Moral Transformation Research Articles

Mistrz Wincenty i debitum coniugale. Refleksja nad obowiązkiem małżeńskim

The aim of this article is to analyse a wellknown and often discussed passage from the Chronica Polonorum by Wincenty Kadłubek (Book 2, Chapter 18), which mentions the rebellion of the serfs that took place when the Generous was on a prolonged military expedition. According to the account, the rebels took over their masters’ houses and had carnal relations with their wives and daughters. After Bolesław’s return, both the rebels and the women were severely punished. Kadłubek writes that, as a result of these events, Bolesław experienced a moral transformation: a paragon of virtue from the first chapters of the chronicle became a tyrant. The passage in question has usually been analysed with a focus on one of the three following aspects: the credibility of the account of the conflict between Bolesław and Bishop Stanisław of Szczepanów, who supposedly tried to stop the king from excessive cruelty; the historicity of the account; the reason for the application of such brutal, and unparalleled, punishments to women for adultery. In this article, I propose an entirely new approach, namely, treating this passage as one of the first Polish sources on an extremely interesting issue in the field of marriage law: the debitum coniugale, or conjugal debt, which was of much greater importance in medieval culture than it might seem on the basis of only a cursory reading of the sources.

Потенциал современной молодежи: профессиональные ориентиры, личностные трансформации, традиционность и инновационность

Youth as an object of study is included in the area of scientific interests of sociologists, psychologists, educa-tors, demographers, and economists. In-depth topical studies of youth issues affect various aspects of the life of this social-demographic group. The potential of youth is considered in terms of its labor and career pro-spects, creative or destructive functions, socio-cultural role in modern society, value orientations, dynamics of needs and targets. The formation of a comprehensive model of the potential opportunities of modern Russian youth in a multifaceted and multifactorial context is an effective direction of a comprehensive examination of the problems that contribute to or hinder the successful realization of youth in modern socio-economic realities and against the background of spiritual and moral transformations, both professionally and personally. The information base of the analysis was scientific works on the specified topic, official statistics data, legislative and administrative documents regulating youth policy; the results of sociological surveys. The article draws attention to a number of negative trends recorded in such aspects of youth life as: educational trajectories, pro-fessional guidelines, dynamic changes in value preferences, including family ones; spiritual, moral and na-tional cultural attitudes; health indicators; personal and psychological transformations.

Lee M. J. Moral Transformation in Greco-Roman Philosophy of Mind: Mapping the Moral Milieu of the Apostle Paul and his Diaspora Jewish

Апостол язычников, как известно, не только хорошо знал, но в целом положительно относился к греко-римской этической философии, о чем свидетельствуют работы таких современных ученых, как Абрахам Малербе, Троэльс Энгберг-Педерсен, Стэнли Стауэрс, Эмма Вассерман и других. В этот большой поток исследований вписывается и рецензируемая книга Макса Ли «Моральная трансформация в греко-римской философии разума: картографирование моральной среды апостола Павла и его современников из иудейской диаспоры». The Apostle of the Gentiles, as is known, not only knew well, but generally had a positive attitude towards Greco-Roman ethical philosophy, as evidenced by the work of such modern scientists as Abraham Malherbe, Troels Engberg-Pedersen, Stanley Stowers, Emma Wasserman and others. Max Lee's peer-reviewed book "Moral Transformation in the Greco-Roman Philosophy of Mind: Mapping the Moral Environment of the Apostle Paul and his Contemporaries from the Jewish Diaspora" fits into this large stream of research.

Relational Aspects of Attention in Chrysostom’s hermeneutics

Abstract Chrysostom construed attention as an unwavering and wholehearted dedication to the study of the Word in view of one’s moral transformation. As it will become evident the attainment of this state required instruction, not in doctrines, but in the art of asking questions. This article tries to place Chrysostom’s hermeneutics in its Middle Platonic and Neoplatonic scholastic context. It also explores the interaction between preacher and audience as well as the erotic and hedonistic dimensions of intercourse with the Word so as to bring to the fore the relational aspects of attention. Above all, it highlights desire, and its close association with the formulation of aporias, as the key to Chrysostom’s Socratic way of converting his congregation to the Christian way of life.

What does the future hold for Italian universities? Critical perspectives from Bernard Stiegler

ABSTRACT This article aims to provoke thoughtful reflection on the university’s raison d'être and the factors contributing to its current state of crisis in an era marked by efficiency and rapid technological advancements. Drawing inspiration from Bernard Stiegler’s philosophical ideas, it explores potential new roles for the university within the current educational context, with a particular focus on the Italian case. Given the transitory nature of the industrial model inherited from the twentieth century, the discussion, framed through a pedagogical lens, addresses how higher education can be reoriented to foster critical thinking and promote societal and moral transformation amid neoliberal reforms and technological progress. It also highlights the importance of de-proletarianisation in education as a means to counter the limited perspectives perpetuated by marketisation.

Feminist Ethics and Magical Feminism in The Witch, by Robert Eggers, and Gretel & Hansel, by Oz Perkins

Based on notions of feminist ethics and magical feminism, we illustrate the initiation into witchcraft as a shift to a new morality for the teenage protagonists of the films The Witch (2017), by Robert Eggers, and Gretel & Hansel (2020), by Oz Perkins. These folk horrors subvert the character of the witch of the woods by giving her a coming-of-age background story, all the while keeping some key-elements from traditional fairy tales. We suggest that the leading girls undergo a moral transformation: in becoming witches, they cease their roles as caregivers, abandoning a care-oriented ethics that was imposed on them and embracing a new hedonistic, egotistical one.

The Implementation of Repentance, Confession, and Penance in the Sacrament of Reconciliation at Stasi Santo Thomas Onan Rihit

The Sacrament of Reconciliation, central to Catholic doctrine, facilitates the restoration of relationships between the penitent, the community, and the divine. This study examines the implementation and experiences of the sacrament through the essential acts of repentance, confession, and penance, highlighting their roles in spiritual and moral transformations. Employing a qualitative approach, the research gathered data through observations, in-depth interviews, and documentation at Stasi Santo Thomas Rasul Onan Rihit. The findings reveal that repentance initiates spiritual renewal while confession promotes transparency and humility, thereby strengthening communal bonds. Penance, tailored to individual transgressions, not only addresses past wrongs but also fosters spiritual growth and community harmony. Challenges remain in fully engaging penitents with the sacrament, pointing to the need for enhanced pastoral support and theological education. This study underscores the sacrament's enduring relevance and its capacity to facilitate profound spiritual life within the contemporary Catholic context.

Moral Injury as a Precondition for Reconciliation: An Anthropology of Veterans’ Lives and Peacemaking

In this article, I rely on religious existential philosophy to make sense of the moral restoration expressed by combat veterans who engage in reconciliation with former enemies after suffering from moral injury. Moral injury is the persistent feeling of having betrayed one’s deepest moral values. Anthropological research and analyses of combat veterans’ testimony suggest that moral injury may be associated with reconciliation, which is considered here as a manifestation of an inner transformation akin to existential philosophies of striving for moral authenticity. Specifically, it is argued that Thomas Merton’s defense of living a morally authentic life, which constitutes a process of moving from spiritual woundedness to social engagement with the other, parallels the transition of combat veterans involved in postconflict reconciliation efforts. Given this correspondence, existential moral transformation is considered alongside the anthropology of peace for explaining moral injury as a precondition for reconciliation, notably after armed conflict.

Moral Transformation in Greco-Roman Philosophy of Mind, written by Max J. Lee

Moral Transformation in Greco-Roman Philosophy of Mind, written by Max J. Lee

Moral Transformation as Shifting (Im)Possibilities

AbstractThe phenomenon of moral transformation, though important, has received little attention in virtue ethics. In this paper we propose a virtue-ethical model of moral transformation as character transformation by tracking the development of new identity-defining (‘core’) character traits, their expressions, and their priority structure, through the change in what appears as possible or impossible to the moral agent. We propose that character transformation culminates when what previously appeared as morally possible to the agent now appears impossible, i.e. unconceived and unthinkable, moving through stages of transformation where some possibilities gradually disappear while others open up. While we show an example of moral transformation towards virtue, we allow that such transformation can occur in the opposite direction, hence we make claims about ‘character traits’ rather than virtues of vices. Through the example of former slave-trader Rodrigo’s transformation in the film The Mission, we follow the parallel development of new objects of value and ways of valuing (with respect to a group of indigenous people of South America) with the closing down of the possibility of disrespecting and harming them, to the end-point of transformation, where allowing their capture is for Rodrigo both unconceived and, when conceived, unthinkable.

Does Richard Rorty have ‘anything to say to blacks’? Greater cruelties, lesser cruelties and the permanence of racism

Richard Rorty does have something ‘to say to [Black Americans]’ and to their racially conscious nonblack allies in the sense that his understanding of liberalism, his prophecies about the future and his urgent appeals to the American Left all paint a picture of a white middle class fully prepared to make life increasingly miserable for Black Americans unless it is ‘protected from catastrophe’. Rorty hopes that this group will undergo a moral transformation that enables it to see past its narrow group interests, but doubts that it will. He, nevertheless, prescribes a politics of hope and appeasement as a hedge against both despair and backsliding. In so doing, he fails to appreciate the availability and the suitability of an alternative ‘racial realist’ (and tragicomic) posture vis-à-vis American liberalism inspired by thinkers like Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin and Derrick Bell. This alternative enables racially conscious Americans to respond to the intransigence of (certain) white Americans with cunning rather than by escaping into fantasies of a ‘dream country’ unmarked by the damage caused by racism and its long-lingering effects. I uncover and explore this alternative through Rorty’s warnings regarding the white middle class, a somewhat surprising consistency between Rorty’s brand of class politics and Bell’s understanding of ‘racial fortuity’, and, finally, through a development of Bell’s ‘racial realist’ posture combined with Baldwin’s ‘uses of the blues’ resulting in a ‘hard-eyed’ tragicomic sensibility sufficient to effectively pair continued struggle with creative consolation and resilience.

Слияние человека и машины: взгляд Дэвида Кроненберга на проблему киборга

The article discusses the topic of interaction between technology and human being through the prism of the cyborg concept. The author provides an introduction to this concept, starting with its invention by scientists Manfred Kleins and Nathan Kline in 1960, the subsequent interpretation of the cyborg phenomenon by modern philosophers, and further demonstrates how the problematics surrounding this concept is developed by the film director David Cronenberg in his movies. The relevance of this topic is determined by the fact that technology is currently developing so rapidly and intensively that literally before our eyes the integration of the products of these technologies into social life is beginning to have a serious impact on all its areas, and, according to a number of scientists, is capable of having a qualitative impact on human evolution. In this paper, the author uses the methods of film analysis and interpretation to the greatest extent, as these methods in combination allow us to deal with the movies on various levels in the most productive way. Based on the presented material, the author proves that the concept of the cyborg is a relevant and promising phenomenon that allows us to soberly reflect on the way humans are merging with technology and to predict what consequences this may lead to. For a multifaceted study of this topic, the author also touches upon such phenomena as the transformation of morality and social attitudes in a changing world. The author puts special emphasis on David Cronenberg's most recent film "Crimes of the Future", released in 2022, which, in the opinion of the author of the paper, is a definite manifesto in the career of the filmmaker, where he has collected the most important and significant positions from his previous works.

Scientific Acculturation in Russian Turkestan: from Collecting Antiquities to the Practice of Scientific Research

In this article an attempt is made to comprehend the possibilities of applying acculturation approaches to the description of the history of scientific work, scientific societies in Turkestan, as well as joint activities of Russian orientalists and local local historians — “antiquity lovers” in the study of history, archaeology, ethnography, numismatics, cultural heritage of the peoples of Central Asia in the late 19th — early 20th centuries. The article deals with how the traditions of collecting and gathering antiquities among the local population of Turkestan under the influence of the emerging socio-cultural and scientific environment, represented by Russian orientalists, gradually acquired its scientific form. In particular, this contributed to the involvement of local local historians in the scientific study of the region, their mastering of techniques and methods of scientific work with sources and archaeological artifacts, their participation in one of the first and significant scientific societies of Turkestan — Turkestan Circle of Amateurs of Archaeology (TKLA). Involvement of scientific literature and rethinking of archival sources allow us to trace how under the influence of Russian orientalists and “big science” the attitude of local local local historians to antiquities changed, and they came to realize the necessity of its study, careful preservation and the importance of preserving the cultural heritage of the peoples of Central Asia. At the same time, using acculturation approaches, one can see that communication and contacts between representatives of two different ethno-cultural and social groups had a great influence on each other, contributing to scientific and moral transformations. What moved local local historians when they participated in scientific activities? How significant was the influence of acculturation and do acculturation approaches to the history of Turkestan “work” in the study and development of this problem? Local local historians, cooperating with Russian orientalists in the socio-cultural field, contributed to laying the foundations of national archeology, establishment of archeological research, formation of the first numismatic and manuscript collections, provided invaluable assistance to Russian orientalists in the study of local topography, ethnography, history and culture of the peoples of Central Asia. Methodological basis of the study is the concept of acculturation.

Concepts of an ideal city in the history of philosophy.

This article reviews the primary ideas that have been proposed about the «ideal city» from the time of ancient civilization to the present, and it draws key findings that are important for comprehending the details of contemporary urban development. The article pays a lot of attention to the social essence of the dynamics of the city, ideas about the ideal organization of urban space and its infrastructure. The comparison of modern models of the ideal city with the views of Plato, Aristotle, Al-Farabi and other thinkers and scientists on the ideal city testifies to the importance of these ideas. The authors consider the evolution of ideas about the geometry of urban space, conditioned by certain socio-ethical, aesthetic, mythological and religious priorities, basic scientific concepts and prevailing worldviews, as well as practical tasks of ensuring the safety of the city. Projects of urbanization and social reconstruction, where the ideas of spiritual and moral transformation of man and society prevail, for all their utopianism, cannot sink into the past. They encourage thinking about the possibility of building models of urban and social reconstruction that meet millennial aspirations for security, justice, the common good, and comfort. The article draws attention to the growing negative consequences of the urbanization process, the need for a serious justification of the policy of formation and development of megacities, its implementation taking into account the principle of multifactoriality.

John Fante's Ask the Dust: Between art and self-dramatisation

In John Fante's Ask the Dust, Arturo Bandini's ambition to become a great writer overrides his disadvantages as the son of Italian immigrants searching for his place in American society. With cocksure arrogance he cultivates the fantasy self-image of a confident womaniser to compensate for his lack of sexual experience. His inability to confront reality without distorting its features through his wild fantasies continually frustrates his attempts to write a novel as a follow-up to his short story The Little Dog Laughed. Criticism on the novel has traced his moral transformation from egotism to empathy without, however, taking into proper consideration Bandini's idea of himself as an author and the manner in which Fante constructs a series of narrative voices to create a self-dialogue within the text between the older Bandini as narrator and the younger Bandini as protagonist.

The Moral Matrix of Capitalism: Insights from Central and Eastern Europe

This special section aims to shed light on moral milieus and agencies in contemporary capitalist central and eastern Europe. Drawing on case studies from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Russia, it offers insight into changing perceptions of proper economy and practice amongst a broad range of actors—from landfill workers to business managers and the super-rich. The contributors explore how actors at various scales morally construct, contest, and defend ideas of justice, (re-)distribution, and social worth, as well as socio-economic hierarchy, inequality, and harm. They analyse the capitalist moral transformation and order in the region and examine the local appropriation of and buy-in to (as well as critique of) aspects of neoliberal moral orders—a topic sidelined in much of the existing moral economy scholarship. Exploring a broad range of moral economic phenomena, the contributors move beyond the conventional definition of morals as prosocial norms and action, approaching morals as a broader empirical phenomenon of economy and politics. They examine the actions, practices, and reasoning of different actors in relation to shifting notions of acceptable and unacceptable, just and unjust, and praiseworthy and blameworthy behaviour. As such, this collection makes the case for widening the empirical object and analytical purchase of moral economy to include the study of not only moral critiques and resistance to capitalism but also the diverse moral agencies, milieus and orders of capitalism, and the ways in which the advancement and embedding of the capitalist moral order has shaped economic life in the region.

How Much Moral Psychology Does Anyone Need? Tolstoy's Examples of Character Development and Their Impact on Readers

AbstractNothing was more important to Tolstoy than character development. For him, the purpose of life is to grow morally. The purpose of literature — as all art — is to aid that growth. Abstract philosophy and pedantic scholarship are therefore redundant. Indeed, even the psychological novel is a distraction. Moral truths are self‐evident. They are always simple. They are expressed by the humble. They are known by the meek. To become good, all we need to do is peel back the layers of hypocrisy and deceit that have overwrought us. Moral truths are known all over the world, but they are forgotten or covered up. There is nothing like a folktale, a pithy aphorism, or the words of a farm laborer or child to point this out. We may be surprised by what we already know and how deceived we were. All Tolstoy's varied endeavors, his literature, pedagogic theory and philosophy, center on moral conversion and its only legitimate motivation: love. Tolstoy's affront on modern civilization, documented vehemently in his later works sought to teach this lesson. This was a view of character development that had wide ranging impact all over the world, influencing many of the most famous thinkers, educators, and activists of the twentieth century. Tolstoy's stories continue to enthrall and inspire moral transformation. In this article Daniel Moulin explains why.

Be Friendly, Never Friend – Quality of Relationship Between Juvenile and Educator

The educator profession at the Youth Detention Centre undoubtedly requires specific abilities, skills, and concrete knowledge since, from the beginning of their work, an educator must interact with youth who often exemplify pathological behaviour models. The article refers to the paradigms of social rehabilitation pedagogy. Referring to the social rehabilitation process of minors, it is worth presenting the figure of a social rehabilitation educator, who undoubtedly plays a vital role in this process. The role of an educator, perceived as a helping person, is not the easiest one, especially when working with demoralized people who do not comply with social and legal norms. The staff must have a positive attitude towards social rehabilitation goals. The article's primary purpose is a contemporary reflection on understanding the art of being an educator, a social rehabilitation pedagogue, communication, the relationship between the educator and the juvenile, and the barriers in everyday work with juveniles at social rehabilitation centres. As an autotelic value, juveniles staying in social rehabilitation institutions deserve subjective and understanding relationships with an educator whose competencies, desire for personal development, and knowledge of their weaknesses will contribute to creating an interaction initiating the juvenile's moral transformation process.

Research on moral issues related to the use of artificial intelligence in modern society

The purpose of the article was to highlight the philosophical and axiological guidelines in the moral and ethical dimension of artificial intelligence. The task of the article was to analyse the ideas and beliefs in the contemporary scientific discourse on the positioning of artificial intelligence in the mental and worldview paradigm of the modern world. Based on the analysed scientific works (a total of 55 studies covering the issues of correlation between morality and artificial intelligence published over the past 5 years), an attempt was made in order to determine the relationship between morality and technicality. Methodology. The methodological arsenal was provided by general scientific methods, primarily of the analytical cluster. At the same time, purely philosophical methodological approaches were used: dialectical and synergistic methods, which determined the level of coexistence and interaction between artificial intelligence and moral norms. The results of the study indicated the inter-integration of technology and morality in modern society. This trend is expressed in several key dimensions: artificial intelligence as the basis for a new moral paradigm, the transformation of morality under the influence of artificial intelligence, balance, and autonomy of innovative technologicality and traditional morality. Prospects for further research include the development of unified guidelines that will determine the moral norms of artificial intelligence and the potential level of technological impact on the transformation of morality. Conclusion. Thus, artificial intelligence has de facto integrated into socio-cultural use at the global level, which has actualised the need for its assessment and understanding in terms of morality and ethical principles.

The Way of the Bodhisattva

Abstract What can Buddhism offer contemporary religious understandings of King Lear? Shakespeare's great wisdom play has been viewed, more often than not, as pessimistic, even nihilistic, in its tragic rendering of the human condition. A Buddhist perspective challenges the premises of such a bleak reading by offering profound insight into how suffering gives rise to compassion, empathy and wisdom, rather than despair. Focusing particularly on the enigmatic spirituality and moral function of Edgar, this article illuminates his character through the revered teachings of a classic Indian text of Mahāyāna Buddhism, Shāntideva's Way of the Bodhisattva. Edgar appears in the heroic light of a bodhisattva, an enlightened being who seeks to alleviate the suffering of others. His journey exemplifies the human potential for moral transformation, selflessness and universal love in his responsiveness to the suffering of others who wander in a saṃsāric world of ignorance, attachment and aversion.