Moral Position Research Articles

Children, Rights, and Powers

A long-standing debate on the concept of rights sets the so-called choice theory in contrast to the interest theory. As has been noted in the literature, the debate is relevant for the question of whether children can be conceived as rights-holders at all. This essay reflects on the concept of rights as applied to children, motivated by the view that instead of settling the conceptual issue, we should directly discuss the moral status of children as possible rights-holders. In this way, two main insights are gained. First, it is pointed out that the moral position of children – if they have rights – is very different from the status of adult rights-holders. Second, it is made clear that regardless of whether children have rights, the focus on duties towards children, rather than a focus on their rights, provides us with a clearer picture of children’s moral status.

ПЕДАГОГІЧНІ УМОВИ ДОСЯГНЕННЯ САМОВИЗНАЧЕННЯ ТА САМОРЕАЛІЗАЦІЇ ОСОБИСТОСТІ

The article substantiates the necessity of disclosing the pedagogical conditions of achieving the true personality self-identification and self-fulfillment for the purpose of reforming the content of education. They are related to ensuring its individualization, problem-solving character, experience of creative activity, reduction of the share of information to be acquired, emphasis on student independent work, as well as democratization of relations with them, the role of a teacher, his moral position. Since the main reference point for restructuring the content of Ukrainian education is orientation towards the spiritual and emotional spheres in the structure of personality, then manifestation of genuine humanization of this content is focusing on urgent and perspective interests of the child, creating conditions for individualization and differentiation of the educational process. Adaptation to the conditions of entry of the younger generation into an open society and ensuring their self-identification and self-fulfillment requires such updating of the content of education which leads to a reduction in the share of information to be mastered and increase in the knowledge about ways of learning, the ability to process and use information for individual development, as well as the share of personal experience in creative activity. Only the problem-solving situations and setting problems to be solved specifically for each person give them the opportunity to engage in research work and to strain intelligence, social or physical spheres of life. The personality self-identification and social development require the implementation of an individual approach to the child, without which it is impossible to democratize the educational process. The individual work with personality involves such interaction with a person that corresponds to the specifics of his/her inner world and the technique of self-improvement. At the same time, independent activity of personality is a precondition for one’s formation as an agent of democratic relationships.

Test of the Social Buffering Hypothesis in the Context of Religious Disagreements

This article examines the social buffering hypothesis of cultural humility in the context of religious offenses. In this study, participants ( N = 244) rated their cultural humility in terms of differing religious values and beliefs as well as their moral foundations in determining what is right or wrong. They then recalled an offense or hurt attributed to religious disagreements and indicated their motivations for forgiving the offender. Lower endorsement of individuating moral foundations predicted greater unforgiveness; however, cultural humility softened this relationship between individuating moral foundations and unforgiveness. When cultural humility was higher, participants were less likely to report unforgiveness motivations toward the religious offender, even if their individuating moral foundation scores were lower. Results from this study support the social buffering hypothesis of humility. Namely, individuals with higher levels of cultural humility demonstrate a greater capacity to maintain relationships during stressful religious disagreements by regulating intuitive and affective moral positions, particularly those that have previously been linked to social dominance or moral disinterest. We conclude this study by discussing limitations, practical applications, and areas for future research.

Making the invisible visible

Technology assessment (TA) is an analytic and interactive practice that produces evaluative judgments about the societal implications of technology. Despite this distinct evaluative disposition, “normativities” inherent in TA programs and practices often remain hidden. Therefore, TA practice and outcomes often overlook a range of methodological, ethical, and political issues. In an attempt to remedy this shortcoming, this article explores how TA aims to improve political decision making in science and technology (meta-normativity) and is imbued with the values, norms, and moral positions of both participants and TA practitioners (in-normativity). It provides recommendations to render these normativities in TA more visible, and thereby amenable to reconsideration and change.

The Paradox of Moralistic Fallacy: A Case against the Dangerous Knowledge

In this article, the concept of moralistic fallacy introduced by B. D. Davis is elaborated on in more detail. The main features of this fallacy are discussed, and its general form is presented. The moralistic fallacy might have some undesirable outcomes. Some of them might even be in direct conflict to the original moral position. If this occurs, it is possible to characterize it as a paradox of moralistic fallacy. The possibility of this paradox provides a further reason not to prevent any scientific inquiries and not to depict any knowledge as dangerous.

Victims Who Have Done Nothing or Victims Who Have Done Nothing Wrong: Contesting Blame and ‘Innocent Victim’ Status in Transitioning Societies

AbstractBuilding on recent victimological interventions in transitional justice, this article critically examines nuanced interpretations of what an ‘innocent victim’ is in transitioning societies without any agreed legal, political or moral base position on past political violence. It suggests that the term refers to two different types of victims: victims who have done nothing that fit traditional victimological understandings of the blameless, passive ‘ideal victim’ and victims who have done nothing wrong where innocence and blame are open to fundamental political and moral contest. It concludes that the irreconcilability, looseness and adaptability of competing frameworks for understanding the past pose a core victimological disagreement surrounding victims who have done nothing wrong that even a more critically self-reflective approach by victimizers fails to resolve.

Ethical problems in virtual research: Enmeshing the blurriness with Twitter data

When conceptualising knowledge gained from tapping into an internet data pool, one may question many things which can include the role of the researcher and the researched, privacy and ethics, intention, authenticity and the vastness of scope. The researcher, regardless of research intention including moral or ethical positions, must acknowledge that there are billions of nuances affecting online user participation. Ethical boundaries surrounding available data deemed ‘public’ in a program like Twitter, for example, are not easily wrapped in a terms of service agreement. Ethical problems in virtual research are expansive, and it is necessary to frame how and why researchers should address them. In the following paper, I outline some significant ethical issues in virtual research and address perceived pluralities as enmeshment. Drawing on Barad's ( 2007 , 2010 , 2014 ) theoretical model of diffraction, I poke holes through ethical blurriness and think through ethical possibilities for researchers, including online presence, data collection practices and participant agency.

Disruptive behaviors in online games: Effects of moral positioning, competitive motivation, and aggression in “League of Legends”

Disruptive behaviors, such as intentional violations and verbal attacks, frequently happen in multiplayer online games. However, few studies have been conducted to empirically explore the antecedents to such disruptive behaviors or the role of moral positioning in relation to such behaviors. With 343 players of the game League of Legends, we tested an integrated path model of the relationships among moral positioning (i.e., preference for evil roles or characters in the game), aggression, competitive motivation, and disruptive behaviors. The results showed that moral positioning was affected by both aggression and competitive motivation. The increase of moral positioning, in turn, enhanced the degree of disruptive behavior. The theoretical and practical implications of the study results are discussed.

Navigating and making sense of urgent and emergency care processes and provision.

BackgroundWhilst many health systems offer a range of urgent and emergency care services to deal with the need for unscheduled care, these can be problematic to navigate.ObjectiveTo explore how lay people make sense of urgent care provision and processes.DesignQualitative study, incorporating citizen panels and longitudinal semi‐structured qualitative interviews.Setting and ParticipantsTwo citizens’ panels, comprising purposively selected public populations—a group of regular users and a group of potentially marginalized users of urgent and emergency care. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 100 people, purposively sampled to include those over 75, aged 18‐26 years, and from East/Central Europe. A sub‐sample of 41 people received a second interview at +6‐12 months. Framework analysis was thematic and comparative, moving through coding to narrative and interpretive summaries.Findings and DiscussionParticipants narratives illuminated considerable uncertainty and confusion regarding urgent and emergency care provision which in part could be traced to the contingent nature of urgent and emergency care need. Accounts of emergency care provision were underpinned by strong moral positioning of appropriate help‐seeking, demarcating legitimate service use that echoed policy rhetoric, but did not necessarily translate into individual behaviour. People struggled to make sense of urgent care provision making navigating “appropriate” use problematic.ConclusionsThe focus on help‐seeking behaviour, rather than sense‐making, makes it difficult to move beyond the polarization of “appropriate” and “inappropriate” service use. A deeper analysis of sense‐making might shift the focus of attention and allow us to intervene to reshape understandings before this point.

Comparing Journalism Cultures in Britain and Germany: Confrontation, Contextualization, Conformity

ABSTRACTMany British newspapers proclaim strongly partisan political and moral positions, with headlines such as “Get Britain out of the EU.” In contrast, German newspapers, during national events such as the refugee crisis, often take on the role of reflective observers. Previous comparative research has shown a link between journalists’ output and professional attitudes. Using data from the Worlds of Journalism Study, this article analyses the professional attitudes of British and German journalists (N = 1475) across three constituents of journalism culture: societal, epistemological, and ethical. Our analysis shows significant differences in all three constituents. We conclude that British journalists conceive of their professional role as more confrontational to those in power than their German colleagues. We also find some evidence that German journalists believe it more important to provide context and analysis—aiming to assist audiences in their civic roles—and that they are more likely to conform to professional codes, although only in general terms. Our findings contradict some earlier comparative studies that claimed a more passive role for British journalists. Our findings may also hold interest for others engaged in international comparative research, showing how the two-country comparison can identify, and account for, what is hidden in multi-country research designs.

“I’m a man of this time”

Criticism on the nature of evil in Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men (2005) has acknowledged the precarious moral position of Sheriff Bell, often creating sympathy for the character who resi...

What Should We Ask Reputation to Do?

Kristina Daugirdas's important new article prompts two kinds of responses. By providing a sophisticated analysis of the role of reputation in influencing the behavior of international actors, it invites further thoughts about what we might think reputation is and does. By taking a moral position—the UN should do more to reduce sexual abuse by UN-sponsored peacekeepers in conflict zones—she provokes us to consider how to optimize institutional design in light of particular goals. In this essay, I don't quarrel with anything she says. Rather, I will respond to her prompting. I will discuss methodological issues first, then normative ones.

Cross-cultural training of students by means of foreign literature in formation process of valuable orientations

The article is devoted to the problem of the formation of value orientations by means of foreign literature in the cross-cultural training of students. It is emphasized that foreign literature has an important advantage as it is associated with various texts belonging to different types of cultures. Communication with masterpieces of foreign literature promotes the development of new aesthetic experiences among students, prompts to comprehend the uniqueness of another culture. The main determinants of value orientations are determined. These are the conditions of life, the level of general culture, the ability of man, beliefs, moral principles, the system of values of the individual. The content of the value orientation of the individual is its focus on certain values of the material and spiritual culture of society. It is emphasized that the main goal of the process of formation of value orientations is the study of artistic works based on the awareness of the incarnated values, the comprehension of the moral and aesthetic positions of literary characters, the mastering of the value potential of the work by students, and the understanding of the relation of values expressed in artistic works, in connection with an important system of values. The unity of value orientations, literary knowledge and students’ activity as the leading condition of the effectiveness of the formation of value orientations is revealed. Much attention is paid to the formation of students’ readiness for cross-cultural interaction in practical classes. The main goal of the cross training of students is defined – it is overcoming the difficulties associated with the differences in values, traditions, languages. The peculiarities of students’ educational activity at various stages of the analysis of works are considered, which is structured on awareness of values embodied in artistic works. The article focuses on various types of tasks, performing students to understand the psychological content of actions and personality of literary heroes come to perceive the value position of the author, his aesthetic ideal.

Country-Independence of Moral Arguments and Moral Opinion Dynamics

How do opinion dynamics compare across different countries? The moral argument theory of opinion dynamics says that public opinion on moral issues should generally become more liberal, and the rate of change should vary across issues according to how the different issue positions connect with moral arguments that are acceptable to liberals. We conducted a cross-cultural test of this theory, using new measures of the connections between moral arguments and positions together with available opinion data on 98 issues in the United States, 108 issues in the United Kingdom, and 26 issues in Sweden. In each country the theory successfully predicted the pattern of long-term opinion trends. Moreover, on those issues that were covered both in the US and in the UK, argument measures and opinion trends were highly similar between the two countries. In sum, moral arguments seem to have a large explanatory power transcending different political cultures.

Dmytro Kremin`s Poetical Admonition

The creativity of the award winner of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize in the domain of literature Dmytro Kremin (1953-2019) is a vivid phenomenon of modern Ukrainian literature and culture. His poetic heritage has a special meaning after the poet passed away in May of this year. Now it is worth to be considered and conceived as a kind of his testament left to descendants by the outstanding master of the imaginative word. Dmytro Kremin`s legacy has always been in the centre of attention of critical literary practice, his poems evoked a contradictory attitude towards himself, thanks to it the critics` reviewers were so brilliant and emotional. But after the poet`s death, there is a need for a literary study of his heritage and a conclusion to the study of the work of an outstanding poet on a qualitatively new level. Among the poet’s many works, the poem holds a special place. It was created before long after Ukraine gained independence. Appeal to the people and the country`s history, Dmytro Kremin comprehends the origins of their heavy fate. The philosophical approach to understanding concrete historical phenomena allows the poet to look profoundly into the past, to define the influence on the present, and the origins of our young state`s problems. A wide range of historical figures, to which the author refers, characterizes the history of Ukraine in its most noticeable facts. The analysis of the poem is philological. The figurative system of the work is perceived in the unity of form and content. Thus it is possible to identify the aesthetic singularity of the work and its patriotic directivity. The study proves that the appeal of the patriotic poet to history should be received as a kind of poetic admonition, an attempt to draw attention to the tragic mistakes for the people`s fate to avoid them in the contemporary history of Ukraine. The poet’s call to live for the sake of the Motherland, to conscientious service to the country and people reflects his moral and aesthetic position and becomes his contribution to the development of the country. We consider that the article can be useful for researchers, lecturers, school teachers, students, and everyone interested in the creativity of the outstanding Ukrainian poet.

ВОЗМОЖНО ЛИ ГОВОРИТЬ О РАЦИОНАЛЬНОСТИ ЙОГИ?

In world philosophical practice, yoga is given great attention: courses are given at leading universities of the world, various kinds of projects are being opened to study this type of spiritual technique, research in history continues, and of course, there are a number of scientists who associate knowledge about it as a scientific character. , and with its practical application in modern culture. Unfortunately, in domestic literature not enough attention paid to such an ancient and relevant philosophy in the modern world. In the article we set the task to analyze this aspect of multifaceted human life from the standpoint of the modern European researcher. Eastern culture can be viewed in the context of art, religion, mythology, but the question arises: can it be viewed and evaluated in the context of mental, rational discourse? On the basis of ancient texts, on the basis of works of famous Indologists, modern European philosophers, an attempt was made to describe the rationality of yoga and give it a definition. The author goes to the general nature of the rationality of the East, represented by a cosmological-mythological worldview. He concludes that for a man of the East there are other norms and criteria of rationality than for a European-oriented worldview. The author also analyzes the nature of the design thinking of a person with this form of worldview. For a person of the East, there are other norms and criteria for rationality than for a European-oriented worldview. The rationality of the philosophy of yoga should be the basis for research practices and technologies of yoga. It can be given a conditional definition, but its meaning is deep and rooted in hoary antiquity, and requires careful and thorough analysis. The union of all ascetic practices and religious teachings takes place in the Gita, so without analyzing its texts, it is impossible to understand the rationality of yoga. Yoga rationality is mythological and cosmological in nature: it is an a priori scheme of man’s perception of the world and himself, in which ideas about karma and nirvana were central to world orientation and activity, and the mystic of cosmic and biological emphasized the polyvalence of these apriorisms. Such rationality allows the yogi to mentally move from the world of carnal beings into the world of gods and into the world of transcendental gods. The last world appears as an intermediate between the phenomenal world and the non-world of nirvana. Various Indian practices, techniques, and methods aimed at freeing the spirit through separation acquired their followers, because after the “Upanishads” the rejection of life due to socio-political structures and history became the most worthy soteriological solution. Hence the orientation of the yogi to internal self-improvement and indifference to the outside world. Moral decency and cosmic order here are concepts of the same level, starting with the moral positions of the individual soul, which is akin to the spiritual essence of the Cosmos, and Good and Evil act as metaphors for the rhythmic nature of life, both of Cosmos and of Man.

“Muslim Women Seeking Power, Muslim Youth Seeking Justice”: An Edited Volume of Research Findings, Resources and Advocacy

This article gives an overview of a recently published book on the search of Muslim women and youth for social justice and equality, both in Mus-lim-majority cultures, and in Western countries of the Muslim diaspora. The theoretical and research model of critical realism is employed, in which levels of disadvantage and oppression are identified using a value-based approach. The model is applied to Islamic ontology, and the “middle path” of Islamic modesty, peace-making and compromise within multicultural, plural societies, with a focus on Islamic feminism. In a study of Muslim women in management in Western, Middle Eastern and Asian cultures, barriers to women’s employment are identified. Empirical work using “situation tests” comparing ethnically-identified CVs submitted in employment applications showed significant discrimination against Muslim women and young people in the spheres of employment in England and The Netherlands. A study of citizenship education in English schools showed that Muslim adolescents were particularly likely to adopt positive citizenship values, despite social pressures such as Islamophobia, which could lead to discrimination, and alienation. Case studies of Bangladesh and Pakistan (Muslim-majority cultures) in the search for social systems which could apply Islamic values in positive ways proved disappointing. We identified numerous ways in which girls and women in these cultures were exploited and oppressed, socially, economically and sexually. A final chapter explores why higher order values have so little purchase in some Muslim-majority (and other) cultures. The case study of women in Gaza, surviving intermittent warfare, did offer a model of Islamic peace-making, and prospects for a rapprochement of Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Humanist moral positions in seeking to establish co-operative multicultural, plural societies.

МАКСИМА ДЕСКРИПТИВНОЇ МЕТАФІЗИКИ ДИСКУРСУ: «НАЗАД ДО ПЛАТОНА!»

The descriptive metaphysics of discourse combines the elements of descriptive and revisionist metaphysics in the interpretation of P. Sotoson. The main difference is that it reveals not the relation of language and reality, but the subject and reality. It accepts the position that the description, at the same time, is the manifestation of the subject of discourse. Their unity finds its embodiment in the concept, as the unity of the statement and action. According to pragmatism, the purpose of the concept is that it is the beginning of life experience with new values, forms eternal truthsand its absolutism is an obstacle to success. In analytic philosophy, the concept refers not to experience, but to the image. The set of concepts forms a concept if they assume each other and form integrity. However, this requirement is not always performed. This is explained by the fact that the subject of discourse at the base of existence has ambivalent meanings of existence. Therefore, in order to succeed, the subject seeks to impose his teleology. In the context of the indicated problem, one should bear in mind the difference between the transcendental and the immanent theory of discourse. The disadvantage of transcendental pragmatics is that it does not take into account the originality of the subject of discourse. Accordingly, preference is given to the immanent interpretation of discourse, since it is based on the assumption of the subject originality of discourse. At the same time, the descriptive metaphysics of discourse does not refuse the basic transcendental propositions. In particular, the rules of absolute ethics, arising on its basis, presuppose positivity, which is necessary in order to show the uniqueness of the moral position of the subject in discourse. The main purpose is to restore full reflexion. It is precisely in this aspect that the philosophy of voluntarism and postmodernity acquire relevance. They show the peculiarity of an inferior discursive reflection and designate possible aspects of its correction..

Moral judgment in patients with behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: no impairment of the moral position, but rather its execution

Objective: To investigate moral judgment competence in patients with the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) compared to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and controls. Methods: N = 12 bvFTD, N = 22 ALS patients and N = 19 neurological unimpaired controls were examined. In the ‘Moral Competence Test’ (MCT), participants had to evaluate two moral dilemmas by predefined arguments to measure the consistency of their moral judgments. The ‘Ethics Position Questionnaire’ (EPQ) addresses whether individuals prefer binding ethical standards, the Idler Index of Religiosity (IIR) measures the level of religiosity. Cognition was assessed with the CERAD-plus. Results: BvFTD and ALS patients exhibited a similar moral position as healthy controls but a significantly lower judgment consistency in the MCT. MCT performance was independent from general cognitive functioning and not associated with moral orientation and religiosity. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that not the moral position itself seems to be impaired in patients with bvFTD, but rather their competence to transfer it into situational decisions. The fact that ALS patients have similar problems in applying moral principles in a consistent manner might indicate a deficit in execution of moral judgment, and this is in line with studies suggesting a damage of specific cerebral structures.

AFEKSI NEGATIF SEBAGAI MEDIATOR ANTARA KEADILAN ORGANISASI DENGAN PERILAKU KERJA KONTRAPRODUKTIF-ORGANISASI

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat peranan afeksi negatif sebagai mediator antara keadilan organisasi dengan perilaku kerja kontraproduktif-organisasi . Afeksi negatif adalah keadaaan umum dari tekanan subjektif dan kondisi yang tidak menyenangkan meliputi kemarahan, jijik dan lain sebagainya. Keadilan organisasi adalah evaluasi pribadi karyawan tentang kedudukan etis dan moral terhadap apa yang dilakukan oleh perusahaan. Perilaku kerja kontraproduktif-organisasi adalah berbagai perilaku yang disengaja yang merugikan/membahayakan organisasi misalnya pencurian. Metode pengambilan sampel adalah convenience sampling. Jumlah sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah 73 orang. Teknik analisis data menggunakan regresi. Hasil penelitian ini adalah: (1) tidak terbukti bahwa keadilan organisasi mempengaruhi perilaku kerja kontraproduktif-organisasi (signifikansi >0,05); (2) tidak dapat disimpulkan adanya hubungan tidak langsung antara keadilan organisasi dengan perilaku kerja kontraproduktif-organisasi karena tidak bisa dibuktikan adanya pengaruh langsung dari keadilan organisasi terhadap perilaku kerja kontraproduktif-organisasi; (3) terbukti bahwa keadilan organisasi memengaruhi afeksi negatif dengan β= -0,388 (p<0,05); (4) terbukti bahwa afeksi negatif memengaruhi perilaku kerja kontraproduktif-organisasi dengan β=0,403 (p<0,05).