Moral Duty Research Articles

Karma-related influences on moral obligation and empathy: an ethical perspective

PurposeThis study aims to explore how the three dimensions of karma – karmic duty orientation, indifference to rewards and equanimity – influence empathy and moral obligation, with implications for social economics.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted on a valid sample of 401 university students in Vietnam, using hierarchical regression to test formulated hypotheses.FindingsThe analysis reveals that karmic duty orientation and indifference to rewards significantly enhance empathy and moral obligation, indicating that individuals with a strong sense of moral duty and intrinsic motivation are more likely to engage in ethical and pro-social behaviors. Equanimity was not found to impact empathy or moral obligation significantly.Practical implicationsOrganizations and policymakers should focus on cultivating moral duties, intrinsic motivations and resilience in ethical behavior to promote social responsibility and sustainability and ensure long-term social and economic stability.Originality/valueThis study contributes to social economics by integrating ethical dimensions of karma into the analysis of moral behavior, offering a fresh perspective that challenges traditional economic models centered on self-interest. The research provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how moral principles influence economic decisions and social outcomes.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-07-2023-0571

Flu and COVID-19 jabs: nurses’ moral duty or your personal choice?

Flu and COVID-19 jabs: nurses’ moral duty or your personal choice?

Asia, Moral Duties, and American Films Noir: World for Ransom and Macao

ABSTRACT Leading American film critics, including, among others, Tony Williams and Robert Miklitsch, have claimed that both World for Ransom and Macao reflect an orientalist, racist, and reactionary worldview. In this article I argue that, on the contrary, these 1950s films noir portray Asian and American characters alike actually carrying out their moral duties. To be sure, these American films employ aesthetic techniques to help illustrate the ethical ambiguities for which film noir is justly celebrated. Still, where the fulfillment of moral duties is concerned, the films’ resolutions are clear. This article enlists the thought of moral philosophers H.L.A. Hart and Daniel Statman to vindicate the ethical outlook of these works, which reward characters who fulfill imperfect, perfect, and/or supererogatory moral obligations. The American protagonists transcend their given circumstances by carrying out high-stake duties in an Asian setting, while forming amorous alliances tested by the aesthetics of film noir. Moreover, I show that none of the protagonists’ moral duties involves maligning Asia. Indeed, were these films noir to disparage Asia, they would diminish the very milieu breathing life into their finest characters.

Progress in the Development of Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Infrastructure Engineering

: It is a moral duty to act in a way that considers the welfare of both people and the planet. When constructing, two factors should be considered: the sustainability of the developmentrelated workforce and the state of the world after construction. Many experts have achieved notable reforms in the civil infrastructure systems (CIS) sector in the past. However, additive manufacturing (AM) does not seem to be properly understood by the CIS business. This survey examines how all the fundamental components used by AM in CIS, such as metals, cement, and polymers, are utilized. The goal of this study is to foster AM innovation, particularly in the CIS, and to provide an overview of AM development from 2011 to 2022. Additionally, the various AM techniques used to construct the aforementioned structures are presented. The audit research suggests that AM might be beneficial in the CIS industry due to the fact that residences, additions, and seats were constructed using this technique. Photos of the constructed structures are also included to enhance the reader's understanding. It is generally assumed that implementing AM tactics in the CIS industry may reduce material consumption, expedite the development process, and enhance employee safety. Due to the limited amount of available research, further investigation into polymer printing and metal printing is recommended.

Why Personhood Is Not So Social: Reflections on Oyowe’s Menkiti

Abstract In Menkiti’s Moral Man, Oritsegbubemi Oyowe aims to provide a sympathetic interpretation of the works of Ifeanyi Menkiti as they address personhood, community, and other facets of morality. This article maintains that while Oyowe’s Menkiti is more plausible than the way Menkiti has often been read, there are still respects in which the account of personhood advanced invites criticism. One criticism is that it is implausible to think that personhood is constituted by others recognizing one as a person. Instead, insofar as community constitutes one’s personhood, it is insofar as one has lived up to norms of interpersonal morality. A second criticism is that there are intuitively some dimensions of personhood that are not constituted by the community or other-regard at all. In particular, this article argues that there are moral duties to oneself that exist and that are not well captured by any sensible understanding of the view that community alone constitutes personhood, such that part of what it is to be a full person is to treat oneself in certain ways. In sum, personhood, while admittedly social, is not as social as Oyowe’s Menkiti believes.

Rooted in Landscape: Exploring Place and Identity in Tim Winton’s Novels

Tim Winton’s novels although his characters may be seen to change shape according to the particular environment that surrounds them. How landscape and place can be seen as backdrop for the construction of identity is the main theme of this article Imbued with a detailed analysis of key works such as Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath, this study examines how Winton’s distinctive Australian settings act as powerful catalysts for internal change and ecological enlightenment. By situating his narrative at once within eco-literature and the Australian literary tradition, the paper invites readers to ponder the intertwining relationship between humankind and nature as well as what sort of ethical duty we owe to it. To summarize, Winton’s work presents an even deeper sense of how place has shaped new form both individual and collective for there is a more responsible approach to environmental issues ahead.

Crisis of shared affect in human-animal relationship in Philip K. Dick’s Do androids dream of electric sheep?

Background: Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? critiques humanity's failure to achieve intersubjective transformation and highlights the breakdown of shared emotional connections. The narrative delves into human characters’ obsession with owning pets, revealing their motivations as less empathetic and more rooted in reinforcing human centralism. Objective: This study investigates the human-animal relationship and human characters’ fixation with animals in the novel, employing posthumanist perspectives to explore interspecies relationality and the concept of companion species. Methods: The study employs a qualitative research design and textual analysis method to examine the primary text. It draws theoretical insights from posthumanism, particularly the works of Donna Haraway and other leading scholars on interspecies relationality. Secondary sources, including books, journal articles, and critical reviews, are utilized to scrutinize the crisis of affect in human-nonhuman interactions. Findings: The analysis reveals that human characters in the novel aspire to keep animals primarily out of social obligation and moral duty. However, their motivations lack genuine emotional connection, underscoring a crisis of affect in their interactions with nonhuman beings. Conclusion: The study concludes that the human-animal relationship depicted in the novel reflects a superficial and obligation-driven dynamic, failing to achieve authentic interspecies relationality. Novelty: This research contributes to the study of human-animal relationships and interdependence by offering a posthumanist critique of affect and interspecies relationality in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.

TEORI HUKUM BERBASIS KEWAJIBAN MENURUT IMMAUEL KANT

Law that is philosophically discussed by Immanuel Kant is related to morality, especially to individual autonomy. While law emphasizes the necessity of action according to external norms, morality actually orders humans to act according to their inner convictions. In this regard, Kant distinguishes between legality and morality. Legality is the mere conformity of an action to external law or norms, without considering the inner elements, while morality is the conformity of an action to the inner norm, namely the awareness of responsibility and obligation in a concrete situation. According to Kant, law is an instrument to promote moral values. If morality is essentially determined by the individual's capacity to determine themselves through their personal actions, then the effectiveness of law occurs on the contrary thanks to the power of institutions or authoritative bodies. However, the validity of the objectivity of both can only be accepted if both morality and law are open to intersubjective discourse. In Kant's philosophy, the understanding that uses this discursive imperative is publicity or publicity. Publicity is an essential element in the process of making law. In his book The Metaphysical Basis of Morality (Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten, 1785 abbreviated: GMS) Kant stated that an action is only moral if it is done for the sake of duty alone, not for other considerations. And to form such a moral command Kant mentioned several conditions or principles, for example the principle known as the 'general principle of law': "always act based on the maxim that you can at the same time will as general law" and "all actions related to the rights of others, whose maxims are not in line with publicity, are wrong." Kant's intention with the general principle of law is to find out whether an action taken must be carried out and whether my maxim can be universalized (made a general law for everyone). If "yes", the action must be carried out. If "no" the action is not mandatory. That is why Kant's ethics and legal theory are categorized as duty ethics (deontology) and duty-based legal theory.

Recent South African court rulings on failing to disclose HIV status to sexual partners.

In South Africa, the sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) between partners is criminalised under general criminal law offences such as attempted murder, assault and rape, despite the absence of specific HIV-related legislation. Recent court cases have opened the door to securing convictions.Contribution:These cases highlight the serious legal consequences of non-disclosure and the importance of consent to sexual intercourse. Health professionals in South Africa have a legal and ethical duty to counsel patients on HIV and may be obligated to inform patients who refuse to disclose their status to their partners about the potential legal implications under South African criminal law.

Community Mutual Assistance as an Archaic Form of Social Work and the Potential for its Transformation to Support the Elderly

The article has a historical and sociological orientation and is devoted to the transformation of forms of communal mutual assistance into today's ways and methods of mutual support between people. The research focuses on helping the elderly as a socially vulnerable category of the population, and this vulnerability and the need for community support were recorded at all stages of society's development. During the existence of peasant communities, caring for the elderly was perceived as a universal social obligation and was expressed in economic, communal, tribal and religious forms of assistance. The methods of supporting an elderly person described in the article – help, outfits, alternate feeding in families, etc. – have been preserved in rural areas for many centuries and were fixed even in the XX century. The key factor in these processes was tradition as a regulator of the system of social relations. However, as urbanization, demographic changes in rural areas, the destruction of the community, and the emergence of specialized support services, the traditions of mutual assistance are becoming a thing of the past, reminding themselves of relatively systematic acts of assistance in rural areas and less systematic, voluntary–oriented ones in the city. There is a phenomenon of neighborhood mutual assistance in an urban environment that is far from widespread and highly localized in small groups, more focused on volunteerism, a sense of moral duty, and at the same time closely related to the emotional nature of the communicative environment and the local destruction of privacy of life.

Influence of ethical principles on patient safety in nursing practice. Responsibility of mid-level medical workers in the sphere of healthcare of the population of the Russian Federation (literature review)

The article describes the algorithm of actions of a medical worker in the event of conflict situations in order to ensure safety and increase the effectiveness of diagnostic and therapeutic measures. The purpose of the article is to improve the knowledge of mid-level medical workers about moral and ethical standards, rules and principles of professional behavior when communicating with patients, their relatives and colleagues, about the rights of the patient and health care worker, about the ethical foundations of modern medical legislation, as well as about the responsibility of health care workers in the process of carrying out professional activities. Results. The information presented in the article will allow mid-level medical workers to acquire the skills of observing professional etiquette and analyzing the results of their own activities to prevent medical errors, as well as to improve their professional competencies. Conclusion. The moral duty of any medical worker is to be a professional. Professionalism is an obligation, neglect of which can lead to legal liability.

The morality of state priorities and refugee admission

ABSTRACT In this article, I argue that there are good reasons to permit states to engage in their own forms of prioritization of refugees for admission, if doing so enables more refugees overall to find safety. I identify three distinct clusters of programs that states operate, those that emphasize contribution-based reciprocity, those that emphasize anticipated benefit, and those that elevate cultural considerations. I assess the legitimacy of these programs separately, and then consider them together, to defend the view that – overall, considering the profound need for resettlement spots – they warrant our normative support. At least at first glance, the reason that these programs are legitimate is that they are all underpinned by principles in moral philosophy that in general command widespread support. In the final section, I examine the discomfort they generate, and suggest that the discomfort has three related sources: (i) that there is something wrong with considering the benefits refugees may bring when at issue is simply whether states are carrying out their moral duties towards them; (ii) that the result of permitting such prioritization is that those who are most vulnerable are left behind; and (iii) that cultural considerations can easily slide into racist considerations. While I agree that we must be attentive to how these programs operate in practice, and whether they generate harm (in particular, more harm than good), I believe that in the current context, these objections can be adequately countered so that we should in general offer these programs our cautious, and conditional, support.

Community dentists: Government has a moral duty to future proof service

Community dentists: Government has a moral duty to future proof service

Le dilemme d’Agamemnon face au sacrifice dans Iphigénie à Aulis d’Euripide

Abstract. Serving his people and satisfying the divinity: that was Agamemnon's weighty mission. In ancient Greece, it was the moral duty of all mortals to submit to divine power, and to use their power to unite mankind with the gods. Euripides seized the opportunity to reveal the psychotraumatic dimension of this duty through theatrical means

Recognizing Social Injustice and Epistemic Mistrust in Helping Adolescents with Multiple Needs: The AMBIT (Adaptive Mentalization-Based Integrative Treatment) Approach.

Epistemic trust-trust in the relevance and utility of social learning-is central to helping processes between clients and workers in helping services. Yet, due to their experiences, clients may adaptively develop predispositions toward stances of epistemic mistrust or epistemic credulity. From an AMBIT (adaptive mentalization-based integrative treatment) perspective, this article argues that epistemic mistrust and credulity are both caused by social injustice and generate further social injustice. Helping services commonly respond in ways that fail to acknowledge this social injustice and, perversely, deliver further injustice still. Our primary focus is how these issues relate to work with clients, but we argue that they are present in work within AMBIT's other foci, too: in teams, multiagency networks, and learning. We conclude that workers and helping services have a moral duty to recognize and attend to the multiple social injustices associated with epistemic mistrust and credulity.

Iasi theatrical destinies

The keeping of Iași theatrical personalities in the collective memory is a moral duty of researchers in the field. Accepting this principle, the project Iași Theatrical Destinies, carried out within the faculty of theater at George Enescu National University of Arts from Iași and financed by the City Hall of Iași, constitutes another concrete step in shaping the profile of outstanding artists, critics and pedagogues, who marked not only the local cultural history, but also the national and international ones. The connection to contemporary realities opens up new opportunities for presenting information. Thus, the Project will result in the creation of a “virtual museum” through which the stories of those, who were born or created in Iasi, and also served the theatrical art, will become accessible without time and space limits. The challenge comes from finding bridges that connect the information (scientifically substantiated - according to all the rigors of documentation) to the interest of the general public. The presentation of Margareta Niculescu’s contribution to the defining of the European animation theater in the second half of the 20th century is an example.

Dever de publicizar ostensivamente: caminho para a proteção do adquirente de boa-fé

The present work intends to investigate, using the inductive method, the existence of an ethical duty to ostensibly disclose legal facts that concern real estate rights for the protection of third parties in good faith. To this end, the article will analyze the real estate property transfer system, as well as the regulatory treatment given to the third-party acquirer in good faith. The legal business will be analyzed from the perspective of the community. Protection of appearance and legal security are essential for answering the question. The work will focus on morals and ethics as elements of legal protection for third parties in good faith. Existing vulnerabilities in the real estate property transmission system will be addressed, which will help to verify and identify the answer to the research problem.

Social Media, Environmental Activism and Implicit Religion: A Case Study of Extinction Rebellion

This study explores the manifestation of implicit religion in climate change activism on social media, focusing on Extinction Rebellion (XR) in The Netherlands between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2023. A combination of content analysis and discourse analysis is used to examine how XR’s activism on X (Twitter) embodies quasi-religious elements such as shared beliefs, moral imperatives, and collective identity. Drawing on Edward Bailey’s concept of implicit religion and Meerten Ter Borg’s framework, the research reveals how XR’s activism blends secular environmental concerns with spiritual commitment, positioning climate activism as a moral duty. The study identifies six key themes in XR’s discourse: shared beliefs and values, transcendent purposes, commitment and devotion, community and collective identity, meaning and purpose, and hope and overcoming uncertainty. These themes are framed as sacred responsibilities, fostering a community united by transcendent purposes. This research contributes to the sociology of religion by highlighting how implicit religious elements permeate modern secular movements, particularly through digital platforms. It also provides insights into how climate activism mobilizes individuals through quasi-religious rhetoric and practices, shaping both individual and collective responses to the environmental crisis.

Silence as complicity and action as silence

Silence sometimes constitutes moral complicity. We see this when protestors take to the streets against racial injustice. Think of signs with the words: “Silence is complicity.” We see this in instances of sexual harassment, when we learn that many knew and said nothing. We see this in cases of wrongdoing within a company or organization, when it becomes clear that many were aware of the negligent or criminal activity and stayed silent. In cases like this we consider agents morally complicit in virtue of their silence. Flagrant injustices cry out for action, and sometimes remaining silent amounts to complicity in those injustices. What philosophy owes us is an account of how it could be that silence constitutes complicity. In this paper I argue that one possibility is an account grounded in problematic deliberative contribution. The core idea of “deliberative complicity,” as I call it, is that agents have moral duties concerning the moral deliberation of other agents, and failures in these duties can amount to moral complicity. For example, an agent aware that a colleague is sexually harassing his students has a deliberative obligation to report the misconduct, and their silence in failing to report constitutes a failure to fulfill their deliberative obligation, a failure that grounds their moral complicity in the harassment. If my argument is successful, it provides a distinctive reason to prefer a deliberative account of moral complicity: it can capture cases of silent complicity that other views of moral complicity cannot. And further, by turning our attention toward our interpersonal deliberative obligations, a deliberative account of complicity can incorporate helpful resources from recent work in social epistemology and speech act theory as we set out to determine when and why silence amounts to complicity. And when it does, we cannot stay silent. We must speak.

The Effect of Normative Commitment on Intention to Stay at Work: An Application in the Aviation Sector

Normative commitment is defined as the extent to which an individual adheres to norms at work. The intention to stay at work indicates how long the individual plans to stay in their current job. A high level of normative commitment indicates that the individual adheres strongly to organizational and social norms, which may positively affect the intention to stay at work. The extant literature indicates that normative commitment, which arises from a sense of moral duty or perceived obligation to the organization, can significantly influence an individual's decision to continue employment with the organization. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of normative commitment on work retention intentions.A total of 567 individuals employed in the aviation sector at IGA (Istanbul Ground Airport) were surveyed. The correlation analysis revealed a highly significant positive relationship between normative commitment and intention to stay at work, with r = 0.718 (p < 0.05 significance level). The regression analysis demonstrated that normative commitment exerts an effect on intention to stay at work (β = 0.753; p < 0.05). The results of the t-test and ANOVA on normative commitment and intention to stay at work revealed significant differences between gender, status, age, education, and working hours at the p < 0.05 significance level.