Ethical Situations Research Articles

Ethics in the provision of obstetric and gynecologic health care for non-binary and transgender individuals.

Transgender and non-binary individuals often face bias and a lack of awareness, knowledge, and sensitivity from healthcare professionals. This article aims to raise awareness of the concepts of medical ethics among OBGYNs, so they will be better able to approach complex ethical situations in a clear and structured way when providing obstetric and gynecologic health care for transgender and gender-diverse patients.

Unveiling the Ethical Dilemmas of Digital Piracy: A Comprehensive Exploration of Motivations, Attitudes, and Behaviors

Driven by several elements, including the unwillingness to pay for material, the spread of subscription services, and the profitability of illegal activity, digital piracy has grown to be a common problem in the contemporary world. Along with financial damages for businesses and content creators, this phenomenon has legal repercussions for individuals involved in piracy and cybersecurity issues. The effective fight against digital piracy depends on an awareness of the drivers and hazards connected with this illegal activity. With an eye towards a thorough knowledge of this intricate problem, in this study, the focus centers on the reasons, attitudes, and actions behind digital piracy. Through examining how people defend their behavior in particular situations, in this study, the aim is to clarify the ethical issues and decision-making procedures related to piracy—even among otherwise law-abiding people. Combining a variety of the relevant literature and ideas, including situation ethics theory, in this study, we seek to provide insights for legislators, business players, and academics eager to meet the difficulties presented by digital piracy. This study adds to the continuous discussion on lessening the detrimental effects of digital piracy on content creators, businesses, and cybersecurity by looking at the underlying reasons for piracy and supporting legal access to material. Along with a dearth of research on the origins and moral questions of digital piracy, there is a lot of contradictory material. By examining the factors behind this unlawful activity, clarifying the complex dynamics involved, and offering understanding of the causes of digital piracy, this study seeks to close a significant void in the knowledge. The findings of this study will enable individuals to develop strategies for handling this prevalent issue in the digital era. Developing successful interventions that can reduce this illegal conduct and safeguard the interests of content producers, businesses, and cybersecurity overall depends on an awareness of the reasons behind digital piracy. This study advances the knowledge of the difficulties presented by this global phenomenon by investigating the ethical issues and decision-making procedures related to digital piracy.

Research prACTivisms – a methodology for a-more-than-educational-academic knowledge production

ABSTRACT This article aims to problematize knowledge production as merely an academic researcher endeavour by investigating how research can invite preschool-aged children to activate knowledge in situ. Informed by Isabelle Stengers’ theoretical framework, we developed the research methodology of Research prACTivisms through three propositions: activating an ecology of practices, engaging a direct democracy, and emerging situation ethics and values as means for change and transformations in continuous processes and activations. We argue that Research prACTivisms may produce and activate marginalized actors and knowledge in order to produce contemporary and situated political research practices and approaches.

Training beginning therapists to respond to basic ethical situations in therapy: deliberate practice vs case discussion

ABSTRACT In this small, randomly controlled pilot study, we compared deliberate practice (DP) with case discussion (CD) for training beginning therapists to manage basic ethical situations. First-year graduate students were randomly assigned to a DP (n = 7) or CD (n = 8) workshop about ethics in therapy. After receiving didactic instructions, the DP group practiced responding to ethical scenarios with feedback and repetition while the CD group engaged in group discussions of illustrative cases. Outcomes included self-report skills, knowledge, and confidence and blind ethical performance ratings (EPRS) of pre- and post-video recorded performance on eight therapy simulations portraying basic yet challenging ethical situations. Both DP and CD improved self-report and performance-based outcomes for beginning trainees learning to handle ethical situations in therapy. However, the DP group performed better than the CD group in the multiple relationship scenarios. This small, pilot study provides initial evidence that DP may provide added benefits to traditional methods of ethical training with beginning therapists.

Benevolent and spiritual – undergraduate social care students’ identification with religious beliefs and moral virtues in a Finnish context

ABSTRACT Moral beliefs guide interpersonal behaviour and responses to ethical situations and are an integral element of professionalism in relationship-based social care practice. This qualitative interview-based study focused on identifying the religious and moral beliefs of undergraduate social care students (N = 19) at the Finnish, non-religiously affiliated Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. The participating students’ beliefs are discussed in reference to virtue ethics and efforts to determine positive moral standards for interpersonal relations. The results show that a majority of the students identified as spiritual but not traditionally religious, in accordance with the changing religious landscape in Finland and beyond. However, their moral beliefs were in some respects linked with certain prosocial dimensions of religions; for example, several students stated that they valued the Golden Rule in Christianity. Overall, the students considered benevolence to be the key virtue in character, attitude and action, believing a good person to be someone who respects other people and helps, not harms them. The students’ views are in line with the ethical considerations that recognise social care as a profession that aims to protect and promote human dignity. The implications of this study are discussed in the context of developing future social care professionals’ moral education.

"Doing the right thing": Moral conflicts and ethical issues experienced by military nurses during wartime.

The War on Terrorism, which included Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014 and the concurrent Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) from 2003 to 2011, exposed military nurses to situations and challenges for which many reported feeling unprepared. Clinically, nurses faced multi-trauma injuries and devastating wounds suffered by military troops and civilians alike. Cultural issues and harsh living conditions added further complications to the care environment. The purpose of this study was to address the research question: How do military nurses identify, assess, manage, and personally resolve ethical issues occurring in nursing practice during wartime deployments? Qualitative grounded theory provided the design for this study. Using the constant comparative method, data collection, and data analysis occurred simultaneously to build a theory of ethical issues management during wartime. Using a focused interview guide responsive to emerging themes and developing theory, interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation was achieved. Participants represented primarily Army (55%) active duty (83%) female nurses (71%) who had deployed to Iraq (52%), Afghanistan (32%), or both (16%). A sampling grid was used to recruit nurses representative of the demographics deployed in support of OIF and OEF. Data analysis usedgrounded theory methods to identify a core construct to detail proposed relationships and concepts. Rigor was maintained in study methods and analysis using established tenets to support trustworthiness. The nurses shared stories regarding their experiences during deployment. Many struggled to find internal resolutions regarding the care of detainees, cultural differences, end-of-life decision-making, pain management, and care of civilian casualties. The study described the ethical issues military nurses encountered during wartime and the strategies used to mitigate moral conflict. By better understanding how nurses define, assess, and manage ethical situations, we can better prepare our deploying nurses for future conflicts. Military nurses returning from wars with unresolved moral conflicts are at risk for moral distress. Moral distress has been associated with burnout, dissatisfaction with and leaving the nursing profession, compassion fatigue, and disinterest in the provision of quality patient care. In the interest of preserving the health of military nurses, steps need to be taken to provide resources for helping them prepare for, encounter, and cope with the ethical situations inherent in wartime nursing care.

Tensions, assumptions and situated ethics: attuning to the unpredictability of ethics in early childhood research participation

ABSTRACT Research in early childhood settings requires careful consideration of the impact on all children in the setting, whether participants or non-participants, and evolving ethical approaches in response to children’s needs. However, flexible approaches and, ‘in the moment’, ethical adaptations are not routinely reported as part of early childhood research. Drawing on examples from previous qualitative, observational research studies, conducted by members of The Open University early childhood research group, this article reflects upon and adds to some of the ethical challenges highlighted by Richardson, T. [2019. “Why Haven’t I got one of Those?’ A Consideration Regarding the Need to Protect non-Participant Children in Early Years Research.” European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 27 (1): 5–14] in an article for this journal. These include the impact of research on non-participating children, the influence of the researcher and research tools, expressions of dissent during research, and adapting iteratively. Six considerations for ethical attunement in early childhood research emerge, which could offer an ‘aide memoire’ for early childhood researchers and encourage more transparent sharing of unpredictable ethics in early childhood research.

A situational ethics and harmonization challenges in the case of EU biodiversity data governance

ABSTRACT The article discusses challenges in harmonizing biodiversity data by considering situational ethics in the valuation of data practices. Data harmonization involves technical processes for managing and governing data by linking, aligning, and binding datasets. Our study views data harmonization as a socio-technical practice encompassing both technical management and cultural contexts of data production and valuation. Using qualitative interviews, we aim to understand data harmonization through Reflexive Thematic Analysis, identifying patterns within empirical data. Our research shows data harmonization as aligning datasets and settings involving human and non-human agents within EU biodiversity data politics. Through qualitative inquiry, we explore EU biodiversity data politics as a model of biodiversity datafication, highlighting challenges and values such as learning processes for all actors, simplicity in data management, broad adoption of observation schemes, and promotion of the Western model of engaged citizenship as a good observer.

Notarial Documents in Electronic Format as a Means of Proof in the Field of Marital and Family Relations

Introduction: in a contemporary context, a notary is not conceivable without electronic documents; notary practice is immersed in electronic document management. Notarized evidence in electronic form is a multifaceted and widely used means of proof. The proof provided by a notary in electronic format can be fully used by participants in marriage and family relations, wherein, in addition to the legal aspect, there are many moral and ethical situations. The norms of the current legislation of the Russian Federation enshrine a mention of the procedure for providing electronic proof by a notary, but there is no detailed regulation of it. This type of proof is grouped separately in normative legal acts and is only mentioned in the explanations of the higher courts. The doctrine has not developed a unified approach to the provision of electronic proof by a notary. In notarial practice, there are cases of refusal on the part of notaries to inspect information in electronic form. Considering the above, the author formulated the purpose of the study: the identification, analysis, and formulation of signs of notarial documents in electronic format, allowing them to be recognized as a means of proof in the field of marital and family relations. The purpose setting led to the solution of the following tasks: the consideration of the legal possibilities of notaries to create electronic proof in a broad and narrow sense; the analysis of the norms of existing legal acts, the explanations of judicial practice and the work of civil lawyers dedicated to providing electronic proof by a notary; the identification and establishment of the fundamental signs of electronic proof provided by a notary as a means of judicial protection; the definition of the concept and types of electronic proof provided by a notary, their classification; the consideration of examples of the use of electronic proof provided by a notary in the field of marital and family relations and the identification of technical and legal advantages of such use. Methods of the research of phenomena and processes: dialectical, formal legal (dogmatic), the method of comparative jurisprudence, and concrete social and comparative law methods. The research is based on the method of analyzing current Russian legislation and law enforcement practice. Results: the substantiation of the technical and legal advantages of using notarial documents in electronic format as a means of proof in the field of marital and family relations. The present study is based on: 1) determining the legal nature of proof and its essential characteristics; 2) the projection of these characteristics onto evidentiary information in electronic form; 3) the identification of legal and software-technical signs of electronic proof and the establishment of types of electronic proof; 4) the particularization of using electronic proof; 5) the justification of using a notarial document in electronic format as a means of proof; 6) the analysis of the procedure for providing electronic proof by a notary and the identification of the legal features of such a procedure; 7) the classification of electronic proof that can be provided by a notary; 8) the illustration of the advantages of using proof provided by a notary in electronic form through the example of marital and family relations. Conclusions: as a result of the research done: 1) the absence of legal norms regulating the activities of notaries to provide electronic proof is established; 2) the legal and practical need to group electronic proof provided by a notary into a separate type is identified, as well as the establishment of signs that allow identifying this proof; 3) a number of advantages associated with the use of electronic (digital) proof provided by a notary are identified, including their prejudicial value as well as their lack of validity; 4) the definitions of electronic proof and electronic proof provided by a notary are disclosed, and the classifications are proposed; 5) examples of the use of electronic proof in the fields of marriage and family relations are shown.

On equal terms?

Vulnerable groups are characterised by a special need for protection, e.g. because they are linguistically, cognitively or physically impaired or traumatised or have not yet developed certain abilities. So far, communication research has not addressed vulnerable groups as research participants from an ethical-reflective perspective—whether they are interviewed or observed in a study or exposed to potentially (re)traumatising content as transcribers or coders in a content analysis or as part of a research team. This article fills this gap by, firstly, specifying the concept of vulnerability and relating different approaches and models from procedural and situational ethics. Secondly, along the research process of study planning, sampling, data collection, processing, analysis and publication, the article focuses on phase-specific challenges and ethical considerations in working with vulnerable groups. Based on various examples, the possibilities and limitations of communication studies, along with other fields, are highlighted. The article concludes with recommendations for future studies and raises key questions that can guide self-reflection before and during communication research with vulnerable groups.

Ethical Dilemmas and Coping Experiences of Nurses Caring for Patients With Hematologic Cancer: A Phenomenological Study.

The study aimed to evaluate the ethical dilemmas faced by nurses who provide care to patients with hematologic cancer and determine their coping mechanisms using a phenomenological approach. This qualitative study was conducted with 35 nurses employed in clinics specializing in hematologic cancer patient care, living in diverse regions of Turkey, using semistructured, in-depth interviews through the WhatsApp mobile application. The snowball sampling technique was utilized to identify participants, and interviews continued until data saturation was achieved. All interviews were recorded and subsequently transcribed. Data analysis was conducted using Colaizzi's phenomenological analysis method, with the study adhering to the COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist for reporting. In the analysis of the data, 2 categories (ethical dilemma situations and coping experiences) and 6 subthemes (treatment, care, professional values and beliefs, emotions, struggling with emotional burdens, and psychosocial approach) emerged. According to the results, nurses responsible for hematologic cancer patients struggle with ethical dilemmas in healthcare delivery and face challenges in effectively addressing them, which could potentially impact the quality of healthcare provided by nurses.

A Just Englishman in Russia: The Ethical Self in Penelope Fitzgerald’s The Beginning of Spring

ABSTRACT In her historical novel, The Beginning of Spring, Penelope Fitzgerald explores English identity in pre-revolutionary Russia by putting her expatriate hero Frank Reid to the test in ethical situations. Engaging with critical attention to the novel’s moral meaning, this article offers an ethical reading alongside Paul Ricoeur’s study on ethical intention and Emmanuel Levinas’s ethics of the face of the other. Frank’s ethical self can be imputed from his aim of becoming a just man in the Moscow business community. To achieve that aim, he must make ethical deliberations based on his practical wisdom and the moral injunction that regulates the intersubjective relationship between the self and the other. He ultimately fails his ethical aim because of the unjust institution – he is othered in/by Russia. I conclude with a gesture that the novel is Fitzgerald’s ethical intention of giving a voice to the other Russian culture.

Classicist Development of FATHER-SON Topos in “The Adventures of Telemachus” by Fénelon

This article analyzes the “father-son” topos in “The Adventures of Telemachus” by Fénelon in relation to the cultural-historical situation and philosophical-aesthetic achievements of the 17th century. It explores the complex interactions of mythological motifs and the results of their individual-authorial artistic embodiment in Fénelon’s novel. The basis for understanding the “father-son” topos in a new anthropological paradigm is revealed, focusing on the image of the evolving individual capable of justifying the historical possibility of a more rational social structure. The influence of the philosophical and ethical situation of the era on the interpretive characteristics of the topos in the novel is determined. The evolution of the traditional archaic image of the epic hero is traced with a shift in roles. It is argued that the novel depicts not only traditional mythological tests of strength but also new “psychological” tests arising from changes in the philosophical-ethical situation: loneliness, love, power. The study’s novelty lies in identifying the author’s ideological stance shaping the topos “the ruler’s love for his people as for a son.” The research confirms the thesis of the determining influence of worldview attitudes of the era and cultural coordinates on the historical fate of the topos as a literary phenomenon.

Ethical Tensions in Municipality Management

This study investigates ethical tension situations that municipal managers face in their everyday working life by identifying the occurrence and nature of such situations, their contextual and organizational dependence and what resources are available to handle and/or solve them. The study is based on in-depth qualitative interviews with 21 municipal managers from various sectors. In total, 222 ethical tension situations were revealed. The main finding of the study is the identification of the importance of contextual and organizational dependencies, regarding not only managers’ experience of ethical tensions but also the resolution of such tensions. In the paper a contextual model of managerial tensions is presented that gives account to the different logics, value systems, norms, regulations, and ethics, that make up the complex world in which municipal managers find themselves and need to handle.

Revisiting the evaluation of IT ethical scenarios using a multidimensional scale

PurposeIn 2001, Ellis and Griffith used a multidimensional ethics scale including three subdimensions of moral equality, relativism and contractualism to examine the ethicality of IT scenarios. In the 20 plus years to follow, there has been an exponential growth in uses and users of technology. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to ascertain if the multi-item ethics measure remains valid in spite of the technological advances and progression of communication made possible through technology.Design/methodology/approachThe survey consisted of technology-related ethical situations, an ethical judgment scale, an engagement scale and demographical questions. The sample size was 366, consisting of mainly white, upperclassman, American-native males having proficient experience with computers and spending an average of 20 h or less a week on a computer.FindingsThe findings reveal that both moral equity and relativism have a positive relationship with engagement across all tested scenarios, while contractualism has a positive relationship in four scenarios. Furthermore, a significant difference between the means of gender exists in four of the six scenarios. These findings indicate that indeed college students can not only recognize, but also make an ethical decision to not engage in unethical behavior and reconfirm that using a multidimensional ethics scale is warranted.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is not without limitations. First, the data is cross-sectional and causal inferences are not warranted. Second, the sample consisted of students and may not be generalizable to employees. Therefore, future research may sample employees in a technology organization to provide greater insight into ethical judgment and engagement in such scenarios. Another limitation of this study is that the scenarios were generated from students discussing their concerns regarding various ethical judgment situations they anticipate encountering in the near future with technology. Although this method of developing scenarios addresses current concerns of students, some of the scenarios do not directly apply to the workplace and may appear to be limited in their applicability. Therefore, future studies should consider developing scenarios that reflect more practical situations that occur in the workplace in general and through work-life blending.Practical implicationsOne of the implications of these findings is that universities and business schools who embed ethics courses in the curriculum need to incorporate moral reasoning in ethics courses, as moral reasoning is an essential component of ethical decision-making and is shown to have a positive relationship with engagement in this study. By providing students with instruction on moral reasoning, universities can equip them with the skills to make ethical decisions that align with the values of their future employers and ameliorate their engagement levels. Continuing professional education in these ethical issues areas helps bridge college edification with practical career application, and ensures that as technologies and situations change, future business professionals are equipped to navigate changing environments and ethical scenarios.Social implicationsWith a brighter spotlight shining on employee ethical behavior both in and out of the workplace (Parker et al., 2019), the ability to make moral choices is vital. This study’s findings indicate that an increased focus on ethics education in universities is effective in helping future business professionals recognize and avoid ethical lapses. Therefore, it may be worthwhile for organizations to invest in ethics training programs to promote ethical decision-making skills among employees. By doing so, organizations may create a culture that values ethical behavior and provides employees with the tools and knowledge necessary to make informed and ethical decisions.Originality/valueThis study highlights the importance of ethics education and training programs and underscores the need for organizations to foster a culture of ethical behavior. Additionally, the study’s findings regarding gender differences call for greater efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace, particularly in leadership positions.

Ethical challenges in residential care facilities during COVID-19: Leaders' perspective.

Person-centred care is based on ethical principles, and it is regarded as high-quality care. Care of older persons should embrace person-centredness. During the pandemic, older persons were highlighted as a vulnerable group at risk of developing serious illness and/or suffering death from COVID-19. Several pandemic-related measures were introduced in residential care facilities (RCFs) to reduce this risk, which influenced the possibilities to lead and provide a person-centred care. This study's aim was to explore ethical challenges in relation to person-centredness during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspective of leaders in RCFs. The study had a qualitative descriptive design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 leaders working in RCFs in Sweden. Data were analysed using conventional content analysis. The study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. The participants received oral and written information about the study and gave written consent. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The overarching ethical challenge was Having to disregard the individual needs of the person in order to protect the group and society. This included (a) Protecting the group versus promoting the older person's autonomy; (b) Being forced to lead care based on uncertainty instead of evidence; (c) Striving to provide dignified care but lacking opportunities; and (d) Going far beyond ordinary duty and endangering one's own and the staff's health. The ethical challenges meant being torn between the person's individual needs and protecting the group and society, with clashing ethical principles as a consequence. The leaders faced ethical situations resulting in undignified and compromised person-centred care, which has implications for stakeholders and management who need to address the work conditions in RCFs.

Индивидуальный и персонализированный подход в биоэтике: основные принципы и рекомендации

Social medicine focuses on the social and economic aspects of health and related inequalities. It recognizes the im-portance of considering the sociobiological context of the patient when prescribing and providing health care.In this understanding, a person in social medicine is considered as an individual who is in interaction with the environment, social living conditions, cultural factors, access to medical services, economic and political realities. It also includes understanding the pa-tient's needs, expectations and preferences and how these may influence treatment decisions and subsequent recovery.This article dis-cusses the topic of an individual and personalized approach in bioethics. The basic principles underlying an individual and personalized approach in bioethics include taking into account individual values and preferences of patients, ensuring their autonomy, attention to potential risks and affirming equity in access to personalized medicine. The authors identify the main principles and offer recommenda-tions on the use of an individual and personalized approach in bioethics. An individual approach to planning and treatment includes taking into account the physiological, psychological, social and spiritual characteristics of the patient. It aims to create a treatment plan that, based on scientific evidence, best suits each patient's individual needs and goals. Ethical resolution of dilemmas and conflicts is an integral part of the individual approach. An open dialogue between the patient and members of the medical community, as well as ad-herence to the principles of justice, allows us to reach agreement and constructive solutions in difficult ethical situations. Overall, an individualized and personalized approach to bioethics helps improve the quality of medical practice and meet the unique needs of each patient. It embraces and respects the identity and diversity of individual values and beliefs, helping to create a more equitable and humane health care system.

Higher Education and Higher Inequality

Background: This case study focuses on gender inequality in a higher education setting. It involves both human resources and leadership management situations. By participating in this study, students will be able to do the following: critically examine a gender inequality case study; recommend a solution or outcome regarding a case of gender inequality in a global setting; and justify and defend their decision-making skills in uncertain and complex ethical situations and gender inequality. This case study is best suited for undergraduate students in a human resource, ethical leadership, or social change theory course. In addition, this case study is also appropriate for business professionals in the human resource field. Objectives and Learning Outcomes: Learning outcomes include: 1) Critically examine a gender inequality case study; 2) Recommend a solution or outcome regarding a case of gender inequality in a global setting; 3) Justify and defend their decision-making skills in uncertain and complex ethical situations and gender inequality; 4) Research examples of gender inequality in the workplace. Some information has deliberately been excluded from the case study to promote further research and discussion to give students an opportunity to give an end to the story. Teaching Notes: Teaching notes are available with this case study.

What keeps you up at night? Moral distress in nurse leaders in the USA, Germany, Austria and Switzerland

PurposeNurse leaders are challenged by ethical issues in today’s complex health-care settings. The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze key elements of moral distress identified by nurse leaders from health-care systems in the USA, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The aim was to develop an understanding of distressing ethical issues nurse leaders face in the USA and three German-speaking European countries.Design/methodology/approachThis descriptive cross-sectional study surveyed a convenience sample of nurse leaders in the USA, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The voluntary, anonymous survey also included qualitative questions and was distributed using the Qualtrics® platform. A thematic analysis of the qualitative data in each country was carried out and a comparative analysis identified similarities and differences between the groups of nurse leaders comparing the US data to that from three German-speaking European countries.FindingsThe survey was completed by 316 nurse leaders: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (n = 225) and the USA (n = 91). Similar themes identified as causing all nurse leaders moral distress included a lack of individual and organizational integrity, hierarchical and interprofessional issues, lack of nursing professionalism, patient care/patient safety concerns, finances negatively impacting care and issues around social justice. Within these six themes, there were also differences between the USA and the three German-speaking European countries.Originality/valueUnderstanding the experiences associated with distressing ethical situations can allow nurse leaders and organizations to focus on solutions and develop resilience to reduce moral distress in the USA and three German-speaking European countries.

Joseph Fletcher on Agapeic Love: An Evaluation

Joseph Fletcher offers a Christian Situation Ethics when he affirms that belief in God and belief in God’s agape’ as the central value of ethics cannot be proven by natural reasoning but can only be held by a free action, chosen by the believer. He interprets 1 John, chapter 4: 16, especially v. 19: “We love because he first loved us,” as establishing that humans only know agapeic love because they have first known and believed in God’s agapeic love as revealed in the greatest love in the actions and teachings of Jesus. However, Bernard Haring a Catholic, 20th century German moral theologian, disagrees with that interpretation, noting that both Augustine and Aquinas hold that although God’s creative love is first in the order of being, it is not first in the order of learning. They hold that humans first experience generous human love amongst humans before they even accept that God’s creative love is first in the order of being. Also, even Karl Barth, the great Swiss Calvinist theologian, has a remarkably positive affirmation of human eros. Barth invents a new term ‘humanity’ in order to recognize the being of humans as “free, radically open, willing, spontaneous, joyful, cheerful and gregarious.” This paper will build upon the positive analysis by Augustine and Aquinas of generous human love as first in the order of learning and upon the positive evaluation of human ‘eros’ and ‘humanity’ as suggested by Barth by developing three main divisions: (1) The paper will draw upon C.S. Lewis’s distinction between need-love and gift-love and evaluate both Fletcher and Lewis himself as offering an inadequate conceptualization of human love as always tainted by need-love. (2) The paper will draw upon the moral philosophies of Aristotle and John Dewey who offer us a most positive evaluation of human love as transcending selfishness in their focus upon a person’s self-actualization in something greater than the self. (3) Finally, the paper will draw upon the reflections of the theologian Gregory Baum who was influenced by the French thinker Maurice Blondel. Blondel and Baum, then, offer a different grasp of humanity and God than the extrinsicist theology offered by Joseph Fletcher and C. S. Lewis in which God swoops in upon human nature to save humans from their sins with the Gift-love from above. Following the lead of Blondel, Baum develops an “intrincisist” grasp of human striving, not as: that of the intellect seeking deeper truth; it is, according to Blondel, the dynamics of the will seeking ever greater self-realization through continued action. It is there, in their willing, that God is present to human beings, and it is in their actions that they say Yes to the divine presence.