp. 1–77, with no further correction.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

The paper reviews the recent book edited by Dorota Probucka, entitled The Ethical Condemnation of... more The paper reviews the recent book edited by Dorota Probucka, entitled The Ethical Condemnation of Hunting (in Polish: Etyczne potępienie myślistwa), Universitas Press, Kraków 2020, pp. 426. Probucka is one of the most prominent Polish experts in animal studies, especially in applied ethics and the field of animal rights (e.g., Probucka 2018a, 2018b, 2017). The discussed monograph encompasses the contributions of 19 authors representing 9 universities from Poland and abroad. Their core issue of consideration was the topical problem of hunting, examined from various perspectives: ethical and legal, psychological, social and cultural, both on the theoretical level and in relation to the practice of hunting. This review focuses on the core arguments against hunting and discusses them in detail.The Ethics in Progress journal had the honour of contributing to the media patronage of Dorota Probucka’s et al. edition.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

Increasingly recognized threats from climate change and the progressive sixth mass extinction req... more Increasingly recognized threats from climate change and the progressive sixth mass extinction require not only searching for new technological solutions, but also changing the perception of the world and the beings living in it. There is an urgent need to include individual practices; practices that are an integral part of integrated policies to protect habitats, the climate, and the homo sapiens itself. Eric S. Nelson, in his latest book Daoism and Environmental Philosophy. Nourishing Life introduces the reader to the environmental approach known to Chinese communities for centuries. In a comprehensive and accurate manner, the author presents the Chinese approach to life and development, the understanding and interpretation of which has changed over the centuries, invariably emphasizing man’s belonging to the world of nature. This review introduces the author’s assumptions presented in the book, combining them with relatively new thoughts and paradigms appearing in the 20th and 21st centuries in Western Europe and the United States.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

The article intends to demonstrate that a theology of vegetarianism is possible, despite some con... more The article intends to demonstrate that a theology of vegetarianism is possible, despite some contrary evidence present in the biblical texts. Like other theologies dealing with issues not directly voiced in the Bible, it becomes possible to interpret the biblical statements in a new way, on the bases of a specific methodology. As a result, an objective comprehension will go back inductively to Sacred Scripture. The article advocates for applying this new method as well as for introducing its ethical implications into the Christian tradition. An additional supportive argument in favour of establishing the new understanding can be found in the history of the Roman Church, besides the consolidated custom of carnivorous nutrition: there has been no shortage of positions in favour of vegetarian asceticism. This stance was also represented by Thomas Aquinas. By valorizing classic Christian authors in favour of vegetarianism (starting with Jerome), the inauguration of the theology of vegetarianism becomes legitimised. Such an inauguration would reorient Christian thought toward reconsidering cosmology, ecology and topical contemporary issues such as anthropocentrism and speciesism.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

This paper will analyse the role played by technology in Peter Sloterdijk’s theory, where he seek... more This paper will analyse the role played by technology in Peter Sloterdijk’s theory, where he seeks to redefine and reconstruct ethics, society and democracy. Indeed, the philosopher’s project is to build a new kind of society, which risks being antidemocratic and elitist: technopolitics. This lemma refers to Sloterdijk’s reconfiguration of the social structure through the elimination of the human rights paradigm in a technological and anti-egalitarian manner. In order to do this, Sloterdijk redesigns the environment as a dangerous place whose rules cannot be followed, and which must be reshaped through technology. Hence, the philosopher reduces ethics to technology, and reinterprets society on the basis of new techno-ethical premises which support a hierarchical and selective new polis.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

Nutritional choices are affected by culture, tradition and above all by the narrative we adopt fo... more Nutritional choices are affected by culture, tradition and above all by the narrative we adopt for human history. The article gives an overview of the (pseudo)scientific beliefs, psychological factors and ethical orientations that affect nutritional choices. Among the various food theories today, great importance is given, for example, to the so-called Paleolithic diet, which consists of proposing a dietary model based on blood groups, which are assumed to have developed throughout different periods of the natural evolution of Homo sapiens, which were characterized by peculiar alimentary regimes. Moreover, psychological determinant drivers affect food choices and could lead to pathological eating behaviors (e.g., anorexia, overeating, binge eating). Finally, the ethical aspects of nutrition are closely correlated to vegetarianism, which in turn embraces an anti-speciesist thinking and recognizes the need for humans not to inflict unnecessary suffering on animals. Vegetarianism, anti-speciesism and ecologism often represent different aspects of the same issue: a lifestyle that testifies the need for a change in traditional paradigms, in the interest of humankind and the future of life on our planet.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

After the publication of Jaques Derrida’s book, L’animal que donc je suis, anti-speciesism has be... more After the publication of Jaques Derrida’s book, L’animal que donc je suis, anti-speciesism has been looking for a theoretical foundation for its ethical content. In my opinion, the defect of all these philosophical perspectives is that they still reduce animals to objects of human philosophy. Here, I develop a new framework in which animals are considered as subjects of their own philosophy. In analogy to the concept of ethnophilosophy, the concept of speciophilosophy is here introduced (§ 1, §3). The different ways of thinking between humans and other animals are outlined, by explaining the difference between verbal reasoning and thinking through images (§ 2). Human philosophies are shown to be anthropocentric ideologies, related to carnivorism (§4, § 8). Subsequently, animal speciophilosophies are discussed (§6) and a dialogical symphilosophein (§ 5) among all living beings is proposed to be the extension of the so-called philosophy of dialogue. Finally, it is shown how this perspective was present in the original Christian ethics (§7, §9, § 10).

Ethcis in Progress, 2020

This new special volume of Ethics in Progress was inspired by the need to address the issue of an... more This new special volume of Ethics in Progress was inspired by the need to address the issue of anthropocentrism as the key concept in the light of which original and innovative readings of the human-environment relationship are provided, through a remodelling of frequently occurring problems in the field, i.e., the theoretical foundations and conceptual intercorrelations between human-centred narrations and attitudes toward the environment 1 .

Ethics in Progress, 2020

From the perspective of empirical research, this paper conducts a specificstudy on the core compe... more From the perspective of empirical research, this paper conducts a specificstudy on the core competencies of college counselors. 450 participants from 4universities participated the research. A questionnaire of college counselors’ corecompetencies from the aspects of the design of open questionnaire was designedand implemented, a predictive questionnaire was tested and analyzed, and aformal questionnaire was implemented. The results of the formal questionnaireshow that component one mainly concerns ideological awareness and values,component two mainly concerns professional ethics, moral accomplishment,quality, character and attitude, while component three refers to various abilities atwork, and component four involves professional and cultural knowledge. Throughanalysis and discussion, it is concluded that the key elements of college counselors’core competencies include values, moral quality, vocational ability and culturalknowledge, and a structural model of their core competencies is constructed.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

The article aims to 1) focus on welfare opportunities near the conflictzone in Turkey. Providing ... more The article aims to 1) focus on welfare opportunities near the conflictzone in Turkey. Providing a good life for children under every condition belongs tothe responsibilities of both, national and international communities. The CapabilityApproach Theory seems to promote such responsibilities at best. However, theTurkish example does not show effects as satisfactory as the German examplewith Turkish migrant children, which is discussed in this article and illustratedwith research findings provided by the author.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

Moral education affinity has a very important influence on the smoothdevelopment of moral educati... more Moral education affinity has a very important influence on the smoothdevelopment of moral education activities and the improvement of educationaleffectiveness. From the perspective of psychology, the needs and emotions ofthe educatees are its motivational mechanism, the will of the educatees is itsmaintenance mechanism, psychological compatibility is its guarantee mechanism,and the learning psychology of the educatees is the reinforcement mechanism.The generation of moral education affinity is the process of educators’ activeinterpersonal attraction, the application of positive psychological effect, the changeof educatees’ attitude, and the psychological exchange and interaction betweeneducators and educatees. The main way to cultivate moral education affinity isto fully pay attention to the needs or changes of the educatees, make efforts tostimulate and strengthen the learning motivation, maintain the main status androle of the educatees, and enhance the appeal and affinity of the educationalprocess through the unity of knowledge and action.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

In this article the assumptions of one of the versions of the commongood concept in terms of the ... more In this article the assumptions of one of the versions of the commongood concept in terms of the dispersion of knowledge and uncertainty areanalyzed. The article also aims at showing the consequences in regard to moralattitudes in politics and economics which are drawn on the basis of the conceptsof this type. In the first part I expound the ontological assumptions which are thebasis for the analysis. In the second part the concept of common good in terms ofits own assumptions and in relation to the ontology developed in this article isdiscussed. In the third part I consider some general thoughts about the structureof the ethical tales and their reference.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

May you live in interesting times, the famous maxim quotes. Undoubtedly, at least in the historic... more May you live in interesting times, the famous maxim quotes. Undoubtedly, at least in the historical context, periods of political, social, scientific, or economic riots – or at least commotion, ferment, crisis – have certainly earned such a title. So have the epochs which were subject to radical transformations distorting traditional relationships and institutions, existing patterns and rules. The abovementioned “interestingness” is thus a function of a radical change, challenge and variability, somewhat a derivative of erosion, and of all that we associate it with the notion of revolution or turn, be it political, social, economic, environmental, or scientific. The paper’s core aim is to examine the nowadays constantly revised, questioned, thus, shaking demarcation between science and pseudoscience in the light of new trends such as misinformation, denialism, internetisation and memoisation of scientific discourses.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

This article is a case study of a question of possible doping and how our insights into our moral... more This article is a case study of a question of possible doping and how our insights into our moral judgements about doping are subject to considerations of both moral, but more presciently, epistemic luck. The eternal ambiguity surrounding the prevalence of doping, and its impact on high-level sport make this question entirely relevant for our discussions about the ethics of performanceenhancement in sport.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

This paper presents a critical evaluation of ethical and philosophical concerns about the effecti... more This paper presents a critical evaluation of ethical and philosophical concerns about the effective altruism as an ethical position. Effective altruists claim that one of our important ethical obligations is to do the most good possible, with the biggest possible positive impact. This impact should be measured with rational tools and by evaluating the effectiveness of our actions. At first glance, this might seem as a consensus building position, a good starting point for building a community of people wanting to change the world for the better. In our paper, we present some difficulties which are connected with such a way of thinking about charity and an ethical obligation to donate. We discuss the problem of the commercialization of ethical values, understanding effectiveness, agreeing about goals, as well as the political consequences of effective altruism understood as an ethical position.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

The article is combined of six chapters authored by these who voiced their experiences with socia... more The article is combined of six chapters authored by these who voiced their experiences with social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemics in various contexts, but mostly centered on psychological, sociological, and ethical aspects. Authors, mostly psychologists and philosophers, were invited to describe their perspectives on the sense and practice of social distancing in times of pandemics. Their reflections seek to demonstrate various perspectives related to subjects’ novel self-experience, social situatedness, and their dealing with conventions and habits altered through the pandemics. As “the owl of Minerva takes its flight only when the shades of night are gathering” (Hegel), there is no conclusion in this article. It rather encourages other authors to reflect on the nearly global, still lasting phenomenon.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

Ludwik Fleck is known today primarily as pioneer in the social study of scientific knowledge. How... more Ludwik Fleck is known today primarily as pioneer in the social study of scientific knowledge. However, during World War II he was a prisoner in Buchenwald, where he and other prisoners produced a typhus vaccine for the Nazis, and where he witnessed murderous experiments on human beings. After WW2, Fleck was accused by one of the prisoners who had participated in the vaccine production at Buchenwald of collaborating, either deliberately or due to lack of imagination, with the Nazi experiments. This article critically examines this accusation and its well-documented rebuttal by Fleck. It argues that while sometimes, especially when dealing with emotionally fraught issues, it may be difficult to establish what precisely took place at a given time and site, it is important to restore the original complexity and messiness of past events – in order to open spaces for understanding, reflexivity and compassion.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The traditional ethical culture of Japan is under the influence of Chinese Confucian culture. How... more The traditional ethical culture of Japan is under the influence of Chinese Confucian culture. However, due to differences in historical tradition and social structure, in traditional Japanese culture, “loyalty”, as the highest value, is in preference to “filial piety” and it lays a foundation for universal moral principles of the society; while in the Chinese Confucian culture, “filial piety” is regarded as the first and “loyalty” is the natural expansion of “filial piety”. The main reason is the influence of the indigenous Shinto in traditional Japanese culture. After the internalization of the indigenous Shinto and the Tennoism as well as the indoctrination of over 600-year ruling of the samurai regime, “loyalty”, as the national cultural and psychological heritage, has the religious and irrational mysterious color, which is different from the secularization and the practical rationality of the pre-Qin Confucian ethics of China. Loyalty to the emperor and devotion to public interests advocated by Bushido is an important characteristic of traditional Japanese ethical culture, and the religious and absolute understanding of “loyalty” is hidden with the risk of nationalism and irrationality.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The aim of this article 1 is to present my personal cognitive experience of transdisciplinary wor... more The aim of this article 1 is to present my personal cognitive experience of transdisciplinary work, which can also be understood as knowledge transfer and aesthetic experience. My BioArt uses the microphotography technique-my instruments being LEICA E 24 and LEICA DM 750 microscopes, with an LEICA ICC50 HD camera and a Dino-Lite Pro HR AM 7000 5 Megapixel manual microscope. The preparations and objects I have photographed so far have been mainly plant and insect material (dry and wet) and my own biological material. This text is the first non-artistic thematicization of my work 2 and as such it signposts the possible direction my future research could take. The first, short section also indicates the direction my reflections, based on the philosophy of culture, will not take.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The article focuses on the socio-spatial accessibility of the city, taking into account the pheno... more The article focuses on the socio-spatial accessibility of the city, taking into account the phenomenon of a digitally expanding urban environment: new-media mobility conditions, intermedia dataflow, hybrid space. Therefore, turning to the problem of access and to urban mobile applications complements the problem of access to the city itself. Particular attention is focused on mapping applications, considering mapping as an expression of active city exploration “from the inside” and the process of cooperative spatial knowledge production, characterized by a critical approach. Urban mapping applications dedicated to people with disabilities can be not only a form of support when they move around the city, but also a kind of tool for co-shaping urban space – exposing inequalities and seeking ways to deconstruct socio-spatial “normalization”. In this perspective, people with disabilities, taking advantage of the new spaces of mobile accessibility, place themselves in the role of political subjects, co-creators of space, “mapping citizens” fighting for their rights as urban citizens.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Digital games are social objects created based on our culture and society and at the same time th... more Digital games are social objects created based on our culture and society and at the same time they contribute to shaping our world. Through a critical perspective of digital games and technology, it is possible to discuss the unfolding of these artefacts in our society and also understand their relevance beyond an instrumental view. In this paper, we present a brief reflection based on two researches developed by the authors: the first, regarding the link between digital games and people with disabilities; and the second, about contributions of digital games to a critical education. Our goal with this work is to highlight the emancipatory and participatory potential present in the critical vision of digital games.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Two major strategies (the top-down and bottom-up strategies) are currently discussed in robot eth... more Two major strategies (the top-down and bottom-up strategies) are currently discussed in robot ethics for moral integration. I will argue that both strategies are not sufficient. Instead, I agree with Bertram F. Malle and Matthias Scheutz that robots need to be equipped with moral competence if we don’t want them to be a potential risk in society, causing harm, social problems or conflicts. However, I claim that we should not define moral competence merely as a result of different “elements” or “components” we can randomly change. My suggestion is to follow Georg Lind’s dual aspect dual layer theory of moral self that provides a broader perspective and another vocabulary for the discussion in robot ethics. According to Lind, moral competence is only one aspect of moral behavior that we cannot separate from its second aspect: moral orientation. As a result, the thesis of this paper is that integrating morality into robots has to include moral orientation and moral competence.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The paper describes the cooperative board game entitled THREE. The game is inspired by the Three ... more The paper describes the cooperative board game entitled THREE. The game is inspired by the Three Laws of Robotics. We show how this game may be used as an environment for exploring the ethical problems arising from human-robot interaction. We present the idea behind the game, discuss its cooperativeness and analyze the dilemmas encountered by players during the gameplay. We also present and discuss the results of the game evaluation.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The development of increasingly intelligent and autonomous technologies will eventually lead to t... more The development of increasingly intelligent and autonomous technologies will eventually lead to these systems having to face morally problematic situations. This is particularly true of artificial systems that are used in geriatric care environments. The goal of this article is to describe how one can approach the design of an elder care robot which is capable of moral decision-making and moral learning. A conceptual design for the development of such a system is provided and the steps that are necessary to implement it are described.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

A defining goal of research in AI and robotics is to build technical artefacts as substitutes, as... more A defining goal of research in AI and robotics is to build technical artefacts as substitutes, assistants or enhancements of human action and decision-making. But both in reflection on these technologies and in interaction with the respective technical artefacts, we sometimes encounter certain kinds of human likenesses. To clarify their significance, three aspects are highlighted. First, I will broadly investigate some relations between humans and artificial agents by recalling certain points from the debates on Strong AI, on Turing’s Test, on the concept of autonomy and on anthropomorphism in human-machine interaction. Second, I will argue for the claim that there are no serious ethical issues involved in the theoretical aspects of technological human likeness. Third, I will suggest that although human likeness may not be ethically significant on the philosophical and conceptual levels, strategies to use anthropomorphism in the technological design of human-machine collaborations are ethically significant, because artificial agents are specifically designed to be treated in ways we usually treat humans.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg (1937-1995) was a Polish science fiction writer. In his novel Robot (1973),... more Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg (1937-1995) was a Polish science fiction writer. In his novel Robot (1973), he made an attempt at a literary visualization of a machine acquiring human identity. In this article I would like to follow the ethical consequences of such situations in created literary worlds. It is worth remembering, however, that these artistic worlds often serve to test non-literary reality. In his novel, Wiśniewski-Snerg also dealt with the problem of human feelings (e.g. moral dilemmas) in a thinking machine, which is formed in the image and likeness of a human being. Such literary reflection is valuable, partly because it enters into an interesting dialogue with the work of Bruno Schulz (1892- 1942), one of the most important Polish writers of the 20th century. It is also one of the first attempts in Polish literature to address the issue of sentient machines, and is a kind of preview of contemporary dilemmas connected with the work on the creation of artificial intelligence. An example of such a dilemma is the issue of the sentient machine’s perception of the tasks imposed on it by the human-constructor. Perhaps it will start to experience them as a kind of unethical oppression. In Wiśniewski-Snerg’s writing this problem of is, of course, expressed in a metaphorical way.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The use of machines with artificial intelligence in different areas of life and the trend to deve... more The use of machines with artificial intelligence in different areas of life and the trend to develop a „homunculus“ makes ethical rating necessary. Starting with early rules of behavior and moral norms, traditions in the occidental ethic history will be presented and faced with the question, whether they can be of any help to understand artificial intelligence, and which conclusions should be considered while developing and using machines with (strong) artifical intelligence by individuals, states, and finally, the whole world.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

David J. Gunkel in his latest book Robot Rights presents the opportunities and challenges of inte... more David J. Gunkel in his latest book Robot Rights presents the opportunities and challenges of integrating robots into moral and legal systems. The research question asked by the author is “Can and should robots have rights”? Following the Humean distinction between “is” and “ought”, Gunkel creates four statements that either opt for or against incorporating robots into legal discourse. The four modalities group contrasting opinions developed by different scholars on the subject of the eponymous robot rights. The author provides readers with yet another alternative approach to the question of legal recognition of robots which is based on Levinasian philosophy.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

There are many issues surrounding the introduction of social robots into society, including conce... more There are many issues surrounding the introduction of social robots into society, including concerns about how they may be used to replace true social interaction in personal life, dehumanise formerly social occupations such as elderly care, and be perceived as more human than they actually are. This paper shall present a psychological perspective on the human reception of social robots and apply the gathered information to address these concerns.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Machines have always been a tool or technical instrument for human beings to facilitate and to ac... more Machines have always been a tool or technical instrument for human beings to facilitate and to accelerate processes through mechanical power. The same applies to robots nowadays – the next step in the evolution of machines. Over the course of the last few years, robot usage in society has expanded enormously, and they now carry out a remarkable number of tasks for us. It seems we are on the eve of a historic revolution that will change everything we know right now. But not only robots have an impact on our life. It is digitization in its entirety, including smart applications and games, that confronts us with new spaces. This special volume of Ethics in Progress tries to broaden our understanding of a philosophical field – robots and digitization – that is still in its infancy in terms of it research and literature.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Taking the cue from some verses of Rilke’s Duineser Elegien, where the poet talks about the disti... more Taking the cue from some verses of Rilke’s Duineser Elegien, where the poet talks about the distinction between life and death, a distinction which mortals perform too rigidly, in this paper I discuss the contrast just between life and death, in order to understand the conditions under which the first truly distinguishes itself from the latter. This happens to the extent that life is also distinguished from the denial of death because otherwise, being the negation a form of necation (nex = killing, murder), the presumed denial of death would reverse in a triumph of death. In the present age this circumstance is particularly evident and significant, since humanity aims at a technological realization of im‑mortality, understood as the denial of death. To the extent that this remains a negative operation, it takes the form of the scrapping of mortals. True liberation/salvation from death presupposes that the negation itself is called into question. Only on this condition, in fact, is possible a life free from any form of necation. This freedom presupposes, inter alia, a “non” education, intended as an education to be able to freely play with the negative of death and denial.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Arne Naess was one of the first philosopher who try to find out a way to resolve the ecological ... more Arne Naess was one of the first philosopher who try to find out a way to resolve the ecological crisis through philosophy. By analysing some of the main point of Naess‘ philosophy, the essay shows that his main interest was to legitimize the ecological movement. Philosophy becomes a political instrument and assumes a tragical character,
because it takes on an impossible project. For Naess philosophy should provide a new total view to change man‘s attitude to nature. This analysis could help us to find out some critical points of a philosophy that try to be useful in the ecological crisis.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

In this paper I propose to demonstrate how the anthropological view can highlight the effects of ... more In this paper I propose to demonstrate how the anthropological view can highlight the effects of the relationship between ethnic nationalism and global processes. Showing the results of an ethnographical research conducted in 2015, I focus on the representation of social identity in the contemporary Basque Country. I emphasize the central role played by the new technologies for the identification of the Basque communities’ boundaries. The creation of „the eighth province“ (or province of the diaspora) shows how, in this context, Internet could transform the “imagined community” into a virtual reality. The ethnographical view proves to be useful to understand how local practices and discourses can interact with global phenomena: particularly significant is the spreading of archaeogenetic investigations in Euskal Herria, in order to verify the hypothesis of a reproductive isolation of Basque people. Moreover, a big part of local population is using genetic tests proposed online by DNA consulting agencies. It is important to identify how these genetic narratives are absorbed and reused by local populations and if they can reshape the past of a mnemonic community, influencing the representation of its future.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The paper addresses some of the ways in which anthropology, as a discourse and a discipline, has... more The paper addresses some of the ways in which anthropology, as a discourse and a discipline, has contributed to the forging as much as of the problematisation of the concept of gender, not only within the feminist, queer and LGBTQI camps, but also among Catholic fundamentalists. It argues that, despite some recent genealogical critiques of the concept of gender and its origins in mid-20th century bio-medical governance, insufficient attention has been paid to the role of the so-called ‘savage slot’ - as Rolph Trouillot defined the domain of knowledge carved out for anthropology, in a wider scheme of thought that has its origins at the same time as ‘the West’ became a reality. A more thorough genealogy of the ways in which anthropological thinking and evidence contributed to the construction, and then the deconstruction, of gender, can provide fruitful tools for a deeper challenge of the apparatus of gender itself.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Religion is at the heart of the lacerating conflicts in Iraq and Syria today. In both countries t... more Religion is at the heart of the lacerating conflicts in Iraq and Syria today. In both countries the matter at hand is the fracture between the two main branches of Islam. This fracture escalated into a religious war after the Arab Springs in 2011, even thoughthe violent conflict between Shia and Sunni started in Iraq in 2003, after the American invasion of the ancient Mesopotamia. The reason for both the foreign occupation and the insurrection of the civil society leading to the same chaos is that, in both countries, the State does not raise enough legitimacy to open a public space able to welcome a unitary citizenship. Such a phenomenon calls back to the history of the two states and at the British (Iraq) and French (Syria) establishing mandates of the two institutions, which
never succeeded in imposing their legitimacy for most people (Shia in Iraq and Sunni in Syria), left out of the ruling bodies for a long time. The Shia-Kurdish combination, which is the leading force in Iraq since 2003, conducted to the refusal of the Arab Sunni minority to live marginalized and powerless.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Can we say we live in a post-digital condition? It depends. This paper sets out to distinguish b... more Can we say we live in a post-digital condition? It depends. This paper sets out to distinguish between the current mass digital culture and an authentic post-digital culture. If we mean “post-digital” as the full internalization and awareness of the result of the so-called digital revolution, then it is necessary a philosophical work to discuss
related problems, identify the causes and propose solutions.
An authentic philosophy of digital will, however, have to start from a clarification of the terms and basic objects of its investigation. Here media theory is inserted as an analytical tool: the purpose of this essay is to outline a road map for a good media theory that interfaces with questions of definition of digital, also in light of the notions of space,
time, and matter. As will be seen, the description given here for a “good media theory” does, in fact, coincide with an already existing – and inserted in the contemporary debate – school. In conclusion we will try to delineate the field of philosophical inquiry opened by the clarification brought by the previous analysis, and to suggest a general framework
within which philosophy will have to move in order to finally reach the authentic postdigital condition.

Summer School Cespec X edizione (2017) - Atti del convegno - Ethics in Progress Vol 10, No 1 (2019).

Ethics in Progress, 2019

From 12th to 16th September 2017 the 10th edition of the CeSPeC’s Summer School took place in Cun... more From 12th to 16th September 2017 the 10th edition of the CeSPeC’s Summer School took place in Cuneo (Italy). This event revolved around the role of the humanities in the contemporary world and had the purpose of explaining the various perspectives which may demonstrate how still the contribution of such disciplines is important to interpret the world and the reality in the post-modern, global and post-digital era. In this introduction we provide a focus on the main topic and a brief presentation of the reflections composing the present papers collection

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The aim of this articole is to discover traces of humanitas in late antique and mediaval literatu... more The aim of this articole is to discover traces of humanitas in late antique and mediaval literature. Starting from the classic meaning of this notion, the paper finds three meaningful episodes: the controversy between Ambrosius and Symmachus about the Altar of Victory, the Dialogue of a Philosopher with a Jew and a Christian by Peter Abelard and the spread of the Life of Balaam and Josaphat. Through these examples, the article builds a new idea of humanitas, free from historical restricion, a blend of literary passion, acceptance of diversity and multiculturalism.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Democracy is bound to fail if its citizens lack opportunities to develop their moral-democratic c... more Democracy is bound to fail if its citizens lack opportunities to develop their moral-democratic competence, that is, their ability to solve conflicts through thinking and discussion, instead of through violence, deceit or bowing down to others. The concept of Discussion Theatre has been designed to provide such an learning opportunity. In contrast to traditional theatre, there is no above and below, no division between actors and listeners – all are participants. The Discussion Theatre is the “public” version of the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (KMDD), which is been successfully used in institutions of education in many countries for over two decades.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

As a young teacher and researcher, the prospective of introducing western philosophical themes to... more As a young teacher and researcher, the prospective of introducing western philosophical themes to a public of students from a non-western country, came in 2016 as a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, which I met with great enthusiasm. However, as in any situation involving pre-conceived expectations, facing and dealing with the real situation on the ground opens up a pathway for a closer understanding of both the new culture explored, a perception of one’s own limits and the willingness to overcome them. The following lines are intended to cover the way my approach to teaching to a Chinese public has evolved from pre-conceptions and empty enthusiasm to an attitude of pedagogical creativity in identifying and presenting the key topics that would attract my students’ attention. As I will show, students’ expectations were to approach the western ideas not directly, but via a more complex process of being acquainted with the major historical and cultural movements in Europe and the western world. This meant the involvement in the teaching process of a wider number of elements taken not only from philosophy but from other humanistic disciplines.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The following reflections are born from some practical and theoretical trajectories undertook by ... more The following reflections are born from some practical and theoretical trajectories undertook by the writer – already since a few years in my research scope – around philosophy for children/community and philosophical practices. The experience of some activities proposed at the Liceo Vasco/Beccaria/Govone in Mondovì during the Cespec Summer School 2017 around the issue of Humanitas in the contemporary society was recently added to these reflections. It is a theme that engaged us in several experiences of Philosophy for Community. Throughout these gatherings, we proposed a cartographic writing and philosophical approach. In particular, this contribution will explore the concept of children cartography (cartografia d’infanzia), as an occasion of translating the philosophical discourse into a map of a philosophical debate, also mutuating the concept of philosophical confluence considered by Pierpaolo Casarin. The adopted perspective is the transdisciplinary border where human geography, philosophy, and writing, as disciplinary subjects, can confound their identities and boundaries in a space of immanence in the making. Summarizing, we intend to highlight the themes, concepts, and practical propositions around some practical and theoretical research trajectories, current and future, which hold implications for all of us (and for humanity). Such practices allow again – and still – the possibility of orienting and losing oneself thanks to the Humanitas.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The current condition of philosophy as a discipline is quite problematic, in particular if we con... more The current condition of philosophy as a discipline is quite problematic, in particular if we consider its relationship to other human sciences and to other disciplines in general. The philosophical debate appears fragmented, and philosophy itself has lost any specific role in the present scientific landscape. This situation determines a sort of
“identity crisis”, whose main consequence is the coexistence of antinomical views about philosophy in the contemporary scientific and public discourse. Starting from this context, the paper aims at providing a description of philosophy as “theory of mediation”. This description does not want to be ‘original’, but rather tries to emphasize an element that is always been rooted in the very essence of philosophy, but
that has also often been neglected. Philosophy has always pointed out the necessity to think the in-between of things, their relation and the passage from one to another, rather than just offering a taxonomy or a factual description of the world. In order to prove this point, the paper offers an analysis of some classical texts, in particular of some fragments by Heraclitus and of a passage taken from Hegel’s early writings. A view that rethinks philosophy as “mediology” allows a rehabilitation of philosophy as a specific discipline and as a systematic enterprise, at the same time providing a new framework for the understanding of the relationship between philosophy and other
sciences.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

The paper discusses Wittgenstein’s approaches to ethics within two contrastive contexts, e.g., pr... more The paper discusses Wittgenstein’s approaches to ethics within two contrastive contexts, e.g., pragmatism and cooperative-discursive normative practice. The first section revisits the fiasco of his early “negative” ethics. The second section subsequently shows how Wittgenstein’s mature concept of blind rule-following displaces normativity but simultaneously becomes the key predictor for discourse ethics (or, rather, a specific kind of it). The final section discusses the pros and cons of finitism in the light of contemporary philosophy of mind. As a conclusion, the author provides evidence for her hypothesis that there is no normative (embodied) mind without a manifest normative competence, which includes moral judgment and discursive competence.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

Der Aufsatz untersucht das Begriffspaar Staat und Freiheit bei F. W. J. Schelling. Die These laut... more Der Aufsatz untersucht das Begriffspaar Staat und Freiheit bei F. W. J. Schelling. Die These lautet: Obwohl Schelling den Staat ablehnt, scharf als „Mechanismus“ kritisiert und verurteilt, ist dieser aus seiner Sicht der einzige Garant — als „zweite Natur“ — zur Wiederherstellung der „verlorenen Einheit“, Sicherung der Freiheit des Menschen und Ermöglichung eines „Höheren Lebens“. Schelling untersetzt dabei seine Feststellung mit wirkmächtigen Metaphern vom Staat als „Organismus“ und „Kunstwerk“, um seine Idealvorstellungen eines politischen Gemeinwesens zu postulieren.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

Given that organ transplant is a standard medical technology admitted in medical practice, and ta... more Given that organ transplant is a standard medical technology admitted in medical practice, and taking into consideration that Polish transplantology is regarded among the most advanced in the world one should expect to find similarly high levels of acceptance in interviewees asked for their opinion on vital organ transplantation and their willingness to donate a paired organ ex vivo, or a vital organ ex mortuo in order to rescue the life of a recipient with a missing vital organ. The paper presents research build on the societal assessment of vital organ donation and transplant policies in Poland with the focus on students. Data have been collected at three different universities (Boratyński et al., Questionnaire on the Bases of Transplantation Medicine 2016/7). Various assessments concerning a vital organ donation have been observed. The authors discuss educational factors contributing to these variety including factual knowledge and ethical issues.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

In order to find the inequalities in the life of socially vulnerable Turkish origin girls; the pr... more In order to find the inequalities in the life of socially vulnerable Turkish origin girls; the present research conceptualized how ethnicity and migration background deprive or enhance capabilities (opportunities) of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation girls with a Turkish origin living in Germany. Data for research were collected in consultation with colleagues working in the field of youth and education in the Federal State of North Rheine Westphalia. The participants were girls between the ages of 13 and 21 years residing in North Rhine Westphalia`s (NRW) socio-economically vulnerable areas.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

The present study aimed to explore the effects of psychological needs on the relationship of peer... more The present study aimed to explore the effects of psychological needs on the relationship of peer victimization and anxiety. Methods: A sample of 889 4th, 5th and 6th primary school students in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were recruited with the measurement of Peer victimization Questionnaire, Psychological needs Scale and Anxiety Scale (SAS). Results showed that: (1) There were no significant gender and grade differences with respect to Peer victimization; (2) Significant negative correlations were found between all types of peer victimization and the subscales of psychological needs. In addition, significant positive correlations were found between all types of peer victimizationand, anxiety and significant negative correlations between all the subscales of psychological needs and anxiety; (3) Psychological needs partially mediated the relationship between Peer victimizationexperience and anxiety

Ethics in Progress, 2018

The reprinted paper refers to Georg Lind and his colleagues’ MCT-based FORM study conducted at se... more The reprinted paper refers to Georg Lind and his colleagues’ MCT-based
FORM study conducted at several European universities in 1977-1983, including Polish ones. After a short phase of democratization, in 1981 Polish society suddenly faced martial law. That experience had an impact on Polish students moral-, discursiveand democratic competences, as measured by MCT. When Ewa Nowak started her
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation supported research stay under the supervision of Professor Georg Lind (University of Konstanz, 2008-2010), they were inspired to revisit and discuss the puzzling Polish research findings of 1981/3. According to their main hypothesis, martial law restricted free speech at universities, and free speech is a key
facilitator of the development of moral and democratic competence. In 2018, after a decade of collaborative research on moral and democratic competence, Lind, Nowak and colleagues started a new international MCT study in several Central- and East European countries to examine the impact of the contemporary constitutional crisis in Poland (and
the institutional crisis within the European Union) on students’ moral and democratic competencies. In 2018/9 the 40th anniversary of the Moral Competence Test (MCT) and Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (KMDD) will be celebrated. We would like to provide you with the most recent research findings soon.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

Higher education institutions in the United States have historically been tasked with the respons... more Higher education institutions in the United States have historically been tasked with the responsibility of scaffolding the moral development of students. Although empirical evidence suggests that attending colleges and universities can foster students’ moral development and reasoning, the effect of online higher education remains mainly unknown. The current study has examined the effect of two online psychology courses, Developmental Psychology and Research Methods Lab, and their respective assignments on students’ moral competence. The findings revealed that students’ moral competence in both courses was improved; this improvement was partly attributed to online group discussions in the Developmental psychology course. No other assignments were found to be significant contributors of students’ moral competence. Limitations and implications of the findings were discussed.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

The previous moral psychological research on educational institutions highlighted the influence o... more The previous moral psychological research on educational institutions
highlighted the influence on the development of moral orientation and competence. With the help of the present quantitative study, the influence of early childhood education on moral abilities has been explored. Since the moral education of children is often associated with religious norms and values, and religions are debated in relation to their
general meaning and functionality, the religious moral education has been investigated. Therefore, students of various disciplines from Berlin were asked about their religious education in their early childhood and were examined on their current moral orientation and competence. The Moral-Competence-Test by Lind and a self-constructed and piloted
questionnaire for the examination of religious education and religiosity have been used for the measurement. The results of the online study have shown that the moral skills of dogmatically educated students are significantly reduced, but not related to the differences in educational experience or the current preservation of religiousness.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

What does being moral mean? On one hand people may justify mercy killing as sparing someone’s suf... more What does being moral mean? On one hand people may justify mercy killing as sparing someone’s suffering, but on the other hand they are still, in-fact, taking another’s life. According to Lind’s theory of moral competence (2008), it is based on consistent utilization of moral principles. Although common sense tells us that people’s affective
states and levels of empathy may explain the differences, there is little direct evidence. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap by examining the relative contribution of empathy and affective state to moral competence. Results of the study revealed that although perspective taking and negative affective state were both significant predictors of moral competence, perspective taking was a stronger contributor. This suggests that the next time you deliberate over a moral dilemma (e.g., euthanasia), you should try understanding another person’s perspective rather than feeling empathy to make the
best moral judgment.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

The 12th International Moral Competence Symposium from 11th to 13th October 2018 this year took p... more The 12th International Moral Competence Symposium from 11th to 13th October 2018 this year took place in Chemnitz, in Pentagon3. Chemnitz is also a place where traditional inventive spirit and ingenuity meets the newest developments of the 21st century. Chemnitz University of Technology and the many research institutes based here
are testament to the city’s status as leading national research and development centre. But in the last weeks we experienced that some backward, nationalist people in Chemnitz lack moral competence. Therefore, it was the right place to have the 12th International Moral
Competence Symposium here. Its theme: “Moral Competence: Its Nature, Its Relevance, and Its Education.” The Moral Competence-Symposium brought together international scientists and practitioners with different professional backgrounds from all over the world: the participants came from China, Poland, Sierra Leone, South-Korea, USA and Germany. Similarly, diverse was their professional back-ground: psychology, education, engineering, human resource management, employment facilitation, and philosophy. Special guest was Prof. Dr. Georg Lind, the creator of the Moral Competence Test (MCT), the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (KMDD®), and the KMDD-Training and Certification Program. The participants had an intensive exchange of their experiences, research findings and questions regarding the KMDD® and MCT® during the sessions and the breaks and the evening dinners. In the spare time, the participants could take part in two guided city tours, so that they could see how beautiful Chemnitz is, in spite of the destructions during World War 2 and the non-so-beautiful architecture of the GDR-times.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

Barbara Skarga (1919–2009) was one of the most important Polish Philosophers of 20th century. She... more Barbara Skarga (1919–2009) was one of the most important Polish Philosophers of 20th century. She was an expert in classical and contemporary French (e.g. Comte, Bergson, Lévinas) and German Philosophy (e.g. Kant, Hegel, Heidegger). In this paper I present some important biographical facts (participation in organized resistance in Vilnius, interments in Gulags) as well Skarga’s philosophical, mostly sociopolitical and ethical, ideas. I called its philosophical concept “philosophy of difference”.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

Counsellors are important key members in Chinese universities. In this paper, on the one hand, we... more Counsellors are important key members in Chinese universities. In this paper, on the one hand, we compared student affairs workers’ occupational characteristics, classification and development of western as well as Chinese university. On the other hand, Chinese university faculty members and students are our subjects. Of 800 pieces circulated, 537 pieces are found to be effective. We verified the reliability and validity of data, then conducted correlation analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The test has good reliability and validity. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and the split-half reliability coefficient are all above 0.9, indicating that the actual value is in good accordance with the true value. The internal alpha coefficient and the split-half reliability coefficient of each factor are all above 0.8. Χ2/df<5. GFI, AGFI, NFI, CFI, IFI,RMSEA and the other indicators are fitting, and this test meets measurement requirements. A 5-factor model is formulated based on the research results, including: moral quality; professional competence; political awareness; instructive ability; interpersonal skills. This 5-factor model reflects the evaluation of faculty members and students in universities on qualities of counsellors and transformation in their expectation for the role counsellors play as time goes by. So we summarize the qualities of counsellors are constantly changing. These changes have been constantly evolving in time, and their traits are such as: Objectivity of the times, Initiative of inner, Predictability of practice. Being well aware of the trend of this career is conducive to the formation of a sound relationship between counsellors and students, measurability for morality-oriented education, and improvement in counsellors’ overall qualities.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

In this paper, I present Christine Korsgaard’s style of building a conception of animal rights pr... more In this paper, I present Christine Korsgaard’s style of building a conception of animal rights protection based on a concept of Kantian provenance, namely “end in itself”. Considering that an end in itself in Immanuel Kant’s philosophy includes only human beings, the American philosopher needed to modify (extend) the meaning of the abovementioned concept. This study aims at showing this change of the meaning in categories derived from Fregean semantics (sense and reference). Moreover, I will attempt to prove that by broadening the extension of “end in itself” Korsgaard uses a strategy called ethical extensionism and situates the revised (naturalized) categorical imperative ipso facto within environmental ethics.
I start with elucidating Korsgaard’s views on the meaning of “end in itself” before she took interest in animal rights (set out mainly in Kant’s Formula of Humanity and The Sources of Normativity) and then I synthetically describe her animal rights philosophy with a special regard to the category of “natural good”. The second part of the article explains the methodology used in the paper, while the last part is intended to be an interpretation of Korsgaard’s thought.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

The article is focused on the issues relating to a legal situation of an animal as a victim of a ... more The article is focused on the issues relating to a legal situation of an animal as a victim of a criminal offense. Currently, according to the rules of criminal procedure, an animal, as an entity, cannot be legally recognised a victim, which significantly lowers efficiency with which its interests can be protected. There are strong moral and pragmatic reasons to grant animals the status of a non-personal carrier of legal rights. Legal personality of animals as victims during a criminal trial should be of only passive nature, allowing recognition of legally-protected interests of the animal.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

This study used a self-designed questionnaire to empirically evaluate Chinese and American underg... more This study used a self-designed questionnaire to empirically evaluate Chinese and American undergraduate students’ recognition of moral values in six dimensions: honesty, civility & self-discipline, benevolence, unity & helping others, esteem, and filial piety. In total, 743 valid samples from 8 Chinese universities and 157 valid samples from 4 American universities were collected for an experimental comparison. Measurement results showed that the differences between Chinese and American college students were not significant in the dimensions of honesty, benevolence, esteem, and filial piety. These values, which originated in traditional Chinese culture, had the same priorities in both groups, confirming a certain degree of universality. However, significant intergroup differences existed in the civility and self-discipline dimension and the unity and helping others dimension. These results highlight the importance of enhancing Chinese college students’ moral consciousness, especially with esteem, and of enhancing American students’ consciousness of unity and helping others.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

Based on the Social Cognitive Domain Theory, the paper explored the adolescents’ conceptions of t... more Based on the Social Cognitive Domain Theory, the paper explored the adolescents’ conceptions of teacher authority in different domains and their relations to rule violations in school. The main results are: 1) Adolescents viewed moral, conventional, and prudential issues as legitimately subject to teachers’ authority and personal issues as under personal jurisdiction, but they were equivocal about contextually conventional issues. 2) Seventh graders judged all acts as more legitimately subject to teachers’ authority, all rule violations as more negative than did older students. 3) Compared with adolescents from big cities, adolescents from rural area viewed moral, conventional, contextually conventional, and personal issues as more legitimately subject to teacher authority, and endorsed less personal jurisdiction over those issues; but there were no significant differences in moral domain. 4) Male subjects reported more violations in conventional and prudential domain. 5）Adolescents’ older age, less endorsement of legitimacy of teacher authority, and greater dislike for school predicted more teacher- and self-reported misconducts. Implications for moral education from these results were also discussed.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

In this paper, I consider whether a theoretically defined concept of underclass can be helpful in... more In this paper, I consider whether a theoretically defined concept of underclass can be helpful in social scientific discourse. I analyze, review and categorize the concept of a underclass and I made some suggestions for a use of the concept application in the study of social, psychological and moral consequences of poverty. It begins with a discussion of the continuing and pervasive appeal of structural explanations as the root cause of poverty. Then are also examined cultural theories, which by contrast find explanation for poverty in various elements of culture (ex. cultural traits of poor are thought to be different from those of the rest society). A third, a synthetic review of the urban underclass concept is explored. The article also describes the concept of a „culture of poverty” (taking into account the context of the subculture) and „lower class value stretch” as influential concepts in analyses of contemporary poverty and in explanations of the behavior of the poor.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

With the development of autonomous robots, one day probably capable of speaking, thinking and lea... more With the development of autonomous robots, one day probably capable of speaking, thinking and learning, self-reflecting, sharing emotions, in fact, with the raise of robots becoming artificial moral agents (AMAs) robot scientists like Abney, Veruggio and Petersen are already optimistic that sooner or later we need to call those robots “people” or rather “Artificial People” (AP). The paper rejects this forecast, due to its argument based on three metaphysical conflicting assumptions. Firstly, it is the idea that it is possible to precisely define persons and apply the definition to robots or use it to differentiate human beings from robots. Further, the argument of APs favors a position of non-reductive physicalism (second assumption) and materialism (third assumption), finally producing weird convictions about future robotics. Therefore, I will suggest to follow Christine Korsgaard’s defence of animals as ends in themselves with moral standing. I will show that her argument can be transmitted to robots, too, at least to robots which are capable of pursuing their own good (even if they are not rational). Korsgaard’s interpretation of Kant delivers an option that allows us to leave out complicated metaphysical notions like “person” or “subject” in the debate, without denying robots’ status as agents.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

Most philosophers and psychologists assume that habitual acts do not ensue from deliberation, but... more Most philosophers and psychologists assume that habitual acts do not ensue from deliberation, but are direct responses to the circumstances: habit essentially involves a variety of automaticity. My objective in this paper is to show that this view is unduly restrictive. A habit can explain an act in various ways. Pointing to the operation of automaticity is only one of them. I draw attention to the fact that acquired automaticity is one outgrowth of habituation that is relevant to explanation, but not the only one. Habituation shapes our emotional and motivational make up in ways that affect deliberation itself. Hence mentioning a habit might be indispensable in explaining an act which nevertheless ensues from deliberation. The view that habitual acts are direct responses to the circumstances implies an impoverished conception of habit, which fails to do justice to its rich explanatory potential in theoretical and pre-theoretical contexts, as well as to its role in the history of philosophy.

Ethics in Progress, 2018

The academic strife to parse, investigate and adjust human functioning establishes varieties of a... more The academic strife to parse, investigate and adjust human functioning establishes varieties of at least three key concepts: behavior, action, activity. Depending on the general approach chosen, human functioning is therefore defined in a certain way and in a certain understanding of freedom. Within this paper, the pragmatist considerations of John Dewey (1859-1952) offer a sophisticatedly formulated theory of human functioning that, undoubtedly, takes action-theoretical paths but formulates underlying assumptions in a significantly unusual way. The main focus is to outline the theory in such a way that clearly shows the unusual as part of the usual and the usual as part of the unusual. For this purpose, the first section defines action as the basic category of Deweyan human functioning where sensory stimuli, registering elements and motor responses play a leading role, but according to Dewey questions the today still popular model of behaviorist psychology, that positions isolated and a-cultural stimulus-responseprocedures in the human organism. The second section affirms the theoretical inclusion of deliberative elements that constitute human action, but according to Dewey witnesses their substantial and rather sporadic significance in a predominantly habitual human functioning. The conclusive section outlines the possibilities and limits of transforming habitually inured patterns of human conduct by means of reconstructive habits.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

The review paper revisits the problem of subjectivity with particular focus on the latest researc... more The review paper revisits the problem of subjectivity with particular focus on the latest research in this field presented in The Dispute about Subjectivity – an Interdisciplinary Perspective, edited by Adriana Warmbier (2016). I pay special attention to the interdisciplinary perspective of the analyzed issues of subjectivity as a research object in humanities (philosophy, psychology, anthropology) and cognitive sciences.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

The article is an attempt at addressing the problem of "masculinity" as a historically privileged... more The article is an attempt at addressing the problem of "masculinity" as a historically privileged category in the social and philosophical tradition. In the dichotomous gender system, femininity is usually valued as aesthetic quality, while masculinity stands as an ethical value. This distinction, suggesting the subordinated and disadvantaged position of "femininity" derives from ancient philosophy and biblical tradition and was strengthened not only by philosophical writings but also by symbolic, legal, economic and social practices. By sketching a review of positions and confronting the stereotypical image of "masculinity" with the complex reality of multiple forms of masculine expressions, the article brings the situation of "masculinity" in the world organized by the phallogocentric symbolic order.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

The paper deals with the disciplinary responsibility of judges for obvious and flagrant legal mis... more The paper deals with the disciplinary responsibility of judges for obvious and flagrant legal misconduct. A model of the aforementioned responsibility in the Polish law has been presented. The problems deliberated upon include: the moral justification of punishing judges for mentioned disciplinary delicts and critical evaluation of Supreme Court view about this responsibility. A question is asked about reconsidering the interpretation of obvious and flagrant legal misconduct according to modern times and the complicated social and law reality.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

The purpose of this paper was to (1) examine moral judgment competency of a sample of 811 Chinese... more The purpose of this paper was to (1) examine moral judgment competency of a sample of 811 Chinese college students from a Southern university in mainland China with DIT-2; and (2) test whether gender, education, major, academic performance, and one-child policy have significant effect on the participants’ moral judgment competency. Results show that the participants score high in both Personal Interest schema and Postconventional schema, while low in Maintaining Norms schema. Gender and major have significant effect on participants’ moral judgment competency in China, while education level, academic performance and one-child family have no significant effect on their moral judgment competency. Reasons are discussed in the paper.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

Bertram F. Malle is one of the first scientists, combining robotics with moral competence. His th... more Bertram F. Malle is one of the first scientists, combining robotics with moral competence. His theory outlines that moral competence can be understood as a system of five components including moral norms, a moral vocabulary, moral cognition, moral decision making and moral communication. Giving a brief (1) introduction of robot morality, the essay analyses Malle’s concept of moral competence (2) and discusses its consequences (3) for the future of robot science. The thesis will further argue that Malle’s approach is insufficient due to three reasons: his function argument is very simplifying and therefore troubling; each component of his theory is inconsistent and, finally, closely connected to our common understanding of personhood, which raises new philosophical questions surrounding the basic issue of if and/or when machines can be considered people.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

The rise of embodied cognition in recent ten years has brought about significant influence on the... more The rise of embodied cognition in recent ten years has brought about significant influence on the research of moral psychology. On the one hand, the development of neuro-cognitive science has facilitated the research of morality deeply into the mirror neurons of brain, no longer being limited simply on the philosophical speculation; and on the other hand the experimental research of embodied cognition has provided new evidence for some traditional and philosophical moral issues and even made some new recognition of the issues which are different from the traditional interpretations. Tracing back to the research of the Western moral psychology, we find that cognitive rationality and virtual ethics are the two main research lines for moral psychology.（1）J. Piaget and L. Kohlberg opened a way for the research of cognitive development of morality, and their successors have formed new Kohlbergian School, such as the moral judgment theory based on DIT proposed by J. Rest and his colleagues, G. Lind’s dual-aspect theory based on his MCT and KMDD®; the social cognitive domain theory proposed by E. Turiel and his colleagues; the feminine caring ethics advocated by C. Gilligan and N. Noddings; the Social Intuitionist Theory proposed by J. Haidt based on evolutionary psychology, cultural psychology and neuro-cognitive science and so on. (2) The traditional moral philosophy and ethics have opened another way to the research of character education and virtues, such as the American movement of character education facilitated by W, Bennett and T. Lickona and others; the argument between J. Rawls and R. Nozick on moral problems; A. C. MacIntyre’s moral critique to the Western societies and his virtue ethics and so on. Since 21st century the research of embodied cognition has broken through the limitation of the traditional research on moral psychology, attempting to realize the new synthesis of intellect, human body and its environment, and therefore started the embodied research of moral judgment which is unfolded around the three dimensions of physical cleanliness, disgust, body temperature and body movements. I has also assimilated Piaget and Vygotsky’s ideas of psychological development, the theory of conceptual metaphor in cognitive semantics and the theory of evolutionary psychology, and made its theoretical interpretation and exploration for the embodied effect of moral judgment. Since the variable of physical body could have its influence on individual moral judgment by means of one’s emotion and cognitive elements, the moral judgment based on embodied cognition should be integrated with the theories of moral judgment, especially with moral competencies that are the core of moral judgment, and meanwhile the relationship between the embodied cognition and moral intuition should be deeply explored, and the issues such as chronergy, that is, time efficiency, and dynamics taken place when there is the embodied effect should be further examined, the regulated variables of embodied effects while making moral judgment and the individual differences should also be found out through detailed research. And finally we should check out the embodied effects of moral judgment through the cross-cultural comparison.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

This article is an attempt to show that the KMDD® method is the best for both our brain and our m... more This article is an attempt to show that the KMDD® method is the best for both our brain and our moral functioning, which undoubtedly has its basis in the brain. At the same time, it is an attempt to draw attention to the importance of planning interventions (e.g. at the educational level) which stimulate moral development in accordance with the psychological and neurobiological functioning of an individual. The paper briefly presents the neuropsychological context of moral functioning, and then a series of arguments in support of the thesis that the scientifically proven effectiveness of using the KMDD® method has its support in adapting the method not only to one's pattern of individual behavior, but also to the proper functioning of one's brain.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

A total of 843 college students in Guangdong University of Foreign Studies were investigated usin... more A total of 843 college students in Guangdong University of Foreign Studies were investigated using a social support evaluation scale, a resilience scale, and a life satisfaction evaluation scale. Results were analyzed using IBM® SPSS 21.0® and Amos 17.0. It was shown that there existed a positive correlation respectively among resilience, social support and life satisfaction. Social support predicted resilience positively and resilience partially mediated the association between social support and life satisfaction. Finally, resilience moderated the association between social support and life satisfaction; the higher the resilience level, the more significant the positive predictive effect of social support on life satisfaction. College students' life satisfaction is closely related to social support and resilience; resilience partially plays a mediating and moderating role between social support and life satisfaction.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

In my article, I will give a short historical overview of inclusion-research. The focus lies on r... more In my article, I will give a short historical overview of inclusion-research. The focus lies on relation between moral and inclusion. I will introduce three branches of inclusion research and deduce my definition of inclusion from it. Inclusion can be understood as a dynamic process of realizing of equal participation on the one hand and of entitlement to diversity on the other hand. That means, inclusion lives from the solution of its immanent conflict- the conflict between equality and diversity. Therefore, I assume that “the ability to solve problems and conflicts on the basis of universal moral principles by means of deliberation and discussion, instead of using violence, deceit and coercion, or more specifically… the ability to judge arguments in regard to their moral quality instead of their opinion-agreement” (Lind 2016) is urgently needed. This ability is an important precondition for realizing inclusion. Following educational theory of morality by Lind and others, it’s not necessary to change the moral attitudes (moral orientation) in persons that are involved in the process of inclusion. It’s more important to improve their inclusive ability and their inclusive behavior. Inclusive behavior means a behavior with which shows recognition of both: of diversity of all as well as of the dignity of each individual. On this theoretical basis, I furthermore want to introduce a little research project carried out by the author in Vocational School Centre. The aim of this project was to improve the inclusive behavior by using the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion®.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

We present an issue of Ethics in Progress entitled Moral Competence And Subjectivity: Topical Iss... more We present an issue of Ethics in Progress entitled Moral Competence And Subjectivity: Topical Issues. Several papers in this volume were authored by the participants of the conference Moral Competence: A Brand New Research Topic in Cognitive Psychology, Ethics and Law, which took place on September 2017 at A. Mickiewicz University in Poznań, and was devoted to the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (KMDD®) developed by Prof. Georg Lind.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

This study examined rural and urban Chinese adolescents’ (aged 13–19 years, N = 395) attitudes to... more This study examined rural and urban Chinese adolescents’ (aged 13–19 years, N = 395) attitudes toward children’s self-determination and nurturance rights, and how these attitudes relate to various dimensions of socialization in their family and school environments, including perceptions of parental and teacher autonomy support and responsiveness and family and school democratic climate. Relations between these variables and psychological well-being also were examined. Perceived parent and teacher autonomy support and responsiveness and democratic climate differentially predicted attitudes toward each type of right and were positively correlated with adolescents’ psychological well-being. Our findings suggest that environments that are structured more democratically and that are responsive to children’s autonomy needs contribute to their psychological health and well-being in diverse cultural settings.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

In this contribution we shall focus on the project of philosophy for communities carried out at t... more In this contribution we shall focus on the project of philosophy for communities carried out at the Liceo “Vasco-Beccaria-Govone” (Mondovì , Italy) within the IX edition (2016) of the CeSPeC Summer School on Futures, imagining the world of tomorrow. Philosophy is understood as a practice, an experience, a creation of concepts, an inquiry, as an exercise of argumentation and research. Thanks to this view, a dialogue has opened up with the pupis of this school. In this contribution we present the perspective of a post-philosophy for children and we understand it as an opportunity for philosophy in itself.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

In the face of contemporary educational transformations, this contribution aims to analyze the ed... more In the face of contemporary educational transformations, this contribution aims to analyze the educational role that can still be played by the adult educator. Without restoring old categories of the past, today's adults continue to have a responsibility in the growth of younger generations. Accepting this task means first of all critically and reflectively recognizing one's role and, secondly, accepting the challenges posed by the complexity of today's landscape in terms of credibility and consistency.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

The paper explores the role of fostering moral-democratic competencies for violence prevention, i... more The paper explores the role of fostering moral-democratic competencies for violence prevention, in particular in the relation to genderbased, intimate partner and domestic violence. Additionally, significant emphasis is placed on the prevention of revictimisation. Violence prevention is framed with regard to the political importance of violence-free homes and intimate relationships for the empowerment of women. The paper refers to the complex situation of women subjected to abuse and the effects of violence on an individual. As a countermeasure, the paper proposes the development of moral-democratic competencies, and recommends the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion® as an example of an efficient method to accomplish this task.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

Aggression in juveniles may increase even in modern societies and manifest itself in countless fo... more Aggression in juveniles may increase even in modern societies and manifest itself in countless forms of violence, including harming, persecution, abuse, pressure, hostility, etc. A large number of studies on the evolutionary, psychological and sociological origins of aggression are available. However, we lack cognitive remedies to counter developing tendencies towards aggressive behavior. Georg Lind's book How to teach morality. Promoting deliberation and discussion, reducing violence and deceit (2016) offers such a remedy based on his long–term (1976–2017) experiences with dilemma discussion training. This paper draws on Lind's conception of strengthening socio-moral competence as the most efficient remedy against aggression. It also revisits the ongoing theories of empathy. Finally, it revises the pilot research study that we conducted 2010 among Polish and Swiss juveniles7. That study focused on the following hypotheses: Lind's method of dilemma discussion (KMDD) can train and retrain moral competence in uveniles that show a slight inclination towards aggressive behavior. Strong moral competence may prevent further maldevelopment, in particular interpersonal and collective violence..

Ethics in Progress, 2017

This paper is a review of Georg Lind’s latest book: How to Teach Morality. Promoting Deliberation... more This paper is a review of Georg Lind’s latest book: How to Teach Morality. Promoting Deliberation and Discussion, Reducing Violence and Deceit (2016), and focuses on the main theme of the book – morality can be taught, the idea that is most encouraging for educators. Many researchers agree that our societies face many problems, such as violence, deceit, corruption, disrespect to the human nature, which on an individual level seem to stem from the lack of moral competence. Therefore, G. Lind’s book is timely, providing answers to those who are concerned about our future. It will be of interest and great value not only for the participants of CeSPeC Summer School of 2016, who were trying to attain the inspiration for an immediate present-day action to reshape our future for the better, but to all of us who are committed to the enhancement of human existence and especially educators, who are engaged in the development of moral competence of their learners. This review is an attempt to prove to the readers that G. Lind’s book How to Teach Morality. Promoting Deliberation and Discussion, Reducing Violence and Deceit, is the right book to help our ailing societies to recover.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

Many conceptual analyses of the structure and mode of operation of the contemporary society outli... more Many conceptual analyses of the structure and mode of operation of the contemporary society outline a worrying and discouraging framework. They describe the decadence of values and they depict a world populated with individuals who are narcissistically self-oriented, looking for the satisfaction of their own desires, unable to desire, build and keep stable, continual and deep relations and affects. Nevertheless, recent psychological research, supported by the evidence of neuroscientific research, has evidenced that the origins of the psychic development of the individual are connected to the domain of the relational experience. New-borns become persons in and thanks to the context of relations where they live and grown up. Thus, relations are an essential feature and a fundamental and peculiar experience for the human being. This is evident if we try to analyse aspects and dimensions, such as attachment, trust, desire and care. Attachment allows not only the survival but also the internalization of relational patterns which are necessary for life. The trust experience in the primal relations allows the vital energy to be addressed towards the world and to build ties thanks to the experience of faith in the other. Experimenting satisfaction and frustration, possibility and limits in the interpersonal relations fosters the development of desire and of the capability of wait, renounce, choice, care, as well as the necessity/opportunity of recognizing/knowing the other. Feeling himself or herself understood by a caring other prepares the ground for the experience of personal safety and thanks to some special pedagogical reinforcements, it opens to the possibility of taking care of someone else, in a structure of mutual exchanges and material, affective and spiritual support which is necessary for any human being. Significant socio-cultural changes occurred in the last decades have influenced those fundamental experiences and contributed to produce new relational styles and models which are characterised by precariousness and discontinuity. It is thus of primary importance to promote and sustain a reflection and education on these themes with the aim of fostering our needs and relations, whose expression is essential for the wellness and selfrealization of individuals and communities. And this is not only in order to achieve a harmonic development of growing-up subjects but even for adults who want to fully accomplish their life and the related needs of sharing, intimacy and generativity. These results have to be achieved by taking into consideration the peculiarity of modern life and by searching for creative solutions thanks to which, at least partially, we can try to combine the new claims with the essential experience of “being” in a relation.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

Many crucial environmental issues lead to social dilemmas, in which the personally optimal soluti... more Many crucial environmental issues lead to social dilemmas, in which the personally optimal solution, and the socially optimal solution diverge. Finding a solution to this dilemma is extremely important to allow a good and sustainable management of many exhaustible natural resources. This is especially true when the resource users need to develop collectively a set of rules or practices, and the institutions are unable to provide, or enforce, effective regulations. A few examples are forests, and fisheries, but also carbon emissions. This review presents a selected number of results coming from field observations, laboratory experiments, and theoretical work, which pinpoint some of the more crucial aspects of these decision environments. Knowing which incentives and situational aspects may motivate resource users to adopt a more or less cooperative behavior can potentially be of pivotal importance to develop effective policies and regulations. At the same time, the research we present is also of great interestfor any diagnostic or explorative study that aims to study direct resource users, and their development of cooperative attitudes and practices.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

Starting from the example of the Amazon, in Brazil, we intend to analyse how technology (mainly i... more Starting from the example of the Amazon, in Brazil, we intend to analyse how technology (mainly in its biotechnological face) appears as a threat to biodiversity, insofar as it acts through a reduction and standardization: technology needs to reduce diversity to something knowable to be able to control and exploit, in view of human necessities. In this sense, according to Hans Jonas, it is necessary to ask about the horizon of the future giving preference to the negative prognosis (fear rather than hope) to avoid that the harmful consequences of nihilism (marked by the absence of criteria capable of guiding technological action) affect life decisively. In this case, the Enhancement project proposed by transhumanism appears as yet another chapter in the history of risks represented by modern technology.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

In 2008 Chris Anderson wrote a provocative piece titled TheEnd of Theory. The idea being that we ... more In 2008 Chris Anderson wrote a provocative piece titled TheEnd of Theory. The idea being that we no longer need to abstract and hypothesis; we simply need to let machines lead us to the patterns, trends, and relationships in social, economic, political, and environmental relationships. According to Anderson, the new availability of huge amounts of data offers a whole new way of understanding the world. Correlation supersedes causation, and science can advance even without coherent models and unified theories. But numbers, contrary to Anderson’s assertion, do not, in fact, speak for themselves. From the neuroscience’s standpoint, every choice we make is a reflection of an, often unstated, set of assumptions and hypotheses about what we want and expect from the data: no assertion, no prediction, no decision making is possible without an a priori opinion, without a project. Data-driven science essentially refers to the application of mathematics and technology on data to extract insights for problems, which are very clearly defined. In the real world, however, not all problems are such. To help solve them, one needs to understand and appreciate the context. The problem of landscape becomes, for this reason, critical and decisive. It requires an interdisciplinary approach consisting of several different competencies and skills.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

Digital platforms are reshaping the geometry of the world. Their wide adoption by the population ... more Digital platforms are reshaping the geometry of the world. Their wide adoption by the population worldwide for an increasing number of activities, confer them a dominant position, which challenges established powers. Their control over the global flow of data and their algorithmic treatment leads to new asymmetries of power. New systems emerge, that unlike the Westphalian States do not correspond to territories on a map, but to complex networks controlling sectors of activities at a global scale. It is a real challenge and a necessity to reinvent a grammar of territories, to be able to grasp the new objects and their dependencies, and address the related issues of social justice and sustainable interaction with our planet.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

Aim of this article is to analyse the relationship between creativity, freedom and future in cont... more Aim of this article is to analyse the relationship between creativity, freedom and future in contemporary society. The main focus is on the notion of creativity in our digital era. Common sense understands creativity as a concept implying something new, something original that did not exist before. And yet in our society the constant overflow of news, products and contents doesn’t surprise anymore, is no longer connected to a truly creative act. The complete lack of limits seems to be our society’s own limit, since newness is not experienced anymore as something really new. The solution to this situation is a new ethic of self-limitation that reshapes our idea of creativity and bases it on different criteria. The first part of the article is an analysis of hypermodern society. Hypermodernity is defined through three features: quantity as a qualitative element, override of distance, sublation of perspective. Unlike postmodern society, hypermodernity defines itself positively on the basis of some technological and social results that are experienced as improvements. In the second part of the article the paradox of hypermodern society is discussed: despite its obsession for newness, despite the huge spread of creative jobs and the passion for future, newness seems to be something given and usual, being creative means conforming to given standards, and future is almost completely implemented into present. In the last part of the article I argue that a solution to this situation is an ethic of selflimitation, in which a rediscovery of limit leads to a new concept of creativity no longer based on quantitative increment, but rather on the ideas of qualitative selection, objective distance, personal perspective. According to this view, being creative is no longer a matter of content, but rather of form. I will also argue that the aesthetics of Oulipo, a French literary movement of the Sixties, already expressed this stance in a very similar situation.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

Our working hypothesis is that the digital culture is remodeling a temporal affect of existence. ... more Our working hypothesis is that the digital culture is remodeling a temporal affect of existence. We attempt to describe how our experience of present time is altered by the increase of digital memory, together with the progressive disappearance of « memory recall » and expectation. This altered presence opens up loopholes which could be called dreams, desire, promise, latency or God. Thus anticipatory algorithm and data translation of present actions of the subject are not a definitive tragedy of our time.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

This paper aims to draw a connection between Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion in regard to the... more This paper aims to draw a connection between Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion in regard to the role of negative theology. This scrutiny shows meaningful contributions of the Authors to a new definition of subjectivity in a post-metaphysical age, and their consideration about which possibilities are still open for a non-predetermined history given outside of the presence domain. The future is neither a totalisation of history by its end, nor a simple continuation of the present. It is an eschatological event, where the relationship with the other plays a crucial role for the self-constitution. Such an interlacement is generated by the confession, where the link between past and future is not causally determined, but instead it is self-witness, as in Augustine’s masterpiece, essential reference for both the Authors

Ethics in Progress, 2017

We always live in the present and we always pass through the present, even if we constantly reach... more We always live in the present and we always pass through the present, even if we constantly reach out towards the future and towards the past. We move towards an effort of shaping the future and towards an effort of comprehending the past. Our experience of time flows into a relentless stream that inexorably points towards. This entails that the way we experience time is inescapably interwoven with a necessity of giving a direction to this movement towards. Such a necessity brings to light two pivotal questions: how to describe such a relentless movement forwards? Which forces can we rely on to drive our existence towards? This research aims at pinpointing such forces and, in so doing, outlining a phenomenological picture of our multilayer experience of time.

Ethcis in Progress, 2017

In the present paper, the author aims at laying the foundations of a symbolics of technical gestu... more In the present paper, the author aims at laying the foundations of a symbolics of technical gesture, according to the thesis that symbolic faculty is another face of the technological one, and that they are both in truth two sides of the same coin. Accordingly, the author suggests to rename the whole dimension as “meta-environmentality”. The analysis is carried out on the basis of a specific comparison between Cassirer’s definition of “animal symbolicum” and its scientific consistence in the light of modern palaeontology. “Animal symbolicum” is here compared with Leroi-Gourhan’s homo technologicus, and Cassirer’s ideas on human identity tested starting from paleoanthropological data. The result of the inquiry lead us to recognize the urgency of integrating Cassirer’s argument with the primacy of the technological capacity, but a deep analysis of the characterizing attributes of the latter compels us to uphold the symbolic attitude of the technological dimension. The author then sketches a basic description ofthe guidelines of a symbolic theory of technology (especially §§ 6-7), and tries to show how the basic elements of such an approach were familiar both to Cassirer and Leroi-Gourhan. As a consequence of the whole theory, the author elaborates a chronological analysis of human identity, whose basic result is the determination of the future as main temporal dimension of human acting.

Ethics in Progress, 2017

From 12 to 17 September 2016 in Cuneo (Italy) took place the 9th edition of the international Sum... more From 12 to 17 September 2016 in Cuneo (Italy) took place the 9th edition of the international Summer School organized by the Centro Studi sul Pensiero Contemporaneo (CeSPeC). The event revolved around the topic of the “future”, which was analysed from different interdisciplinary perspectives and gave rise to stimulating conversation. In this introduction we provide an overview of the topic and of the reflections stemming from that event.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

Prezentowany w przekładzie na język polski wykład Edmunda Husserla pochodzi z tomu Wprowadzenie d... more Prezentowany w przekładzie na język polski wykład Edmunda Husserla pochodzi z tomu Wprowadzenie do etyki [Einleitung in die Ethik], z rozdziału drugiego, zatytułowanego Podstawowe stanowiska etyki antycznej i wstęp do etyki nowożytnej [Grundpositionen der Ethik der Antike und ein Ausblick auf die neuzeitliche Ethik]. Wprowadzenie do etyki wydane jako 38 tom Husserliana w roku 2004 to zbiór wykładów Husserla wygłoszonych we Freiburgu, po raz pierwszy w semestrze letnim 1920 roku, pod takim właśnie zbiorczym tytułem: „Einletung in die Ethik”, a następnie powtórzonych w semestrze letnim 1924 roku – w cyklu wykładów „Grundprobleme der Ethik”.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The paper constitutes a short analysis of the poem of Parmenides from Elea “On Nature”. The autho... more The paper constitutes a short analysis of the poem of Parmenides from Elea “On Nature”. The author posits that this text is the original aim of ontology. In the author’s opinion, the most important thesis of the poem is to be found in the fragment B 5, in which she recognizes the ancient motive of the self-knowledge (“the inner Way of Truth”). The primary purpose of the analysis is to interpret the mythological language and to reconsider terminology, e.g. Way of Day and Way of Night, Dike and Moira, thymos, plankton noon. Furthermore, the thinking of Parmenides is briefly interpreted in comparison with Heraclitus, Anaximander, and Archytas.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The aim of the article is to show that the so-called “philosophia perennis” is valid for our mode... more The aim of the article is to show that the so-called “philosophia perennis” is valid for our modern times too. Four philosophical schools of the Hellenistic times remain influential for the following centuries: Plato and Neoplatonism, Aristotle and the Peripatetics, the Stoics and the Epicureans. We are interpreting two, only two, poems from Thomas More and Jacob Balde, and so we see the greatest possible influence of all these four ancient philosophical schools.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The revolutionary concept of rhetoric introduced by Plato not only stood firmly against the orato... more The revolutionary concept of rhetoric introduced by Plato not only stood firmly against the oratorical practices of his times, but also established first “scientific” art of rhetoric applicable into the frames of philosophical paideia. His perception of rhetorical tasks was strictly related to the goals of political formation and was absolutely indispensable for the purposes of a pursuit of political wisdom, in its exceedingly distinctive meaning. Plato initiated a century-long dispute on rhetorical ends and its political - paideutic value. First, criticized by Isocrates, later, resumed in the most exceptional treatise of Aristotle, he delineated a path of a new display of educational value of the art of rhetoric.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

In the article, the author presents an overview of the concept of hubris – excessive pride – as i... more In the article, the author presents an overview of the concept of hubris – excessive pride – as it was understood and developed in ancient Greek culture and philosophy, as well as its practical employment as a measure of convincing others in the speeches of Aeschynus and Demosthenes. Departing from the mythological Hubris – goddess of disdain, pride, arrogance and scandalous behavior, I will develop the wide contexts of hubris as a personal disposition of Greek heroes – such as Ajax, Agamemnon, Oedipus, as well as the moral demerit of such figures as Croesus or Xerxes. I will argue that – throughout Greek mythology, culture, and philosophy – the notion of hubris was understood as acting in a scandalous manner, pushed further to its extremity – and thus being the ultimate offense both to people and the gods.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

This article discusses three trial scenes from three different ancient Greek novels (by Chariton,... more This article discusses three trial scenes from three different ancient Greek novels (by Chariton, Achilles Tatius, and Longus), in which naïve justice seems to be deliberately subverted. The titular concept of “naïve justice” is defined here in terms borrowed from Aristotle’s Poetics, where the term “double resolution” is used, disparagingly, of plots in which the good characters are all rewarded and the bad characters all punished. The argument is made that the trial scenes under discussion should raise doubts in the reader’s mind as to which of the parties is truly guilty, and which is truly innocent. This can be seen as a reflection of unexpectedly mature ethical sensibilities on the part of these often-underestimated writers, who seem to have grasped that the “double resolution” may make the reader feel good, but has little to do with the real world.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

For forty years I have been using in all my Polish scientific works the term "practicism" ("prakt... more For forty years I have been using in all my Polish scientific works the term "practicism" ("praktycyzm"), and its equivalents in my publications in French, German and Italian. This term has its strong background in Aristotle's notion and term of praxis, which was with precision defined in the commentaries to Nicomachean Ethics, in particular, by numerous medieval commentators. However, this term became not to be a popular one – both in colloquial and philosophical languages, although, it was used later by some other Polish historians of philosophy. When I relate today, and once again explain the sense of my studies on practicism, I do it to inspire young philosophers to search the new terms and definitions for better, maybe well-aimed, description of the phenomena and contents, which I called "practicism".

Ethics in Progress, 2016

We present an "ancient issue" of "Ethics in Progress", in which we attempt to show how the studie... more We present an "ancient issue" of "Ethics in Progress", in which we attempt to show how the studies in classics and in ancient philosophy should be and could be an inspiration for ethical reflection. Classical texts are of lasting importance and relevance in their ontological, epistemological as well as ethical conclusions. In our point of view an interpretation-historically, philologically-but above all the reception of ancient concepts are of utmost relevance for current studies in moral philosophy. In the 20 th century a few historians of philosophy suggested the understanding of ancient philosophy as a practical philosophy, among them professor Juliusz Domański (Warsaw) whose article in Polish we publish in this issue of "Ethics in Progress". The paper, My Adventure with Practicism [Moja przygoda z praktycyzmem], recapitulates the main idea of his scientific work: "practicism" both as a topic and as a sense of philosophy or, more precisely, of philosophical life. The author of La philosophie, théorie ou manière de vivre? Les controverses de l'Antiquité à la Renaissance (Fribourg-Paris 1996) was invited in 1990 by Pierre Hadot to Paris, where at the Collee ge de France he delivered lectures on philosophy as practicism, and since then his role in the new interpretation of classical philosophy has been unquestioned. To quote Domann ski from the abstract of his contribution to our volume: "When I relate today, and once again explain the sense of my studies on practicism, I do it to inspire young ethicists and philosophers to search new terms and definitions for better, possibly well-aimed, description of the phenomena and contents, which I call 'practicism'".

Ethics in Progress, 2016

This short review paper focuses on Georg Lind's approach to the moral competence as described in ... more This short review paper focuses on Georg Lind's approach to the moral competence as described in his recent book (2016) How To Teach Morality? Promoting Deliberation and Discussion, Reducing Violence and Deceit. Berlin: Logos Verlag. Lind's dual-aspect approach is discussed as one of the leading conceptions of personal moral competence and moral cognition today. Intuitionist approach and "embodied cognition" are not enough, the author (E. Nowak) claims. As participants of social contexts and institutions, we need manifest, discoursively articulated reflection, self-reflection, and conversation. However, Lind's hypothesis of two leyers of morality, i.e., a conscious and unconscious finds evidence in cognitive sciences too. Lind's approach is not as reductionist as that of radical cognitivists. On the contrary, it combines all relevant aspects of moral cognition discussed right now, worldwide – when cognitive sciences flourish and the challenges for moral mind grow up dramatically.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

In his recent book, Georg Lind develops the philosophical and methodological foundations of the K... more In his recent book, Georg Lind develops the philosophical and methodological foundations of the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion®, which provide both theoretical and practical work frames for developing moral and democratic competencies.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

"W dekolonizacji zawiera się żądanie pełnego ponownego rozpatrzenia sytuacji, jaką stwarza koloni... more "W dekolonizacji zawiera się żądanie pełnego ponownego rozpatrzenia sytuacji, jaką stwarza kolonializm" (Fanon 1985) W Jednojęzyczności innego, czyli protezie oryginalnej Jacques Derrida podejmuje projekt Frantza Fanona explicite, z perspektywy immanentnej dziełu Wyklęty lud Ziemi. Derrida domyśla do samego końca proces dekolonizacji, podejmując pisanie symbolicznie i metonimicznie związane z tym samym miejscem, o które walczył Fanon. Tym miejscem jest Algieria. Jednojęzyczność ukazała się trzydzieści pięć lat po Wyklętym ludzie Ziemi (w 1961 r.; autor przystępuje do edycji niniejszego artykułu w cieniu 50. rocznicy tej publikacji) podąża za wezwaniem Fanona do "przeprowadzenia szczegółowej analizy sytuacji kolonialnej" (Fanon 1985/2012, s. 137). Ale Jednojęzyczność napisana po Wyklętym ludzie Ziemi nie analizuje "sytuacji kolonialnej" już po ustaniu kolonializmu, czyli-jak można by się tego spodziewać-w czasach postkolonialnych. (Aczkolwiek będę tu argumentował, że mimo wyparcia się tego faktu przez Derridę, Jednojęzyczność grzmi nieraz od uwag, które można określić co najwyżej jako postkolonialne, z uwagi na konwencję "chronologiczną"). Zamiast tego Jednojęzyczność analizuje sytuację kolonialną w trakcie trwania kolonializmu, tak samo, jak miało to miejsce u Fanona, nawet, jeśli mówi się o pewnych epizodach kolonialnych dyskretnie i nawet, jeżeli pisma Fanona sytuują się (wyraźnie) bliżej kresu francuskiej hegemonii aniżeli pisma Derridy. Refleksja Fanona skupia się na ostatniej dekadzie francuskich rządów kolonialnych w Algierii (mniej więcej w latach 1950-1960), podczas gdy refleksja Derridy 1 Publikujemy przekład artykułu Granta Farreda na podstawie jednorazowej licencji uzyskanej dzięki uprzejmości wydawnictwa Duke University Press. Anglojęzyczny oryginał ukazał pierwotnie się jako: Grant Farred. 2013. "'Nostalgeria': Derrida, before and after Fanon.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The aim of the paper is to show the conditions of subjectivity constitution in terms of dialogue ... more The aim of the paper is to show the conditions of subjectivity constitution in terms of dialogue and the figure of the Other. The analytical and hermeneutical approach I hold is the foundation of interdisciplinary attempt to describe possible concepts of shared relation of the terms: consciousness, subjectivity and identity. The three appear to be recognized only in the ethical situation. It requires taking responsibility for the Other, for giving him the identity which mirrors one’s subjectivity. In this way the subject learns the limits and chances for gaining self-knowledge. The paper also presents a new approach towards redefining the definition of subjectivity, which includes artificially and medically enhanced entities.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

Forty-seven left-behind children (LB) and 40 non-left-behind children (NL) in rural China were in... more Forty-seven left-behind children (LB) and 40 non-left-behind children (NL) in rural China were interviewed to evaluate moral, conventional, and personal violations by providing judgments and justifications. The results suggested that both LBs and NLs differentiate the rules of moral, conventional and personal domains. However, there are some differences: 1. The NL considered it acceptable to commit a personal infraction when there was no rue prohibiting it, while the LB considered it wrong; 2. The younger male LBs were more willing to accept situations without moral psychological rules, compared with younger female LBs, older male LBs, and younger male NLs. Age, sex differences were also found. The one out of our expectation is that younger males considered it more acceptable to commit a personal infraction than older males did and believed it all right if there was no explicit rule on it. Meanwhile, in providing reasons to support their judgments or evaluations, the findings revealed that: 1. More often LBs referred to social conventional reasoning even when evaluating moral and personal rules and violations, especially on personal issues; 2. LBs used more justifications of punishment and fewer justifications of personal growth. The implications of the results of the study for children’s moral development and education, especially for LBs, are discussed.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The Chinese version of Rest’s Defining Issues Test II was administered to 113 subjects in Mainlan... more The Chinese version of Rest’s Defining Issues Test II was administered to 113 subjects in Mainland China (n=113, average age=34.7). The scores on development of moral judgment were compared with those of the online mega sample of American participants from 2011 to 2014. Results are as followings: 1. Chinese participants show the same pattern with Americans by both sex and education. 2. Chinese participants show different pattern from Americans by religious orthodoxy and humanitarian. 3. Chinese participants score higher in meaningless items than Americans. 4. Chinese participants score higher in stage 3 while Americans score higher in stage 4. The authors draw the conclusions as follows: with Chinese participants, 1. There is a significant relationship between education and moral judgment developmental index scores. 2. There is also a significant relationship between sex and moral judgment developmental index scores. 3. There shows no significant relationship between religious orthodoxy and moral judgment developmental index scores. 4. It is more difficult for them to tell the meaningless items in DIT2. 5. Since Chinese culture thinks less of laws and norms, Chinese participants favour personal interest schema more than maintaining norms schema.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The aim of the paper is to analyze the relation between hermeneutic violence and univocal semanti... more The aim of the paper is to analyze the relation between hermeneutic violence and univocal semantics. Furthermore, we argue that hermeneutic violence although it concerns post mortal time span is as much dangerous as physical and psychological violence, since hermeneutic violence affects even whole generations of victims. The article contains also a brief presentation of analogical perspective in contemporary philosophical conceptions by Enrique Dussel and Mauricio Beuchot. Following Reyes Mate we claim that memory is of fundamental importance of any adequate and effective theory and especially practice of justice.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

Ricoeur's theory of narrative identity is not his last word when it comes to philosophy of selfho... more Ricoeur's theory of narrative identity is not his last word when it comes to philosophy of selfhood. This paper aims to outline how the findings of one of Ricoeur's final books, The Course of Recognition fit into Ricoeur’s philosophy of selfhood, and to do so by comparing Ricoeur’s analyses of the concept of recognition and Stanley Cavell’s explorations of the idea of acknowledgment. Cavell, much of whose philosophy investigates “the extent to which my relation to myself is figured in my relation to my words,” can show recognition to be not only the gaining of knowledge, but the outward affirmation, acceptance, agreement to that knowledge (in language). That requirement of outwardness, of intersubjectivity, is what makes acknowledgment crucial for theories of selfhood.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

This paper focuses on analysis of relation between pedagogical and epistemological ideas of John ... more This paper focuses on analysis of relation between pedagogical and epistemological ideas of John Dewey. Our considerations are divided into four sections. (1) We reconstruct Dewey’s conception of culture as a body of normative and regulative common sense beliefs determining human conduct and language use. (2) Further, we compare common sense based inquiry and its scientific mode with regard to their respective conceptual frameworks in order to show that “theoretical-scientific” perspective provides more comprehensive insight into the relations constituting problem situations. (3) We identify informal education with socialization processes and argue that educational process relies on constant reflection on cultural habits. (4) We conclude that competences of using theoretical conceptual frameworks and conducting scientific inquiry play crucial role in Dewey’s educational ideology of progressivism since they provide basic tools for critical reconsideration and revision of common sense beliefs.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

In order to understand value recognition deeply, the research was taken to 1128 Xingjiang minorit... more In order to understand value recognition deeply, the research was taken to 1128 Xingjiang minority college students in inner-mainland 36 universities of China by the questionnaire with five dimensions which political value, moral value, cultural psychology, language stress and environmental stress. The result showed that there was an order tendency in their values, in order, cultural psychology, moral values, political values, language stress and environmental stress. At the same time, there are gander differences. Male and female college students do not exist significant differences in cultural psychology and moral value dimensions. But the differences being in the political values, language stress and environmental stress. Xinjiang minority college students are fundamentally the same as Han nationality students in political values and moral values, but obvious differences in cultural psychology, language stress and environmental stress.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 sharply cast the relationships between the Republics of ... more The break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 sharply cast the relationships between the Republics of post-Soviet space and Russia back, mutual trust was lost, economic and cultural interaction was practically stopped. The global changes of the 1990s in the field of political order, social and economic lifestyle in the countries of the former socialist camp brought up to severe demographic situation (depopulation), impoverishment of its significant part, criminalization of society and, what is quite important, to negative changes in consciousness and behavior of its population, including deformation of ethical code of personality, for long time fixing the acute social-cultural situation. A. Zhuravlev & A. Yurevich call that the moral collapse.
It is worth mentioning that the economic crisis of the 90s in Georgia was considerably more serious than in Russia. Attempt to teach norms of “new” morale were done by M. Saakashvili (2009–2013), who declared that during 20 years he would be able to change the mentality of Georgians – rejection of the Russian culture and language up to prohibition and adherence to anti-Russian policy at a level of the State. The author reports on that project and she intends to find the difference of how moral competence is understood by the generation which was formed in 1990s and the generation formed under the Soviet Union.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The development of moral competence is affected by both internal and external factors and has bee... more The development of moral competence is affected by both internal and external factors and has been researched by many scientists. The present study investigated a) whether the five factors of personality, gender and geographical area would affect ones’ moral competence, b) whether the personality factors Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness would be correlated positively with moral competence in everyday life, whereas Extraversion and Neuroticism would be correlated negatively with morality, c) if there will be differences in students’ moral competence exhibited in everyday life and that expressed in PE/sports framework and d) whether type of school, factors of personality, as well as moral competence exhibited in sports-framework would all be significant factors for the interpretation of a student’s moral competence. The sample consisted of 331 junior high students (7th and 8th graders) (Mage = 12.47, SD = 0.740), who were given the Moral Competence Test Greek Version (Mouratidou et al. 2003), the Moral Judgment Test in Physical Education(Mouratidou et al. 2008), and the Inventory of Child Individual Differences (Besevegkis & Pavlopoulos 1998). The results indicated that of the five-factor personality model only Conscientiousness can affect moral reasoning ability in everyday life and that the type of school can account for less than 5% of variance when predicting moral competence in high school students.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The introduction to Ethics in Progress Special Issue, Vol. 7(1), No. 2 is given, with brief expo... more The introduction to Ethics in Progress Special Issue, Vol. 7(1), No. 2 is
given, with brief expose s on the articles present in the section.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The Dutch Partij voor de Dieren (Party for the Animals), the only political party devoted to anim... more The Dutch Partij voor de Dieren (Party for the Animals), the only political party devoted to animals in the world, wants to take wild as well as domestic animals under its wing and, hence, to remove the traditional dividing line between both domains. How can the Animal Party at the same time claim to stand up for the interests of animals as individuals as well as for the particular interests of wild animals? Rather than perceiving wild animals as mere components of wider entities, the Animal Party starts to personalize wild animals at the moment that their wellbeing can be detected and actively improved.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The formation and development of khalachic rules, in particular niddah, was always already orient... more The formation and development of khalachic rules, in particular niddah, was always already oriented towards integral perfectibility of human life. The paper explores the integral life eschatology in Judaism and shows how Niddah has been manipulated by race hygienists and eugenicists 1850–1945 as a tool creating a myth of Jewish race on the one hand, and a counter-myth of the new superhuman race. That scandalous manipulation should be concidered when seeking analogies between the Jewish ideal of integral perfectibility and the Western eugenics.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

One of the main causes of the ethical ambivalence in the attitude of homo sapiens species towards... more One of the main causes of the ethical ambivalence in the attitude of homo sapiens species towards other living creatures is its utilitarian and anthropocentric mindset which permeates practical decisions and judgments. Socio-ecological conditioning of the human-animal relations to which the former contributed through practices and habits (habitus) largely designating the so called cultural norms (at least in Bourdieu’s conception) have thus far legitimized speciesism as well as disablement and exclusion of animals from the advantages of technology and veterinary medicine, which in turn would strengthen their position in the face of continual exploitation in favor of man. Since few decades this state of affairs has been changing; man’s ethical consciousness in respect of the predicament, state of mind and well–being of other living creatures is rising. The encounter of man with different non-human beings who do not know human forms of auto-expression or communication became possible through the discovery of science – as well as philosophy’s and particularly ethics’ indication – of common properties and socio-cognitive capabilities: including fellow feeling which in case of a human being is followed by consciousness, understanding, interpretation, as well as relevant decisions and actions. This common denominator among species is waiting for further exploration and redefinition in terms of ethics. That is exactly what constitutes the requirement for improvement of the condition of other species in the world exploited by human kind. Many academic disciplines contribute to the unceasing widening of the moral horizon (empathy, fellow feeling, responsibility, solidarity, readiness to care and help) so that it could embrace over time as many individuals representing species outside homo sapiens as possible. Veterinary medicine and palliative care create conditions that foster the rebuilding of a caring relationship between man and other living creatures, opening at the same time door to recognition and meaningful relations (in Ricoeur’s terms), understanding and love of the universe of life (bios) that man shares with other species.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on care for our common home, invites humanity to cul... more Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on care for our common home, invites humanity to cultivate “ecological virtues” in order to become more responsible stewards of our imperilled common home. According to the Pope, the formation of healthy habitus for the stewardship of Earth can be achieved only through the cultivation of appropriate ecological virtues. It may be recalled that there is a growing awareness of the importance of the role of ecological virtues in environmental ethics today. In this paper we shall reflect on seven ecological virtues: praise, gratitude, care, justice, work, sobriety, and humility. They do not receive a separate treatment in Laudato Si’, but are mentioned throughout the encyclical. They are like signposts that indicate the road that we need to travel in caring for our common planetary home.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

An argument is made that to further develop the field of environmental virtue ethics it must be c... more An argument is made that to further develop the field of environmental virtue ethics it must be connected with an account of environmental sentiments. Openness as both an environmental sentiment and virtue is presented. This sentiment is shown to be reflected in the work of Barbara McClintock. As a virtue it is shown to a mean between arrogance and the disvaluing of individuals, a disposition to be open to the natural world and the values found there. Further development of EVE is then shown to require a connection with an account of environmental wisdom.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

Climate change has become a popular topic with a strong presence in media, political, scientific ... more Climate change has become a popular topic with a strong presence in media, political, scientific and ethical debates. This raises a question as to why we are not acting in accordance with our knowledge and are unable to do enough to protect our future. The paper argues that the problem partly arises from a lack of philosophical reflection about relations between different aspects of our personalities. Those different aspects are presented based on the reflections of Thomas Nagel on good, moral, and rational ways of life. I claim that all three need to be taken into consideration in order to answer challenge raised by the environmental dangers we are facing.

Ethics in Progress, 2016

The problem of natural resources being finite as well as the capability of ecosystems and the bio... more The problem of natural resources being finite as well as the capability of ecosystems and the biosphere to assimilate the effects of economic activity on the one hand, and growing economic discrepancies on the other raise a question mark over the chase after the unrestrained economic growth. In the search for alternative models of thinking and development a significant role of constraint is being more and more emphasized. In the case of ecological barriers limitation of using non-renewable resources, greenhouse gases emissions, excessive consumption and production seems to be a reasonable strategy that manifests our care for the natural environment.

The aim of the paper is to demonstrate that the postulate of constraint present in the de-growth model in the form proposed by Tim Jackson and Serge Latouche apart from a quantitative dimension has, above all, a qualitative and ethically orientated dimension. Constraint conceived in the above way stays close to terms like moderation, restraint, sustainability, i.e. such terms that possess solid ethical foundations and constitute an important base for environmental ethics.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

Review of the book edited by R. Cole-Turner Transhumanism and Transcendence: Christian Hope in an... more Review of the book edited by R. Cole-Turner Transhumanism and Transcendence: Christian Hope in an Age of Technological Enhancement.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

This paper describes using current literature and research a problem that has plagued social scie... more This paper describes using current literature and research a problem that has plagued social scientists for centuries, see that of „moral sentiments". Human beings are inherently social by nature and hold certain regard for others? opinions (esteem preferences) as well as for others generally (altruism). It is argued in the article that such preferences may in fact be consistent with a core rational human agent. It is furthermore argued that the lack of regard for such preferences in social sciences research (and particularly within the domain of economics) severely weakens models and theories in the respective disciplines. A few potential avenues for including social preferences writ large into social science (read: economic) modeling are outlined.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

The study completes the compilation of the questionnaire on Chinese undergraduates’ moral values ... more The study completes the compilation of the questionnaire on Chinese undergraduates’ moral values from six moral values dimensions: honesty and compliance, civility and self-discipline, love, unity and be helpful, esteem and filial respect. The questionnaire has 31 questions in all, taking advantage of Likert scale. Using this scale, its alpha reliability reach 0.887 with clear internal structure. The validity is well and the model fitting index accords with statistical measurement, which covers the shortage of empirical study on Chinese undergraduate students’ moral values. The measurement, which focused undergraduate moral values, is compiled by a total of 768 valid samples from 6 colleges. Measurement results show that there are sequences of orientation on Chinese undergraduates’ moral values approval, and the order is: Honesty and compliance, civility and discipline, filial respect unity and be helpful, love and esteem; while gender differences do exist. The male undergraduates’ identity level of honesty and compliance, civility and self-discipline, love, and filial respect ranks higher than that of female undergraduates; however, the differences, between male and female undergraduates, on unity and being helpful, as well as esteem are not significant.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

The present study investigated whether achievement goals have differential effect on sportsperson... more The present study investigated whether achievement goals have differential effect on sportspersonship orientations in competitive sport and the moderating role of several demographic characteristics.
Participants were 407 team sport athletes. The athletes completed a questionnaire including measures of achievement goals, dosage sportspersonship orientations and demographic characteristics. The results of the analyses indicated that all achievement goals were significant predictors of sportspersonship orientations. Furthermore, medications demographic characteristics moderated several achievement goals ? sportspersonship orientations relationships. These findings provide insightful information on the application of the 2×2 achievement goal approach in sports and the role of athletes? demographic characteristics.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

The ethical decision-making (EDM) process that leaders should follow to avoid scandals and unethi... more The ethical decision-making (EDM) process that leaders should follow to avoid scandals and unethical behavior is often overlooked. In addition, visit few studies have focused on EDM within higher education. Yet, educational leaders have an ethical responsibility due in part to increasingly diverse student populations enrolled that is having an impact on the growth of educational institutions. This exploratory study used the Delphi research technique to identify an EDM definition that leaders use to make ethical decisions and identify the environmental factors that influence their decisions as well as an EDM model within the U.S.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

In diesem Beitrag soll die Konstanzer Methode der Dilemma-Diskussion (KMDD?) vorgestellt und dere... more In diesem Beitrag soll die Konstanzer Methode der Dilemma-Diskussion (KMDD?) vorgestellt und deren Einbindung in den Ethikunterricht erläutert werden. Das Anliegen dieses Artikels ist es, information pills besonders die Lerneffekte dieser inklusiven Unterrichtsmethode aufzuzeigen. Es wird der Frage nachgegangen, information pills wie durch Dialog Erkenntnis und durch einen besonderen Umgang mit Differenzierung im Ethikunterricht moralische Entwicklung realisiert werden kann.
Moralische Bildung aller am Lehr- und Lernprozess Beteiligten wird in diesem Zusammenhang als eine der wichtigsten, site wenn nicht sogar als die wichtigste Voraussetzung für jede Art von echter Inklusion gesehen. Echte Inklusion meint dabei, optimale Lernbedingungen, die von den Beteiligten freiwillig getragen werden, für alle Schüler*innen zu schaffen. Die Bewältigung dieser Herausforderung wird umso dringlicher, da sich unsere Gesellschaft insgesamt im Wandel befindet- demografisch und global.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

It is assumed that the university education positively impacts the student’s moral reasoning. The... more It is assumed that the university education positively impacts the student’s moral reasoning. The purpose of this research was to examine the Moral judgment competence MJC between systems and management students at a public university in Hidalgo, Mexico. The effectiveness of their curricula and the university years have impact on students’ moral judgment competence.
Data was collected through survey exploration with the Moral Judgment Test completed by 272 administration students and 79 systems students of all semesters. The moral judgment competence was evaluated by C index. The C index score was higher for the management than the systems students. The C index score was slightly lower for senior than freshman students. The scholar years did not improve the senior students’ C index, more years of university career were not associated with the senior students’ C index score. Additionally, the results indicated that moral judgment Competence is the same in any gender of the students. Planned moral judgment competence in university curricula is necessary to improve students’ moral reasoning. In this paper, background, theoretical framework, results are discussed.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The value of Xin can find its origin in the Analects and other works by Confucius. Taking the per... more The value of Xin can find its origin in the Analects and other works by Confucius. Taking the perspectives from ethics and social psychology, pills this research aims to probe possible psychological basis for the value of Xin and discuss it from two aspects extracted from the Analects, i.e. being trustworthy and being able to trust.
However, among Confucian ethics, the significance of the value of Xin is somehow underestimated, especially the willingness and ability to trust others. The discussion of Confucian ethical value of Xin focuses on the fusion and fission processes of turning the value of Xin into moral trait and behaviour, and extends into the development of moral personality. The fusion process of incorporating credibility into self and the fission process of transmitting trust into otherness reflect the importance of social interaction and learning experience in forming moral personality, as Confucius used to emphasized in his teaching. The driving force of these processes and the connection between ethical values and moral personality is the courage to be trusting, as well as trusty. A moral personality characterized by the courage to trust echoes the courage to connect self to others, which is enhanced by the effectively formed and activated schema of trust. Bringing Confucian ethics in the light of personality psychology, this multidisciplinary study may provide a new perspective to examine moral behaviour by unveiling the psychological link between ethical values and moral personality, which is the courage to be connected to others, i.e. the courage to trust.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

Recenzja książki Richarda Müncha / Review of Richard Münch´s book Academic Capitalism. Universiti... more Recenzja książki Richarda Müncha / Review of Richard Münch´s book Academic Capitalism. Universities in the Global Struggle for Excellence (2014).

Ethics in Progress, 2015

The paper reviews the book written by F.M. Kamm, entitled Bioethical Prescriptions: To Create, En... more The paper reviews the book written by F.M. Kamm, entitled Bioethical Prescriptions: To Create, End, Choose, and Improve Lives (published in Oxford: Oxford University Press in 2013, pp. 599). Kamm is one of the most prominent analytical philosophers in moral philosophy, known from such works as Intricate Ethics (2007). She defends the rights-based approach to ethics and is also famous from constructing multilayered moral dilemmas. The review poses methodological questions, of whether scientific-like thought experiments performed in a moral lab, and the Method of Hypothetical Cases are able to transform our ethical dilemmas and provide any solutions. In the final part of the review, the first chapter of the book on Tolstoy’s essay (The Death of Ivan Ilych) is discussed in more detail.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

The paper assumes that fear presents a certain degree of ambivalence. To say it with Hans Jonas (... more The paper assumes that fear presents a certain degree of ambivalence. To say it with Hans Jonas (1903-1993), fear is not only a negative emotion, but may teach us something very important: we recognize what is relevant when we perceive that it is at stake. Under this respect, fear may be assumed as a guide to responsibility, a virtue that is becoming increasingly important, because of the role played by human technology in the current ecological crisis. Secondly, fear and responsibility concern both dimensions of human action: private-individual and public-collective. What the ‘heuristics of fear’ teaches us, is to become aware of a deeper ambivalence, namely the one which characterizes as such human freedom, which may aim to good or bad, to self-preservation or self-destruction. Any public discussion concerning political or economic issues related with human action (at an individual or collective level) ought not to leave this essential idea out of consideration.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

W niniejszym tekście skoncentrujemy się, wbrew obecnym trendom w literaturze przedmiotu, na jedne... more W niniejszym tekście skoncentrujemy się, wbrew obecnym trendom w literaturze przedmiotu, na jednej z rzadziej dyskutowanych pod kątem etycznym i społecznym postaci ulepszania natury ludzkiej, to jest na udoskonalaniu ludzkich możliwości przy pomocy innowacyjnych urządzeń technicznych. W kontekście interfejsów mózg-komputer przyjrzymy się najpierw działaniu i możliwościom, a następnie potencjalnym problemom związanym z jednym z ciekawszych wynalazków ostatnich lat – tzw. „inteligentnymi okularami”, których najbardziej znanym przykładem są Google Glass

Ethics in Progress, 2015

Celem obecnych rozważań jest spojrzenie na problem udoskonalania człowieka, a zwłaszcza jego cech... more Celem obecnych rozważań jest spojrzenie na problem udoskonalania człowieka, a zwłaszcza jego cech psychicznych, z perspektywy nauk biologicznych. Wprowadzono więc używane w biologii rozróżnienie genotypu i fenotypu, definicje cech dziedzicznych i nabytych oraz antropologiczną charakterystykę gatunku Homo sapiens przez cechy specyficznie ludzkie. Perspektywa biologiczna (a zwłaszcza ewolucyjna) wskazuje na ogromne trudności w określeniu charakteru i zakresu możliwych ulepszeń naszego gatunku, co związane jest między innymi z problematyką normy biologicznej oraz psychicznej. Wiele uwagi poświęcono złożonym zależnościom między genotypem i fenotypem w żywych organizmach, wyrażającym się m.in. przez polimorfizm oraz efekty epigenetyczne, a także związkom między genami i cechami psychicznymi człowieka. Ostatecznie stwierdzono, że udoskonalanie np. zdolności poznawczych wymaga pełnego zrozumienia tych związków i zależności, uwzględniającego także różnice indywidualne, które wciąż jest jednak dla nas nieosiągalne.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

Na początku 2015r, w Wielkiej Brytanii zezwolono na stosowanie nowej techniki wykorzystywanej w p... more Na początku 2015r, w Wielkiej Brytanii zezwolono na stosowanie nowej techniki wykorzystywanej w procedurze wspomaganego rozrodu in vitro. Wprowadzono możliwość zastosowania trzech komórek rozrodczych; jednej pochodzącej od mężczyzny oraz dwóch pobranych od kobiet.(dwóch różnych kobiet). Działania te związane są z szansą wymiany jądra komórkowego, w którym dostrzeżono istotne anomalie genetyczne- uszkodzenie mitochondrium komórki, czyli mtDNA. Liczni badawczo zwracali uwagę, że podobna możliwość zmniejszy prawdopodobieństwo pojawienia się u dziecka poważnych chorób, niejednokrotnie prowadzących do jego śmierci w młodym wieku. Część bioetyków uznała jednak, że wspomniane działania doprowadzą do istotnych szkód społecznych, prawnych oraz medycznych. Podkreślano, że poczęte dziecko, będzie miało trójkę rodziców: jednego tatę i dwie matki. Dodawano ponadto, że omawiane interwencje w ludzki genom, są nieuprawnioną manipulacją.Czy mamy zatem do czynienia z postępem medycyny? Czy modyfikacje mtDNA określić można mianem "chirurgią zarodka"? Czy pojawią się techniki leczenia zarodka? Czy jednak wiemy, jakie pozytywne i negatywne konsekwencje spowoduje modyfikacja mtDNA? Czy nie jest to zatem (nieuprawniony) eksperyment?

Ethics in Progress, 2015

In this piece I argue for posthumanism-based deliberation and education toward just global ecolog... more In this piece I argue for posthumanism-based deliberation and education toward just global ecologies. I propose posthumanism’s nonanthropocentric ethical approach and conceptual framework enables a processual multiperspectival account of rich, variegated bionetworks and their organic and inorganic materials’ interrelationships and interdependencies. Among reciprocal studies and methodologies, I consider Mitchell’s (2004) integrative pluralism in tandem with a developmental systems paradigm of co-emergence to acknowldge the dynamic epistemological continuum of complex ecologies. In terms of specific embedded learning experiences, I briefly discuss Lind’s Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (KMDD)® as one specific approach in which to cultivate democratic capacities whilst embracing the destabilizing-stabilizing tendencies of posthumanistic praxis for inclusive flourishing.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

The paper presents moral and legal aspects of the human’s nature enhancement in the context of an... more The paper presents moral and legal aspects of the human’s nature enhancement in the context of answering the questions to what extent and to whom the modern technologies may be applied, which purpose is not the recovery (therapy), but the improvement of natural human potential by increasing the strength, endurance, immunity, physical fitness and human’s ability to regenerate, as well as by improving the cognitive capacities in the form of the betterment of human thinking and memory. The problems of enhancement are associated with the movement of transhumanism, which postulates the perfecting of a man and assumes the possibility to control more and more the domains of human activities, both physical and intellectual. In finding the answer to the question of the limits of moral acceptance for the enhancement of human nature, we analyze the cases of a soldier and sportsman, which illustrate the most important problems of the issue. The choice of such examples was due to the belief that social function and the types of activity connected with the exercise of these professions are very important for the determination of the acceptable limits of human enhancement. In our opinion the determination of the limit should be made by referring to the types of activity, based on the division of human activities elaborated by A. MacIntyre. According to MacIntyre, in the case of human activities known as practices, a man achieves internal goods, which define the practice and can only be achieved by improving human skills/abilities. While the external goods, like fame, money or prestige, do not belong to the essence of a practice. For these goods can be achieved both through honest work and self-improvement, and by the fraud. After considering a number of theoretical and practical problems, we argue for the thesis that the admissibility of artificial enhancements and the establishment of its acceptable limits are to be resolved by determining whether a given activity is oriented to achieve essential goods, like life, health or national security, which constitute the moral or social good (in such cases the use of enhancements sometimes will be even a duty), or this activity merely consist in the practice of virtues for the moral improvement of man, which should be made exclusively by using the natural human potential. Thus, the limit of the morally acceptable enhancement of the human nature is to be Dopuszczalność ulepszania natury ludzkiej (enhancement determined (at the stages of law-making and law-application) by indicating the nature of a given activity, its social function and importance, and therefore its moral or social significance.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

Bioconservative view holds that we should prevent dissemination of biomedical inteventions enhanc... more Bioconservative view holds that we should prevent dissemination of biomedical inteventions enhancing human capacities. One of arguments against this view shows that it is based on status quo bias which gives unjustified preference for actual state of affairs. According to this argument reasons against human enhancement are not conclusive. The aim of this article is to show the possibility of the interpretation of the bioconservative view, under which it is possible avoiding the status quo bias objection.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

Many prominent bioethicists have recently raised the question of the possibility of moral status ... more Many prominent bioethicists have recently raised the question of the possibility of moral status enhancement. In this paper I discuss the arguments advanced by Nicholas Agar for the possible existence of the postpersons. I argue that in spite of the many limitations and shortcomings of Agar’s account, there are no conclusive reasons to rule out the possibility of moral status enhancement. However, if post-persons are as they are described by Agar, the fact of their possibility is less interesting and ethically relevant than it might seem. Most importantly, the account of post-persons given by Agar is rather an outcome of some implausible assumptions. I propose that Agar conflates the ethical with the scientific and dismisses the importance of phenomenology in framing our ethical outlook. Also, he seems to follow the assumption made by many utilitarian ethicists that such features as sentience and cognitive capacities have some universal relevance. This accounts for the delusion that we can view our moral attitudes from the point of view of the Universe.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

The paper addresses the problem of the philosophical sources of the debate over moral human enha... more The paper addresses the problem of the philosophical sources of the debate over moral human enhancement held between transhumanists and bio-conservatives. The paper is aimed at showing that the opposing positions in the debate are grounded in different philosophical traditions, namely naturalistic (Darwinian) and rationalistic (Kantian), which define human nature differently. Morality and moral improvement are also differently understood in these different traditions, thus the assumptions rooted in them lead to different conclusions concerning the idea of human moral enhancement and its justification.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

In this article I discuss one of the most significant areas of bioethical interest, which is the ... more In this article I discuss one of the most significant areas of bioethical interest, which is the problem of moral enhancement. Since I claim that the crucial issue in the current debate on human bioenhancement is the problem of agency, I bring out and examine the conditions of possibility of selfunderstanding, acting subjects attributing responsible authorship for their actions to themselves. I shall argue that the very idea of moral enhancement, properly understood, fails to justify the claims that enhancing the “biological” factor that plays a part in the process of making moral choices, whether through biomedical or genetic interventions, will actually increase the probability of having “morally better future motives”.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

W swojej klasycznej pracy, Julian Huxley formułuje perspektywę możliwej przyszłości gatunku ludzk... more W swojej klasycznej pracy, Julian Huxley formułuje perspektywę możliwej przyszłości gatunku ludzkiego, przyszłości, do której – jak wierzy – winniśmy zdążać. Wskazując na słabości i ograniczenia, jakie napotyka natura ludzka i odnosząc je do potencjalnych możliwości, jakie przed człowiekiem otwierają osiągnięcia nauk przyrodniczych, Huxley wyraża potrzebę badania i wprowadzania w czyn wszelkich dostępnych środków, które umożliwiłyby gatunkowi ludzkiemu wzięcie steru nad swoją biologiczną ewolucją.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

In his famous paper, Julian Huxley gives the outline of what he believes future humanity could – ... more In his famous paper, Julian Huxley gives the outline of what he believes future humanity could – and should – look like. By pointing out the numerous limitations and feebleness the human nature is – at the time – prone to, and by confronting them with the possibilities humankind has, Huxley expresses the need to research and put into use all possible measures that would enable man achieve utmost perfection.

Ethics in Progress, 2015

The hereby introduction gives an insight into the topics and themes discussed in the hereby prese... more The hereby introduction gives an insight into the topics and themes discussed in the hereby presented issue of the journal Ethics in Progress, devoted to the topic of transhumanism in its numerous contexts.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

In diesem Beitrag wird nach der Bedeutung der Judenvernichtung in den Kategorien des Genozid für ... more In diesem Beitrag wird nach der Bedeutung der Judenvernichtung in den Kategorien des Genozid für einen Historiker gefragt. Um die Komplexität dieser Problematik zu zeigen, werden drei Schwerpunkte erörtert. Ausgangspunkt ist die theoretische Auffassung des Begriffes Völkermord mit besonderer Rücksicht auf die Konzeption Raphael Lemkins. Dann wird ein Problem der Historisierung des Holocaust und Bedeutung dieses Prozesses für die Geschichtsschreibung und kollektives Gedächtnis besprochen. Am Ende wird die kurze Beschreibung das Schicksal des menschlichen Körpers im Konzentrationslager als Herausforderung für eine historische Interpretation dargestellt.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

The paper confronts the reader with Nietzchean critical approach to history, truth, life, and edu... more The paper confronts the reader with Nietzchean critical approach to history, truth, life, and education. Far away from progressive-euphoric ideologies of 19th, the authors consider the following questions: How children live historical occurences when being tought in classrooms (for example in Italy, Japan, etc.), how can we strengthen their ability for reflected relations to history as well as for interconnecting between past, present, and future life? Psychological, pedagogical, and philosophical considerations meet intercultural contexts.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Medieval Jews were perceived by their neighbors in two ways. On the one hand, as an integral part... more Medieval Jews were perceived by their neighbors in two ways. On the one hand, as an integral part of the community, living among Christians, leading business or cooperating intellectually with them. Jewish philosophers were known and respected by Christian thinkers, like the Jewish medics - prized for centuries for their extensive knowledge and skills. On the other hand, the medieval Jew is a clever merchant, cunning moneylender that is gathering his fortune, follower a foreign religion - full of incomprehensible mysterious rituals. Although there was no shortage of sympathy, Jews were rather approached with distrust and distance. A perfect example of this is the ghetto, created in medieval times. Medieval Jew's pictures are multidimensional and very interesting. The article offers an attempt to present this diversity, discussing the Jew as a merchant, usurer, a resident of the ghetto, dissenter and a member of medieval society.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Looking at local circumstances such as a neighborhood compels a reformulation of genocide. Their ... more Looking at local circumstances such as a neighborhood compels a reformulation of genocide. Their exposure of the incremental escalation of assault makes clear that intention, though a necessary condition of genocide, isn’t always a sufficient one, eroding the orthodox definition of genocide itself which too evolves. Locality also takes into account witnesses’ conviction that, though the commission of radical crimes is indefensible and demands prosecution, a post-genocide order can accommodate a human synthesis as well as a post-traumatic coexistence of peoples.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

The aim of the article is to present Reyes Mate’s project for a culture of memory. Western cultur... more The aim of the article is to present Reyes Mate’s project for a culture of memory. Western culture/tradition tends to erase and blur the traces of crimes (even genocides) in order to achieve/restore peace; however, at the same time, this leads to ignoring the victim’s suffering and, in consequence, helps the wrongdoer. Following Reyes Mate, we argue that a memory of past injustices must constitute an integral part of the present and is the only means to prevent the hermeneutic death of victims. Any project for justice must put victims at the center of reflection. Memory is the beginning of the process that leads to reconciliation, for it makes it possible to redress both the victim and society. Moreover, it enables us to reclaim both the victim and wrongdoer as members of society. A culture of memory would also be a response to the failure of knowledge. Cases of extreme violence elude and transcend cognition; they are not only unthought but also unthinkable. Therefore, memory is a consequence not of discovering but of revealing the past: it follows from the fact that unthought exists and the unthinkable happened, which proves that our knowledge is limited and that we are able [and eager] to “invisibilize” victims’ suffering and depriving injustices of meaning. This is why memory should be the starting point for reflection on a new philosophical program against lassitude and oblivion, as well as on idealistic/anti-realistic and Enlightenment ideas. Memory reveals hidden aspects/dimensions of our reality and becomes at the same time an epistemic imperative and fundamental philosophical category.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

The article endeavours to compare the reflections on the Shoah of two of the most celebrated inte... more The article endeavours to compare the reflections on the Shoah of two of the most celebrated intellectuals of Jewish origin of the 20th century, namely the German philosopher Hans Jonas (1903-1993) and the Soviet writer Vasily Grossman (1905-1964). Both Jonas’ essay on The Concept of God after Auschwitz (1987) and Grossman’s novels and reports, such as The Hell of Treblinka (1944), Life and Fate (1980), and The Sistine Madonna (1989), are characterised by a thorough enquiry into the ambivalence of the human condition, that tries to shed some light on the disturbing abyss of Auschwitz and the Shoah. Although neither Jonas nor Grossman considered themselves as religious believers, thanks to the Shoah they recollected their Jewish roots and developed peculiar and innovative thoughts on the meaning and vulnerability of life, human freedom, immortality, and God. The article endeavours to highlight the main similarities and differences between these two authors, who tackled the issue of thinking after Auschwitz.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

The aim of following paper is to indicate that the notion of Grundnorm, described by Hans Kelsen ... more The aim of following paper is to indicate that the notion of Grundnorm, described by Hans Kelsen in second edition of his Pure Theory of Law (Kelsen, 1960), is in fact a necessity in every construction of normative order – understood as a coercive design. I attempt to prove this point by explaining how Kelsen as the founder of legal normativism is making a clear distinction between effectiveness and validity of basic norm, in context of existing legal order. This leads to me to a conclusion, that as long as we presuppose law as methodologically autonomous concecpt, the Grundnorm must be regarded as its integral conditio sine qua non.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

This paper explores the misrecognition of women's experience with violence in order to understand... more This paper explores the misrecognition of women's experience with violence in order to understand better what kinds of approaches to the problem would make it possible to design successful strategies for the prevention of violence. Violence itself, as well as common misconceptions regarding its mechanisms, carries ramifications that go far beyond direct and physical injury. The prevalence of violence and lack of social awareness regarding its mechanisms result in limitations to the social participation of many individuals and groups. Among the groups affected, women have an important place, both due to their number and the way that femininity relates to and disturbs other identities.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) develops an understanding of human beings as “part and parcel of ... more Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) develops an understanding of human beings as “part and parcel of nature” that includes the idea that we are physically, spiritually, and attitudinally (more or less) connected to the world around us. The image he offers is one in which life spent too much in civilization, where work and social expectations determine the quality of one’s daily life and personal character, lead to lives of boredom, conformity, and misplaced priorities. Time spent in more natural environments is the antidote. Such experiences have the potential to jar us out of the conformist and—to his mind—personally stunting existence into which most fall. Growth and liberation come from experiencing the “More” of which both nature and we are a part. Thoreau calls us to reevaluate our values and priorities by being in a right relationship with nature, which does not require that we accept all of his particular ontological commitments. The argument that emerges for greater protection of the environment is admittedly quite human-centered. However, Thoreau’s insight that we are part and parcel of nature is important because, as Aldo Leopold later argues, we can only progress beyond a prudential approach to nature when we see ourselves as part of the larger whole. The world looks different when it is our home and community as opposed to being mere material to be used or a stage on which our lives unfold.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

A Basic Income (universal basic income or citizen’s income) could contribute to the means for liv... more A Basic Income (universal basic income or citizen’s income) could contribute to the means for living a dignified ecologically- and socially-aligned life characterized by well-being, freedom, and equality. After laying out key definitions, I reflect on moral and ethical issues regarding Basic Income’s implementation, backed by supportive theory and evidence. These arguments organise around interdependence in eco-social systems and core requirements of ontogenesis as well as the intersection and intertwining of socio-cultural, political, and economic factors, known as socio-ecological determinants of global health and well-being. Following that, I briefly make the case for why intersectional and intersubjective aspects should be closely held in contextualized view of Basic Income’s democratised drafting and provision.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

A review of literature revealed that cross-cultural research had not addressed the topic of ethic... more A review of literature revealed that cross-cultural research had not addressed the topic of ethical decision-making definitions (EDM), environmental factors and EDM models all of which could influence ethical decision-making especially within higher education. The present research study examined ethical decision-making, specifically how it was defined and its process. Then environmental factors were identified by experts as being influential to the process of EDM within higher education in Poland. The research provided focuses mainly on EDM and cultural aspects as related to Poland and higher education. In the conclusion, results were compared to a parallel study that focused on ethical decision-making within higher education in the U.S. This exploratory study used the Delphi research technique to identify an EDM definition that leaders use to make ethical decisions and identify the environmental factors that influence their decisions as well as an EDM model within Poland

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Throughout history, patients of psychiatric institutions were often treated improperly. These ind... more Throughout history, patients of psychiatric institutions were often treated improperly. These individuals were isolated, humiliated and excluded. On the other hand treatment frequently contravenes the subjective/agentrelative positions and rights of people with mental disorders in implementing so-called positive changes. The perception of improper handling of cited group of patients sometimes constituted the beginning stage of the activities, aimed at taking responsible care of people with schizophrenia or depression. That concern also has a unique character, involving the necessity to continue to take coercive action against the patient. The paper is intended to depict the past and current situation of psychiatric institution patients. It will also present the fundamental principles that currently exist for the protection of the rights of people treated in these hospitals.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

In this comprehensive paper, I present the thesis that the clinical biopower—which means biopouvo... more In this comprehensive paper, I present the thesis that the clinical biopower—which means biopouvoir according to Michel Foucault—can be countered with the help of artistic ability. In this sense, the psychiatric clinic may turn into a space of inclusion, respect, and true self-unfolding. Following Jean Dubuffet, I give a definition of art brut and analyze some works of German and Austrian outsiders of the 20th century, who succeeded in overcoming life-crises, such as childhood poverty, experiences of war, psychical illness, or social ostracism. I match the biopolitical character of psychiatry clinics against the most recent ideas of art therapy. The remainder of the article is organized in four parts: (1) Introduction: Raw Art, (2) Alterity: Beyond of Normality and Pathology, (3) Talent for Sovereignty, (4) Conclusion: The Between.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

In the paper, I discuss the possible gap between the transhumanist perspective of controlling and... more In the paper, I discuss the possible gap between the transhumanist perspective of controlling and perfecting human evolution through scientific means and the Darwinian and neo-Darwinian theory of biological evolution. I argue that, due to such gap, the transhumanist programme is flawed and requires a new and better understanding of biological mechanisms in order to attain its goals.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

This short working paper is my first attempt to present my concept analysis of relation between t... more This short working paper is my first attempt to present my concept analysis of relation between the poverty experiences – e.g. childhood suffering by war and migration background, daily life suffering by starvation, abuse, racism etc. – and the process of self-understanding and resilience with the help of an oral history or literature (non-fiction as much as fiction novels). I reflect Wilhelm Dilthey’s opinion about the distinction between autobiography and Self-biography, and I present the Self-biography as a right way to concretize the themes of poverty and exclusion.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Ziel des vorliegenden Beitrags ist es, exemplarisch die biographische Genese einer Bewährungsfigu... more Ziel des vorliegenden Beitrags ist es, exemplarisch die biographische Genese einer Bewährungsfigur zu rekonstruieren und auf diesem Wege zur weiteren Differenzierung dieses sozialisationstheoretischen Begriffs beizutragen. Bewährungsfiguren erweisen sich in der exemplarischen Interviewanalyse als lebensgeschichtlich erste Selbstkonturierungen, die im Verlauf des Lebens eine sukzessive Sättigung, modifizierende Ausgestaltung und eine mehr oder weniger gelungene, komplexitätserhöhende Transferierung auf neue Felder der Bewährung erfahren. Neben der Selbstvergewisserung, ist die zweite wesentliche Funktion von Bewährungsfiguren die Grundlegung der Selbstcharismatisierung, des Vertrauens in die eigenen Fähigkeiten und Problemlösungsvorschläge (Ja, das kann ich, das bin ich)

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Submitted article presents a variety of the concept of measure in the early Greek investigations ... more Submitted article presents a variety of the concept of measure in the early Greek investigations of nature, development of ethical and political structures, fundamental norms of the arts and crafts, and conclusively, searches for understanding of the ἄνθρωπος μέτρον challenge. Among the crucial notions of the early Greek investigations, measure was one of the most receptive: from speculative inquiries to ethical considerations, from theoretical constructions to methodological directives, from normative arrangements to technical solutions. The thinkers and sages introduced the concept of measure into the normative reflection of the ethics and politics, enclosing the most essential and fundamental prescriptions for noble, virtuous and favourable life. Furthermore, the concepts of measure combined the cosmological order with the mathematical proportion, logical principles of recognition with the methodological arrangements for the truth approximation.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

To answer the title question there has been initially introduced the elements of the Aristotle th... more To answer the title question there has been initially introduced the elements of the Aristotle theory in order to confront it with the concepts of the linguistic paradigm philosophers. Finally, the author proposes a very own solution to this dilemma. Accordingly to the methodology of the linguistic paradigm, the paper brings about an analyse of the linguistic expressions to investigate whether they provide a sufficient premise to distinguish between desires and intentions. The author asks several questions which help him describe desires, and them confront achieved characteristics with the essential features of intentions. In conclusion, the paper put forward the case of the explanation of actions according to both desires and intentions

Ethics in Progress, 2014

The paper addresses two issues that have been recently debated in the literature on free will, mo... more The paper addresses two issues that have been recently debated in the literature on free will, moral responsibility, and the theory of punishment. The first issue concerns the descriptive project, the second both the substantive and the prescriptive project. On theoretical, historical and empirical grounds, we claim that there is no rationale for fearing that the spread of neurocognitive findings will undermine the ordinary practice of responsibility attributions. We hypothetically advocate two opposite views: (i) that such findings would cause the collapse of all punitive practices; (ii) that, on the contrary, such findings would open the way to more humane forms of punishment, which would be justified on purely utilitarian grounds. We argue that these views are both wrong, since whereas a sound punitive system can be justified without any reference to moral responsibility, it will certainly not improve the humaneness of punishment.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Two problems are central to the issue of Ethics in Progress before us, around which the included... more Two problems are central to the issue of Ethics in Progress before us, around which the included papers are arranged: I. Moral self and environment: Difficult interrelations, and II. Landscapes of memory and postmemory. Numerous inspirations will reach the reader from the altogether twenty English, German, and Polish contributions from seven countries. The issue is one of the most expansive we have put forth since the journal’s foundation in 2010. This is because intersections between classic and analytic philosophy, phenomenology, psychology, psychiatry and neurosciences, ethics, theory of justice, gender studies, and arts inevitably become more apparent when the focus of our enquiry is the dynamic nature of the moral self.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Review of: Dorota Probucka (2013). Filozoficzne podstawy idei praw zwierząt [Philosophical founda... more Review of: Dorota Probucka (2013). Filozoficzne podstawy idei praw zwierząt [Philosophical foundations of the animal rights concept], pp. 352, Cracow: Universitas

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Climate change poses one of the most serious challenges for humanity due to the increasing comple... more Climate change poses one of the most serious challenges for humanity due to the increasing complexity of both factual and ethical dimensions. Although the debate over climate change is usually framed as a debate about scientific facts, climate change is also fundamentally an ethical issue; the challenges that climate change poses cannot be addressed simply by accumulating more factual knowledge since it also refers to the meaning we make out of the world and the values we identify as important. Among climate ethicists, there are no doubts that even in the face of uncertainty regarding the severity, scope, and form of climate change impacts, the moral problems it poses are real. For example, future generations are subjected to severe harms and risk, and there exists a great deal of conflict in international climate negotiations. There is general agreement that actions undertaken to deal with the problem of global climate change are not sufficient. Addressing climate issues is usually conceived in terms of political decision making, with adaptation and mitigation as the primary goals. The fact of scientific uncertainty regarding the severity and scope of the problem fuels general disagreement about the appropriate actions to undertake. As a result, the persistent tendency to polarize the discourse often undermines the moral importance of human action, especially that which relates to the global commons and future generations.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

In this article I provide a summary of insights on the discipline of cosmoecology. I point out th... more In this article I provide a summary of insights on the discipline of cosmoecology. I point out the most important cosmic influences on life on Earth, which justifies the hypothesis of Gaia-Uranos. I consider what kind of features must have characterized the cosmic environment in order for life to evolve in this part of the Universe. The problem of physical parameters of the cosmic environment, necessary for the existence of life, has been recognized for centuries; these considerations find their apogeum in the anthropic principle. Here, I discuss the general features of the cosmic universe: harmony, diversity, non-balance, and the rhythms of phenomena. This perspective on the development of the life on Earth influences the understanding of the human place in the universe, among others creations of nature, through the lens of holistic and pathocentric ethics

Ethics in Progress, 2014

This article is an attempt to redefine and extend basic terms of law, such as “person” or “justic... more This article is an attempt to redefine and extend basic terms of law, such as “person” or “justice,” to include self-conscious, non-human animals in the moral community. This need arises due to the evolution of our moral thinking, which is related to the process of recognition. Support for animals coming under the protection of law can be provided by Peter Singer's utilitarian ethics, which shows the importance of respecting other’s interests and giving them the possibility of living under decent conditions.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Etyka s rodowiskowa jest dynamicznie rozwijającą się młodą dyscypliną filozofii na s wiecie i w P... more Etyka s rodowiskowa jest dynamicznie rozwijającą się młodą dyscypliną filozofii na s wiecie i w Polsce. W literaturze polskojęzycznej istnieje szereg publikacji wprowadzających w genezę, rozwo j, i problematykę tej dziedziny. Ws ro d nich wymienic nalez y prace takich autoro w jak Włodzimierz Tyburski, Zdzisława Piątek, Krzysztof Łastowski, Andrzej Papuzin ski, Anna Ganowicz-Bączyk, i wielu innych. W niniejszym opracowaniu znajdują się dwie prace. Pierwsza, autorstwa młodej badaczki i magistrantki Alicji Dłuz ewicz, przedstawia historyczny rys rozwoju etyki zwierząt przed Petera Singera połączony z oryginalną aplikacją filozoficznej dyskusji w konteks cie prawnego statusu i ochrony samos wiadomych istot pozaludzkich. Autorka traktuje o prawach zwierząt z perspektywy filozoficznej i prawnej oraz moz liwos ciach ich przekształcenia w konteks cie zaro wno zmieniających się warunko w społecznoekonomicznych wywierających negatywną antropopresję na dobrobyt istot pozaludzkich, jak i w odniesieniu do poszerzenia moralnego rozumowania. Głos autorki odzwierciedla ducha inter-i transdysciplinarnos ci, kto re stanowią o specyfice etyki s rodowiskowej, i wskazuje na rosnące zainteresowanie problematyką etyki s rodowiskowej na styku filozofii i innych dyscyplin naukowych, oraz na styku teorii i praktyki.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

This article investigates the relationship between the possibilities of actualizing our encounter... more This article investigates the relationship between the possibilities of actualizing our encounters and the openness of human space. It describes various types of encounters and shows the correlations between the perception of difference and the inclination to contravene certain encounters. The effects of encounters based on antagonistic, complementary, dialectic, and synergistic thinking are explored in a way that helps to better understand the aims and consequences of encounters actualized in diverse frameworks of dialogue. Further, the impact of paradigms of reasoning on how the value of meetings is understood is described. The results of the modern perception of relationships in the subject-object scheme and in the ecosystem paradigm are presented. The latter allows for recognition that encounters can facilitate creative activity by expanding human space.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

The aim of the article is to present historical gardens as phenomena inevitably pervaded by an on... more The aim of the article is to present historical gardens as phenomena inevitably pervaded by an ongoing clash of values. The conflict stems from the twofold character of gardens where art (or in broader terms: culture) and nature are combined, which results in a tension between the tendency to remain static and durable that human culture seeks, and the changeability and dynamics that are inherent in nature. This conflict can be characterized by referring to a theory proposed by Austrian art historian Alois Riegl, one of the founders of modern monument restoration theory who identified three types of values associated with monuments: historical value, age value, and present-day values. What is more, one can assume that gardens can be treated as particular tokens of landscape. Thus, the conflict of values within a garden may be seen as a more limited example of the same clash going on at the more general level oflandscape. The argument is illustrated by a short case study of the recent debate over the restoration of the historic Krasinski Garden in Warsaw, Poland.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

The need for constructing an environmental ethics that keeps sustainability in mind is the result... more The need for constructing an environmental ethics that keeps sustainability in mind is the result of a collision of the realization that the natural environment is neither limitless nor impervious to actions with a view of nature that has been fundamentally instrumentalist and anthropocentric. This paper will borrow from architectural theory in an effort to do two things: First, it will point to some of the limitations of an anthropocentric view of nature and how it impacts efforts to influence environmental policy; second, it will suggest that ideas from Aristotle and Actor Network Theory can help to provide a paradigm within which we can think about nature in a way that offers an alternative framing of questions about the environment.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

This article aims to bring together some theory – research on climate ethics, particularly the P... more This article aims to bring together some theory – research on climate ethics, particularly the Pure Intergenerational Problem (PIP) introduced by Stephen Gardiner – and some practice – the new educational agenda proposed by the United Nations in 2002 and framed as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). PIP can be resolved (or rather, avoided) if a shift in values happens that would change the very context of the problem. On the other hand, DESD is aimed at promoting the values “inherent in sustainable development” and at enabling societal transformation and behavioral change. The main focus within the value shift in this article is on a particular set of values (principles, concerns) that relate present people to future generations in terms of moral responsibility. It is argued that the promotion of ethical considerations that are concerned with the distant future, and the future of humankind in general, can be a solution to the Pure Intergenerational Problem. The article also explores whether parts of this solution can already be found within the educational agenda of DESD.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Thomas Young (2001) argues that overconsumption and procreation are morally equivalent, and thus ... more Thomas Young (2001) argues that overconsumption and procreation are morally equivalent, and thus that anyone who disapproves of overconsumption must arrive at the same normative judgment concerning procreation (or procreation beyond a certain threshold). Young presents an analogical argument in support of his claim, and defends it against four varieties of objections intended to show that the analogy is weak or faulty. I argue that Young’s defense of his argument fails, and that though a stronger case can be made for his claim of moral equivalence between procreation and overconsumption, a full defense of the claim would unfortunately require a moral theory that we presently do not have (namely, Derek Parfit’s Theory X, the theory of beneficence that would tell us how many people there should be). This is unfortunate because in the absence of successful rational grounds for such a claim concerning the moral value (or disvalue) of procreation relative to resource consumption, we are likely to overlook or misjudge the moral and other costs of population growth.

Ethics in Progress, 2014

Since 1992, clandestine radical environmentalist cells, calling themselves the Earth Liberation F... more Since 1992, clandestine radical environmentalist cells, calling themselves the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), have carried out arson attacks in an effort to punish corporations for environmentally deleterious practices. I examine the radical environmental movement and find that its recent rise to prominence and notoriety is part and parcel of the larger development of the more general anti-globalization/anti-capitalist movement. Specifically, I examine how, despite its libertarian conservative origins, the ideology of Earth First! changed after an influx of new members with anti-state, anarchist sympathies. Finally, I assess the applicability of three major criticisms of “globalization from below” to the case of the ELF, namely: a) that its preoccupation with the transnational sphere and abandonment of electoral politics is misguided, b) that direct actions such as property destruction are counterproductive to the wider aims of the movement, and, c) that its strategies of contention are too episodic, and do very little to encourage practical, inclusive, local, and sustained action in the service of global justice

Ethics in Progress, 2014

This article introduces the special issue for Ethics in Progress entitled Environment, ethics, an... more This article introduces the special issue for Ethics in Progress entitled Environment, ethics, and sustainability: Crossroads of our future. Despite four decades of intense development in the field of academic and professional environmental ethics, environmental problems pose ever increasing ethical challenges. The discipline continues to undergo a transition from focusing on theoretical questions such as what kinds of beings deserve moral standing toward greater inclusion of the multifaceted dimensions of sustainability and environmental issues and policy formation. In this introductory paper, we present the development, some of the key disciplinary debates, and the continuing and emerging challenges in environmentalism as it intersects with sustainability. We emphasize the importance of increasing the range of interdisciplinary perspectives brought to bear on practical ethics. The papers included in this special issue reflect both the challenges that arise as environmental ethics continues to expand and explore new issues at the intersection of ethics, sustainability, and environmental research, and the interdisciplinarity required in our search to better understand matters related to environmental history, environmental inequalities, social and environmental value conflict, inter-generational justice, and ethical components of the human relationship with the world.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

As normal adult human agents we have a remarkable trio of capacities. First, we are capable of ac... more As normal adult human agents we have a remarkable trio of capacities. First, we are capable of acting over time in ways that involve important forms of intentional cross-temporal organization and coordination. Second, we are capable of acting together with others in ways that go significantly beyond standard forms of strategic interaction. Third, we are capable of self-governance. A theory of human agency should include an understanding of these capacities for temporally extended, for shared, and for self-governed intentional agency. In each case we have interrelated concerns that are conceptual, metaphysical, and normative. The response to these concerns is to seek to understand these three capacities as grounded in a common, core capacity for planning agency. This is the conjecture of the fecundity of planning agency.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

The article Moral judgments within processing by criminal court. An overview is designed to be an... more The article Moral judgments within processing by criminal court. An overview is designed to be an introduction to problems of moral evaluations within criminal process. It is stated that evaluations necessarily contribute to sentences´ guilty or unguilty and judges pass them to achieve justice. Let us call chosen institutions of penal law to show how problematic axiologica reasoning and evaluative procedures can really be. There is no universal or higher moral system in which judge's evaluations would be rooted. Each judge needs to develop his own moral judgment competence. Courts have to justify values-based sentences to make them convincing for the whole society.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

This paper is dedicated to the problem of separation legal and moral order from the perspective o... more This paper is dedicated to the problem of separation legal and moral order from the perspective of Kelsen`s Pure Theory of Law. In discussing the need for such a separation, the author shows its relevant consequences. According to the most controversial of them, the “amoral law” seems to be a very sovereign normative concept. But still another question arises – wouldlegal subjects be able to cooperate with the law when its effectiveness is only based on the coercive power and sanctions?

Ethics in Progress, 2013

The paper is an introductory essay to the Polish translation of M.E. Bratman’s paper The Fecundi... more The paper is an introductory essay to the Polish translation of M.E. Bratman’s paper The Fecundity of Planning Agency. Instead of summarizing the main drifts of Bratman’s work, the author tries to show a few important parallels between his approach to action theory and the so-called praxiology (or ‘theory of efficient action’) proposed by Tadeusz Kotarbiński. It occurs that there are important similarities between their approaches both to specific problems in action theory (as: concept of an agent, the role of Buridan’s Ass, or mind-infusion of actions) and to the general question how to understood agency (norms of planning). A brief presentation of these similarities gives two central results. Firstly, it allows to interpret Bratman as a kind of praxiologist, and, secondly, it shows that praxiological thinking proposed by Kotarbiński is still a vital perspective in contemporary action theory.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

The aim of our paper is twofold. Firstly, very original approach to the question of victims elabo... more The aim of our paper is twofold. Firstly, very original approach to the question of victims elaborated very thoroughly by Reyes Mate is presented. Unfortunately, his conceptualization of victimology is relatively little known outside Spanish and Latin American culture. It is meant as a basis for adequate theory of injustice and justice. Secondly, comprehensive and detailed metaethical analyses of fundamental concepts used by Reyes Mate are developed here by means of standard methods, i.e. triangle, hexagon, and octagon of logical oppositions.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

The reflection on intersubjectivity is a central question in the contemporary philosophical debat... more The reflection on intersubjectivity is a central question in the contemporary philosophical debate. In this field, current practical philosophy faces one of the most difficult challenges. Apparently, the research for a foundation of the intersubjective level seems to lead inevitably towards the abandonment of the logical-foundation theory on which the philosophy had been based up until Hegel. In this report, however, I would like to attempt something different. That is, I would like to explore the possibility of inserting the subject of intersubjectivity right into the heart of Hegelian thinking, with an aim to outline the foundation of a social action theory capable of exhibiting reasons stronger than those deriving from simple dialogic validation. It is possible, as Ho sle believed, that Hegel himself did not take this aspect of the profound dynamics of his thought too seriously, and that he had not prepared the notional categories to be able to think about it in depth. Nevertheless, the theoretical foundations of intersubjectivity, brought back to its Hegelian roots, is the fundamental cornerstone upon which to build the logical-rational foundations of social action

Ethics in Progress, 2013

The goal of my paper is to consider how one chooses one’s own action. First, I will try to unders... more The goal of my paper is to consider how one chooses one’s own action. First, I will try to understand how both his past and his environment can condition someone's action. According to Sartre, we can act without being determined by our past which is always separated from us. It will be important to understand how such a process is possible. Is man completely free to act? Then I will raise the question of our reasons for acting in order to show that reasons do not pre-exist in the world. Motives are always motives for an agent who gives them meaning. They never condition the action completely. By his project, the agent reveals some reasons to act and these reasons have a value only in relation to the project adopted by the agent. Therefore, we can say that everyone is condemned to be free.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

Exploring the idea of a more practical relationship between the agent and his own mental life lea... more Exploring the idea of a more practical relationship between the agent and his own mental life leaves room for reconsidering the relevance of the familiar analogy between reasons for belief and reasons for action. Even if their difference is usually admitted, they are also treated as equivalent, in the sense that the connection between reasons to believe and the arising belief would be analogous to the connection between reasons for action and the arising action. If such an analogy might be relevant to a certain extent in the frame of a theoretical stance towards oneself, I'll argue that it cannot be maintained once we have put the agent at the heart of self-knowledge.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

Acting and suffering subjectivity makes a grand sujet in Ricoeur's philosophy. In his Time and Na... more Acting and suffering subjectivity makes a grand sujet in Ricoeur's philosophy. In his Time and Narrative Ricoeur created the notion of narrative identity which is an individual internalized and evolving life strory. The narrative alone might define the “who”. Whoever lives and exists, suffers. Ricoeur metaphorically defined life as a cloth. We can add, Wiercinski continues, that this cloth is woven with pain. It is pain which makes the cloth, and, at the same time, it is also a joy of the human condition. As humans, we are called to wear this cloth as well as to understand what does it mean - from the hermeneutic perspective.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

Satisfied desires make you happy. Desires are fantasy narratives a person tells about her life a... more Satisfied desires make you happy. Desires are fantasy narratives a person tells about her life and goals. They focus on intentional objects that are happiness-makers for the person: to achieve them is supposed to make one happy. Normally, such objects are good things and their context is seen in a positive manner. However, the goals may also be hurtful, as the person herself sees it. These are, at least sometimes, mad desires. To explain them, it is not enough to say that they are impulsive and irrational, unconscious, or that they are good in disguise. I explain what this means and give some examples. I also consider the thesis that satisfaction of desire is less than full happiness, which may well be true. This becomes clear when we think of moral choices.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

This article presents an alternative way of organizing lessons using games. Dixit is a game that ... more This article presents an alternative way of organizing lessons using games. Dixit is a game that facilitates mental development, including development of imagination, creative and critical thinking, social skills, and of an increased sense of belonging to the group. It makes the student more willing to take part in lessons and positively perceive their school life. In the era of widely available gaming, great variety of interactive games, daily availability of iPads and tablets, students’ interest in the lesson is sometimes more difficult. Especially when it concerns the activities in which the student decides whether he wants to attend. An example would be ethics or philosophy; on these lessons, although voluntary participation, there is a subject no less important than those taught compulsorily. The role of the teacher is to organize lessons for the student, which will encourage participation and facilitate the transfer of knowledge on the topic.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

Numerous diagnoses of contemporary transformations of love and eroticism emphasise the fact that ... more Numerous diagnoses of contemporary transformations of love and eroticism emphasise the fact that the intimate life has become democratised and liberated. Anthony Giddens argues that personal relationships increasingly become compatible with the model of pure relationship, which means that they are more egalitarian and that both partners are free to choose and to negotiate the shape of their relations. Jeffrey Weeks claims that in “the world that we have won”, women, homosexuals and queers are increasingly considered as equal to heterosexual men. Most scholars agree that feminism(together with gays’ and lesbians’ movements) is one of most important factors that enabled the democratisation of intimacy. Yet, it is possible to distinguish some interesting approaches that examine the unintended consequences of women’s emancipation. Sociologists like Arlie Russell Hochschild and Eva Illouz recognise the importance of feminism in democratising intimacy, thus they also claim that liberation of women has entailed rationalisation and commercialisation of intimacy. One of Hochschild’s main thesis is that feminism commercialises intimacy by legitimising “the commercial spirit of intimate life”. What is more, she argues that instead of humanizing men feminism is capitalising women. On the other hand, Illouz persuades that feminism – together with therapeutic discourse – rationalises intimacy by emphasising the necessity of analysing and quantifying all aspects of intimate life. Hochschild and Illouz claim that feminism unintentionally makes intimacy “cold” – that is that it suggests focusing on personal autonomy and perceiving warm and close bonds as an endangerment for that autonomy. The cooling entails loosening of family and intimate relationships and making individuals more attached to the market. In the end, both sociologists agree that “cool” branches of feminism make women similar to men and intimacy similar to the market

Ethics in Progress, 2013

Die Autorin präsentiert ihr Konzept fü r einen Workshop in Kinderphilosophie, in welchem sie ei... more Die Autorin präsentiert ihr Konzept fü r einen Workshop in Kinderphilosophie, in welchem sie eine theoretische Darstellung der Problematik der Begegnungsphilosophie – in einem pädagogischen Kontext – sowie eine detaillierte Gliederung des Workshops darstellt. Die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer dieses Workshops sollen die philosophischethische Problematik des Anderen kennenlernen, sie werden dazu befähigt, die folgenden dialogphilosophischen Begriffe zu unterscheiden und inhaltlich abzugrenzen: das Andere, die/der Andere, Dialog, Begegnung, Relation, Solidarität. Die Autorin präsentiert hier, wie die Denkweisen einiger Philosophen auf spielerische Art den Kindern nähergebracht werden (Martin Buber, Emmanuel Lévinas, Jó zef Tischner). Die Kinder sollen somit erfahren, was die Begegnungsphilosophie beinhaltet, aber vor allem werden die mit den Phänomenen der Alterität konfrontiert. Das Ziel ist es, die soziale und kulturelle Akzeptanz der Kinder fü r den Anderen zu vertiefen

Ethics in Progress, 2013

The subject of this article is the practical philosophy of Friedrich H. Jacobi (1743-1819), which... more The subject of this article is the practical philosophy of Friedrich H. Jacobi (1743-1819), which the author tries to reconstruct on the basis of the work entitled “Jacobi an Fichte” (1799). Jacobi distinguishes between two kinds of truth: “Wahrheit” and “das Wahre.” The former is the rational truth (knowledge), the latter – the intuitive truth (faith). In his opinion, the error of transcendental idealism, the exponents of which are Kant and Fichte, is that it respects only the rational truth. However, Jacobi points to the fact that while reason and necessity are the same, the former is contradictory to individual freedom. Therefore, the concept of transcendental idealism – despite the intentions of its exponents – leads to the negation of freedom and ethics. These can be only justified by the intuitive truth, which is strongly connected with Christian religion.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

Pre-school play is an important moment in a child’s development. Caretakers play an important ro... more Pre-school play is an important moment in a child’s development. Caretakers play an important role during play. This article presents a structure of educational competence called “constructive empathizing” or “invitingaccompanying competence”. A caretaker’s special task during child’s play is conversion between the third-person knowledge and a subjective, autotelic interaction. The caretaker’s constructive empathizing during a child’s play determines the child’s social and moral development, it helps the child to turn play into work, as a sign of higher spontaneous understanding of cultural norms standing behind cultural correctness actions. Finally, it is evidence of dynamic interaction between abstract-concrete thinking, with the child learning from the caretaker.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

This article penetrates the idealistic, Marxist concept of the 'new Soviet man', linking it with... more This article penetrates the idealistic, Marxist concept of the 'new Soviet man', linking it with the notion of eugenics. Departing from a reconstruction of the history and specificity of the eugenic movement in Russia since the late 19th century until the installation of Joseph Stalin as the only ruler of the Soviet Union, Lysenkoism paradigm of Soviet natural sciences is being evoked as a theoretical frame for Soviet-specific eugenic programme. Through referring to a number of chosen – both theoretical (classic Marxist works) and practical (chosen aspects of Soviet science and internal politics) – issues and cases, the concept of the 'new Soviet man' is being confronted with an original reading of eugenics, understood in neo-Lamarckian terms of direct shaping human beings through environmental conditions (comprehending the GULag system of labour camps, pseudo-medical experiments and other) and intergenerational transfer (through inheritance) of acquired traits.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

This study describes the results of interventions with the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion ... more This study describes the results of interventions with the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (KMDD) by Georg Lind, with 89 economics undergraduate participants sampled from Guangdong province. The participants’ mean C-score in the Moral Judgment Test increased only a little because of the teacher’s little experience in using KMDD, but otherwise the intervention produced good results: the participants showed great interest in KMDD although this teaching method is very different from the typical Chinese teaching, and they enjoyed the KMDD-sessions and the classroom atmosphere created through it. Students’ feedback will be useful for future application and research on KMDD in China.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

The Confucian ethics which is the main body of the Chinese traditional culture has established it... more The Confucian ethics which is the main body of the Chinese traditional culture has established its “basic morality” or “mother morality” not only in China, but also in some of the Asian countries. It is formed in the long historical development of more than 2000 years. First of all, it had the contention of a hundred schools of thought in the Pre-Qin Dynasty, and the Confucianist thought with its own colors was formed at that time. When Dong Zhongshu made his suggestions that restrained all other schools but only respected Confucianism, the predominance of Confucianism over the political life had been defined in Chinese society. After the later generations’ cooperating thing of diverse nature with unity of opposites, it was developed into the idealist philosophy of the Song (960 -1279) and Ming (1368-1644). Dynasties, which combined Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism. The critical development of the modern Chinese society to Confucianist thought made us scholars have a timely reflection on the Confucian ethics. The requirement of constructing a harmonious world in the present time made us further considerate the moral education with Confucianist ethics.

Ethics in Progress, 2013

In diesem Beitrag stellen wir eine Unterrichtseinheit zur Zeit vor. Die Relevanz dieses Artikels ... more In diesem Beitrag stellen wir eine Unterrichtseinheit zur Zeit vor. Die Relevanz dieses Artikels liegt darin, dass heute der Umgang mit der Zeit zu den entscheidenden Faktoren einer hohen Lebensqualität zählt. Als theoretische Sachanalyse wird in die philosophischen Dimensionen der Zeit eingefü hrt, sowie in das Zusammenspiel der biologischen, geographischen, kosmischen und kulturellen Faktoren die die Zeitwahrnehmung beeinflusst. Als praktisches Modell dient das philosophische Gespräch mit Kindern ü ber die Zeit aus der Praxis von Eva Zoller. Da es fü r die Denkfähigkeit der Kinder relevant ist, ü ber die Zeit nachzudenken, stellen wir fü r die Lehrerinnen und Lehrer auch eine Unterrichtseinheit mit dem Bilderbuch: „Taro Urashima“ vor

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Modern ethics has to face the problem of how to accommodate the requirement for intersubjectively... more Modern ethics has to face the problem of how to accommodate the requirement for intersubjectively justified and accepted (valid) moral norms and values with the high-paced development of science and knowledge-based societies. This highly discussed opposition between what is morally eligible and what is scientifically correct may lead to stating that modern ethics is – rhetorically speaking – a dying figure. For it is impossible – after the Kantian-Copernican turn in epistemology and ethics – to defend the theological view that there exist certain universal and objective moral obligations. Yet, due to the rapid development of experimental sciences and the accomplishments of analytic philosophy, modern ethics are faced with the threat of either being reduced to a descriptive field of knowledge or becoming a shadow of its own past glory with no significance. Under these conditions, an attempt to defend ethics in its naturalistic form seems out of question. Still, the ethical naturalism may prove that – in the given state of social, scientific, and philosophical development – it is possible to successfully defend the view that ethical sentences express a certain type of proposition that may be proven true due to some objective natural features, independent of human opinions.

Ethics in Progress, 2012

The present paper stresses from a philological and anthropological point of view Machiavelli’s p... more The present paper stresses from a philological and anthropological point of view Machiavelli’s potential for thinking and practicing democracy in modern times. The first part disputes some Machiavellian myths, philologically demonstrating for example that Machiavelli never thought that ‘end justifies the means’. The second part brings to light the anthropological fundamentals of Machiavelli’s theory of political conflicts: special attention is paid to the doctrine of the opposite tendencies within the political bodies (the wish to command and the wish not to obey, the desire of oppressing and that of not to be oppressed) as well as to the theory of anthropological roots of ambition. The third and final part compares Machiavelli’s anthropological theory of political conflicts with both Marx’s economic interpretation of political conflicts and German philosophical anthropological explanation of human nature (Gehlen, Scheler, Plessner).

Ethics in Progress, 2019

In this research we use “the Moral Judgment Test” as an instrument that is developed by Professor... more In this research we use “the Moral Judgment Test” as an instrument that is developed by Professor Georg Lind in 1976, but is a Chinese version with some revisions, with 724 students whose ages are from 14 years old to 27 years old as the participants. The results show that: the C-scores are increased with the increase of the students’ age, but there are some fluctuations among different grades. It is obvious that the school education do could improve students’ abilities of moral judgment, but there exist some instability factors. There are no significant differences in their C-scores between male and female students, among different grades within certain schools and universities, and among students with various professions, the key schools and the regular schools as well as the two-year and the four-year college students.

Ethics in Progress, 2012

The purpose of the following article is to point out the essential role of postconventional moral... more The purpose of the following article is to point out the essential role of postconventional moral judgement in professionalized action. By some examples I will demonstrate that it is the precondition of completed professionalization.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

This paper uses MJT designed by German moral psychologist Lind as a measurement tool, selects 193... more This paper uses MJT designed by German moral psychologist Lind as a measurement tool, selects 1933 teenagers from Wuhan, Xiangfan or Hubei province. The result shows that participants’ C-sore of different age is 16.90. Character of politic lies remarkable difference, and gender, profession, education, etc., doesn’t. But the specific characters of them have something to be concerned. On this basis, the author gives some advices and countermeasures for education departments.

Ethics in Progress, 2012

Understanding the epistemological dimension of the subject–object dichotomy is crucial for enviro... more Understanding the epistemological dimension of the subject–object dichotomy is crucial for environmental learning. Contrasting the epistemologies of separation and love, Arthur Zajonc argues that learning is seriously limited unless we focus more attention on fostering deep connections of respect, love, and participation with the objects we study. Although an attitude of detachment and objectivity is sometimes appropriate, understanding such things as social justice and the environment demand an approach that softens the sharp dichotomy between knower and thing–to–be–known. While largely agreeing with Zajonc, we emphasize that the epistemologies of separation and love should not be seen as wholly distinct or unrelated. A deep understanding of ourselves and the world around us depends upon a shifting back and forth between these approaches, though this will, admittedly, not be susceptible to any strict set of methodological rules. Learning depends upon not only understanding how to use these two epistemologies, but, importantly, learning how to shift between them with ease. Furthermore, we suggest that Zajonc’s use of the dual concepts of the logic of discovery and of justification to illustrate his two epistemologies can be made more descriptively accurate and prescriptively useful by noticing that in the process of learning—of discovering—investigators can and do move fluidly between seeking detached objectivity and connectedness. We embrace a broad pedagogical approach to environmental education consistent with Zajonc’s view and that is place–based and multi– and trans– disciplinary. This includes a rejection of the priority of science over the humanities, a narrowing of the gap between knower and thing–to–be–known, and a move away from attempts to excessively abstract from particulars to generalities and laws

Ethics in Progress, 2012

In the contemporary socio-economical scenario, knowledge sharing has become a crucial topic for d... more In the contemporary socio-economical scenario, knowledge sharing has become a crucial topic for discussion. As the economy of the societies becoming knowledge centric, knowledge production and dissemination by the educational and other social institutions must play an important role. In this paper, we discuss the notion of knowledge sharing as normative action involving two modes of function: voluntary and obligatory. Knowledge sharing as voluntary action presupposes personal ontology of knowledge. The knower as owner of knowledge has the right to disseminate knowledge. The reason of this dissemination could be sometimes to fulfill certain psychological desire or material needs, rather than purely value centric. Such a mode of sharing could be the reason for the degeneration of knowledge. It is because voluntary dissemination of knowledge does not go beyond the whims and fancies of the knower. On the other hand, knowledge sharing as an obligatory action emphasizes care and commitment. These normative elements could not only transform the attitude of the knower, but also help him to transcend the mere economic and psychological reasons of knowledge sharing. This transcendental logic of sharing would show how knowledge obtains its social ontology.

Ethics in Progress, 2012

Boghossian’s (2003) proposal to conditionalize concepts as a way to secure their legitimacy in di... more Boghossian’s (2003) proposal to conditionalize concepts as a way to secure their legitimacy in disputable cases applies well, not just to pejoratives – on whose account Boghossian first proposed it – but also to thick ethical concepts. It actually has important advantages when dealing with some worries raised by the application of thick ethical terms, and the truth and facticity of corresponding statements. In this paper, I will try to show, however, that thick ethical concepts present a specific case, whose analysis requires a somewhat different reconstruction from that which Boghossian offers. A proper account of thick ethical concepts should be able to explain how ‘evaluated’ and ‘evaluation’ are connected.

Ethics in Progress, 2012

There has been a great deal of discussion in the recent philosophical literature of the relations... more There has been a great deal of discussion in the recent philosophical literature of the relationship between the minimalist theory of truth and the expressivist metaethical theory. One group of philosophers contends that minimalism and expressivism are compatible, the other group contends that such theories are incompatible. Following Simon Blackburn (manuscript), I will call the former position ‘compatibilism’ and the latter position‘incompatiblism.’ Even those compatibilist philosophers who hold that there is no conflict or tension between these two theories—minimalism and expressivism—typically think that some revision of minimalism is required to accommodate expressivism. The claim that there is such an incompatibility, I will argue, is based on a misunderstanding of the historical roots of expressivism, the motivations behind the expressivist theory, and the essential commitments of expressivism. I will present an account of the expressivist theory that is clearly consistent with minimalism.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Every man wishes to be good – this seemingly obvious statement may be an explanation of why does ... more Every man wishes to be good – this seemingly obvious statement may be an explanation of why does the interest in teaching ethics grow so rapidly. The demand for well-educated teachers, conscious of how important their task is, increases certainly in Poland. This is why professor Ewa Nowak, head of the Chair of Ethics in the Philosophy Institute of Adam Mickiewicz University (Poznan), along with her
Ph.D. students, offered in Poznań on 6th – 10th February, 2012 a seminar-workshop led by professor Georg Lind, German psychologist and philosopher, author of the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (KMDD). The Konstanz Method, based on the Lawrence Kohlberg experiences, may be perceived as an innovatory way of fostering moral and democratic competencies with children and adolescents.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Review of Zygmunt Bauman, Kultura w płynnej nowoczesności, Agora, Warszawa 2011, ss. 144 (ISBN: ... more Review of Zygmunt Bauman, Kultura w płynnej nowoczesności, Agora, Warszawa 2011, ss. 144 (ISBN: 978-83-268-0505-9).

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Czym jest szczęście? Czy możliwe jest jego osiągnięcie? Czy istnieje jedna definicja szczęścia? S... more Czym jest szczęście? Czy możliwe jest jego osiągnięcie? Czy istnieje jedna definicja szczęścia? Szczęście jako doznanie jest czymś indywidualnym dla każdego człowieka. Filozofia niemal od samego początku swojego istnienia starała się znaleźc odpowiedź na to, czym jest szczęście i jak można je znaleźć. Również Doktor Kościoła, Tomasz z Akwinu, zajął się tym zagadnieniem. Poprzez połączenie myśli chrześcijańskiej z poglądami Arystotelesa św. Tomasz stworzył koncepcję aktualną do dziś.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Szczęście jest czymś, co każdy musi znaleźć sam dla siebie. Powstaje zatem pytanie: Jak? Najlepie... more Szczęście jest czymś, co każdy musi znaleźć sam dla siebie. Powstaje zatem pytanie: Jak? Najlepiej przekonujemy się o tym, co tak naprawdę myślimy, w momencie, gdy skonfrontujemy nasze wyobrażenia i poglądy z innymi, kiedy to uzewnętrzniamy je i poznajemy, co inni uważają na dany temat. Nawet jeśli chodzi o tak trudną ustalenia „pełnię szczęścia”. Gareth Matthews omówił opowieść dotyczącą „szczęścia” z dziećmi z różnych krajów (USA, Japonii, Chin). Rozmowy te pokazały, że dzieci również mają różne koncepcje „szczęścia”, że każde na swój sposób je odczuwa i że w każdym przypadku co innego przybliża je do odczuwania „pełni szczęścia”. Właśnie przez tego rodzaju rozmowy, dyskusje filozoficzne, wzmacnia się wyobraźnię moralną dzieci. Ta jest niezbędna do rozwoju moralnego dzieci, by stały się gotowe do podejmowania decyzji moralnych, a co za tym idzie do podejmowania odpowiedzialności. Również innym istotnym elementem jest refleksja moralna, tj. refleksja nad zasadami moralnymi czy nad motywacją towarzyszącą postępowaniu. Tej refleksji dzieci mogą doświadczyć właśnie podczas dyskusji filozoficznych. Dzięki temu poznają, jak postępuje człowiek moralny. Tego rodzaju filozoficzne rozważania mogą przynieść korzyść nie tylko dzieciom, ale również nauczycielom czy rodzicom.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

The paper consists of series of suggestions and historical references on the basis of which it wo... more The paper consists of series of suggestions and historical references on the basis of which it would become possible to think and practice „spectator pedagogy” in performing arts. Contemporary performance practices can claim for new kind of political relevance by focusing on the way spectator´s corporeal experience changes during and through theatrical situation. Naive body produced by a performance is also most susceptible for thoroughgoing political and ecological change. This is the first outline by its author on this topic.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

The present study was conducted as part of a larger study that aimed to compare moral judgment co... more The present study was conducted as part of a larger study that aimed to compare moral judgment competence and moral preferences among Pakistani students of public and private sector educational institutes and religious institutes and also to measure the pattern of development of moral judgment competence of students within these institutes. The validation study completed in two phases, during the 1st phase data were collected from the students of grade 8 to 16 from public sector schools and colleges of Rawalpindi city. Very low mean c-score was observed (M = 13.60, SD = 9.05), the test came out to be valid on preference hierarchy criterion but its validity on the cognitive-affective parallelism and Quasi- simplex structure criteria could not be established due to low c-scores of the sample. In the second phase an additional sample from one private sector and two public sector universities was collected. The analysis of the combined sample (N = 246) showed no significant improvement of c-scores (M = 13.94, SD = 9.53). The test meets well the preference hierarchy criterion but on the other two criteria results remain inconclusive due to low variance in the sample. The low c-scores are explained on the basis of three assumptions; (1) poor quality of education, (2) dogmatic religiosity, and (3) weak and instable political structure of Pakistani society.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Philosophizing, according to E. Martens, can be seen as an elemental cultural technology, like ar... more Philosophizing, according to E. Martens, can be seen as an elemental cultural technology, like arithmetic or writing, which both can and should be acquired in childhood. Martens is proposing here an understanding of philosophy that attributes value not only to the content canon, but also to the process itself, as Wittgenstein, for one, also did when he stated in the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, “Philosophy is not a doctrine, but an activity.” For Socrates, this activity consisted in “giving an account of ourselves, our knowledge, our way of life.” In Nietzsche’s view, the precondition for this kind of accounting is the personal capacity for self-distancing, which allows us to grasp our quite individual primal experiences of emotion, perception, sudden illuminations of insight, and so on, as general concepts and logical structures.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Employee misconduct is prevalent in organizations and may be counterproductive in social and mate... more Employee misconduct is prevalent in organizations and may be counterproductive in social and material terms. It is thus important to better understand how misconduct is construed by employees and the factors that determine its ethical acceptability in specific cases. This study explores attitudes towards unethical and minor deviant behaviours by examining the degree of acquiescence towards them in a sample of employees. Based on previous studies it was hypothesized that both organizational commitment and job satisfaction would be negatively related to the acceptance of such behaviours in organizational settings. Results show that there is a relationship between the degree of acquiescence and organizational commitment and a more modest relationship with job satisfaction. They further indicate that organizational tenure impacts very significantly on the degree of acceptance. Although differences were found for age, neither gender nor organizational variables were found to be significant.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

The focus of this year`s Konstanz-Moral-Symposium was a merging of the approaches of developmenta... more The focus of this year`s Konstanz-Moral-Symposium was a merging of the approaches of developmental psychology and neurosciences regarding moral behaviour and development. As Georg Lind stressed the new and the old paradigm have not yet found a mode of communication to compare and relate their results. Against this backdrop the goal has been, order ?[…] to bring together scholars and practitioners from different backgrounds to explore the possibilities of a common understanding of research findings across the different paradigms and
language regarding moral competence and the brain? (Georg Lind)

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Review of Eva Zoller Morf: Selber denken macht schlau. Philosophieren mit Kindern und Jugendliche... more Review of Eva Zoller Morf: Selber denken macht schlau. Philosophieren mit Kindern und Jugendlichen. Oberhofen: Zytglogge 2010.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Opowieści w konwencji bajki z przesłaniem filozoficznym, ailment mogą znacząco wzbogacić warsztat... more Opowieści w konwencji bajki z przesłaniem filozoficznym, ailment mogą znacząco wzbogacić warsztat nauczyciela etyki, który przymierza się do pracy z dziećmi w wieku wczesnoszkolnym. Starannie dobrana bajka, zaprezentowana przez nauczyciela (lub uczniów) w sposób sceniczny, może wzbudzić nie tylko zainteresowanie (i kluczowe w filozofii) zdziwienie (Martens, 2003), ale także tzw. dysonans poznawczy w zetknięciu z kontrowersją, dylematem lub konfliktem racji czy dóbr.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Na przykładzie "okrętu Tezeusza" (Zons, viagra dosage 1989, cheapest s. 88 i n.) możemy się przek... more Na przykładzie "okrętu Tezeusza" (Zons, viagra dosage 1989, cheapest s. 88 i n.) możemy się przekonać, information pills że dzieci rzeczywiście mogą filozofować i wcale nie muszą być "gorszymi" filozofami niż dorośli czy też zawodowi filozofowie. Razem ze swoim nauczycielem dały wyraz przemyśleniom, które w dodatku sprawdziły, wypróbowały i rozwinęły w zgodzie z trzema kryteriami, jakie spełniać powinny filozoficzne nastawienie, metoda i sposób zapytywania, znane nam choćby z dialogów Sokratejskich.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

An der Pädagogischen Hochschule Thurgau PHTG in Kreuzlingen, approved Schweiz, gibt es das Fach ?... more An der Pädagogischen Hochschule Thurgau PHTG in Kreuzlingen, approved Schweiz, gibt es das Fach ?Mit Kindern philosophieren? für alle Studierenden der Vor- und der Primarschule schon seit deren Eröffnung im 2003. Zuvor hatte ich als Dozentin die Kinderphilosophie bereits 10 Jahre lang an der Vorläufer-Institution ?Kindergartenseminar Amriswil? unterrichtet, damals gekoppelt mit den Fächern Kinderliteratur und Religion.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

"Philosophizing with children" is not an entirely new concept: for example Plato already initiate... more "Philosophizing with children" is not an entirely new concept: for example Plato already initiates his philosophical dialogues with young people. And even Kant in his essay What is Orientation in Thinking? (Kant 1991) calls for the early encouragement of reason.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Our contribute compares the concepts of Japanese and German primary school children relating to t... more Our contribute compares the concepts of Japanese and German primary school children relating to the topic of death, healing in the context of values education and the ethics of care. This is a project of the German-Japanese Research Initiative on Philosophizing with Children (DJFPK), cialis 40mg which aims to facilitate individual autonomy by enhancing philosophical-ethical judgment. It encourages the application and appropriate transfer of values based on philosophical-ethical knowledge and acquired through independent reflection to the situations of daily life.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Problematic and complex aspects of democratic life ? such as the teaching of the concept of civil... more Problematic and complex aspects of democratic life ? such as the teaching of the concept of civil liberties, the spreading of responsible participation and pluralistic dialogue, the mutual understanding of different cultures and individuals, and the fulfilment of a common civil life based upon shared rules, procedures, and reasonable dialogue ? are not yet solved and certainly need to be frequently revisited and reviewed.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

It is a pleasure to be able to thank the editors of Ethik und Sozialwissenschaften for inviting m... more It is a pleasure to be able to thank the editors of Ethik und Sozialwissenschaften for inviting me to write this paper about the Philosophy for Children program, with which I have been associated since it began at the end of the 1960's.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Promoting philosophical and ethical education in schools requires academic education of teacher c... more Promoting philosophical and ethical education in schools requires academic education of teacher candidates who are able to apply professional methods. In schools, information pills in contrast to the academy, advice philosophy and ethics need to be taught in a practical and interactive way. ?Learning-by-doing?, more about as distinguished from philosophy according to the ?scholastic concept?. Philosophy according to the ?universal concept? deals with questions generally asked not only by philosophers, but by all thinking people

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Im jungen demokratischen Polen finden in der letzten Zeit heftige Diskussionen über die demokrati... more Im jungen demokratischen Polen finden in der letzten Zeit heftige Diskussionen über die demokratischen Bildung und deren Methoden: gleichzeitig wird die Kondition polnischen Schulsystems ins Visier genommen. Vor allem wirft man der polnischen Schule, about it dass sie ihre Absolventen ohne grundlegende kognitive und praktische Kompetenzen frei lässt: besonders knapp sind da selbständiges Denken und Problemlösenfähigkeit.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Philippa Foot once said: I'm not clever at all. I have a certain insight into philosophy, cost I ... more Philippa Foot once said: I'm not clever at all. I have a certain insight into philosophy, cost I think. But I'm not clever, I don't find complicated arguments easy to follow(Baggini, 2003). Foot's cleverness enticed many thinkers to take these Gombrowiczian lines seriously.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Georg Lind, visit this Moral ist lehrbar. Handbuch zur Theorie und Praxis moralischer und demokra... more Georg Lind, visit this Moral ist lehrbar. Handbuch zur Theorie und Praxis moralischer und demokratischer Bildung, Verlag Oldenbourg, München 2009, SS. 169.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Gesine Drews-Sylla, cheap Elisabeth Dütschke, pilule Halyna Leontiy, sales Elena Polledri (Hrsg.)... more Gesine Drews-Sylla, cheap Elisabeth Dütschke, pilule Halyna Leontiy, sales Elena Polledri (Hrsg.), Konstruierte Normalitäten ? normale Abweichungen. VS Research Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften / Springer, Wiesbaden 2010, S. 328.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Zanim jeszcze Quine został prorokiem naturalizmu (Quine, 1969a, s. 83; 1969b, ss. 26-127), na gru... more Zanim jeszcze Quine został prorokiem naturalizmu (Quine, 1969a, s. 83; 1969b, ss. 26-127), na gruncie filozofii analitycznej do dobrego tonu należało 'naturalizowanie' wszelkich możliwych dziedzin filozofii: starano się zamienić je w domenę przyrodoznawstwa, a przede wszystkim w domenę empiryzmu.

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Narrative Mode of Understanding: Education as the Bildung of Humanity of the Human Being We all w... more Narrative Mode of Understanding: Education as the Bildung of Humanity of the Human Being We all witness the inadequacy of pragmatic, approved short term solutions to complex problems of educational systems at different levels. It is predominantly the mentality of efficiency and efficacy, healing which primarily directs main attention to a practical question of "what needs to be done" to achieve the best results in a possibly shortest time with a minimal personal, visit this social, and financial involvement

Ethics in Progress, 2011

Theoretischer Hintergrund und Fragestellung Bei der Erforschung der individuellen moralischen Urt... more Theoretischer Hintergrund und Fragestellung Bei der Erforschung der individuellen moralischen Urteilskompetenz wurde zunehmend die Frage verfolgt, more about welche organisationalen Merkmale, buy Interaktionspraktiken und Interventionen in Institutionen sich fördernd bzw. hemmend auf die Genese von Kompetenzen und Handlungsorientierungen, die ethisch angemessenem Handeln zugrunde liegen, auswirken (z.B. Lempert, 2009; Oser & Althof, 2001; Power, Higgins, & Kohlberg, 1989)

Ethics in Progress , 2011

Zur Natur der Gewalt gibt es zwei grundsätzlich verschiedene, information pills teilweise völlig ... more Zur Natur der Gewalt gibt es zwei grundsätzlich verschiedene, information pills teilweise völlig entgegengesetzte Vorstellungen, sildenafil die ihrerseits unsere Bemühungen um Verringerung von Gewalt beeinflussen: Auf der einen Seite die Vorstellung, dass Gewalt eine eigenständige menschliche Eigenschaft sei, die ihre eigene Entwicklungsgeschichte hat, und die direkt bekämpft oder eingedämmt werden muss, sei es wiederum durch Mittel der Gewalt oder durch "trickreiche" Methoden der dosierten Abfuhr oder der Ablenkung auf vermeintlich gefahrlosere Gebiete wie sportlicher oder ökonomischer Wettkampf.

Ethics in Progress, 2010

Drei Kapitel über die Freiheit, find die im Fortgang den Kreis immer enger ziehen. Das erste heis... more Drei Kapitel über die Freiheit, find die im Fortgang den Kreis immer enger ziehen. Das erste heisst: Über einige anthropologische Voraussetzungen der Freiheit und ist sehr philosophisch. Das zweite heisst: Über die Zumutungen der Freiheit in der Moderne, die immer grösser werden, je moderner die Moderne wird und ist auch noch philosophisch, aber auch soziologisch. Das dritte heisst: Über die Selbstabschaffung des Bürgers im Sozialstaat und ist sehr politisch, aber auch ein wenig moralisch. Und dann gibt es noch einen Anhang über falsche Toleranz, falsche Neutralität und die Schwierigkeiten liberaler Selbstbehauptung.

Ethics in Progress, 2020

In this article the assumptions of one of the versions of the common good concept in terms of the... more In this article the assumptions of one of the versions of the common good concept in terms of the dispersion of knowledge and uncertainty are analyzed. The article also aims at showing the consequences in regard to moral attitudes in politics and economics which are drawn on the basis of the concepts of this type. In the first part I expound the ontological assumptions which are the basis for the analysis. In the second part the concept of common good in terms of its own assumptions and in relation to the ontology developed in this article is discussed. In the third part I consider some general thoughts about the structure of the ethical tales and their reference.

thics in Progress (ISSN 2084-9257), 2018

Ethics in Progress, 2019

This special volume of Ethics in Progress addresses the issue of mind and machines. Machines have... more This special volume of Ethics in Progress addresses the issue of mind and machines. Machines have always been a tool or technical instrument for human beings to facilitate and to accelerate processes through mechanical power. The same applies to robots nowadays-the next step in the evolution of machines. They already clean our houses, mow our lawns, hunt terrorists via drones and transport heavy loads. Robots are somehow "enchanting to humans", as Maciej Musiał (2018) puts it. Over the course of the last few years, robot usage in society has expanded enormously, and they now carry out a remarkable number of tasks for us. In many sectors, like finance, medicine, education or agriculture, transportation and factory production, it is likely that there are at least a handful of jobs for human workers that will sooner or later be replaced by robots or autonomous solutions. Furthermore, robot scientists like Kevin Warwick believe that they are able to develop an artificial brain, comparable to our human brain, that is able to generate a robotic mind. According to Nick Bostrom, we are far "from having reached the physical limits of technology" (Bostrom 2014, 110). If that is indeed the case, we are on the eve of a historic revolution that will change everything we know right now. But not only robots have an impact on our life. It is digitization in its entirety, including smart applications and games, that confronts us with new spaces. And, the realization that robots are embodied cognitive systems present us with even more new spaces for impact, along with new anxieties for how to live in a world in which we cannot entirely deduce the behaviour of complex systems from their initial programming. We have been accustomed to think of robots as extensions of ourselves, either in the benign sense of being tools or the threatening sense of being our moral shadow. The new spaces in which robots exist, though, may not be as either the fulfilment of our desires or the manifestation of our fears, but as something entirely different-another emergent cognition, holding forth the possibility that what

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2020

Increasingly recognized threats from climate change and the progressive sixth mass ext... more Increasingly recognized threats from climate change and the progressive sixth mass extinction require not only searching for new technological solutions, but also changing the perception of the world and the beings living in it. There is an urgent need to include individual practices; practices that are an integral part of integrated policies to protect habitats, the climate, and the homo sapiens itself. Eric S. Nelson, in his latest book Daoism and Environmental Philosophy. Nourishing Life introduces the reader to the environmental approach known to Chinese communities for centuries. In a comprehensive and accurate manner, the author presents the Chinese approach to life and development, the understanding and interpretation of which has changed over the centuries, invariably emphasizing man’s belonging to the world of nature. This review introduces the author’s assumptions presented in the book, combining them with relatively new thoughts and paradigms appearing in the 20th and 21st centuries in Western Europe and the United States.

Ethics in Progress, 2019

Can we say we live in a post-digital condition? It depends. This paper sets out to distinguish be... more Can we say we live in a post-digital condition? It depends. This paper sets out to distinguish between the current mass digital culture and an authentic post-digital culture.
If we mean “post-digital” as the full internalization and awareness of the result of the so-called digital revolution, then it is necessary a philosophical work to discuss related problems, identify the causes and propose solutions.
An authentic philosophy of digital will, however, have to start from a clarification of the terms and basic objects of its investigation. Here media theory is inserted as an analytical tool: the purpose of this essay is to outline a road map for a good media theory that interfaces with questions of definition of digital, also in light of the notions of space, time, and matter. As will be seen, the description given here for a “good media theory” does, in fact, coincide with an already existing – and inserted in the contemporary debate – school. In conclusion we will try to delineate the field of philosophical inquiry opened by the clarification brought by the previous analysis, and to suggest a general framework within which philosophy will have to move in order to finally reach the authentic postdigital condition.

Ethics in Progress, 2022

Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 I. From Lordship and Bondage to Scepticism To better understand the un... more Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 I. From Lordship and Bondage to Scepticism To better understand the unhappy consciousness, I will recall the stages that precede it within the Phenomenology of the Spirit. 1 The dialectic of lordship and bondage ends with the introduction of the freedom of the self-consciousness, which is then developed in the figures of stoicism, scepticism and finally the unhappy consciousness. More specifically, stoicism is the step in which 1 This paper is a result of the research project No. 2019/33/B/HS1/03003 financed by the National Science Center, Poland. Citations to Kant will be made on the basis of the Akademie-Textausgabe (abbr. AA) by volume and page (for instance, AA I, 1-2; 3-4). English quotations will be edited according to the Cambridge edition of the Works of Immanuel Kant, except for the Critique of Pure Reason where citations will use the standard A/B edition pagination (for instance, CPR, A 709/B 737).

ETHICS IN PROGRESS

In this paper I will focus on education as the core function of reason in Kant and Fichte. The no... more In this paper I will focus on education as the core function of reason in Kant and Fichte. The notion of reason carries an intrinsic tendency to universality, which is difficult to be reconciled with its local (cultural, historical, anthropological) background and actualisation. I believe that the stress on the importance of learning, which can be seen in the works of both Kant and Fichte, might provide useful clues to approaching the relation between universality and particularity. I will start by focusing on Kant’s narration on the genealogy of human reason in the Conjectural Beginning of Human History, and then move on to the critical writings and selected lectures in order to focus on the role of human dignity and ethical education for the moral appraisal and the practice of virtue. Later, I will consider Fichte’s lectures on the Vocation of the Scholar, the Vocation of Man and The Characteristics of the Present Age, which are crucial to understanding the social, ethical and pol...

Ethics in Progress, Jul 28, 2022

Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 To commemorate the first anniversary of the passing of Professor Jakub... more Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 To commemorate the first anniversary of the passing of Professor Jakub Kloc-Konkołowicz († 2021), an outstanding specialist in German philosophy, our partner in scientific discussions and friend, we dedicate to his memory a volume entitled Topoi of Classical German Philosophy in Progress. The continuation of inquiries in the spirit of a philosophy dear to our colleague bring to mind Hegel's statement from the Phenomenology: "The life of spirit is not the life that shrinks from death (...), but rather the life that endures it... ." Thus, the contributions gathered here wish to continue the thought and themes of Jakub Kloc-Konkołowicz and-as a life of the mind-the always fruitful conversations with him.

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2018

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2020

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2021

Most all popular moral reasoning or moral judgment tests are based on presenting subjects with tw... more Most all popular moral reasoning or moral judgment tests are based on presenting subjects with two or more hypothetical moral dilemmas and asking them to make judgments on the moral quality of arguments supporting and questioning a protagonist’s decision (e.g., the Moral Competence Test by G. Lind). Although these tests have been insightful by tapping some aspect of individuals’ moral-cognitive schemas, moral maturity, or moral development, they also have limitations. Hypothetical moral dilemmas may be too abstract and impersonal, thus failing to create enough emotional salience. Learning more about real-life personally recalled moral dilemmas may reveal more about the individual’s moral mind and experiences. Objective. The current study was conducted to learn more about the personally experienced moral dilemmas, and how they relate to subjects’ level of moral competence and gender. Method. Subjects were asked to recall the most challenging personal moral dilemma; subjects completed...

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2021

The volume brings together contributions in the spirit embodied by Marek J. Siemek († 2011) and J... more The volume brings together contributions in the spirit embodied by Marek J. Siemek († 2011) and Jakub Kloc-Konkołowicz († 2021), two Warsaw philosophers truly devoted to Classical German Philosophy. They were simultaneously in a relationship between thinker and adept, and thinker and thinker. They both taught philosophy, with a strong emphasis on classic German philosophy, at Warsaw University. Under the theme “Ethical Theory in Classic German Philosophy Then and Now,” students and companions continue their discussions with both of them.

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2021

The main objective of this paper is to discuss people’s expectations towards social robots’ moral... more The main objective of this paper is to discuss people’s expectations towards social robots’ moral attitudes. Conclusions are based on the results of three selected empirical studies which used stories of robots (and humans) acting in hypothetical scenarios to assess the moral acceptance of their attitudes. The analysis indicates both the differences and similarities in expectations towards the robot and human attitudes. Decisions to remove someone’s autonomy are less acceptable from robots than from humans. In certain circumstances, the protection of a human’s life is considered more morally right than the protection of the robot’s being. Robots are also more strongly expected to make utilitarian choices than human agents. However, there are situations in which people make consequentialist moral judgements when evaluating both the human and the robot decisions. Both robots and humans receive a similar overall amount of blame. Furthermore, it can be concluded that robots should prote...

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2018

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2021

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2017

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2016

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2020

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2016

The introductioń to Ethics in Progress Special Issue, Vol. 7(1), No. 2 isgiven, with brief expose... more The introductioń to Ethics in Progress Special Issue, Vol. 7(1), No. 2 isgiven, with brief exposes on the articles present in the section.

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2016

ETHICS IN PROGRESS, 2017