Morality Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Prostitution is a standard case of morality politics (MP), defined as a particular type of politics that engages issues closely related to religious and/or moral values, giving way to strong and uncompromising value conflicts in both... more

Prostitution is a standard case of morality politics (MP), defined as a particular type of politics that engages issues closely related to religious and/or moral values, giving way to strong and uncompromising value conflicts in both societal and political spheres. This kind of issues have increasingly become a European policy matter due to their transnational nature and the tensions they create between different legal principles. Our hypothesis is that this leads to the emergence of a specific type of European morality politics (EMP) reflecting the particular constraints of the policy-making of the European Union (EU). The purpose of this article is to understand to which extent the rise of prostitution on the EU agenda alters usual patterns of MP to shape a distinctive type of EMP. Our findings suggest that prostitution characterizes EMP albeit with a significant difference, namely the challenge to regulatory inertia through the successful mobilisation of European values by some policy entrepreneurs to promote a neo-abolitionist approach.

Conscience is God-given and functions as an internal witness which ratifies the biblical message that we are sinners in need of salvation. Conscience contributes to repentance and faith, and plays a pivotal role in the sanctification of... more

Conscience is God-given and functions as an internal witness which ratifies the biblical message that we are sinners in need of salvation. Conscience contributes to repentance and faith, and plays a pivotal role in the sanctification of the believer. But conscience is also culturally variable. As a result cross-cultural missionaries seldom understand native conscience and frequently work at cross-purposes to it. This article suggests principles for the missionary who wishes to understand native conscience and contends that missionaries who follow these principles will find conscience to be a God-given ally in the tasks of evangelism and discipleship.

The research that was conducted focused on measuring Identity and Kohlberg’s moral development stages with a specific focus on adolescents. The main reason is that during this time adolescents are in their prime developmental stage. They... more

The research that was conducted focused on measuring Identity and Kohlberg’s moral development stages with a specific focus on adolescents. The main reason is that during this time adolescents are in their prime developmental stage. They undergo both the moral dilemma of Identity vs. identity confusion and Moral development. The measuring of adolescents posed an ethical debate whether or not adolescents can be questioned in schooling hours and at school who has the responsibility of legal guardianship. All participating candidates were given questionnaires in which section B measured an identity scale and section C measured a moral development stage. These two scores were then correlated using the Pearson’s moment product correlation, an r of 0.84 and a p of 0.037 were found meaning that there is a strong correlation between the two factors and it can be considered to be statistically significant.

Does morality depend on the time of the day? The study The Morning Morality Effect: The Influence of Time of Day on Unethical Behavior (1) published in October of 2013 by Maryam Kouchaki and Isaac Smith suggested that people are more... more

Does morality depend on the time of the day? The study The Morning Morality Effect: The Influence of Time of Day on Unethical Behavior (1) published in October of 2013 by Maryam Kouchaki and Isaac Smith suggested that people are more honest in the mornings and that their ability to resist the temptation of lying and cheating wears off as the day progresses. In a series of experiments, Kouchaki and Smith found that moral awareness and self-control in their study subjects decreased in the late afternoon or early evening. The researchers also assessed the degree of “moral disengagement,” i.e. the willingness to lie or cheat without feeling much personal remorse or responsibility, by asking the study subjects to respond to questions such as, “Considering the ways people grossly misrepresent themselves, it’s hardly a sin to inflate your own credentials a bit,” or “People shouldn’t be held accountable for doing questionable things when they were just doing what an authority figure told them to do” on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Interestingly, the subjects who strongly disagreed with such statements were the most susceptible to the morning morality effect. They were quite honest in the mornings but significantly more likely to cheat in the afternoons. On the other hand, moral disengagers, i.e. subjects who did not think that inflating credentials or following questionable orders was a big deal, were just as likely to cheat in the morning as they were in the afternoons.

This article reflects on Christian identification on Warraber Island and its relation to local narratives of morality and temporality. The focus of discussion concerns the practice of 'island dance' (ailan dans) performances. Authors have... more

This article reflects on Christian identification on Warraber Island and its relation to local narratives of morality and temporality. The focus of discussion concerns the practice of 'island dance' (ailan dans) performances. Authors have tended to stress island dance as a unifying practice - both a source of community and island affiliation and as expressing a wider regional Torres Strait Islander identity. However, strongly divergent views concerning the meaning of 'island dance' occur at Warraber, with local debates positioning the practice in different frameworks of Christian interpretation. Shifting moral articulations of 'light' and 'dark' are linked to conceptions of island dance as being more or less remote from the temporal moment of Christianity's arrival - the 'Coming of the Light'. Such differences potentially create distinct collectivities on Warraber with different understandings of the past and future. I focus on how two Warraberan Christian communities, Assemblies of God (AOG) and Anglican, are contesting these terms of rupture and ambiguity.

Do moral judgments hinge on the time available to render them? According to a recent dual-process model of moral judgment, moral dilemmas that engage emotional processes are likely to result in fast deontological gut reactions. In... more

Do moral judgments hinge on the time available to render them? According to a recent dual-process model of moral judgment, moral dilemmas that engage emotional processes are likely to result in fast deontological gut reactions. In contrast, consequentialist responses that tot up lives saved and lost in response to such dilemmas would require cognitive control to override the initial response. Cognitive control, however, takes time. In two experiments, we manipulated the time available to arrive at moral judgments in two ways: by allotting a fixed short or large amount of time, and by nudging people to answer swiftly or to deliberate thoroughly. We found that faster responses indeed lead to more deontological responses among those moral dilemmas in which the killing of one to save many necessitates manhandling an innocent person and in which this action is depicted as a means to an end. Thus, our results are the first demonstration that inhibiting cognitive control through manipulations of time alters moral judgments.

Many researchers believe that the proper identification of psychology variables depends on using accurate tools that function beyond cultural, political and social attachments for measuring the psychological features in human societies.... more

Many researchers believe that the proper identification of psychology variables depends on using accurate tools that function beyond cultural, political and social attachments for measuring the psychological features in human societies. In this regard, the present study has been conducted to examine the psychometric properties and factor structure of Black’s Moral Agency Scale (2016) in Iranian population. This scale has 15 items with three subscales of responsibility, external attribution and group pressure that has been validated with a desirable validity and reliability in American-European society. In the present study, to use this scale first the Persian version was prepared using back translation and then it was distributed among a sample of 381 male and female students of the University of Mazandaran, who were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling to participate in this study. In the next step, the construct validity of the scale was examined by exploratory factor analysis method. The results showed that after removing 2 items due to loading onto a factor other than the main factor, the scale has a three-factorial structure such as the original version. Then, to examine the confirmatory factor analysis, the model's fit was evaluated using Amos software, which confirmed the results of the structure obtained from the exploratory factor analysis. Moreover, for further evaluation of the validity of the scale, the correlations between the factors and the total score was examined through Pearson's correlation, and results indicated a good correlation between the subscales with the total score of the scale. To assess the reliability of the scale, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was adopted. The Cronbach's alpha for responsibility, group pressure, external attribution and total scale scores were 0.53, 0.57, 0.55, and 0.60, respectively. Finally, with due regard to the data obtained from this research, it can be said that the present scale has an acceptable reliability and validity and is suitable for use by Iranian researchers in future studies.

Ik was nog jong, rond de tijd dat mijn vader stierf, en vroeg me vertwijfeld af waarom ik nu juist geboren was. Waarom was er niet iemand anders bij mijn ouders geboren ? Dan was ik er nooit geweest. Maar het was evident dat ik ik was,... more

Ik was nog jong, rond de tijd dat mijn vader stierf, en vroeg me vertwijfeld af waarom ik nu juist geboren was. Waarom was er niet iemand anders bij mijn ouders geboren ? Dan was ik er nooit geweest. Maar het was evident dat ik ik was, zelfs als ik door de wereld zou zweven en niet geboren werd. Wat ik dan was-een lichaam, een geest, een naam-vroeg ik me echter niet af...'

The universal grammar of morals and law is an original scientifi c proposition which can be the alternative to the relativist views in theory and philosophy of law. The authors of this conception are two scholars, lawyers and... more

The universal grammar of morals and law is an original scientifi c proposition which can
be the alternative to the relativist views in theory and philosophy of law. The authors
of this conception are two scholars, lawyers and philosophers: Matthias Mahlmann –
professor of Zurich University and John Mikhail – professor of Georgetown University in
Washington. Their scientifi c fi elds involve the cognitive science, the research on human
brain and the theory of human spirit which they learned in Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in Cambridge (MIT). The greatest infl uence on their scientifi c development
had a world-known linguists – Noam Chomsky, the author of the universal grammar and
the researcher of a human nature and the functioning of a human spirit. M. Mahlmann
and J. Mikhail noticed possibility of applying his results in the fi eld of morals and law.
This article tries to show the Polish reader the concept of universal grammar of morals
and law. It seems that we are confronted with a new trend in the research of morals
and law. This research develops in the fi eld of cognitive science as one of tree branches,
namely: 1) evolutional psychology, 2) neuroethical emotivism, 3) universal grammar of
morals and law (mentalist ethics and theory of law). Although cognitive sciences are
oft reduced to determinist naturalism, in the mind of the authors of universal grammar
of morals and law, it must not be the necessary rule. As the evidence of that can
be their theory. According to them, human spirit is functioning as the manifestation
of human brain.

İnsanlar, çoğunlukla toplum halinde yaşamayı tercih ettiklerinden dolayı devamlı birbirleriyle ilişki halindedirler. Bu toplumsal yapı içerisinde insanın benimsediği davranışlar, ahlakı meydana getirmektedir. Teolojik açıdan düşünülecek... more

İnsanlar, çoğunlukla toplum halinde yaşamayı tercih ettiklerinden dolayı devamlı birbirleriyle ilişki halindedirler. Bu toplumsal yapı içerisinde insanın benimsediği davranışlar, ahlakı meydana getirmektedir. Teolojik açıdan düşünülecek olursa dinler de insanlara birtakım ahlaki fonksiyonlar tanımlamaktadır. İslam dini de insanın ahlaklı bir yaşam sürmesini istemektedir. Ancak günümüzdeki Müslüman ülke ve toplumların ahlak konusundaki durumuna bakıldığında toplumda ahlakın hayati bir rolünün olup olmadığı şüphelidir. Bu yüzden İslami bir ahlak teorisinin mümkün olup olmadığı sorusu akla gelmektedir. Bu soruya verilecek cevap, İslam‘ı yorumlama metoduna göre değişiklik göstermektedir.
Bu çalışma, İslami bir ahlak teorisinin mümkün olup olmadığı sorusuna odaklanmaktadır. İslami modernizm geleneğinin İslam‘ı yorumlama yöntemi ahlak temelli olduğundan modernist geleneğin ahlak felsefesi ele alınarak sorunun cevabı araştırılmıştır. Birinci bölümde, İslami bir ahlak teorisi çizmeden önce İslam‘ı yorumlama metodumuzun bu teoriyi etkilediğini göstermek için radikal ve modernist geleneğin İslam‘a bakışlarına değinilmiştir. Bunlarla birlikte modernitenin ortaya çıkması sonucu ihya ve reform hareketlerinin iki gelenek üzerindeki etkisi de ele alınmıştır. İkinci bölümde, ahlak kavramına odaklanılmış ve ahlakın Batı, Doğu ve Uzak Doğu toplumlarındaki tarihsel serüveni ele alınmıştır. Böylece ahlak kavramının geçmişte nasıl ele alındığı ve günümüzde nasıl ele alınabileceği gösterilmek istenmiştir. Üçüncü bölümde, İslami modernizm geleneğinin ahlak felsefesi incelenmiştir ve araştırma sorusuna yanıt aranmıştır. Ayrıca bu bölümde çalışma bir adım daha derinleştirilerek modernist geleneğin çizmiş olduğu ahlak felsefesi ile doğal hukuk arasındaki ilişki irdelenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, İslami bir ahlak teorisinin mümkün olduğu ve modernist geleneğin ahlak felsefesinin buna bir örnek oluşturduğu sonucuna varılmıştır. Buna ek olarak modernist geleneğin ahlak felsefesinin bir doğal hukuk teorisi olduğu ileri sürülmüştür.

This essay is adapted from a plenary talk the author gave at the “Growing Apart: The Implications of Economic Inequality” interdisciplinary conference at Boston College on 9 April 2016, as well as portions of his book Cut Loose: Jobless... more

This essay is adapted from a plenary talk the author gave at the “Growing Apart:
The Implications of Economic Inequality” interdisciplinary conference at Boston College on 9 April 2016, as well as portions of his book Cut Loose: Jobless and Hopeless in an Unfair Economy, a sociological ethnography based on interviews and observations of unemployed autoworkers in Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Canada, during and after the Great Recession. The essay discusses four themes from this research. First, it provides a sociological understanding of how long-term unemployment and economic inequality are experienced by today’s less advantaged workers. Second, it illustrates how social policy can improve their circumstances. Third, it examines the limits of policy, and how dealing with inequality also requires changing the broader culture. Fourth, it makes the case for one possible approach to bring about that cultural change: a morality of grace.

Modern, science-centered naturalisms can be charged with a certain moral laxity, according to s. T. Coleridge. This fault reflects a devitalizing, materialistic metaphysics informed by a narrow and self-serving conception of reason. Thus... more

Modern, science-centered naturalisms can be charged with a certain moral laxity, according to s. T. Coleridge. This fault reflects a devitalizing, materialistic metaphysics informed by a narrow and self-serving conception of reason. Thus seeking a remedy that can bring justice to the spiritual as well as the physical aspects of experience, Coleridge envisages a 'true naturalism' that will not only address the question 'What is Life?' but also frame a 'true realism' that includes what might be called a 'true moralism'. This calls, however, for a heraclitean metaphysics capable of linking 'goodness' in both thinking and acting to a *Logos*-that is, an essentially nonmodern theory of actuality that can do justice at once to the quicknesses and the uniformities of both Life and Thought. Coleridge's thus presents an outline of how one might respond to a challenge that can be best met, i argue, with the help of certain insights of Maurice Merlea...

We chart how neuroscience and philosophy have together advanced our understanding of moral judgment with implications for when it goes well or poorly. The field initially focused on brain areas associated with reason versus emotion in the... more

We chart how neuroscience and philosophy have together advanced our understanding of moral judgment with implications for when it goes well or poorly. The field initially focused on brain areas associated with reason versus emotion in the moral evaluations of sacrificial dilemmas. But new threads of research have studied a wider range of moral evaluations and how they relate to models of brain development and learning. By weaving these threads together, we are developing a better understanding of the neurobiology of moral judgment in adulthood and to some extent in childhood and adolescence. Combined with rigorous evidence from psychology and careful philosophical analysis, neuroscientific evidence can even help shed light on the extent of moral knowledge and on ways to promote healthy moral development.

Evidence-based practice has become an important approach to social work practice. This paper highlights some of the ethical dilemmas which may be implicated by this approach, and encourages social workers and social work researchers to... more

Evidence-based practice has become an important approach to social work practice. This paper highlights some of the ethical dilemmas which may be implicated by this approach, and encourages social workers and social work researchers to carefully consider these potential quandaries.

From concerns of dwindling care and kindness for others to an excessive concern with self and consumerism, plenty of evidence has been provided for the claim that morality is in decline in the West, yet little is known about how people... more

From concerns of dwindling care and kindness for others to an excessive concern with self and consumerism, plenty of evidence has been provided for the claim that morality is in decline in the West, yet little is known about how people make-sense of and experience their everyday moral lives. This insightful book asks how late-modern subjects construct, understand and experience morality in a context of moral uncertainty. With a focus on two areas of morality and human conduct – love and intimacy, and the human treatment of animals – the author draws on the work of Bauman, Ahmed, Irigaray, Foucault and Taylor to construct an innovative theoretical synthesis, which is combined with new empirical material drawn from online diaries or blogs to examine the complex and intriguing ways that contemporary subjects narrate and experience everyday moral-decision-making. Providing theoretical and empirical insights into the contemporary production of morality and selfhood in late-modernity, Everyday Moralities sheds new light on the ways in which people morally navigate a changing social world and advances sociology beyond models of narcissism, moral loss and community breakdown. As such, it makes an important contribution to an underdeveloped area of the discipline, explicitly addressing the everyday ways morality is lived and practiced in a climate of moral ambiguity.

What is the right thing to do? This subject of normative inquiry seems to have pervaded into all echelons of theoretical academic circles. While debating a life time about what moral stands we ought to pursue and what beliefs to... more

What is the right thing to do? This subject of normative inquiry seems to have pervaded into all echelons of theoretical academic circles. While debating a life time about what moral stands we ought to pursue and what beliefs to proscribe, we seem to have forgotten to question the genesis of the concept of morality itself. What is "the good"? And, thus, subsequently, what is "the bad"? This paper attempts to understand the notion of morality by analysing incest, as a practice of master morality. By applying a Nietzschean lens, this paper seeks to understand how morality has changed in the course of time and what it has meant in different epochs that have passed by. More importantly, incest is simply an entry point here to a larger discussion on the meta-ethics of it all. While engaging in a genealogy of morality, we must stop and raise questions about how are we to govern ourselves: by standards of morality prescribed by the times or by a larger understanding of ...

In 2004 promoveerde hij op een proefschrift over de identiteit van het maatschappelijk werk. Momenteel is hij docent onderzoeksmethoden en (jeugd)sociologie en directeur van het Praktijkcentrum, instituut voor praktisch theologisch... more

In 2004 promoveerde hij op een proefschrift over de identiteit van het maatschappelijk werk. Momenteel is hij docent onderzoeksmethoden en (jeugd)sociologie en directeur van het Praktijkcentrum, instituut voor praktisch theologisch onderzoek en ondersteuning.

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... 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.

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,... 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.

This paper uses the moral philosophy of the Kom people of the North West Region of Cameroon as a paradigm of an African moral thought. The paper hinges on the premise that contrary to some Western ethnographic categorization of Africans... more

This paper uses the moral philosophy of the Kom people of the North West Region of Cameroon as a paradigm of an African moral thought. The paper hinges on the premise that contrary to some Western ethnographic categorization of Africans as primitive and bereft of the capacity for ratiocination and morality, the concept of good and evil, right and wrong, and virtue and vice, on which morality is embedded, are cultural universals. Kom ethics is essentially communitarian; it prizes interpersonal relations in an interdependent world. An action is right if it promotes the common good, and is wrong if it does not. In this paper I argue that the surest way to African development lies in a critical synthesis of African traditional and Western ethical values. No society which is said to be developed today has done so by completely jettisoning its own values. Development requires adaptation, borrowing and learning from others, and the filtering of values; it does not require the complete rejection of our cultural beliefs, values and practices. The predominant Western ethical values, utilitarianism and Kantianism, have been deficient in proffering solutions to Africa's development problems. Utilitarianism and Kantianism emphasize respect for individual autonomy, thereby distancing persons from others, and discouraging solidarity with other members of the community. The West has a lot to learn from African indigenous cultures, if she can be open and tolerant as other cultures have been to Western culture because every culture is a borrower and lender.

“Human beings do the actions, and the results come according to the law of nature – the Lord has nothing to do with it. So when people are in trouble, they say: “Oh God, what have You done to me? What put this into Your mind?” But the... more

“Human beings do the actions, and the results come according to the law of nature – the Lord has nothing to do with it. So when people are in trouble, they say: “Oh God, what have You done to me? What put this into Your mind?” But the fact is that Náráyańa, God, has done nothing, and had nothing in His mind. You have done something and are suffering the consequences. You are in trouble and you are crying out. Many people are like this. But Náráyańa has done nothing. As you have sown, so you now reap. This is the plain truth,” explains Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti. “So before doing anything you should think carefully, because the action is in your hand, but not the result – that is in the hand of Prakrti (God’s Cosmic Operative Principle – the law of nature). Náráyańa neither performs the action nor administers the results. He simply gives Prakrti the opportunity to work within Her own limited sphere; Prakrti does Her duty accordingly. She does not aim to satisfy either your mind or the mind of anyone else. She only aims to please the mind of Náráyańa. Whatever work Náráyańa has given Her the right to do, that is what She does. She has no right to do more than that.” Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti (1921-1990) was a Tantric guru in the tradition of Shiva and Krishna. He introduced the empowered universal spiritual mantra “Baba Nam Kevalam”, composed a collection of 5018 spiritual songs called Prabháta Saḿgiita, and founded the socio-spiritual movement Ananda Marga (“the Path of Bliss”). – Richard Gauthier, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, USA, August 6, 2021.

Understanding lay conceptions of morality is important not only because they can guide moral psychology theory but also because they may play a role in everyday moral functioning. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine adolescent... more

Understanding lay conceptions of morality is important not only because they can guide moral psychology theory but also because they may play a role in everyday moral functioning. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine adolescent conceptions of moral maturity. Study 1 (200 adolescents 12-18 years) involved a free-listing procedure to generate traits descriptive of a moral person. In Study 2, involving 100 early (11-14 years) and 99 late (15-18 years) adolescents, the moral person traits obtained in the first study were rated in terms of how well they described a moral person. Study 3, with 234 early (10-14 years) and 240 late (15-18 years) adolescents, entailed a similarity-sorting task and a rating procedure similar to that from Study 2. This set of studies uncovered early and late adolescents' implicit typologies of moral maturity and pointed to possible age similarities and differences.

"Naked" is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in shame and its role in morality. The book is particularly timely given how common public shaming has become in online settings. Krista K. Thomas argues that, even... more

"Naked" is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in shame and its role in morality. The book is particularly timely given how common public shaming has become in online settings. Krista K. Thomas argues that, even though shame is a negative emotion with potentially damaging consequences, its dark side is outweighed by its moral benefits insofar as shame is constitutive of desirable moral commitments. According to the author, being liable to shame is constitutive of respecting other people's points of view, acknowledging others' moral standing, and accepting that our identities are not only set by what we think of ourselves, but also by factors outside of our control that include our personal histories and other people's opinions of us.

This presentation of an ongoing practice-as-research project asks to what degree it is possible to distinguish analogue and digital painterly marks. I make paintings, scan them, add marks using digital painting software, print them onto... 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... 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”.

A lo largo de todo el análisis preparatorio de la existencia humana (Dasein), Heidegger sostiene la firme convicción de la neutralidad moral de la interpretación fenomenológica. Sin embargo, al momento de determinar el sentido temporal... more

A lo largo de todo el análisis preparatorio de la existencia humana (Dasein), Heidegger sostiene la firme convicción de la neutralidad moral de la interpretación fenomenológica. Sin embargo, al momento de determinar el sentido temporal del cuidado (Sorge) como ser del Dasein, parece como si Heidegger no resistiera más la presión del lector y se viera forzado a admitir que, en el paso de la primera a la segunda sección de Ser y tiempo un ideal de existencia, una forma peculiar de humanismo, se hiciera manifiesta y reclamara sus derechos. El propósito de este artículo consiste en mostrar una posible vía para explicar esta problemática continuidad entre ontología fundamental, moral y humanismo, mostrando cómo la finitud del Dasein determina un vínculo necesario entre estos niveles de interpretación de la vida humana.

Entre as muitas inquietações que assombram as ciências sociais contemporâneas avulta certamente a da compreensão das dimensões mais próximas da vivência pessoal, dessas a que chamamos "privadas", e que nos interpelam na condução de nossas... more

Entre as muitas inquietações que assombram as ciências sociais contemporâneas avulta certamente a da compreensão das dimensões mais próximas da vivência pessoal, dessas a que chamamos "privadas", e que nos interpelam na condução de nossas próprias vidas (e a de nossas famílias e redes próximas)além de avançarem cada vez mais explicitamente na esfera pública, de forma atraente ou repulsiva.

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... 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.

Because technologies and morals co-evolve, modern societies have to become adept at techno-moral learning, or the art of 'reflective' co-evolution. Developing this skill requires a better understanding of the various ways... more

Because technologies and morals co-evolve, modern societies have to become adept at techno-moral learning, or the art of 'reflective' co-evolution. Developing this skill requires a better understanding of the various ways technology and morality challenge each other. With ...

The preponderance of social networking sites such as Facebook, Youtube and others, have altered the way in which people interact socially in the real world. In fact, much more can be said about the impact of these modern technologies on... more

The preponderance of social networking sites such as Facebook, Youtube and others, have altered the way in which people interact socially in the real world. In fact, much more can be said about the impact of these modern technologies on the basic structure of human personality: the id, ego, and super-ego. The paper proposes a psychosological theory that modifies Sigmund Freud's (1923) basic relationships and interactions of the id, ego and super-ego in his Psychoanalytic Theory. It is claimed that an individual's engagement with virtual reality (social networking) portends a segregation of the super-ego from the id and ego. In a virtual world, social interactions are not constrained by societal norms and standards (super-ego) so that the tendency is for the id (instincts and drives) to merge with the ego (what is real) and they become indistinguishable. The sociological implications of this theory are also explored in this paper.

This article is an attempt to understand the historical origins of the conceptual distinction between "ethics" and "morals" -as we can find it, for instance, in Habermas. I show also how such a distinction works on the... more

This article is an attempt to understand the historical origins of the conceptual distinction between "ethics" and "morals" -as we can find it, for instance, in Habermas. I show also how such a distinction works on the contemporary ethical discussion, not only framing the controversy between liberals and communitarians, but also limiting our possibilities to overcome that controversy.

'Care' is a source of critical tension in current social theory, and the policy and practice implications of that tension are evidenced in its current prominence on the political agenda of developed welfare states. This article critically... more

'Care' is a source of critical tension in current social theory, and the policy and practice implications of that tension are evidenced in its current prominence on the political agenda of developed welfare states. This article critically appraises current developments in the theory, policy and practice of care, drawing on interdisciplinary developments in political theory, sociology and social policy. Developing feminist and disability-rights theories, it explores a critical synthesis of conflicting normative and theoretical positions regarding the giving and receiving of care, and of the ethics and justice of care. It examines case studies of current comparative policy developments across a range of different welfare regimes, including the marketization/commodification and de/re-familiaization of care, exploring ideological and normative trends in the design of contemporary policies. It discusses the impact of theory and policy on the practice of care, looking particularly at the issue of long-term care for disabled and older adults. Finally, the authors argue for the development of a citizenship-based approach to care that decouples it from individualistic and paternalistic paradigms that disempower those who give and receive care.

What is the value of life? and how does it affect how we perceive the subject of abortion and the position we hold within our own moral compass? further diving into the boundaries of both the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life ideals.

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... 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.

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This is a short essay on the ongoing Euthyphro Question regarding morality.

The structure of studies of moral education is basically interdisciplinary; it includes moral philosophy, psychology, and educational research. This essay systematically analyses the structure of studies of moral educational from the... more

The structure of studies of moral education is basically interdisciplinary; it includes moral philosophy, psychology, and educational research. This essay systematically analyses the structure of studies of moral educational from the vantage points of philosophy of science. Among the various theoretical frameworks in the field of philosophy of science, this essay mainly utilizes the perspectives of Lakatos’s research programme. In particular, this essay considers the relations and interactions between different fields, including moral philosophy, psychology, and educational research. Finally, the potential impacts of the new trends emerging from natural sciences that seem to be challenging to existing theoretical frameworks of moral education are examined using the vantage points of philosophy of science.

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... 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.

Man is always bound to the source of truth, both when making decisions and as a guide to life. The source of truth today is still a unique debate by people from different backgrounds and points of view. This paper discusses human dualism... more

Man is always bound to the source of truth, both when making decisions and as a guide to life. The source of truth today is still a unique debate by people from different backgrounds and points of view. This paper discusses human dualism in moral truth seen in terms of philosophy, individuals in society, and human dilemma exposure in deciding right and wrong. This paper also reveals the truth of morality in accordance with the study of human philosophy.