Public Morality Research Articles

Making RealDolls regulation at the border work

PurposeIn an effort to reduce ambiguity around customs clearance of items deemed pernicious to public morality and present lessons for customs administration, this research aims to explore ways to improve customs clearance for RealDolls. Furthermore, by suggesting specific ideas to improve the process, this research also aims to contribute to the future customs clearance of socially controversial and legally ambiguous items.Design/methodology/approachThe authors have decided to review studies from ethical and legal perspectives to focus on the legislation and its enforcement issues. The literature review is designed to provide insights on how to incorporate legal and ethical reasoning in the customs clearance process for RealDolls. Supplementary interviews were also conducted with criminal lawyers and customs officials to obtain expert knowledge on domestic legislation and customs control against the sex toys industry.FindingsAs a result of the study, it is found that a complete ban on RealDoll infringes on individuals' right to pursue happiness guaranteed by the Constitution and in most cases, cannot be implemented without loopholes. Therefore, it is suggested that the import regulation on RealDolls should be changed to the negative list system, which selectively disapproves certain RealDolls based on a list of RealDolls previously denied clearance by either the Supreme Court or the Customs Clearance Screening Committee. In addition, to have sufficient ethical and legal grounds, it is necessary to expand research on RealDolls regulation and actively introduce the process of obtaining social consensus.Originality/valueThere has been little discussion on regulating RealDolls on the customs clearance level; no specific criterion exists except the public morality clause. This study is vital in that it reviews issues of RealDolls customs clearance from legal and ethical perspectives. Doing so also has a practical significance of providing implications for the customs policies regarding items deemed pernicious to public morality.

The Weathersfield Affair

The Weathersfield Affair

Broadening the ontology of threats verbalized in written communication on the Internet

The topicality of the research is justified by intensification of distractive communication between Internet users and by lack of understanding how to regulate such speech behavior, as the social function of internet-mediated communicative environment is still undetermined. The paper explores communicative features of threats-punishments and threats-warnings verbalized through written communication mediated by gadgets with access to the Internet. The aim of the research is to define the perlocutionary effect produced by verbalized threats based on written communication. Threats are understood as utterances containing a message about harmful consequences of the action of a threat sender towards a recipient of the threat if he or she will or will not do some action demanded in the threat. Verbalization means that threat is articulated in speech communication and realized in verbal form. The research hypothesis is tested on the basis of 68 threatening messages in the Russian language retrieved from contexts of speech communication in internet-messengers and on social network sites. We prove that the addresser (threatening person) verbalizes treats mostly in the form of punishments describing possible damage to the addressee’s (recipient’s) life and or health. We found out that threatening speech acts verbalized on the Internet are mostly similar in form and content to those realized in face-to-face communication. However, Internet threats are mostly determined as a reflection of emotional-modal state of the addresser in response to the actions of the addressee. Men are more active in the verbalization of threats-punishments, whereas women verbalize more threats-warnings. People tend to protect themselves by ignoring threats addressed to them. The obtained results clarify the idea of Internet-threat as affected speech behavior, the regulation of which is impossible within the framework of the existing legislation; therefore it is necessary to develop a criteria base consistent with public morality, with the participation of expert and academic communities and technological companies.

Public Morality as a Mental, Social and Determinative Phenomenon: Neuroethical Aspects

Under the conditions of a rich transformation of the Ukrainian society the national morality’s problem acquires contradictions in today's information society, therefore interaction researches of its aspects in social regulation have always been and are important. Modern neuroethics is formed as an academic disciplinary, asserting to be a variety of overlay ethical issues, apologetic and morality by the natural models established on new neurobiology’s notes and cognizable sciences. The aim of the article is to explore the essence of folk morality as a mental, social and determinative phenomenon, its neuroethical aspects particularly. In previous eras, education aimed to instill personal virtues and shape character, so ideas about moral life are in all cultures over time. In centuries-old religious teaching, the commandments have been used as the basis for moral behavior. They were given by God Moses himself on Mount Sinai after a forty-day conversation (Yakuhno I., 2019). In modern philosophy, where the ideals of democracy, for example, embrace the fundamental concepts of freedom, equality, respect and dignity for all, people have the right to determine for themselves what moral life is. Such a conversation covers different points of view among observers and scholars who think deeply about these issues. Therefore, folk morality has become the subject of our study, because it is not just a basic model to follow, but fundamental.

EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION VERIFICATION OF CIVIL RESPONSIBILITY FOR STUDENTS IN LABOR EDUCATION

The article considers the problem of forming civic responsibility of students in the lessons of labor training. The phenomenon of civic responsibility is defined as an integrative manifestation of a number of its constituent components: socially active life position; independence, persistence, self-analysis, self-control and self-organization in public relations; compliance with civil norms and values; honesty; willingness to take responsibility for their own actions; appropriation of norms and principles of public morality; national and planetary consciousness. It is concluded that the indicator of students’ acquisition of optimal levels of civic responsibility is their mastery of its constituent components. Criteria for the formation of civic responsibility are determined, which determine the degree of mastery of its components by students on the basis of productivity of their expression in educational activities and development of civic qualities of students: knowledge and understanding of civic norms and values; formation of value attitudes to the components of civil responsibility; activity of actions in application of practical experience of civil responsibility. On the basis of reasonable criteria and indicators of the formation of civic responsibility of students, the levels of its formation are determined: high, sufficient, medium and initial. The effectiveness of the formation of civic responsibility of primary school students in the lessons of labor training was revealed experimentally. Positive growth dynamics was found at three levels of civic responsibility (sufficient, medium and initial), and regression was established at a high level. Positive dynamics of growth of the initial level and negative regression at a high level of civic responsibility indicate that the existing traditional approaches to the formation of civic responsibility of primary school students in labor training are ineffective and require conceptual adjustment and appropriate organization of specially selected teaching methods.

Family Morality and Tolerance for Corruption

A tolerant attitude towards corruption is considered in connection with the norms of family morality, aimed primarily at maintaining the well-being of loved ones and relatives. Based on the obtained em­pirical data, it is argued that the norms of family morality compel the closest relatives of a corrupt offi­cial not to protest against illegal income and not to condemn their corrupt relative for his or her illegal activities. Family morality in this situation is opposed to public morality, aimed at the common good and the observance of laws. It is proposed to consider the conflict of the society norms and family norms as necessary in all those situations where the interests of a large social group (society) do not coincide with the interests of a small social group (family) included in it.

Funnel plots a graphical instrument for the evaluation of population performance and quality of trauma care: a blueprint of implementation.

Using patient outcomes to monitor medical centre performance has become an essential part of modern health care. However, classic league tables generally inflict stigmatization on centres rated as "poor performers", which has a negative effect on public trust and professional morale. In the present study, we aim to illustrate that funnel plots, including trends over time, can be used as a method to control the quality of data and to monitor and assure the quality of trauma care. Moreover, we aimed to present a set of regulations on how to interpret and act on underperformance or overperformance trends presented in funnel plots. A retrospective observational cohort study was performed using the Dutch National Trauma Registry (DNTR). Two separate datasets were created to assess the effects of healthy and multiple imputations to cope with missing values. Funnel plots displaying the performance of all trauma-receiving hospitals in 2020 were generated, and in-hospital mortality was used as the main indicator of centre performance. Indirect standardization was used to correct for differences in the types of cases. Comet plots were generated displaying the performance trends of two level-I trauma centres since 2017 and 2018. Funnel plots based on data using healthy imputation for missing values can highlight centres lacking good data quality. A comet plot illustrates the performance trend over multiple years, which is more indicative of a centre's performance compared to a single measurement. Trends analysis offers the opportunity to closely monitor an individual centres' performance and direct evaluation of initiated improvement strategies. This study describes the use of funnel and comet plots as a method to monitor and assure high-quality data and to evaluate trauma centre performance over multiple years. Moreover, this is the first study to provide a regulatory blueprint on how to interpret and act on the under- or overperformance of trauma centres. Further evaluations are needed to assess its functionality. Retrospective study, level III.

A visual history of First World War women and humour identified in contemporary cartoons

ABSTRACT This article discusses the use of cartoon visual depictions of women during the First World War and the humour within them for the viewing public. Extensive historiography of women and war recognizes female contributions to the war effort, and the underlying integrity of motherhood throughout. Nonetheless, how audiences perceive visual representations of women during war do not feature within this literature to the same degree. Evaluation of cartoon humour alongside context of images of women historicizes the content and its impact on respective contemporary audiences. News publications throughout the war provide appropriate visual sources, and most for this study come from the British Cartoon Archive (BCA) at the University of Kent. The article considers three predominant tropes of female cartoon illustration during the war: the young and flighty, the elderly matron and the allegory of combatant nations. Cartoons of these womenvisibly take on new positions in war: helping the war effort or misunderstanding new situations whilst maintaining traditional positions from before the war. Humorous alterations to anticipated stereotypes provide didactic purpose showing the public how to behave, or more specifically how not to with the younger and older depictions. The final group of allegorical personas revisit older national and abstract icons to aid public morale providing relief and hilarity through enemydenegration or support and strength when visualizing home nations. This article argues how humorous cartooning of women in wartime preserved the pre-war status quo of female positions in society to provide comfort and relief to the public despite acknowledged female involvement in the war effort overall.

Desecration of dead bodies and their burial places: legislation improvement issues

For a long period of time, the main regulator of relations associated with various encroachments on the bodies of the dead and the places of their burial was religion; however, the transition of society from traditional to post-industrial predetermined the changes in settlement of the analyzed crimes. In order to preserve the moral principles and moral health of society, the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation singles out an independent group of crimes that infringe on public morality, one of which is Desecration of the dead bodies and their burial places. The article discusses issues related to the commission of encroachments on the bodies of the dead and the places of their burial. They presented the description and characteristics of the objects of encroachment, as well as qualified compositions. The dialectical approach to the disclosure of legal phenomena and processes using general scientific (systemic, logical, analysis and synthesis) and specific scientific methods are utilized to gratify the aims of the study. The author substantiates the consistency of the approach regarding the synonymy of the concept "violation" and "desecration".

Public Moralities, Citizen Voices, and Disparate Fears

This article examines the contours of “the public’s morality(ies)”, either as an aggregate of individuals’ public hopes and fears or (in the plural) as particular mixes of hopes and fears stemming from individual (or coalitional) moral convictions. Our theoretical understanding of one aggregate “public morality” relies upon Derek Edyvane’s presentation of a civic virtue premised upon an austerity whereby citizens value a collective sense of protection as highly as the realization of their individual public aspirations. We scrutinize Edyvane’s theoretical construct in reference to a collection of citizen letters responding to Gerald Ford’s 1974 pardon of Richard Nixon made available by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. These letters illustrate a conceptual typology of public morality that reflects various combinations of the public hopes and fears Edyvane delineates; this typology accommodates most of the available letters. Psychological studies pertaining to prosocial behavior, individual moral convictions, and conspiracy beliefs are reviewed to understand sectarian fears that animate current political discourse. In this regard, we offer examples of political utterances appearing to fall outside Edyvane’s treatment of public fears. A final discussion considers how citizen fears arising from disparate moral convictions affect administrative decision-making. It also directs attention to behavioral public administration that offers a micro-level perspective on individual behavior that impacts governance.

Nexus between social responsibilities of young cinematic celebrities and public recognition: Evidence from China.

As public figures, cinematic celebrities’ behaviors have widespread influence on the whole society, and this also applies to China. Their influence is reflected in public recognition. This research classifies celebrity social responsibility as behavior within the law, professionalism, family ethics, public morality, and charity. We selected 286 cinematic celebrities as study objects and obtained public recognition data through 2,600 questionnaire surveys. The findings of the study indicate that there is a positive, linear relationship between cinematic celebrities’ social responsibility and public recognition. In particular, family ethics and public moral responsibility demonstrate a significant positive correlation with public recognition. However, there was no significant correlation found between lawful responsibility and public recognition. Finally, this paper makes additional suggestions and recommendations drawn from the data and reported in the conclusion.

Haidt’s Durkheimian Utilitarianism—a Charitable Interpretation

In the paper, I aim to reconstruct a charitable interpretation of Durkheimian utilitarianism, a normative theory of public morality proposed by well-recognised American moral psychologist – Jonathan Haidt, which might provide reasons to justify particular legal regulations and public policies. The reconstruction contains a coherent theory that includes elements of rule-utilitarianism, value pluralism, objective list theory and perfectionism, as well as references to Emile’s Durkheim views on human nature. I also compare Durkheimian utilitarianism with two similar theories – Brad Hooker’s rule consequentialism and Krzysztof Saja’s institutional function consequentialism.

A Study on the Rules for the Recognition of Surrogate Paternity in China

In the context of surrogacy using artificial reproductive technology, the identity of genetic mother, birthing mother, and legal mother are separated, leading to difficulties in the determining paternity. In China, surrogacy contracts are invalid because they are against public order and morality and may not be used as the basis for paternity determination. Among the doctrines on the determination of surrogate paternity, the birth theory ignores the genetic link, the bloodline theory ignores the fact of conception, the contract theory is against China’s position, and the best interest of the child theory is too open. In light of the actual situation in China, the determination of surrogate paternity should be based on the principle of biological connection and social connection, and the relevant rules should be applied flexibly in accordance with the specific circumstances of the case.

Relationship between the coronavirus pandemic and criminal activities: Emerging evidence from Fiji Islands

Introduction: The spread of the coronavirus has led to strict containment measures around the world, simply to restrict the gathering of a large number of people. In Fiji, the COVID-19 lockdown measures are affecting different social aspects, including crime rates and criminal activities.
 Methods: This study was based on a secondary analysis of aggregated crime data, presenting preliminary analyses on crime trends across the Fiji Islands, during the first six months of the curfew period. It considers how the crime patterns shifted due to the numerous containment restrictions. We studied the crime data during the first six months of the curfew period, starting from March 31 to September 30, 2020, against the average of crime occurrences for the same period over the last four years (2016-2019).
 Results and Discussion: The study shows an overall increase of 18.8% in crime occurrences, during the curfew period. The disobedience against lawful orders were largely made up of curfew breaches (with an astounding increase of 2602 cases), with the southern and western divisions registering the majority of offences. The study also provides evidence of a decrease in offences against public morality (-41.7%) and property (-26.8%) during the curfew period, which could most likely be linked to strict stay-home restrictions and limited mobility. Criminal offences such as burglary (-24.6%), theft (-22%) and aggravated robbery (-23.3%) show a decreasing trend in the curfew period. However, a worrying increase in offences against the drugs ordinance act (104.4%), common assault (28.6%), serious assault (97.4%) and criminal intimidation (36.8%) is noted in this study. It could be interpreted that the central division (-46.4%) was possibly the safest area in Fiji during the first few months of the curfew, while the southern (17.9%) and western (29.2%) continue to show an increasing crime trend.
 Conclusion: The findings of this research are consistent with the predictions of the routine activity theory, which estimates crime rates to fluctuate during an exceptional event. Regardless of some limitations and directions for future research, the current study contributes to the literature on exceptional events and crime through an ongoing pandemic in the South Pacific.
 Keywords: Coronavirus, Fiji, lockdown, crime rates

Romancing the frontline: a view from dar es salaam on intimacy and political attachment

This article explores the entwinement of inter-racial romance, political mobilization, and public morality using the vantage-point of Dar es Salaam as a relay station for 1960s leftwing exiles. Cleansed from many formal political accounts, romance – and talk of it – loomed large and consequential in the everyday rhythms of life along the transnational networks of political exiles who transited through Dar. Featuring couples whose trajectories connected Southern Africa to Tanzania and the United States, the article revisits the intimate ways that the anti-Apartheid movement, African decolonization, and American campus struggles over racial discrimination were stitched together. But if romantic attachment played a significant role in political mobilization across these geographies, on the ground in Dar it also furnished a powerful lexicon for rank-and-file cadres challenging a leadership class via a critique of lifestyle and consumption. This latter dynamic both made romance a focus for material struggle over the terms of a decolonization-in-waiting and connected Dar’s community of exiles to the vernacular politics of their host city.

Polarized Citizen Preferences for the Ethical Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources in 20 Countries.

Objective. When medical resources are scarce, clinicians must make difficult triage decisions. When these decisions affect public trust and morale, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts will benefit from knowing which triage metrics have citizen support. Design. We conducted an online survey in 20 countries, comparing support for 5 common metrics (prognosis, age, quality of life, past and future contribution as a health care worker) to a benchmark consisting of support for 2 no-triage mechanisms (first-come-first-served and random allocation). Results. We surveyed nationally representative samples of 1000 citizens in each of Brazil, France, Japan, and the United States and also self-selected samples from 20 countries (total N = 7599) obtained through a citizen science website (the Moral Machine). We computed the support for each metric by comparing its usability to the usability of the 2 no-triage mechanisms. We further analyzed the polarizing nature of each metric by considering its usability among participants who had a preference for no triage. In all countries, preferences were polarized, with the 2 largest groups preferring either no triage or extensive triage using all metrics. Prognosis was the least controversial metric. There was little support for giving priority to healthcare workers. Conclusions. It will be difficult to define triage guidelines that elicit public trust and approval. Given the importance of prognosis in triage protocols, it is reassuring that it is the least controversial metric. Experts will need to prepare strong arguments for other metrics if they wish to preserve public trust and morale during health crises.HighlightsWe collected citizen preferences regarding triage decisions about scarce medical resources from 20 countries.We find that citizen preferences are universally polarized.Citizens either prefer no triage (random allocation or first-come-first served) or extensive triage using all common triage metrics, with “prognosis” being the least controversial.Experts will need to prepare strong arguments to preserve or elicit public trust in triage decisions.

Religious Otherness and National Identity in Scandinavia, c. 1790–1960: The Construction of Jews, Mormons, and Jesuits as Anti-citizens and Enemies of Society

Religious Otherness and National Identity in Scandinavia, c. 1790–1960: The Construction of Jews, Mormons, and Jesuits as Anti-citizens and Enemies of Society

THE APPLICABLE LAW REGARDING MATERNAL CUSTODY

The phenomenon of child abduction after divorce due to mixed marriages has spread widely, as the legal texts governing the issue of custody through mixed marriages differ between countries, so the issue of conflict of laws in custody has been strongly raised. In many countries, the legislator did not set unified objective rules governing custody, which gives the legal and practical justification for opening the door to jurisprudential differences and differing judicial rulings because the child is the basis for the relationship between the father and mother after divorce. This prompted a study of the legal nature of custody, to determine the legal adaptation of custody, to set rules of attribution for custody, and to determine the eligibility of the custodian for the child., to determine the applicable law, the statement of its objective rules, the position of international agreements on custody and the extent of the commitment of states to implement them. The same applies in the case of the application of public order and morals, the domicile or place of residence of the child in custody and the criteria for the interests of the child, and other issues.

Hisbah in Public Moral and Marketplace Control: From Historical to Indonesian contexts

The Hisbah is an institution in Islamic history that deals with marketplace control and public moral surveillance. Hisbah institution represents the state's effort to uphold social order based on the ideals of Islamic teachings. Although hisbah functions surveillance decreases, its function draws attention from scholars and public officials. The article aims to reveal the root and development of the hisbah along with history and its function in contemporary Indonesia. The article employs a synchronic and diachronic approach to track the development of hisbah and to portrait its relevance in a contemporary Indonesian context. The function of hisbah stems from the practice of the Prophet Muhammad and guided caliphs, while institutionally hisbah develop from market supervision authority to a broader function that encompasses morality. The function of hisbah in monitoring public morals emerge during the Abbasid. The importance of hisbah institution may decrease, but its functions are embodied in several modern institutions
 

오하라 유가쿠(大原幽学)의 농촌지도와 실천방식= ‘성학사법(性學仕法)’에 관한 연구 - 에도시대 일본의 농촌개혁실천의 의미와 영향 -

Yugaku Ohara, along with Sontoku Ninomiya, is known as a representative agriculturalist and thinker who rescued and reconstructed the ravaged rural areas at the end of the Edo period. This study, as part of the study of the Japanese mentality, analyzed Yugaku's thoughts and practical activities concretely and empirically. Yugaku's ideology was systematized as the science of the holiness of heaven and earth, and was called Seonghak. It was an independent idea that gave the Samurai morality to the peasants. Filial piety was emphasized for the perpetuity of Ie, and it was emphasized that the soul should be rectified according to one's intelligence and skill. Emphasizing the perpetuity of Ie(家), Yugaku placed great importance on the education of children and women, and created a unique educational method called gaeko (換子). In addition, Yugaku, who settled in the Kanto region (Bousou) after his long wandering life, tried to rationalize the lives of peasants and organize the community in a new form in a unique way called ‘SeigakuShihou’ based on his own Seonghak. In particular, he created a cooperative called Senjo Kabu Cooperative and provided innovative guidance in terms of living and agriculture. In addition to improving the productivity of the village, the emphasis was on thrift through crackdown on public morals, joint purchases, and joint labor. In terms of agriculture, major projects were promoted such as farmland consolidation, land exchange and division, distribution and relocation of housing, construction of a model pioneer village called Shukuuchi, preparation of year-round worksheets, mulching, and self-sufficient fertilizer. Even after his death, Yugaku was interpreted in various ways in connection with the state of affairs, and he is a rural leader who has had a great influence on the present day.