Reinhold Niebuhr stands alone among many 20th century theorists of religion and politics for at once rejecting both the natural law tradition of just war, as well as the secular-rationalist tradition of his progressive contemporaries. Nowhere is his dual criticism more evident than in his critical stance on technology in war. For Niebuhr, technological advancements were not only inevitable, but sometimes necessary to develop in the face of advances from nefarious actors in world affairs. But using technologically advanced weapons risked destroying the moral authority of a nation by engaging in utilitarian calculus. Religious and military ethicists concerned with the integration of technological advancement in contemporary war would do well to consider Niebuhr’s thought and how it might be developed further in order to address the new concerns raised not only by modern tools such as drones, hypersonic weapons, and AI, but also by whatever yet to be developed technologies remain past the temporal horizons.
Massimiliano Esposito, Konrad Szocik, Emanuele Capasso
et al.
Abstract Background Respect for human rights and bioethical principles in prisons is a crucial aspect of society and is proportional to the well-being of the general population. To date, these ethical principles have been lacking in prisons and prisoners are victims of abuse with strong repercussions on their physical and mental health. Methods A systematic review was performed, through a MESH of the following words (bioethics) AND (prison), (ethics) AND (prison), (bioethics) AND (jail), (ethics) AND (jail), (bioethics) AND (penitentiary), (ethics) AND (penitentiary), (prison) AND (human rights). Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined and after PRISMA, 17 articles were included in the systematic review. Results Of the 17 articles, most were prevalence studies (n.5) or surveys (n.4), followed by cross-sectional studies (n.3), qualitative studies (n.1), retrospective (n.1) and an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study design (n.1). In most cases, the studies associated bioethics with prisoners’ access to treatment for various pathologies such as vaccinations, tuberculosis, hepatitis, HIV, it was also found that bioethics in prisons was related to the mental health of prisoners, disability, ageing, the condition of women, the risk of suicide or with the request for end-of-life by prisoners. The results showed shortcomings in the system of maintaining bioethical principles and respect for human rights. Conclusions Prisoners, in fact, find it difficult to access care, and have an increased risk of suicide and disability. Furthermore, they are often used as improper organ donors and have constrained autonomy that also compromises their willingness to have end-of-life treatments. In conclusion, prison staff (doctors, nurses, warders, managers) must undergo continuous refresher courses to ensure compliance with ethical principles and human rights in prisons.
Abstract This paper offers an explanation for why some parts of philosophy have made no progress. Philosophy has made no progress because it cannot make progress. And it cannot because of the nature of the phenomena philosophy is tasked with explaining—all of it involves consciousness. Here, it will not be argued directly that consciousness is intractable. Rather, it will be shown that a specific version of the problem of consciousness is unsolvable. This version is the Problem of the Subjective and Objective. Then it is argued that the unsolvability of this latter problem is why there are other unsolvable philosophy problems.
Abstract In reply to the claim that syntax is not taken into account in Linguistic Meaning Meets Linguistic Form, I show that local syntactic analysis has been implemented in the treatment of aspectual verbs and verbs of positive and negative recall, where the syntactic function of the -ing form as direct object of the main verb is put into relation with the main verb’s meaning as the basis for the inferences drawn concerning the temporal relation between the main verb’s event and that expressed by the complement. I argue that I have also developed new tools of syntactic analysis for the to-infinitive, demonstrating that it is not the direct object of the main verb, but rather a goal- or result-specifier, and showing how this accounts for the fact that its event is always understood to be somehow subsequent to that of the main verb. Regarding the applicability of formal semantics to natural language, I argue that the absolute priority accorded to the truth-functional dimension of language by this type of semantics leads to the artificial separation of use-conditions from truth-conditions, with the former being treated as an additional interpretational function added on to the truth-functional one. Contra the autonomous syntax claim that our desire to express meaning is to a great extent independent of the means we use to express those meanings, it is argued that how we perceive the world in our experience is influenced by our system of linguistic representation.
Adamantini Hatzipanayioti, Alexia Galati, Marianna Pagkratidou
et al.
In one experiment we examined the organizational structure of spatial memories for familiar environments, comparing it directly with that for unfamiliar environments. Participants in the familiar condition pointed from imagined perspectives towards objects in their own rooms and their performance was compared to that of matched controls in an unfamiliar condition who carried out the same task after studying the same rooms in immersive Virtual Reality. In both conditions, participants were faster and more accurate in pointing from imagined perspectives that were aligned with the geometry of the room (vs. not aligned), suggesting the presence of orientation-dependent representations. Whereas in the unfamiliar condition pointing performance was best along a single axis, performance in the familiar condition was about equal across all 4 orientations that were aligned with the geometric structure of the room. Moreover, performance in the familiar condition was influenced by the orientation from which participants started to preview the room prior to testing; in contrast, in the unfamiliar condition performance was not influenced by the orientation from which encoding started. This finding suggests that post-encoding situational factors (e.g., the starting orientation from which an environment is previewed) can prime the accessibility of information in well-established long-term spatial memories.
Inspired by Goffman and Mead Social Interactionism theory and Ghanaian traditional leadership model, this article interprets Mark 7:24–30 as text that re-imagines alternative leadership practice. The study suggest that social interactionism theory tenants of ritual making, people processing, characterisation, frame making and dramaturgy provide a alternative heuristic tools to understand Jesus’ view of leadership. Seemingly and for Jesus, leadership is a product of social interaction derived from the manner one interacts with various people. This study proposes that the Ghanaian Akan traditional notion of leadership based on social interaction provides analogical model that complements social interactionism theory in interpreting Jesus’ leadership practices. Therefore, the study explains social interactionism theory and then illustrated it through Akan leadership model analogue. The story of the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7:24–30 gives the social interaction, people processing, characterisation, frame making and dramaturgy that informs Jesus’ leadership model to be modelled by the Church.
Aim: To explore the nature and magnitude of alcohol's harms to others (AHTOs), and associations with mental well-being. Methods: Cross-sectional survey implemented amongst 891 randomly selected Welsh residents (aged 18+ years), via computer assisted telephone interviews. Questions established past 12-month experience of nine direct harms resulting from another person's alcohol consumption (e.g. violence) and five linked outcomes (e.g. concern for a child). The source (e.g. partner/stranger) and frequency of the AHTO were collected, and respondents' socio-demographics, drinking behaviours and mental well-being status. Results: During the past 12 months, 43.5% of respondents had experienced at least one direct harm (45.5% at least one direct harm/linked outcome). In demographically adjusted analyses, the odds of experiencing any direct harm decreased sequentially as age group increased (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AORs]: 1.9 [age 65–74 years] - 4.2 [age 18–34 years]), and was higher amongst binge drinkers (AOR, 1.5, p < 0.05). Associations between age group and suffering the direct harms anxiety, disrupted sleep, feeling threatened, property damage and emotional neglect were found. Experience of feeling threatened was lower amongst females (AOR 0.6, p < 0.05). In demographically adjusted analyses, low mental well-being was higher amongst those who had suffered alcohol-related financial issues (AOR 2.2, p < 0.001), emotional neglect (AOR 2.3, p < 0.01) and property damage (AOR 2.2, p < 0.05). Conclusion: AHTOs place a large, although unequal burden on adults in Wales. Individuals' drinking patterns are associated with experience of AHTOs. Critically, experience of some harms is associated with low mental well-being. Keywords: Alcohol, Harm, Prevention, Mental well-being
Psychology, Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
Sadaf Iqbal,1 Tahir Farid,1 Jianhong Ma,1 Qaiser Mehmood2 1Department of Applied Psychology and Behavioral Science, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China; 2Department of Management, Hamdard University, Islamabad, Pakistan Background: Leaders play vital role in organization to accomplish organizational goals and establish healthy working environment. This study addresses the effect of authentic leadership on employees’ communal relationship and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). In addition, this research also examines how procedural justice augments the effect of authentic leadership on both aforementioned employees’ behavioral outcomes.Materials and methods: Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 425 employees working in banking sector of Pakistan. It was hypothesized that authentic leadership would positively predict employees’ communal relationship and OCB. Furthermore, we also assumed that procedural justice will strengthen the relationship between authentic leadership, both behavioral outcomes, that is, employees’ communal relationship and OCB. Results: Analyses reveal that authentic leadership positively predicts employees’ communal relationship and OCB. In addition, procedural justice was found to positively moderate the effect of authentic leadership on employees’ communal relationship and OCB. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the relationships among authentic leadership, procedural justice, communal relationship, and OCBs in the South Asian context. This is the first study to report the moderating role of procedural justice in the relationship between authentic leadership and communal relationship and OCB. The practical implications of study findings and direction for future research are discussed. Keywords: authentic leadership, communal relationship, organizational citizenship behaviors, procedural justice
The segregation and exploitation of people labeled as intellectually disabled is so thorough that it is rarely academically investigated through the lens of structural violence. This article interrogates the cultural practices and dynamics that are used to oppress based on categories related to intellectual capacity. With the aim of resisting reinforcing the epistemological violence that has silenced the voices and experiences of those grappling under these circumstances of structural violence, the author of the article explores an interrelational method. The words of a woman from within a sheltered workshop (factory like spaces of exclusion claiming to support people with disabilities) are intertwined with the scholar activist stance of the author to explore moral exclusion and structural violence. Along with the excavation of these abusive practices, this article inspired by the insights contained in the letters from the author within the sheltered workshop, envisions desire as a form of resistence and subjects as agents. Rather than seeking conclusions from the themes of resistence elevated from the analysis of the letters, uncomfortable questions are generated about power and academic exploitation in the name of activism.