Traditional Ethics Research Articles

The Mindset of AGI Unexplainability in Human-computer Interaction Scenarios from Turing's "Computing Machinery and Intelligence"

Abstract. The emergence of AI-generated content (AIGC) can be traced back to as early as 1950, when Alan Turing introduced the famous "imitation game" in his paper Computing Machinery and Intelligence, which proposed a method to determine whether a machine possesses "intelligence." Since the introduction of the GAN model by Goodfellow et al. in 2014, the issue of autonomy in AIGC has not seen any breakthroughs. However, due to the challenges posed by robustness and the lack of explainability, society is already beginning to anticipate the social issues and anxieties that might arise with the advent of autonomous artificial general intelligence (AGI). The increasing influence of AI technology on society has further driven concerns about the ethical implications of both AIGC and AGI. Specifically, the relationship between human-computer interaction (HCI) and AI ethicsparticularly the role of explainable AIhas become increasingly crucial. Merely understanding the issue of non-explainability from a technical standpoint is no longer sufficient to form a principled basis for AI ethics. In fact, Turing to some extent foresaw the possibility that AI's future development would face such issues. This paper seeks to offer a direction that moves beyond the traditional AI ethics research framework by reinterpreting Turing's original question and analyzing some of the objections he raised. The goal is to provide a new mindset for exploring the necessary modes of thinking for human-computer interaction in the era of AGI.

Are Good Deeds Rewarded?—The Impact of Traditional Morality and Modern Responsibility on Green Innovation

The essence of intergenerational sustainability emphasizes the necessity of incorporating altruistic thinking and culture. While prior studies primarily examined corporate innovation strategies from a self-interested lens, this paper aims to investigate the drivers of corporate green innovation from an altruistic perspective. Analyzing a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2011 to 2019, we employ both the OLS model and the mediation effect model to explore how traditional morality and modern responsibility impact corporate green innovation, as well as the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Our findings reveal that both traditional morality and modern responsibility significantly enhance corporate green management innovation, with social trust serving as a key mediating factor. Furthermore, traditional morality and modern responsibility play distinctive roles depending on the stage of economic development: traditional morality primarily influences green innovation in the early stages of economic development, whereas modern responsibility becomes more influential as development progresses. This study provides meaningful insights for research and practice in corporate sustainability, business ethics, and innovation strategy.

Virtue engagement in contemporary relational psychotherapy: A mixed methods practice‐based study

AbstractIntroductionPositive psychology and virtue ethics traditions suggest that virtue development is a pathway to well‐being, but few studies have examined how psychotherapy in naturalistic settings contributes to clients' virtue engagement.MethodThis study was conducted at a community mental health clinic specialising in contemporary relational psychotherapy (CRP) in the northeast United States. The embedded, explanatory mixed method design included (a) longitudinal mixture‐modelling to identify clients showing gains in relational virtue engagement over time, and (b) interviewing a subsample (N = 15) of these clients.ResultsOur findings suggest that virtue engagement in CRP emerges (a) within the dynamic conditions of the alliance and (b) through holistic attunement to clients' identities, experiences, mental health and growth in capacities that promote wisdom and flourishing. Clinical and research implications and future research directions are discussed.

George Costakis and the Confines of His Collection

Abstract As George Costakis pointed out: “One of the most important precepts for the collector is that he must precisely, even ruthlessly, define the limits of his collection, and he must resolutely remind himself that – on this particular matter – his reach should never exceed his grasp.” Known as the most famous collector of Russian avant-garde, Costakis, never lost his parallel interest in collecting lubki, religious icons, Russian folk toys and also in the art of the so-called “Non-conformists or the alternative art of the 1960s. He had a twin goal: on the one hand, to expand the confines of his collection of Russian avant-garde, by including the early sources of inspiration of avant-garde artists; and, on the other hand, to demonstrate that this art can provide inspiration to the next generation. In fact, he “exceeded his grasp” only in order to make the art of Russian avant-garde better understood, both in its historical and future context. At the same time he followed Sergei Shchukin’s ethical and educational tradition of keeping his collection in public view, turning his typical Soviet apartment into an open house and finally an unofficial museum of modern art.

The Tyumen ethical and philosophical tradition: events and ideas

The Tyumen ethical and philosophical tradition: events and ideas

“I Hope this Brings Comfort to Others; It's Brought Me Comfort Too”: Ceremony-Based Participatory and Practice Research as Indigenist Feminist Methodology

Rooted in Indigenist and critical feminist research principles and traditional Indigenous values and ethics in research, Ceremony-based Participatory and Practice Research (CerBPPR) is an essential approach for conducting research with, by, and for Indigenous communities. In this article, we define CerBPPR through presenting a project centering Indigenous health knowledge and storytelling, detailing the ceremonial protocols and practices interwoven throughout the research process—from design and development through data collection and dissemination. Through an examination of reflections from community members engaged in the project, core principles for research with, by, and for Indigenous peoples are illustrated as they are embodied and embedded within the CerBPPR approach. Findings from oral histories reflecting on the storytelling methods used in the research highlight the ways that community members felt healed, comforted, grateful, inspired, and connected to future generations throughout the project and demonstrate the promise of this approach as both research method and healing practice. In the spirit of feminist disruptions to mainstream research reporting, we use ceremonial prompts, moments of pause, invitations, and offerings to tap into the reader's humanity and embodied experience to approximate the sensory experience of participating in our storytelling/witnessing circle and as illustration of what is possible with CerBPPR.

A tripartite taxonomy of character strengths & virtues: toward professional identity formation in medical students & physicians

BackgroundThere are limited comprehensive descriptions of character strengths and virtues specific to the professional identity formation of medical students in the literature. This absence of a satisfactory summation of virtues has stimulated us to attempt a conceptual framework utilizing a tripartite taxonomy. This taxonomy reflects recent interest in and importance of justice and care of the self.MethodsOur taxonomy is grounded within a perennial tradition of medical ethics that focuses on the moral “excellences” or “virtues” that form the character of a good doctor, as acquired over time within a community of practice. Character refers to the whole set of excellences of a practitioner as a member of the medical community.ResultsWe propose a tripartite taxonomical classification of virtues as Other-Regarding Virtues, Self-Regarding Virtues, and Equal-Regarding Virtues. Though synergistic, each category is readily distinguishable with regard to a fundamental mindset. To thrive, a medical student must develop character strengths that encompass all three categories.ConclusionsOur goal in introducing this tripartite taxonomy is to provide a framework of virtues to contribute to the definition of professional identity. We envision the taxonomy will provide a structure for professional identity formation curriculum development and organize the ever-elusive assessment of professionalism in learners. This taxonomy can also be viewed as an aspirational roadmap for practicing physicians and educators, and as a compass for their daily consciousness. We believe that this taxonomy will enhance the well-being and development of physicians and medical students, and the patients in their care.

Research on the Relationship Between The Outsider and Existentialism

Abstract: As a masterpiece of existentialist literature, The Outsider occupies an important position in the literary genre and offers profound insights into the nature of human existence. Based on the literature review and qualitative analysis, this article explores the existentialist qualities of loneliness, alienation and free choice shown in The Outsider. The article affirms the work's inheritance of the existentialist literary tradition, by emphasizing the meaninglessness of individual existence, the weight of free choice, and the portrayal of a dystopian world. It also delves deeply into the evolution and innovation of existentialism, with a particular focus on narrative techniques and characterization. For example, it challenges traditional morality through the protagonist Meursault's indifference and employs a minimalist style to reinforce existentialist themes and enhances the communication of existentialist ideas within the text.

Этические проблемы и риски формирования цифровой модели современного университета

The relevance of the study lies in the fact that the digital transformation of higher education, being a strategic national direction, envisages universities achieving digital maturity, including through the creation of a digital model that meets the needs of modern society and the digital economy. However, the process of forming a digital university reveals numerous ethical problems, which may lead to ambiguous consequences for both educational institutions and higher education as a whole. This paper examines the concept of a “digital university” and its content, providing an author’s definition and identifying the main elements that form a unified digital educational environment. The advantages of the digital university in comparison to the traditional university are highlighted, and the importance of forming a digital model of the university is determined. Furthermore, the ethical problems that arise during the digitalization of key elements of the digital university are identified and analyzed. The risks associated with the process of forming the digital model of the modern university are indicated, and recommendations for their prevention are provided. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that the digital university model presents a dilemma that can be resolved by developing effective approaches to its creation, with a focus on ethically justified decisions in the use of digital technologies in the educational process. Recognizing the role of traditional university ethics in the digital educational environment, promoting the development of humanities knowledge, and codifying digital scientific and educational activities are essential steps in this direction.

The Code That Binds Us: Navigating the Appropriateness of Human-AI Assistant Relationships

The development of increasingly agentic and human-like AI assistants, capable of performing a wide range of tasks on user's behalf over time, has sparked heightened interest in the nature and bounds of human interactions with AI. Such systems may indeed ground a transition from task-oriented interactions with AI, at discrete time intervals, to ongoing relationships -- where users develop a deeper sense of connection with and attachment to the technology. This paper investigates what it means for relationships between users and advanced AI assistants to be appropriate and proposes a new framework to evaluate both users' relationships with AI and developers' design choices. We first provide an account of advanced AI assistants, motivating the question of appropriate relationships by exploring several distinctive features of this technology. These include anthropomorphic cues and the longevity of interactions with users, increased AI agency, generality and context ambiguity, and the forms and depth of dependence the relationship could engender. Drawing upon various ethical traditions, we then consider a series of values, including benefit, flourishing, autonomy and care, that characterise appropriate human interpersonal relationships. These values guide our analysis of how the distinctive features of AI assistants may give rise to inappropriate relationships with users. Specifically, we discuss a set of concrete risks arising from user--AI assistant relationships that: (1) cause direct emotional or physical harm to users, (2) limit opportunities for user personal development, (3) exploit user emotional dependence, and (4) generate material dependencies without adequate commitment to user needs. We conclude with a set of recommendations to address these risks.

Decolonial AI Alignment: Openness, Visesa-Dharma, and Including Excluded Knowledges

Prior work has explicated the coloniality of artificial intelligence (AI) development and deployment through mechanisms such as extractivism, automation, sociological essentialism, surveillance, and containment. However, that work has not engaged much with alignment: teaching behaviors to a large language model (LLM) in line with desired values, and has not considered a mechanism that arises within that process: moral absolutism---a part of the coloniality of knowledge. Colonialism has a history of altering the beliefs and values of colonized peoples; in this paper, I argue that this history is recapitulated in current LLM alignment practices and technologies. Furthermore, I suggest that AI alignment be decolonialized using three forms of openness: openness of models, openness to society, and openness to excluded knowledges. This suggested approach to decolonial AI alignment uses ideas from the argumentative moral philosophical tradition of Hinduism, which has been described as an open-source religion. One concept used is viśeṣa-dharma, or particular context-specific notions of right and wrong. At the end of the paper, I provide a suggested reference architecture to work toward the proposed framework.

The Anthropocene, Self-Cultivation, and Courage: The Jesuit François Noël as a Witness of Inter-Religious Dialogue between Aristotelian and Confucian Ethics

This article explores the specific role of courage in the context of the Anthropocene’s moment; it first examines Aristotle’s conception of virtues, focusing on courage, before comparing it to Confucian thought and analyzing the historical dialogue between Western and Chinese traditions on ethics through the works of François Noël (1651–1729). Aristotle views moral cultivation as a social process wherein habits shape inner dispositions; in his view, courage is linked to other virtues, such as temperance and justice. For Aristotle, courage implies the appropriate balance between extremes and must be directed toward a worthy end, such as promoting positive change within a community. This Aristotelian perspective was later incorporated into a biblical framework by Aquinas and Suarez, emphasizing dichotomies between body and soul, as well as between humans and other living beings. These dichotomies must be challenged in the face of the Anthropocene’s emergencies. The second part of this contribution proceeds to a detour examining Confucian ethics, which rests on a different anthropology, emphasizing continuities rather than discontinuities. Like Aristotelian thought, Confucian thought also underscores moral education within a community; it prioritizes humanity, embodied through empathy and loyalty. In the Analects, courage is balanced by a sense of rituals and righteousness. Mencius further distinguishes several types of courage, stressing self-cultivation and the ruler’s responsibility to make empathetic, appropriate decisions for the community’s sake. From this perspective, courage is understood as the continuous perseverance in self-cultivation, coupled with a firm intention oriented toward the good of the community. Zhu Xi’s comments on Zilu’s courage in the Analects extend this Confucian tradition. Finally, this article highlights how a dialogue between Aristotelian and Confucian ethics began four centuries ago, particularly through Noël’s Philosophia Sinica, which combined these traditions. This inter-religious approach to ethics, enriched by figures such as Aquinas, Suarez, Zhu Xi, and neo-Confucian thinkers, requires re-evaluation because the understanding of personal ethics and nature has evolved. The modern naturalistic approach, with its emphasis on dichotomies, has contributed to a mechanistic view of nature, fostering its exploitation, and a devaluation of the body. This contrast highlights the urgent need for renewed dialogue between Western and Chinese ethical traditions to address contemporary challenges, with François Noël serving as a historical witness of these exchanges.

School as a place for Bildung and flourishing

Abstract This article explores the potential of schools to enhance students’ well-being and overall quality of life. The discussion is framed through two distinct perspectives: the Bildung tradition and Aristotelian ethics. In regions where the Bildung tradition is prominent, schools are traditionally viewed as environments conducive to fostering humaneness. However, contemporary educational policies often diverge from the core values of Bildung-oriented education. The article advocates for the continued promotion of Bildung and flourishing within schools. To achieve this, certain foundational conditions must be met. One such condition is acknowledging students’ need for a sense of belonging and purpose, which is essential for their flourishing. This flourishing, in turn, equips students with the courage and resilience to face an uncertain future and contribute to societal change. For schools to foster a sense of belonging, they must be meaningful places of interaction and companionship, both physically and socially. This necessitates recognizing that educational environments are situated within specific geographical and cultural contexts. Consequently, education should not be excessively standardized. The Bildung tradition provides insights into why this is important. When combined with Aristotelian ethics, it becomes possible to develop schools that offer students a sense of belonging and purpose, thereby promoting their flourishing. In this framework, Bildung and flourishing are seen as concepts that embody possibilities and optimism, offering hope and empowerment at both individual and collective levels.

이중결과 원리의 도덕과 수업

Purpose: This paper aims to apply the principle of double effect (PDE) to morality and teaching by rethinking the principle as a moral reconceptualization that enables students' moral growth and moral practice by reconciling consequentialist and deontological ethics in the tradition of universal ethics. Methods: First, the principle of double bottom line was analyzed to recognize the need for it to be addressed in school lessons and to summarize its educational value. Next, we used a jigsaw model to implement the principle of double bottom line. Step-by-step instructions, teaching and learning guides, examples of assessment criteria, and examples of materials were presented to help teachers envision how the principle of double bottom line could be applied in their classrooms. Finally, the significance and deficiencies of the lessons were presented to show how the educational value of the theory is being realized in the lessons, reflective evaluation of the measures, and the need and direction of further research. Results: This paper presents the principle of double effect (PDE) as a reflection of the consequentialist aspect of ethics, which defines the purpose of morality as serving the human good, while at the same time respecting the consideration of deontological constraints expressed in the moral law, and reconstructs it as a concept for educational application, noting the educational value that characterizes it as an integrated universal ethics. Conclusion: A moral science course based on the principle of double consequences will contribute to the moral growth of students on a foundation of universal ethics.

The ethics of performance care: A pragmatic feminist analysis of policy for singing voice rehabilitation.

This paper uses pragmatic feminist poststructuralism to explore how ethical theory is applied to singing voice rehabilitation by specialist singing teachers. A critical literature review examines the relationship between traditional and feminist ethical theories and their potential impact on practice. Themes have been extracted from the literature to create an intersectional feminist poststructural analysis framework, facilitating a document analysis of the foundations of three policy documents currently available to singing voice rehabilitation specialists. Poststructural deconstructivism was applied to thematic analysis to consider the impact of ethical theories on policy and practice. Policies we found to be rooted in traditional enlightenment ethics, with a focus on hyper-rationality, androcentrism and legalism. Person-centred care ethics was found to be lacking in all documents. Contrary to best-practice recommendations documents failed to provided practical guidelines for practitioners. Findings indicate adopting an intersectional feminist ethical policy could improve existing documents via a move from legislation and authority towards care and reflexivity.

Prejudice and True Judgement Prejudgment and Final Verdict against 18th Century Traditional Morality. A study of Tom Jones from the Perspective of Gadamer’s Hermeneutics

Prejudice and True Judgement Prejudgment and Final Verdict against 18th Century Traditional Morality. A study of Tom Jones from the Perspective of Gadamer’s Hermeneutics

Research on Heidegger's Fundamental Ethics

Based on Heidegger's idea of original ethics, this paper analyzes the state of how Da-sein has being-in-the-world, takes Heidegger's concept of conscience as an entry point, explores the difference between Heidegger's original ethics and traditional ethics, and reflects on what kind of ethics his thought is. From the perspective of ontology, Heidegger takes the being of human as the highest philosophical ontology, inquires deeply into the existence of Da-sein, and explores the relationship between Da-sein and Being. Through the diffusion of the understanding of Potentiality-of-Being of Da-sein, this paper gradually analyzes the basic construction of Da-sein being-in-the-world, under the definition of the structure Being-in is embedded in the world, the existence of Da-sein being-in-the-world unfolds. In the process of understanding the world, Da-sein is thrown into everyday life, losing himself and falling prey, but the true nature of Da-sein keeps calling him, Da-sein listens to the call of its conscience and makes a decision to face death and his true ones self. Starting from the process of alienation from the true self to the untrue self of Da-sein, we analyze Heidegger's basic concept of human-centeredness. What exactly constitutes the Being of Da-sein and how does the existence of Da-sein unfold. Even though many later scholars and Heidegger himself did not consider his thought to be a concept under the banner of ethics, and considered his thought to be contrary to traditional ethics. What is undeniable is that Heidegger's original ethics, with its in-depth exploration of the inner man, greatly expands the definition of universal morality and norms in traditional ethics.

Mengenal Etika dalam Perspektif Filsafat Islam

The purpose of this paper is to recognize ethics in the perspective of Islamic philosophy. This research uses qualitative techniques based on a literature search. The research concludes that the formulation of ethics in Islam was done by various thinkers from various branches of knowledge, including theologians, mystics, and philosophers. The contributions of these multiple disciplines show how rich and complex the tradition of ethics in Islam is, with each branch of thought offering a unique perspective on developing a framework in Islamic ethics. The shortcoming of this study is that it discusses ethics in the perspective of Islamic philosophy in outline. In future research, this study suggests going deeper into the literature of Islamic ethics specifically on the thought of Muslim philosophers so that future studies of Islamic philosophy are not limited to topics such as the metaphysics of divinity, the creation of nature, and logic. Furthermore, by giving more attention to the study of ethics in Islam, the study of Islamic philosophy has the potential to open a space for dialogue with contemporary moral issues.

Māori Concepts in Animal Ethics: Implications for the Three Rs

ABSTRACT Our aim is to explore how Māori concepts can refresh thinking about animal ethics. As sources of data for this exploration, we draw on interviews with Māori expert informants, as well as information gathered from relevant literature. First, we overview the two main theoretical traditions of animal ethics, unifying and relational, followed by an account of the development and current status of the Three Rs (Replace, Reduce, and Refine) for animal ethics in practice. We then introduce central Māori ethical concepts and how they interconnect within the traditional Māori cosmos. Two more “Rs” fall out of the Māori concepts: Relate and Respect. Māori views of animals center on whakapapa, a unique Indigenous Māori concept, roughly equated to genealogy, which encapsulates in Māori terms how animals are related, both to humans and to primordial forces, thus commanding respect from humans – as kin, and as ethically significant beings in their own right. This Māori argument illuminates the logic of respect that underpins the Three Rs principles for reducing harm to animals in research, testing, and teaching.

Rethinking decolonized universities: a case for proverbs (Dika le Diema) and Ubuntu in humanizing South African universities

The debates over the decolonisation of higher education in South Africa have resulted in differing perspectives on epistemologies and pedagogical techniques. While discussions rage about the conceptualisation and methods of decolonising higher education, as well as the practical efficiency of applying nuanced epistemologies, students continue to face racism, discrimination, and exclusion in higher education institutions. In its broadest sense, the foundation for the conversation on inclusion is founded on the elephant in the room, apartheid, which has been an Achilles heel in the change of South Africa's educational landscape. The apartheid curriculum, in all of its stages, largely prepared workers for low-wage, exploitative work. It showed little concern for emphasising Afrocentric foundations that expanded Black communities' cultural and traditional value systems. Bantu education's harsh social engineering prowess attempted to sidestep African philosophical frameworks (Ubuntu), which are crucial for motivating pupils' confidence, consciousness, and self-actualization. Against this backdrop, this study views decolonisation as a chance to include African languages, value systems, histories, customs, beliefs, cultures, and experiences in higher education. This paper argues that the abstract inclusion of African languages devoid of intrinsic depth and essence is a patronising exercise purposed to vaguely position African languages alongside English and Afrikaans; doing so prohibits a deeper humanistic appreciation and knowledge of African traditions and indigenous systems. This paper emphasizes the crucial role of African languages and indigenous knowledge systems in addressing racism and inequality, and encourages their gradual and benign incorporation into higher education curricula.