Moral Discourse Research Articles

Perspectives on physician-assisted suicide in mental healthcare: results of a survey of physicians and medical students.

Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is typically associated with serious physical illnesses that are prevalent in palliative care. However, individuals with mental illnesses may also experience such severity that life becomes intolerable. In February 2020, the previous German law prohibiting PAS was repealed. Patients with severe mental illnesses are increasingly likely to approach physicians with requests for PAS. To explore the ethical and moral perspectives of medical students and physicians when making individual decisions regarding PAS. An anonymised digital survey was conducted among medical students and physicians in Germany. Participants were presented with a case vignette of a chronically depressed patient requesting PAS. Participants decided on PAS provision and assessed theoretical arguments. We employed generalised ordinal regression and qualitative analysis for data interpretation. A total of N = 1478 participants completed the survey. Of these, n = 470 (32%) stated that they would refuse the request, whereas n = 582 (39%) would probably refuse, n = 375 (25%) would probably agree and n = 57 (4%) would definitely agree. Patient-centred arguments such as the right to self-determination increased the likelihood of consent. Concerns that PAS for chronically depressed patients might erode trust in the medical profession resulted in a decreased willingness to provide PAS. Participants displayed relatively low willingness to consider PAS in the case of a chronically depressed patient. This study highlights the substantial influence of theoretical medical-ethical arguments and the broader public discourse, underscoring the necessity of an ethical discussion on PAS for mental illnesses.

Responsibility Gap(s) Due to the Introduction of AI in Healthcare: An Ubuntu-Inspired Approach

Due to its enormous potential, artificial intelligence (AI) can transform healthcare on a seemingly infinite scale. However, as we continue to explore the immense potential of AI, it is vital to consider the ethical concerns associated with its development and deployment. One specific concern that has been flagged in the literature is the responsibility gap (RG) due to the introduction of AI in healthcare. When the use of an AI algorithm or system results in a negative outcome for a patient(s), to whom can or should responsibility for that outcome be assigned? Although the concept of the RG was introduced in Anglo-American and European philosophy, this paper aims to broaden the debate by providing an Ubuntu-inspired perspective on the RG. Ubuntu, deeply rooted in African philosophy, calls for collective responsibility, and offers a uniquely forward-looking approach to address the alleged RG caused by AI in healthcare. An Ubuntu-inspired perspective can serve as a valuable guide and tool when addressing the alleged RG. Incorporating Ubuntu into the AI ethics discourse can contribute to a more ethical and responsible integration of AI in healthcare.

Ethics and Digital Identity

This article describes how identity professionals can relate their work to ethics and how imperative it is to ensure that ethical discussions and value conversations are conducted in the field of identity and access management. By providing a general introduction to ethics and what ethical theories are, this article lays the foundation for an understanding and clear perspective on the topic of ethics that can seem so far away from technology. But technology, although not good or bad, is never neutral and most often value-laden. And when we assign identity we assign power. Identity and access impact various values and these are described in this article as well, again building the bridge between ethics and technology. The article concludes with methods to apply ethics in everyday work as an identity professional.

Bibliometric Analysis and Research Trends on Creative Accounting from 2000 to 2023

This study employs a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to explore the extensive landscape of creative accounting research from 1958 to 2024. By analyzing thematic clusters, research trends over specific years, potential research topics in less explored areas, and patterns of author collaboration, the study provides a multidimensional view of the field's evolution and current state. Thematic analysis reveals core areas such as policy, earnings management, and the role of external audits, illustrating their interconnectedness within the research community. Temporal trend analysis identifies shifts from regulatory and ethical discussions to more complex issues like technology’s impact on creative accounting practices. Emerging research topics suggest future areas of study, including the influence of cultural perceptions and technological advancements on creative accounting. Furthermore, the author collaboration network highlights influential researchers and suggests robust collaborative ties within the community, offering insights into the social structure of academic collaboration. This study maps the development of creative accounting research, providing a foundation for future academic inquiry and practical application in the field.

Studi Mazhab Frankfurt School Jurgen Habermas Dalam Diskursus Etika Politik Indonesia

This study seeks to identify two principles in Jurgen Habermas's discourse, namely Indonesian universal political ethics and Indonesian discourse political ethics. Done by implementing a qualitative description approach with the type of literature study. Data consists of documents that include books, journals, and relevant research results. The collected data will then be understood, recorded, and phrased and then analyzed by actualizing Habermas's discourse theory which contains (Universal Ethics) and (Discourse Ethics). So that conclusions can be drawn. This study states that in universal ethics, the formulation and implementation of the principles of universal political ethics Indonesia uses the philosophy of Pancasila because it is identified as the basis of the state and ideology of the Indonesian nation. Thus, all legal doctrines and legal political mechanisms in Indonesia need to contain the values contained in Pancasila. Meanwhile, discourse ethics states that the ethical principles of Indonesian discourse are carried out with the mechanism of the concept of democracy which focuses on a discourse in a public space. Therefore, the moral principles of ethics only need to be applied in the realm of legal systems and politics (Universal Ethics) not in the realm of democracy (Discourse Ethics). Because discourse upholds the principle of freedom, there is no intervention and does not require moral verification by all participants like universal ethics.

“Our House Was a Small Islamic Republic”: Social Policing and Resilient Resistance in Contemporary Iran

In this article, we address a question that has been frequently asked: Why is the Iranian government unable to defeat the struggle by women against the compulsory hijab? What distinguishes women’s resistance from other forms of freedom and justice movements? We address these questions by highlighting women’s “resilient resistance” within the family domain as both flexible and sustainable. The article examines how the domestication of politics and the politicization of family have interconnected dynamics in Iran, as illustrated by the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. It shows how women have shifted the Iranian family from a collaborator of oppressive patriarchal power to a more egalitarian structure to accommodate their protests against the compulsory hijab. As the catalysts for this change, they succeeded in discrediting the Islamic Republic’s moral discourse based on the compulsory hijab as a manifestation of modesty for women. They also validated their own morality based on personal choice. Using ethnographic fieldwork, including participatory observation and in-depth interviews with movement participants, this paper shows how women’s invisible yet significant resistance within the family has transformed this institution and profoundly affected the broader political landscape of Iran. It examines a unique case where social transformation drives larger political change.

Command responsibility in military AI contexts: balancing theory and practicality

AbstractArtificial intelligence (AI) has found extensive applications to varying degrees across diverse domains, including the possibility of using it within military contexts for making decisions that can have moral consequences. A recurring challenge in this area concerns the allocation of moral responsibility in the case of negative AI-induced outcomes. Some scholars posit the existence of an insurmountable “responsibility gap”, wherein neither the AI system nor the human agents involved can or should be held responsible. Conversely, other scholars dispute the presence of such gaps or propose potential solutions. One solution that frequently emerges in the literature on AI ethics is the concept of command responsibility, wherein human agents may be held responsible because they perform a supervisory role over the (subordinate) AI. In the article we examine the compatibility of command responsibility in light of recent empirical studies and psychological evidence, aiming to anchor discussions in empirical realities rather than relying exclusively on normative arguments. Our argument can be succinctly summarized as follows: (1) while the theoretical foundation of command responsibility appears robust (2) its practical implementation raises significant concerns, (3) yet these concerns alone should not entirely preclude its application (4) they underscore the importance of considering and integrating empirical evidence into ethical discussions.

Interconnection Between Religious Studies and Islamic Studies; Theoretical and Practical Approaches

Religious studies generally covers various religious traditions around the world, while Islamic studies specifically focuses on Islamic teachings, history, and practices. This research aims to explore the interconnection between religious studies and Islamic studies through theoretical and practical approaches. This research uses a qualitative methodology with literature analysis as the main instrument to understand how these two fields interact and enrich each other. The theoretical approach includes analysis of key concepts in religious studies and Islamic studies, as well as how methodological approaches from these two disciplines can complement each other. The practical approach reviews the implementation of Islamic studies in religious studies programs at various higher education institutions, as well as its impact on cross-cultural understanding and interreligious dialogue. The research results show that the integration of Islamic studies within a religious studies framework not only broadens the scope of academic studies but also enriches theological and ethical discussions in a multicultural and multireligious context. This research concludes that the link between religious studies and Islamic studies offers great potential for the development of a more holistic and inclusive science.

Bracing for the next wave: A critical incident study of frontline decision-making, adaptation and learning in ambulance care during COVID-19.

To explore frontline decision-making, adaptation, and learning in ambulance care during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive and interpretative qualitative study. Twenty-eight registered nurses from the Swedish ambulance services described 56 critical incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic through free-text questionnaires. The material was analysed using the Critical Incident Technique and Interpretive Description through the lens of potential for resilient performance. The findings were synthesized into four themes: 'Navigating uncharted waters under never-ending pressure', 'Balancing on the brink of an abyss', 'Sacrificing the few to save the many' and 'Bracing for the next wave'. Frontline decision-making during a pandemic contribute to ethical dilemmas while necessitating difficult prioritizations to adapt and respond to limited resources. Learning was manifested through effective information sharing and the identification of successful adaptations as compared to maladaptations. During pandemics or under other extreme conditions, decisions must be made promptly, even amidst emerging chaos, potentially necessitating the use of untested methods and ad-hoc solutions due to initial lack of knowledge and guidelines. Within ambulance care, dynamic leadership becomes imperative, combining autonomous frontline decision-making with support from management. Strengthening ethical competence and fostering ethical discourse may enhance confidence in decision-making, particularly under ethically challenging circumstances. Performance under extreme conditions can elevate the risk of suboptimal decision-making and adverse outcomes, with older adults being especially vulnerable. Thus, requiring targeted decision support and interventions. Enhancing patient safety in ambulance care during such conditions demands active participation and governance from management, along with decision support and guidelines. Vertical communication and collaboration between management and frontline professionals are essential to ensure that critical information, guidelines, and resources are effectively disseminated and implemented. Further research is needed into management and leadership in ambulance care, alongside the ethical challenges in frontline decision-making under extreme conditions. Findings are reported per consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ). No Patient or Public Contribution.

Sustainable AI and the third wave of AI ethics: a structural turn

AbstractWith the introduction of the concept of Sustainable AI, considerations of the environmental impact of the technology have begun to enter AI ethics discussions. This, Aimee van Wynsberghe suggests, constitutes a new “third wave of AI ethics” which yet needs to be ushered in. In this paper, we ask what is entailed by Sustainable AI that should warrant such special accentuation. Do we find simply run-of-the-mill AI ethics applied to an environmental context? Or does Sustainable AI constitute a true a “game-changer”? We engage in a discussion about what the “waves of AI ethics” ought to mean and the criteria for labelling a wave as such. We argue that the third wave of AI ethics rests on a turn towards a structural approach for uncovering ethical issues on a broader scale, often paired with an analysis of power structures that prevent the uncovering of these issues.

Little Magazine Dialogism

ABSTRACT This article aims to show how a range of little magazines (Rogue, the Voice of the Negro, and Fire!!) engaged with their surrounding media environment and influenced aesthetic or ethical discourse in other print publications. The article argues that it was precisely the magazines’ minor status that allowed them to affect larger modern print culture. Through explicit dialogues with other publications, modernists tended to reach beyond their initial readership communities in order to rearrange perceptions about aesthetics, norms, or politics in the public sphere. Their dialogues are pertinent to analyzing modernism’s refractory impulses vis-à-vis mass culture or public consciousness.

Social Assistive Robotics: An Ethical and Political Inquiry Through the Lens of Freedom

The development of social assistive robots for supporting healthcare provision faces a lack of an ethical approach that adequately addresses the normatively relevant challenges regarding its deployment. Current ethical reflection is primarily informed by an individual-centered perspective focused on robots’ implications for their end-users and thereby limited to the dyadic human–robot interaction sphere. Considering that this is tightly correlated to the restricted understanding of core ethical concepts upon which reflection stands, this paper delves into the concept of freedom from a philosophical perspective to unfold its full normative breadth for a critical assessment of technological development. By bringing to the fore the political-structural dimension of freedom and, in turn, elaborating the political dimension of technology, the undertaken philosophical approach discloses freedom as a transversal ethical concept for a normative reflection on technology. Thereby, it broadens the scope of ethical attention beyond the sphere of human–robot interaction and turns attention to the so far overlooked structural dimension of human–robot relations. Drawing on conceptions of freedom as non-domination, among others, the paper approaches social assistive robotics and reexamines the terrain of relevant issues for its development. Since freedom is one major issue upon which current concerns revolve, the undertaken analysis substantially enriches the ongoing ethical discussion on social assistive robotics’ implications for human freedom. In this way, this work contributes to going beyond the current individual-centered ethical perspective by laying conceptual grounds for a comprehensive ethical approach to social assistive robotics’ development.

Not Zero by 2050: BP and Quid Pro Quo Sustainability

ABSTRACT While oil companies are known to proliferate strategic economic and moral discourses, less is known about their attempts to continue legitimizing their organizations in an age of energy transition. Taking BP’s Net Zero by 2050 initiative as a case study, this project engages Fisher’s narrative paradigm to identify how a quid pro quo sustainability functions in the organization’s communication. Narrative analysis of recent public-facing oil industry communication suggests BP is presenting the public with a strategic threat. Quid pro quo sustainability empowers oil companies by threatening to withhold clean energy should its profits and authority be disrupted. As a result, BP relies on a narrative of its figural status as a patriarchal energy provider even as sustainability research demonstrates the illegitimacy of these claims. With the concept of quid pro quo sustainability comes an opportunity for environmental communicators to cultivate counternarratives of energy democracies.

Ethical discourse of ethical (Islamic) finance: a systematic literature review (1988–2022) and the way forward

Purpose This paper aims to portray the publication pattern, key themes, study trends and future directions for the studies on ethics in Islamic finance. A total of 194 published documents that includes journal articles, books and book chapters and conference proceedings were screened for the period 1988 to August 2022 and categorized based on designated sectors of the Islamic finance industry. This paper also highlights the change in research trends in all three sectors of Islamic finance and suggests possible areas for future research. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive systematic literature review was conducted using the “advanced search” function of “google scholar” by using the option “find articles” with the keywords “Ethic (s/al)”, “Islamic banks”, “Islamic banking”, “Islamic finance”, “Islamic capital markets” Takaful, Islamic insurance without restricting the time frame, author list and the platform. Furthermore, the search for relevant articles was conducted on other mainstream index databases such as “Web of Science” and “Scopus”. Findings Among the highlights of the findings were an increase in publications on ethical issues after the global financial crisis and an increase in publications in high-impact mainstream business and finance journals. A higher number of studies were documented in the area of Islamic banking and finance followed by Islamic capital markets and Islamic insurance/Takaful. Although a greater number of empirical studies were published than conceptual studies, dominance was resulted due to the replication of the studies in various jurisdictions based on the same concepts or models rather than applying diversified concepts in various jurisdictions. Originality/value This study contributes to the growing literature on ethical and/or Islamic finance as a guide for researchers to identify research gaps and provides a systematic direction for future studies in the area of ethics in Islamic finance.

Modernidad, democracia y pandemia ante la emergencia de los nuevos autoritarismos

Modernity and democracy constitute the ethical and political horizon of our time. Apel and Habermas' discourse ethics, Rawls' theory of justice, reflect the effort to sustain our rules based on democratic values. In this paper we will take a critical look at the situation of current democracies, as well as on the impact of the pandemic on the exacerbation of a generalized crisis of democratic systems. When analysing the situation of democracy during the covid-19 pandemic, the rise of authoritarian features has been observed: new mechanisms of violence, new forms of control, social coercion, centralization of political and economic power. The pandemic has shown a crisis in the capitalist system, revealing the null protection capacity of the global democratic system. Taking into account some authors such as Bauman, Hannah Arendt, Donatella di Cesare, Zizek and Byung-Chul Han, we will analyse the crisis of modern democracies and their authoritarian elements, from the impact of the pandemic on democratic government systems. Finally, we will analyse the elements that promote the thesis of authoritarian democracies as inherent forms to global capitalist dynamics.

Utility of do-not-resuscitate orders for critically ill infants in the NICU.

To better understand the value of DNR orders for critically ill infants in the NICU. A prospective mixed-methods approach was utilized including chart review of infants who died in a regional NICU over a twenty-six-month period and surveys of their neonatologists, neonatal fellows, and nurses. 40 infants died during the study period and 120 staff surveys were completed. Infants with DNR orders were of a higher gestational age at birth and a higher chronological age at death. Nurses were more likely to perceive benefit from DNR orders than physicians. Medical staff recollection of the existence of DNR orders was not always accurate. Time and fear of adding unnecessary emotional burden to parents were identified as barriers to DNR order implementation. An advanced care planning model built on open communication instead of DNR order documentation was deemed the best approach. Though DNR orders are beneficial for a subset of infants, DNR orders are likely not applicable for all infants who die in the NICU. More important is supportive, individualized communication between families and the medical team to ensure quality end-of-life care. In the adult and pediatric ICU literature, DNR orders are associated with improved qualitative "good death" assessments and decreased familial decision regret. In the NICU, rates of DNR usage aren't well reported and their overall utility is unclear. Though DNR orders can help guide clinical decision making in the NICU and may be associated with higher quality ethical discussion, our data suggest that they are not applicable in all patient cases. We hope that this work will help guide approaches to end-of-life care in the NICU and underscore the importance of frequent, open communication between families and their medical team.

Ethical discourses for and against doping in sport philosophy

ABSTRACT Sport doping is not a recent phenomenon. Athletes have used many forms of performance enhancements going back to antiquity. Within the sport philosophy literature, sport doping is entangled in a multitude of ethical discourses, some denouncing, and some supporting, doping in sport. Our aim is to use a systematic approach to classify ethical discourses put forward by scholars focused on doping. To take stock of these ethical discourses, and to advance the sport philosophy literature on doping, this paper provides an empirical account of the types of arguments used in the peer-reviewed sport philosophy literature. This empirical account is intended to provide a map of the ethical discourses in circulation, to highlight the most common arguments, and to show where other types of arguments are absent or less well developed. To map the ethical discourses, the authors use an ethical discourse typology from a university-based ethical reasoning program.

Surveyor physical and emotional well-being: learning from Indian context

ABSTRACT Quality data collection is a key aspect of every research. The data is often collected by surveyors who are exposed to multiple risks and difficult situations, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Evidence generation needs to be ethical and essentially comprise the best practices to ensure the health and safety of the surveyors. While the ethics discourse mostly focuses on the rights of the human subject research participants, it is also important to emphasise and focus on the processes around ensuring the well-being of the field research staff engaged in data collection. In this descriptive study, we systematically document some of the key health and safety challenges of surveyors during primary data collection in India. Identified challenges, some of which disproportionately affected female surveyors, included the risk of physical illness, anxiety due to productivity targets, the risk of harassment and limiting hygiene practices. Based on these findings, we propose some best practices around institutional and context-specific measures that can be adopted to mitigate the challenges. Through this, we aim to help strengthen the ethical practices in research, further promoting the rigour and credibility of evidence generated towards sustainable development.

Ethical challenges in health care during collective hunger strikes in public or occupied spaces.

Public collective hunger strikes take place in complex social and political contexts, require medical attention and present ethical challenges to physicians. Empirical research, the ethical debate to date and existing guidelines by the World Medical Association focus almost exclusively on hunger strikes in detention. However, the public space differs substantially with regard to the conditions for the provision of health care and the diverse groups of healthcare providers or stakeholders involved. By reviewing empirical research on the experience of health professionals with public collective hunger strikes, we identified the following ethical challenges: (1) establishment of a trustful physician-striker relationship, (2) balancing of medico-ethical principles in medical decision-making, (3) handling of loyalty conflicts and (4) preservation of professional independence and the risk of political instrumentalization. Some of these challenges have already been described and discussed, yet not contextualized for public collective strikes, while others are novel. The presence of voluntary physicians may offer opportunities for a trustful relationship and, hence, for ethical treatment decisions. According to our findings, it requires more attention to how to realise autonomous medical decisions in the complex context of a dynamic, often unstructured and politically charged setting, which ethical norms should shape the professional role of voluntary physicians, and what is the influence of the hunger strikers'collective on individual healthcare decisions. Our article can serve as a starting point for further ethical discussion. It can also provide the basis for the development of potential guidelines to support health professionals involved in public collective hunger strikes.

The practical philosophy of Immanuel Kant and the modern ethics of responsibility

The article deals with the practical philosophy of Immanuel Kant, its transformation in the modern ethics of responsibility and the significance of «risks and threats» for modern society. It is emphasized that in Ukraine, in particular, in the H.S. Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, a powerful historical-philosophical tradition of research in German classical philosophy has developed, the foundation of which is the philosophy of I. Kant. This trend gained a new development after the restoration of Ukraine's independence. Special attention was paid in the investigation to the study of Kant's moral philosophy, its important component – the categorical imperative. It is shown that Kant's practical philosophy became an important driver of the leading trends of modern philosophy in the world, which was manifested in the process of «rehabilitation of practical philosophy», which includes the philosophy of responsibility of H. Jonas, communicative philosophy and ethics of discourse. These trends prompted the search for new formulations of the categorical imperative. The relevance of Kant's practical philosophy is evident especially today, under the conditions of modern technological civilization, the destruction of the normative order in the world, and the crisis of moral guidelines. Kant's concept of the primacy of the practical (moral and ethical) mind over the theoretical, technical and instrumental mind opens up ways to solve the global problems of our time, especially in the conditions of crisis and war. Kant's anniversary coincides with a special period of Ukrainian history: the modernization of Ukrainian society, the restoration of national identity, and orientation towards universal values. This event acquires special significance in view of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Distorting the enlightment, moral-ethical and universalistic direction of Kant's philosophy, Russian propaganda tries to use it for ideological and propaganda purposes. That is why events dedicated to Kant's anniversary are an important component in the fight against the Russian aggressor.