Ethical Criticism Research Articles

Історія формування лікарень у Середні століття: ідеологія та економіка

The article shows that the creation of public hospitals in the early Middle Ages in Europe was the first time in the history of medicine. It was a consequence of the establishment of Christian values in society regarding caring for those who need help. It has been proven that as the institution of the state medieval church in Western Europe was formed and its organization and teaching departed from evangelical principles, the provision of medical care became its full commitment and was used by it as one of the tools of influence on society. It has been established that equating medieval hospitals with the concept of modern hospitals is fundamentally incorrect and unfounded, because medieval hospitals were almshouses for care, and not actual medical institutions. Such a development was impossible in principle at that time. The Church actually forbade its monks to practice medicine. In addition, the level of medical knowledge of that time about diseases made it impossible for the very appearance of hospitals, where the concepts of diagnosis, methods of dynamic observation and treatment would be recognized and available. The appearance of the first hospitals in the medical sense of the word is not related to the activity of the church, but to the development of city self-government and the departure of university education from the control of the church, which allowed city hospitals to introduce medical technologies and become medical institutions. Hospitals of monastic orders during the time of the Crusades show the influence of function on the structure of such organizations, when, on the one hand, the need to provide assistance to wounded soldiers and knights prompted them to have a medical component in their composition, and on the other hand, their further development became impossible, because the activities of their founders changed: monks the orders turned into feudal military and commercial organizations, far from mercy and compassion. The study of the development of the establishment of hospitals clearly illustrates the close relationship between, on the one hand, the need for proper spiritual development and education of society with its understanding of moral criteria and principles, and on the other, the development of a scientific and technical base based on university education. The evolution of the formation of hospitals illustrates the close relationship between the need for proper spiritual development of society, its understanding of moral criteria and principles, and the development of their scientific and technical base based on university education.

Reading of The Guiltless from the Perspective of Ethical Literary Criticism

Reading of The Guiltless from the Perspective of Ethical Literary Criticism

Воля к власти как новая онтологическая реальность в философии Ф. Ницше

The main objective of this article is to consider the concept of “will to power” by F. Nietzsche as a non-classical ontology of the post-metaphysical plan. The subject of philosophical understanding of the ontological nature of the phenomenon of power is revealed. The key aspects of F. Nietzsche’s philosophy are investigated: the will to life as the will to power, criticism of Christian religion and morality, the search for new values, the idea of su-perman. The German philosopher was one of the first to speak about the weakness and worthlessness of a man who raised the “world of ideas” above the world of reality. Nietzsche insists that humanity, in principle, has no specific goal, a person needs to learn to educate himself, to elevate himself, thereby elevating society. Con-clusion dwells upon the fact that power represents a new ontological dimension that defines human existence. According to Nietzsche, this will be the guideline for solving the problem of human integrity. The author comes to the conclusion that the personification of the highest metaphysics in Nietzsche is the superman, he is the “meaning of the earth”. Therefore, the will to power appears as a new ontological reality.

Природа интеллигенции: сущностные критерии

The article is aimed at critical analysis of modern approaches to the definition of the intelligentsia’s essence. Priority criteria are divided into three groups: social, personal (spiritual and moral) and ideological. The limita-tions of definitions of the intelligentsia based only on social criteria have been established. It is substantiated that neither one of these criteria separately, nor their mechanical sum exhausts the entire content of the con-cept. Likewise, the analysis of personal, spiritual and moral criteria of the intelligentsia also leads to the conclu-sion that they are insufficient, since there are no objective and reliable parameters to form a list of these crite-ria. The ideological criteria of the intelligentsia are also not sufficiently reliable, objective and scientific parame-ters of the intelligentsia as a social group in the context of competition between alternative ideologies and so-cial interests. The authors point out the methodological problems of attempts to combine social, personal and ideological criteria of the intelligentsia in various combinations. The key to the constructive integration of alter-native approaches to defining the intelligentsia is to define it as a special interclass, interstratal social group of producers of social consciousness and personality.

Morality Evaluation: Two Perspectives from Motivation Theory and Consequentialism

Morality is a significant component of human behaviour norms and plays a crucial role. With the involvement of morality, a fundamental question must be asked: which behaviours should be considered good, and which should be considered evil? This involves the issue of the ethical evaluation criteria of morality. Among the whole question, it is clear that the standard that is truly important to morality evaluation should be discussed. Obviously, different theories have different attitudes toward it. For example, utilitarians insist that the value of morality comes from fulfilling peoples need, especially their emotional requirements, which means that only a movement that leads to a good result can be appraised as moral; moreover, deontologists argues that morality is made to demonstrate the transcendental and inevitable essence of human beings, such as liberty or free will, in other words, morality should be used to describe a motive which is accord with the essence. By discussing the debate between motivation theory and consequentialism, this article aims to investigate the two most important criteria for the evaluation of morality: whether it is universally valid and whether it is operable. Moreover, the analysis and discussion contribute to a more in-depth understanding of the fundamental ethical issue of identifying goodness.

Beyond towards The Stranger

This article discusses the relevance of the Baumanian-Levinasian notion of religion within a concrete analysis of refugee reception. As various classical approaches and definitions of religion have described it as a social phenomenon of grouping or an ideological tool for maintaining social order, it is necessary to provide a relevant approach to discussing religion as an ethical drive to build social inclusion through transmigration. The previous 2015 Western Europe immigration crisis due to the Syrian civil war has invited xenophobic responses towards immigrants, inevitably resulting in the socio-political impact of Brexit in 2020. Demonstrations of refugee resettlement driven by religious causes have provided a practical and ethical critique of secular liberalism. Furthermore, this article also reflects on the church's role as a refuge for refugees and marginalised groups in Indonesia. In conclusion, the Baumanian-Levinasian thought on religion and ethics remains relevant to both Western and Indonesian contexts in fostering inclusion, particularly during political turmoil.

“I Am Not Just a Man”: Chinese Butterfly’s Identity Anxiety and Ethical Predicament in David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly

M. Butterfly is narrated through the memory of Western white man Rene Gallimard, which makes the audience focus on Gallimard’s behaviors and ignore the Oriental man Song Liling’s emotions, actions, and choices. However, there are many plots portraying Song as a Chinese Butterfly to deconstruct the stereotype of Madame Butterfly. This paper, from the perspective of ethical literary criticism, probes into Song’s brain texts formed in their growth and working experience and analyzes Song’s anxiety and confusion about his multiple and chaotic ethical identities, so as to demonstrate that Song is not a “dragon lady” or a “transvestite”. In China, Song is feminized and marginalized in society as “a son of a prostitute”, “a gay”, and “an Opera actor”. He wants to change the situation, so he becomes “a spy” for the Chinese government and “a lover” for Gallimard. Still, due to the failure of ethical enlightenment in childhood and the cruel social environment in China, Song is trapped in ethical predicaments of “to be or not to be”, struggling in the ethical conflicts between the honor of the individual and the interest of the nation, as well as between the desire for love and the mission from government. The song is a victim of the era and politics, and his identity anxiety and ethical predicament reflect David Henry Hwang’s position as an Asian American playwright and reveal his ethical appeal for gender equality, identity recognition and cultural confidence.

Wissenschaftsfreiheit, Moralische Kritik und die Kosten des Irrtums

AbstractThis article attempts to do justice to two conflicting positions in current public debates. On the one hand, it defends a strong version of scientific freedom, according to which science should be free, not only from external obstacles and pressures but also from criticism that is based on reasons “of the wrong kind.” The only admissible criterion in debates about scientific claims, I argue, is whether there is sufficient evidence for their truth. Furthermore, I accept the anti-moralistic view that (non-)conformity with moral ideals is never itself evidence. On the other hand, the article nevertheless argues that there is a possibility of legitimate moral criticism of moral claims. This argument relies on the popular (if controversial) idea that there is pragmatic encroachment – specifically, the idea that the standard of sufficiency for evidence is in part determined by pragmatic factors like the costs of error. This opens up the door for a certain type of legitimate moral criticism. For the costs that determine a standard of sufficiency for epistemic justification can also plausibly count as morally significant. There is thus a con-contingent connection between epistemic and moral defects of certain scientific claims. The resulting view is applied to concrete debates, most importantly about race, genetics and IQ.

Moral Responsibility, the Author, and the Ethical Criticism of Art

Moral Responsibility, the Author, and the Ethical Criticism of Art

“I was afraid, because I was naked”: Ethical literary criticism, the fall of Adam and Eve and moral teaching

This article explores the moral teachings in the fall of Adam and Eve (Gen 2:4–3:24) from the perspective of ethical literary criticism. According to the theory of three stages in human civilization—natural, ethical and scientific selection, the fall of Adam and Eve represents the historical process of human civilization going from natural selection to ethical selection. It is ethical selection that enables Adam and Eve to have ethical consciousness and distinguish themselves from animals, which provides ideas for the birth and growth of humans and highlights the function of “moral teaching and learning” in children's education. Besides, the so-called original sin is the animal factor remained in human beings after natural selection, which can bring about different ethical predicaments of “to be or not to be” and lead to making wrong ethical choices. The fall of Adam and Eve indicates that human beings are born with Sphinx factor—human factor and animal factor and integrate into the secular life and religious activity with divine factor. Once the animal factor of an individual is out of control, breaking the ethical taboo and violating the moral order or religious rule without exerting the power of human factor or divine factor, there will inevitably be punishments and tragedies. The fall of Adam and Eve is such an ethical tragedy, which purifies primitive desires and evokes moral emotions through pity and fear to uphold the morality in society and the authority in religion.

Perspectivism, Cognitivism, and the Ethical Evaluation of Art

Abstract My aim in this article is to explore the role of perspectivism—roughly, the view that works of art prescribe a certain perspective—in aesthetic cognitivism and in the ethical evaluation of art, particularly as it features in the value-interaction debate. Although I am critical of perspectivism's capacity to shoulder an artwork's cognitive and ethical value, I find some of the arguments mounted against it, most notably those by Ted Nannicelli, misdirected, and I present several arguments against them. However, because my aim is to show that both aesthetic cognitivism and ethical criticism should move beyond a concern for the perspective, I offer a different criticism of perspectivism to demonstrate how it should be modified if it is to make a more substantial contribution to the ethical evaluation of art. I conclude by providing a sketch of what I call ethically minded criticism of art, that is, one that is concerned not with a perspective that a work advances but with revealing work's cognitive and ethical insights, that is thus better suited to promoting art's educational and cultural value.

The West, Russia and China: Inheritance systems and ways of economic development

The current confrontation between Russia-China and the West requires a study of civilizational differences that determine national identities and attitudes towards social-economic values. This confrontation has deep cultural roots; thus, the Russian-Western intense rivalry in the 18th - 19th centuries was based on different perceptions of social reality, different value orientations and priorities in economy, politics and other spheres. Sociologists and social philosophers have studied factors that determined civilizational differences between non-Western and Western societies, namely the Russian world and the Anglo-Saxon world for decades, emphasizing their confessional differences, fundamentally divergent geopolitical interests, opposite political systems and so on. In the social-economic perspective, property rights are a significant basis of civilizational differences. The West has always considered its clear stand on property rights as the only possible. However, this position can be based on either economic considerations or moral criteria. Such differences are reflected in inheritance systems, although sociologists rarely focus on them. The division between heirs in equal parts complies with the moral standards of our society and is known as the path of ‘communal good’. Another way is to transfer the greater part of property to one member of the family in order to avoid its fragmentation, which is reasonable in the economic perspective but not always morally acceptable; this is the path known as ‘rational evil’. Thus, inheritance systems are among the most crucial civilizational differences between Russia and the West. The civilizational analysis is fundamentally important under the current confrontation between the West and Russia- China, and the position on private property and inheritance system determines civilizational differences. In Western Europe, the right of primogeniture was in force for a long time, and its cruel laws dictated that all real estate and most of the other property was inherited by the eldest son. This rule contributed to the earlу development of capitalism based on wage labor. On the contrary, in Russia, China and many other non-Western countries, the inheritance was divided among all children. Although it was disadvantageous for the social-economic development, it did not contradict conventional moral standards and did not destroy family relationships. In post-industrial societies, the institutional context has radically changed and the division of property among relatives does not

Диалектический подход к обновлению педагогической парадигмы

Обоснована актуальность опережающего обновления педагогической парадигмы, возможность придания ей функционального, конструктивного, однозначного характера. В исследовании, с целью обновления педагогической парадигмы, использованы универсальные абстрактно-конкретные координаты, диалектический метод Гегеля восхождения от абстрактного к конкретному (ВАК), умозрительный язык функционально-схематических изображений и рефлексивный «верстак». В качестве простейших требований к пониманию картины мира предложено использовать внешние и внутренние признаки гармонии живой и неживой природы. На основе которых выведены «золотые принципы» природоподобного мышления и деятельности. Установлены диалектические отношения между парными категориями. Это позволяет решить проблему их синонимичности. Для построения понятийной педагогической парадигмы рекомендовано использовать умозрительный, устный и письменный языки. Благодаря этому строящиеся или обновляемые понятия приобретают функционально-содержательный, зримый и конструктивный вид. Приведён технологический цикл диалектического обновления педагогической парадигмы, предусматривающий последовательное выведение понятий из цикла индивидуальной жизнедеятельности человека. Этим обеспечивается преемственность и соответствие понятий педагогической парадигмы критериям нравственности, функциональности, логичности, системности, конструктивности и однозначности. Утверждается, что обновление и последующее освоение педагогической парадигмы позволит значительно, повысить уровень функциональной грамотности педагогов, учащихся и всех субъектов профессиональной деятельности. Проигрывание учащимися функциональных моделей различной профессиональной деятельности с использованием построенной парадигмы будет способствовать осознанному выбору ими профессии, самоопределению в условиях изменчивых рыночных отношений.

Отражение профессиональных установок языковой личности в образе пожарного в сказке И. В. Зартайской «Весёлый пожарный»

The paper considers the professional attitudes of a firefighter’s linguistic personality using the example of the image of a firefighter in the children’s tale “The Cheerful Firefighter” by I. V. Zartayskaya. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that professional attitudes in the structure of a firefighter’s linguistic personality have not been examined before: the paper is the first to discover that the linguistic model of a firefighter realises itself in stereotypes associated with the notions of “seriousness” and “bravery” and to outline the features of a professional’s speech activity corresponding to these categories. At the same time, a literary text was used for the study, while the linguistic personality of a firefighter was investigated previously only within the framework of business communication. Hence, the paper aims to identify the professional attitudes of a firefighter in speech interaction. As a result, the examination of a firefighter’s image in I. V. Zartayskaya’s children’s tale “The Cheerful Firefighter” led to the discovery of professional attitudes associated with the notions of “seriousness” and “bravery”, which exclude speech behaviour in the form of teasing, performing humourous songs, joking, smiling, etc., as well as imply the use of speech means and techniques that determine the successful resolution of an extreme situation, e.g., empathic listening, contact-establishing dialogue, calm tone of voice, etc. Thus, the speech characteristics of the protagonist presented in the work reflect the professional attitudes of a firefighter’s linguistic personality correlating with the categories of “seriousness” (the speech behaviour of a “person in uniform” does not allow for the expression of entertainment, comedy and demonstration of wit, since the SERIOUSNESS concept denotes a moral criterion the measure of which is a sense of proportion and the absence of any playful forms of speech behaviour) and “bravery” (the speech activity of a firefighter is determined by the ability to correctly interpret information and resolve conflicts in an emergency situation, use speech support tactics, as well as voice skills and clear sound pronunciation).

An Ethical Literary Analysis of Edward’s Ethical Choices in The Cocktail Party

This paper examines Edward's ethical choices in T.S. Eliot's play, "The Cocktail Party," through the lens of ethical literary criticism. Edward, the protagonist, faces an emotional crisis in his relationships with his wife, Lavinia, and his lover, Celia, which sets the stage for his ethical dilemma. The study utilizes a qualitative research design, employing literary analysis and interpretation to delve deeper into Edward's ethical choices and their appropriateness within his particular situations and ethical environment. Drawing from previous scholarly work, particularly from scholars in China who have explored the ethical fables and perspectives within "The Cocktail Party," this paper builds upon the existing research by offering further insights into Edward's ethical journey. The analysis considers the interplay between Edward's marital and romantic ethical identities and his professional identity as a lawyer, which results in contradictions and conflicts, leading to ethical dilemmas. The study also explores the factors influencing Edward's ethical choices, including the disruption of ethical relationships and order within the play. By applying ethical literary criticism, the paper argues that Edward's ethical choices are not arbitrary but appropriate responses to his circumstances. Situational ethics and love norms are examined to understand the motivations and justifications behind Edward's decisions. Ultimately, the analysis provides a comprehensive exploration of the ethical themes within the play, shedding light on the complexities of decision-making processes and the moral dimensions of literary works.

Low-Skilled Migrant Labor Schemes in Japan’s Agriculture: Voices From the Field

Abstract Despite rapid demographic decline, until recently, low-skilled migrant workers have been welcomed only through ‘side-doors’ such as technical interns (TITP). Yet pressure for change comes from two sides: the moral critique of the ‘side-door’ scheme, and the growing economic pressures of a dwindling labor force. In 2018 Japan put in place a short-term bona-fide labor scheme (Specified Skilled Worker; hereafter, SSW) in fields previously largely inaccessible to foreign labor. In combination with the TITP schemes, these workers are allowed to stay longer. But what do these changes mean, how do the farmer-employers see them, and will the SSW lead to a sustainable farm labor supply going forward? We explore stakeholders’ views of the current schemes and their opinions on how low-skilled labor migration should proceed in agriculture. Businesses are desperate for labor, but not at any cost. Under SSW, employers are being asked to change the ways they envision and treat migrant labor. The tensions between their expectations and the realities on the ground reflect the contradictions that Japan’s migration policies inherit, based in the bureaucratic fiction that only ‘skilled’ labor is necessary. Data for this paper come from qualitative interviews conducted from 2018 to 2022 in Kyoto, Aichi, and Tokyo.

Domestic Hybrids: Vitruvius’ Xenia, the Surrealist’s Minotaure, and Shrigley’s Octopus

Abstract The domestic spaces of the built environment are traditionally associated with residential architecture. But the domestic spaces can also extend out, metaphorically, into familiar public spaces in which one may feel at home, and also extend inwards into self-perception, insofar as you may say that you dwell within yourself. This article begins by recalling Vitruvius’ fundamental notion of architectural utilitas concerns accommodating not a building’s owners but foreigners and strange outsiders. Vitruvius’ view on utility heavily favoured architecture’s socio-political function, and the guests he believed that architecture ought to accommodate were not merely a home’s owners or their visiting friends, but those people who are more distant from a home’s owners: those who are stranger and less well understood, known as xenos and who ought to be respected under the Ancient Greek religious and ethical principle of xenia. It is on these grounds that Vitruvius makes an ethical critique of residential architecture in favour of the virtue of public architecture. Next the reach of xenia is proposed to extend towards those who are different not merely because of ethnic differences but cognitive and sensory differences. Such accommodations are today accounted for as part of accessibility design and salutogenic design. Similar conceptions are noted in Nietzsche’s notion of an “architecture for the perceptive” and the surrealist’s interpretation of the minotaur as a hybrid not only of animal and human but a hybrid of civilised citizen and barbarian outsider. Together these sketch out an expanded sense of the domestic that includes public spaces designed to accommodate strange outsiders and the hybrid forms used to signify them.

From moral adaptation to ethical criticism: Analyzing developments in Singapore’s character education programme

ABSTRACT In an age of hyper-globalization, ethical criticism has become vital in tackling the bombardment of information across networked societies. This paper begins by exploring the historical emergence of ethical criticism, its dominant approaches (relational, analytical and historical), and potential for character education. Next, we focus on character education in Singapore. Utilizing a comparative case study analysis, we compared older and recent character education syllabi and applied ethical criticism as an analytical lens. Findings show a discernible shift from moral adaptation to some evidence of ethical criticism where more emphasis is placed on the relational and less on analytical and historical aspects. We then examine the opportunities and tensions for ethical criticism in Singapore’s character education programme. These tensions arise from the simultaneous objectives of empowering citizens to handle the challenges of multicultural engagements alongside the limits placed on critical-ethical thinking when applied to analyzing politics and systemic structures of power.

The Giver’s Ethical Choices—Analysis of The Giver from the Perspective of Ethical Literary Criticism

The Giver is a novel published in 1993 by Lois Lowry, an American female writer. The novel tells a story of a future community where people’s lives are arranged and regulated according to their scientific choices, but at the same time they have lost their freedom and right to choose. Since it was published, the novel has been analyzed and studied by a number of scholars, focusing on the growth of the young protagonist Jonas, the science fiction elements of the novel, and its dystopian perspective. This article analyzes both the scientific choices of the community and the Giver’s ethical choices from the perspective of ethical literary criticism. It reads carefully into the correct ethical choices made by the Giver when facing the incorrect scientific ones, revealing the benevolence, wisdom, courage, and sense of responsibility possessed by the Giver, and highlighting his value as well. The article reiterates that only the choices in line with the ethical selection criteria of “truthfulness, goodness and beauty” of human civilization can be regarded as right ones. At the same time, the article’s research further prompts readers to reflect on the future of humanity and what to do in the face of scientific and ethical choices.

MARRIAGE ISSUES IN BERUNI’S “HINDISTAN” AND MARGHINANI’S “AL-HIDAYA”

This article discusses the marriage issues in Beruni’s “Hindistan” and Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani’s “al-Hidaya”. Family and marriage issues have gone through certain stages in all nations until they acquired certain moral and spiritual criteria to one degree or another. It is mentioned in the work “Hindistan” that the people living in the mountains from the Panchhar region to Kashmir considered it necessary and obligatory to multiply with their biological brothers and take one wife. In our article, we also aimed to do a comparative analysis of the issues of family and marriage among Indians mentioned in the work “Hindistan”, and the methods of solving this issue among Muslims, based on the work “al-Hidaya” by Burhan al-Din al-Marghinani.