Normative Ethical Theory Research Articles

AI, Reconciliation, and Settler Teachers’ Mediated Morality

This case study addresses the integration of generative AI (GenAI) within educational practices, particularly in the context of reconciliation and decolonization of curriculum in Canadian schools. The case focuses on a teacher using ChatGPT to generate Cree star stories for a grade 4/5 science unit, aiming to fulfill the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) educational calls to action. The study explores the ethical implications of using AI to include diverse knowledge traditions, questioning the potential harms and benefits, and highlighting the challenges of ensuring AI aligns with Indigenous epistemologies. Normative ethical theories and the TechnoEthical Framework for Teachers (TEFT) are employed to examine how AI technologies shape and mediate teacher practices and pedagogical responsibilities.

A Phenomenological Analysis and Evaluation of the Meanings Attached to Examination Malpractices by the Teachers and Students in Kisii County, Kenya.

In Kenya the problem of examination malpractice keeps on recurring amidst stringent measures. This study gives the perspective where understanding the meaning attached to examination malpractice by the teachers and students helps in minimizing the annual cyclic examination malpractices. Its main objective is to present a phenomenological analysis and evaluation of the meanings attached to examination malpractices by the teachers and students in Secondary schools in Kisii County. The study was carried out in Kisii County, Kenya. It focused on students and teachers in secondary schools in the County who have experienced the problem of examination malpractice. Given that examination malpractice is an ethical problem and those who engage in it justify their actions using certain ethical theories, the study was guided by normative ethical theories. It utilized descriptive survey research design through open-ended questionnaires for data collection. Purposive and snowball sampling procedures were used to pick the respondents whose number was indeterminate given that the study is qualitative and only interested in getting the qualitative data as opposed to quantitative data. This fitted well with the snowball referrals from one relevant participant/interviewee to another. The study adopted hermeneutic and transcendental phenomenological approaches for both prescription and analysis of data. The findings showed that: there are examination malpractice meanings that are popular/conventional such as a deliberate act of a wrong doing and implied/unconventional such as an effect of pressure to get good examination grades; the meanings attached to the examination malpractice by the teachers and students in Kisii County influence the perpetuation of the menace. The study makes the following conclusion: Implied/unconventional meanings influence examination malpractice more than the popular/conventional meanings if the cyclic perpetuation of examination malpractice is to be justified. The study recommends that curbing measures should be directed equally on both the implied/unconventional and the popular/conventional meanings given that paying attention to only the latter has not given the expected educational outcomes.

A Phenomenological Analysis of Experiences of Parents, Teachers and Students about Examination Malpractices in Kisii County, Kenya

While the problem of examination malpractices in Kenya has been a perennial one, the efforts put in place to address it have not fully borne fruits. This study focused on understanding this scenario from the phenomenological perspective that sought to examine the experiences of teachers, parents and students in Kisii County about examination malpractice and the relationship therein. The following was its objective: explore the complexity of examination malpractice, its related ills and the responsibility of the education stakeholders as experienced by the teachers, parents and students in Kisii County. The study focused on parents, students and teachers in secondary schools in the county who have experienced the problem of examination malpractice. It was guided by normative ethical theories to understand its persistence. It utilized descriptive survey research design through focused group discussions and open-ended questionnaires. Purposive and snowball sampling procedures were used to pick the respondents complemented by document analysis. The study adopted hermeneutic and transcendental phenomenological approaches for both prescription and analysis of data. The findings showed that: forms of examination malpractice are either conventional or non-convectional and are grounded in either the positive or negative experiences of teachers, parents and students; The study makes the following conclusions: focusing on both conventional and non-conventional forms of examination malpractice gives a wider understanding of what ails the examination process in Kisii County; understanding the negative and positive experiences of teachers, parents and students in regard to examination malpractice as well as understanding its complexity is key in formulating a comprehensive solution to the menace; and the network to hold those who engage in examination malpractice responsible to be widened. The study recommends more focus on both the conventional and non-conventional forms of examination malpractices to capture in detail what ails the examination process in Kisii County; utilization of both the negative and positive experiences of the students, teachers and parents to come up with more all-encompassing solutions to the issue of examination malpractice that is grounded in their experiential attitudes;-, and more analysis of the complexity of examination malpractice to generate more lasting solutions to the menace.

A critical consideration of Foucault’s conceptualisation of morality

The background of this research is the status and significance of an ethics of care of the self in the history of morality. I followed the following methodology: I attempted to come to nuanced, critical understanding of the Foucault’s conceptualisation of morality in Volumes II and III of The History of Sexuality. In the ‘Ancients’, Foucault uncovered an ‘ethics-oriented’ as opposed to a ‘code-oriented’ morality in which the emphasis shifted to how an individual was supposed to constitute himself as an ethical subject of his own action without denying the importance of either the moral code or the actual behaviour of people. The main question was whether care of the self-sufficiently regulated an individual’s conduct towards others to prevent the self from lapsing into narcissism, substituting a generous responsiveness towards the other for a means-end rationale. I put this line of critique to test by confronting Foucault’s care of the self with Levinas’s primordial responsibility towards the other and put forward a case for the indispensability of aesthetics for ethics. In conclusion, I defended the claim that care of the self does indeed foster other responsiveness.Intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary implications: Foucault’s ethics, understood as an ‘aesthetics of existence’ has profound intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary implications, as it challenges traditional ethical normative ethical theories and engages with various fields of philosophy, social sciences and humanities. Interdisciplinary fields greatly influenced by Foucault’s ethics include: psychology, literary, cultural, gender and sexuality studies, medical ethics, anthropology and history, among others.

The Relationship Between Public Policy in the Domain of Public Economic Law Policy

The objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between public policy in the domain of public economic law policy. The primary policymakers in the field of public economics, in light of ethical schools of thought, aim to distinguish between the current state and desired goals. They strive to bridge the gap between what is and what should be by utilizing various tools. On the other hand, the successful implementation of these processes depends on the continuous evaluation of all components of these two main and significant factors, which is typically carried out based on various elements such as the governing principles of public law and economic policy. Muslim jurists generally extract these principles by referring to numerous Quranic verses and Hadiths or by utilizing different jurisprudential approaches. In addition to these legal discussions, various economic schools have also structured their systems of policy evaluation using their own targeted and diverse criteria regarding moral valuation. The findings indicate that choosing any of the approaches—deontology, virtue ethics, or ethical economics—has specific implications for evaluating the policies of different legal and economic schools. Muslim economists, as well, have proposed other methods, aside from normative ethical theories, to derive the governing principles of Islamic economic policies. They have adopted frameworks of Islamic economic value systems based on referencing Quranic verses, Hadiths, or employing jurisprudential approaches to extract these principles.

Bentham's Utilitarianism Ethical Theory and Its Application in the Triage System: A Scholarly Philosophical Paper

Background: Jeremy Bentham introduced Utilitarianism, which is one of the normative ethical theories that impose procedures that maximize happiness and well-being for all intended individuals. Utilitarianism has been applied to the crisis of global poverty, the ethics of raising animals for food, and social welfare economics. Purpose: This study aims to apply Bentham’s utilitarianism ethical theory in the triage system. Methods: In the current paper, we study the application of the concept of utilitarianism in the triage system in disasters as an example of a nursing healthcare system. Results: Utilitarianism is a practical framework for the triage system during crises and pandemics. It represents an important style of thought in modern life. Conclusion: Utilitarianism could be applied in some situations, such as pandemics and crises. However, it has some limitations related to being unable to apply some principles of human rights and social justice. Implications for Nursing: This paper underscores nurses' crucial role in navigating ethical dilemmas in the triage system, advocating for a practical framework grounded in the utilitarianism ethical theory. Nursing institutions should establish clear guidelines and provide ongoing training to equip nurses with the skills needed for effective ethical decision-making in resources care environments. Keywords: Jeremy Bentham, Utilitarianism, Triage system, Nursing, Philosophy.

Egoism as a Problem for Robust Moral Realism

As a normative ethical theory, ethical egoism may seem compatible with the metaethical theory of moral realism. However, in this article, I will problematize such an assumption. The reason is that an important motivation for rejecting moral anti-realism by many moral realists—like Derek Parfit, Torbjörn Tännsjö, and Erik J. Wielenberg—is that such a view entails that not even cruel or horrendous acts are to be called wrong by any universal or objective standard. I suggest that this motivation also applies to the ethical theory of egoism, as it may imply that no one has any obligation to refrain from cruel or horrendous acts as long they are beneficial to the agent. On that basis, I will demonstrate that egoism is a problem for robust moral realists that also, to a large degree, is being overlooked.

Study of Meaning and Function in Koa Baradaik Game in Nagari Duo Koto, West Sumatra

Koa game is one of the activities carried out by Minang men that still exists today. Generally, Koa games are played by four people in pairs (Mandan) in a sitting position and facing each other. In the Koa game, there is a game concept called Baradaik. Koa Baradaik is a form of game based on normative ethics applied in each game. This paper aims to discuss the meaning in the game Koa Baradaik and its correlation to social life. The method used in this paper is a qualitative research method of analysis with an ethnographic approach. The data type consists of primary data and secondary data with data sources consisting of field observations, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis was carried out using normative ethical theory. The results of the study stated that the Koa Baradaik game is a game that adopts the Minangkabau philosophy which aims to bind and prevent deviant behavior by each individual. In addition, Koa baradaik gives birth to functions consisting of (1). Means of thought (2). Koa baradaik becomes a cultural identity in the form of games that contain normative ethics.(3). Koa Baradaik as a means of forming social interaction.

Этика буддизма в свете западных нормативных этических теорий: этика добродетели

In the last two decades, a comparative trend has developed within the discipline of Buddhist ethics in which scholars argue which of the major Western normative ethical theories is closest to early Buddhism: virtue ethics, consequentialism, or deontology. This article is devoted to the view of Buddhist ethics as a variant of virtue ethics. The article begins with a statement of the basic provisions of Buddhist ethics on which researchers rely when constructing the theory of Buddhist ethics. The purpose of this article is to show why the comparison of Buddhist ethics with the virtue ethics of Aristotle seems to be a successful and productive variant of the conceptualising Buddhist ethics, able to compete with the equally popular consequentialist approach. The work is mainly based on the consideration of the argumentation proposed by Damien Keown, a researcher who was the first to thoroughly approach the study of Buddhist ethics from a comparativist point of view, opening a wide field for discussion. Keown defends the view of Buddhist ethics as a variant of Aristotle’s virtue ethics and offers a critique of the consequentialist interpretation of the ethics of Buddhism. In conclusion, I propose the following solution to the comparative question: from my point of view, Theravada ethics is closest to virtue ethics in its basic positions. However, in Mahayana ethics, the features of consequentialism are more pronounced. Although comparative thinking is certainly interesting and productive, in the end I agree with the position that Buddhist ethics does not fit completely into any of the Western normative theories, but is an independent phenomenon.

“’Why? Why? Why?’ is the question of the course”: Master’s of Public Administration students’ perspectives on their learning in a standalone ethics course and the implications for ethics education throughout the curriculum

This paper reported the findings from 18 qualitative interviews of students across two sections of an elective, standalone ethics course in a Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) accredited Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) program at a northeast university. The findings suggested that a survey of normative ethical theories and opportunities to practice applying those theories to case studies in public administration led students to uncover the values upon which they stood and consider the strengths and deficiencies of those values in practice. Students generally described the value of this learning experience as developing the ability to identify and systematically consider the reason and logic of their ethical perspectives, consider alternatives presented by others, and take a principled stance. Implications of these findings for embedding ethics education across the curriculum in NASPAA accredited programs was considered.

Этика буддизма в свете западных нормативных этических теорий: деонтология

Introduction. Сomparative studies conducted within the young discipline of Buddhist ethics have taken shape around the controversy between those researchers who see the consequentialist character of moral motivation in it and those who defend the similarity between Buddhist ethics and virtue ethics. Despite the fact that such major scholars as Damien Keown or Charles Goodman do not attach much importance to deontological features in Buddhist ethics, there is a small camp of researchers who defend the similarity between Buddhist teaching and deontology. Theoretical analysis. The purpose of this article is to critically examine the grounds on which it is possible to build a defense of comparing the ethics of Buddhism with Kant’s deontology. This analysis should answer the question why the deontological interpretation of Buddhist ethics currently has the least number of supporters. Conclusion. The conclusion is that Buddhist ethics proceeds from other metaphysical premises than Kant’s ethics, and by its nature does not accept the absolutization of moral rules, which is why it is problematic to consider it as a kind of deontological ethical theory. Nevertheless, such comparative studies contribute to a better understanding of both Buddhist teaching and, possibly, Kant’s ethical theory.

Расцвет буддийских этических исследований в англоязычных странах

From the second half of the 20th century, Buddhist texts have been attracting close attention of English-speaking philosophers, in particular, the interest has been drawn to the ethical teaching contained in the texts. The purpose of this review paper is to describe the history of the emergence and development of an interest in the ethical aspect of Buddhist teachings in the West. The author notes the Buddhist sources containing the ethical elements and identi­fies possible reasons for the absence of a developed ethical theory in classical Buddhism. Hav­ing analyzed the place of ethics in traditional Buddhism, the author proposes to distinguish three periods of research, of which the last began in the 90s of the 20th century and was marked by the formation of Buddhist ethics as an independent discipline: thematic academic journals appear and a philosophical community is formed around them, which in a new way inter­prets the traditional provisions of Buddhism from the perspective of problems characteristic of Western philosophy. The last part of the paper describes the main topics developed within the discipline of Buddhist ethics. One of the research areas is related to the systematization and understanding of ethical positions within Buddhism through their comparison with Western normative ethical theories such as virtue ethics, deontology and consequentialism. Within the framework of another approach, Buddhist ethical theory is constructed through the study of the questions of determinism and free will, agency and moral responsibility. The third sig­nificant approach to studying the ethical aspect of Buddhism focuses on looking at the modern theoretical and practical problems in the light of Buddhist teaching. In the end it is concluded that, despite the great success of the development of the discipline of Buddhist ethics, it has not yet acquired integrity, and that many important advances remain to be made.

Ethics of Care as a theory of normative fundraising ethics

AbstractLittle normative ethical theory exists in the nonprofit marketing literature. Previous attempts at an ethical framework for the field of nonprofit fundraising fell short of fully considering the full spectrum of relationships involved in fundraising practice. We introduce the concept of Ethics of Care, an ethical theory that centers around relationships and interpersonal well‐being, as a philosophical foundation for professional ethics in the field of fundraising. We believe this theory provides a suitable framework in which to ground questions of professional ethics for nonprofit fundraising professionals. The adoption of Ethics of Care as a normative ethical theory for fundraising will allow applied ethical questions in the field to be explored in a way that more fully addresses all parties involved in fundraising and affected by its outcomes. Our paper illustrates the process of applying the foundational principles in specific ethical quandaries found within fundraising and aims to address the omission of the beneficiary in the majority of previous ethical frameworks and promote a new set of standards that fully incorporates and balances all stakeholders' needs.

Hooker's rule‐consequentialism and Scanlon's contractualism—A re‐evaluation

AbstractBrad Hooker's rule‐consequentialism and T. M. Scanlon's contractualism have been some of the most debated ethical theories in normative ethics during the last twenty years or so. This article suggests that these theories can be compared at two levels. Firstly, what are the deep, structural differences between the rule‐consequentialist and contractualist frameworks in which Hooker and Scanlon formulate their views? Secondly, what are the more superficial differences between Hooker's and Scanlon's formulations of these theories? Based on exploring these questions and several purported differences between Hooker's and Scanlon's views, this article argues that, at the structural level, the two theories are more similar than previous recognised. It suggests that there is only one candidate for a deeper difference and even it may not be that significant. This insight sheds new light on both contractualism and rule‐consequentialism, and it will also help us to formulate better versions of the views.

The Palgrave Handbook of Practical Animal Ethics

The Palgrave Handbook of Practical Animal Ethics

Ethical (Dis) Comfort in John Maxwell Coetzee’s Age of Iron (1990)

This article is concerned with making visible ethical (dis)comfort in John Maxwell Coetzee’s Age of Iron (1990) as it unearths how feelings of comfort and/or discomfort shape the individual when associated with ethics across boundaries of inequality, racism, violence, poverty, injustice rather than with the development trust in government and public institution. The inference here is that one of or the two feelings are necessary found in the individual experiencing directly or indirectly the Apartheid system. Therefore, faced with the humanitarianism system, the ontological assumption that underpins the argument, named the characters involved in the situation of ethical (dis)comfort, rests on the embodied, situated, affective, and creative dimensions of their expressions. Leaning on Aristotle’s rhetorical strategies of ethos, logos and pathos, normative ethical theory, axiology, and onomastics, the article analyzes the shift from moral dis-ease to normative ethics by uncovering the socio-psychological development processes and the creation of a space of consciousness and imagination through the author’s (re)conciliation paradigm and multi-racial nation ideal.

The Dawn of the AI Robots: Towards a New Framework of AI Robot Accountability

Business, management, and business ethics literature pay little attention to the topic of AI robots. The broad spectrum of potential ethical issues pertains to using driverless cars, AI robots in care homes, and in the military, such as Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems. However, there is a scarcity of in-depth theoretical, methodological, or empirical studies that address these ethical issues, for instance, the impact of morality and where accountability resides in AI robots’ use. To address this dearth, this study offers a conceptual framework that interpretively develops the ethical implications of AI robot applications, drawing on descriptive and normative ethical theory. The new framework elaborates on how the locus of morality (human to AI agency) and moral intensity combine within context-specific AI robot applications, and how this might influence accountability thinking. Our theorization indicates that in situations of escalating AI agency and situational moral intensity, accountability is widely dispersed between actors and institutions. ‘Accountability clusters’ are outlined to illustrate interrelationships between the locus of morality, moral intensity, and accountability and how these invoke different categorical responses: (i) illegal, (ii) immoral, (iii) permissible, and (iv) supererogatory pertaining to using AI robots. These enable discussion of the ethical implications of using AI robots, and associated accountability challenges for a constellation of actors—from designer, individual/organizational users to the normative and regulative approaches of industrial/governmental bodies and intergovernmental regimes.

Normative fundraising ethics: A review of the field

AbstractThe ethics of fundraising has received scant attention in the academic literature, while there is not a huge amount in the grey and practitioner literature either. There is little that explicitly describes normative theories of fundraising—broad concepts of how fundraising ought to be practised, from which recommendions for applied ethical practice can be drawn. This is the first review of the literature on fundraising ethics, articulating, synthesing and naming (often for the first time) 14 ethical theories/lenses that can be inferred (few are explicitly stated as normative ethical theories) from the literature. In so doing, this review provides scholars and practitioners with a much firmer conceptual foundation for examining and developing professional fundraising ethics, and for analysing applied practice and finding solutions to the ethical dilemmas in applied practice.

Ethical practice in adult lifelong learning: a reflection on its shifting nature and significance for the future

ABSTRACT It is argued here that ethical practice and being in adult lifelong learning are best understood as a feature of competing adult lifelong learning epistemologies informing practice and engagement in the field at all levels. The conceptions of ethics immanent to the epistemologies are not directly identifiable with any of the normative theories of modernist ethics, although they are tangentially informed by the critique generated in and between those theories. Of the five epistemologies and conceptions of ethics identified as important in the field, disciplinary, developmental and emancipatory epistemologies and ethics have been variously prominent throughout its history, but design epistemology and ethics are now generally dominant. However, in response to changes in the contemporary cultural context, the latter are now transforming into a reflexive epistemology and ethic of authenticity, raising the prospect of a number of morally disabling tendencies, the recognition and avoidance of which emerges as an imperative for the future of the field.

Justificatory Moral Pluralism: A Novel Form of Environmental Pragmatism

Moral reasoning typically informs environmental decision-making by measuring the possible outcomes of policies or actions in light of a preferred ethical theory. This method is subject to many problems. Environmental pragmatism tries to overcome them, but it suffers also from some pitfalls. This paper proposes a new method of environmental pragmatism that avoids the problems of both the traditional method of environmental moral reasoning and of the general versions of environmental pragmatism. We call it ‘justificatory moral pluralism’ – it develops the intuition that normative ethical theories need not be mutually exclusive. This leaves room for important forms of pluralist environmental ethics that do not require a once-and-for-all prior commitment to an ethical theory when deciding about policies or courses of action related to the protection of the environment. Justificatory moral pluralism offers a viable solution to the recurrent conflicts between efficient environmental decisions and the need for moral reasoning.