Moral Universe Research Articles

A Village, a Depot and a Grazing Ground: Three Sites of Armenian Heritage in Eastern Turkey Under the Spell of “Faith Tourism”

ABSTRACT The article sets off from a manifest tension that affects sites of Armenian heritage in contemporary Eastern Turkey. This tension emerges from a generalized program of genocide denial on the one hand and strategies of heritagization and commercialization on the other. Ethnographically, the article zooms in on three Armenian religious sites that are partially listed as cultural heritage, but have never been the object of conservation measures. All three have recently become folded into fantasies of “faith tourism”, visions of commercialization with a view to profit from Armenian pilgrims and tourists. The article examines the historical and political texture that gives shape to and conditions local moral universes around the question of inhabiting this necropolitical landscape. Broadly speaking, it finds that local residents have no qualms about commercializing these Armenian material remains. This means, in turn, that we cannot assume that the question of a moral embedding of sites of traumatic pasts necessarily acquires urgency. The central question guiding the article is thus not what moral challenges and responses appear when sites of traumatic heritage become targeted for commodified consumption, but what constellations of heritage and capital underlie a moral disposition that takes the form of a generalized indifference. Research into the history and present life of these three non- or not-yet-heritagized sites reveals, I argue, complex arrangements of land, capital, and heritage.

Universal Ethics and Human Cultural Values through the Teachings of Gautama Buddha: Some Observations from the Perspective of Philosophical Anthropology

Philosophical Anthropology is one of the subfields of Social-Cultural Anthropology. Social-Cultural Anthropology is the holistic, comparative and integrated study of society and culture in and space. Ethics as well as universal ethics and allied social values are considered as the ideal cultural patters under the preview of cultural universals in Anthropology. Buddhism is a missionary salvation religion, as taught by the Lord Buddha in the North Indian Gangetic plain in the sixth and the early fifth centuries BC, on the domain of universal ethics and human values Hence it becomes a concern as a religious system in the field of anthropology of Religion. The data gained from the information on the prime objectives of the present study have been readily analyzed with conventional qualitative technique as a whole. The present paper aims to observe Buddha’s teachings on human universal ethics and socio-cultural values as exemplary philosopher from the perspective of cultural as well as philosophical anthropology. His philosophy as the world of the people of the sixth century BC was a practical and applied one to live wisely it also highlights. His four Noble Truths and Eight-fold path fake for promoting social ethics and individual values

Human Dignity and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: A Basis for a Catholic Ethics on AI.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has caught the attention of the world as it challenges the status quo on human operations. As AI has dramatically impacted education, healthcare, industry, and economics, a Catholic ethical study of human dignity in the context of AI in healthcare is presented in this article. The debates regarding whether AI will usher well or doom the dignity of humankind are occasioned by increasing developments of technology in patient care and medical decision-making. This paper draws from Catholic ethics, especially the concepts of inherent human dignity, the sanctity of human life, and morality in the medical field. It talks about using AI to upgrade healthcare outcomes without losing the essential humanity of human dignity in medical practice. It also touches on the most likely ethical issues: the morality of AI-related decisions and the depersonalization of health care. Finally, it provides a framework that brings AI development in tandem with a Catholic vision of human dignity and supports a healthcare system that caters to the common good but correctly respects the irreplaceable value of the human person and highlights moral responsibility.

Cosmetic Surgery and the Christian Body: Comparative Ethical Reflections from Orthodox and Catholic Traditions

This article explores the ethical dimensions of cosmetic surgery, offering a comparative analysis of perspectives from both the Orthodox and the Catholic moral theologies. Both traditions uphold the sanctity of the human body as a creation of God, emphasizing the importance of maintaining its integrity and dignity. However, their approaches to the ethical implications of cosmetic surgery might reveal distinct theological nuances that reflect their unique doctrinal and cultural contexts. By examining the theological foundations, doctrinal teachings, and contemporary ethical debates within both traditions, this study seeks to illuminate how Orthodox and Catholic ethics address the complexities of bodily modification. The analysis highlights the ways in which each tradition navigates concerns related to vanity, identity, and the pursuit of physical perfection, offering insights into their shared values as well as their distinct perspectives. This interdenominational study aims to contribute to ecumenical and intercultural dialogue, fostering greater understanding and respect between the two original Christian traditions. By engaging with the ethical considerations surrounding cosmetic surgery, this article provides a platform for deeper reflection on the role of the body in Christian spirituality and the ongoing relevance of these issues in a diverse and interconnected world.

Cicero’s universal law: a timeless guide to reproductive justice

Abstract Marcus Tullius Cicero’s concept of “ius gentium,” or universal law, provides a timeless framework for understanding and defending fundamental human rights, particularly in the context of reproductive freedom. Cicero distinguished between “ius gentium” and “ius civile,” emphasizing that while civil law governs specific communities, universal law, rooted in natural reason, applies to all humanity. This philosophical foundation resonates with modern discussions on reproductive rights, where universal principles of justice and bodily autonomy are at stake. Enlightened by Immanuel Kant’s notion of innate freedom, Cicero’s philosophy challenges present day’s US states’ restrictive reproductive laws, which often contradict the universal principles of justice. Applying these concepts to contemporary issues, such as abortion rights, underscores the need to align civil laws with universal ethics, ensuring that individual freedoms are upheld against arbitrary state interventions. By advocating for policies that promote equitable access to reproductive healthcare, Cicero’s vision of universal law remains a powerful tool for advancing human dignity and autonomy in modern society.

DRAMATIZATION OF MORALITY AND LEGALITY IN TURKISH MEDIA: THE WORLD OF TV SERIES AND CRIME REALITY SHOWS

Understanding the representations of justice and law in different media texts requires evaluating a web of multidimensional themes and issues, and their intersections, in a relational manner. Media portrayal of the world of law-making, as well as forms of ‘doing the right thing’, vary across media genres. The representations of law are revelatory products of political and popular cultural practices which intersect in unexpected ways. Codes of morality and legality in media are two ‘worlds of evaluation’ (Dromi and Illouz, 2010) where such a complicated intersection can be observed. Due to the ways in which narratives on formal legal criteria of judgements and moral argumentation styles are intertwined, one can clearly derive a series of validity claims (Habermas) in different genres in popular culture. This paper tackles the question of moral reasoning embedded in two genres in an evaluation of the representations of legality as part of moral universe.

Проєкт «метафізики звичаїв» Канта в систематичному та історичному контекстах

Kant first publicized the concept of “metaphysics of morals” in the Critique of Pure Reason and further justified it in other works. However, we can state some distinctive features and perspectives of this project. There are reasons to single out three meanings of this concept: the entire project of pure moral philosophy (MM1), the late work with the same name Metaphysics of Morals (1797) (MM2), the chapter in Groundwork (1785) on “Transition from popular moral philosophy to the metaphysics of morals” (MM3). It is obvious that MM2 and MM3 belong to MM1 as a whole systematic project of the metaphysics of morals. Among Kant scholars was established the view that Kant’s project of “metaphysics of morals” was “completely new”, and the concept itself is Kant’s “creature” (G. Tonelli, R. Brandt). Instead, recent research shows that this project belongs to the modern tradition of universal ethics (Pufendorf, Wolff and his school).

ПРОБЛЕМА ОТЧУЖДЕНИЯ В РУССКОЙ ЛИТЕРАТУРЕ, ОТРАЖЕННАЯ В ТВОРЧЕСТВЕ ПУШКИНА, ГОГОЛЯ И ДОСТОЕВСКОГО

Realism of the 19th century found acceptance in Russia much earlier than in Western Europe. Russian realist writers became leading figures in world literature. They introduced new, hitherto unknown principles in the construction of the social-psychological novel, as well as philosophical and moral issues, which fit into the narrative story-line in a peculiar way. The characters of Pushkin, Gogol and Dostoevsky, in their own way, refract in their minds those real processes and principles of existence in the emerging industrial world that led to the unnatural differentiation and alliteration of the individual. The genius of the novels of these Russian classics lies in the fact that, in parallel with the prominence of the casuistic, the refutation of the soulful and the pseudo-theoretical presence of the characters by the moral force and omnivalence of universal human moral principles grows and finally triumphs. This refutation is neither logical nor theoretical; it is the refutation of life.

The children's poetic story about the travels of foreigners in the USSR in the 1920s and 1940s.

The main purpose of the study is to analyze the genre originality of the Russian (Soviet) children's poetic story of the 1920s-1940s about the travels of foreigners in the USSR, to identify the didactic significance of these works. The article is based on the works of L. Lesnoy, P. Yakovlev, L. Zilov and S. Marshak. There are two types of poetic stories about the journey of foreigners: pilgrimage trips of disadvantaged children from oppressed countries / curious Western children, as well as trips of wealthy Westerners to the USSR. The general genre features of this type of works are analyzed, including information content, specific chronotope, descriptions of the road, the environment, etc. In addition, the unique features of these works are considered: the use of elements of other genres (fairy tales, adventures, travel), an emphasis on solving ideological and semantic tasks. In this work, the topics of internationalism, unity of peoples, racial discrimination, as well as problems related to Soviet ideology, norms of behavior and universal morality are updated. The scientific novelty of the work lies in a comprehensive approach to both classical and little-studied material, including works by forgotten or lesser-known poets. Among the research methods used in this work, several key approaches are distinguished: comparative, hermeneutical, comparative typological and immanent analysis. With the help of various artistic techniques, such as contrast, detailing, the use of emotionally colored vocabulary, metaphors, repetitions, epithets, the motif of a dream, genre elements of a riddle, a shifter, etc., the complex physical and spiritual path of the characters to the ideal is reproduced, the image of oppressed countries and their inhabitants, as well as the image of ordinary Soviet people and cranks are created-rich people from the West, a wide range of Soviet realities is reflected through a detached look. As a result of the research, it is revealed that the poetic story about the travels of foreigners in the USSR of the 1920s and 1940s has a unique didactic significance: it is not only entertaining and informative for young readers, but also contributes to the creation of a positive understanding of Soviet reality and ideological foundations.

Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar dalam Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Katolik dan Budi Pekerti Materi Pribadi yang Unik Melalui Problem Based Learning di Kelas X Fase E SMA Negeri 1 Pajangan Kabupaten Bantul

This study aims to improve students' learning outcomes on the topic of "Unique Personality" in Catholic Religion and Moral Education at Class X Phase E in SMA Negeri 1 Pajangan using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). The research subjects were six students who struggled with this material. Conducted in two cycles, the study followed four stages: planning, action, observation, and reflection. Results show a significant improvement in students' learning outcomes, with an average score increase from Cycle I to Cycle II. The PBL method positively impacted students' understanding and active participation. The study suggests applying PBL in other subjects to enhance learning outcomes.

Meningkatkan Dimensi Bergotong Royong dalam Belajar PAK-BP dengan Model PBL Materi Pribadi Yang Tumbuh dan Berkembang Fase B Kelas IV SDN 16 Panoalatn

The changes of the times may result in a shift in the values of life for individuals or even groups of people. However, most members of society who are not significantly affected by these changes continue to use "old ways." Good values from these traditional ways should indeed be preserved and developed by being passed down through generations, whether by communities that are far from modernization or those following contemporary progress. One long-standing tradition is the concept of mutual cooperation or "gotong royong." The dimension of mutual cooperation, as deepened in the Kurikulum Merdeka (Independent Curriculum), must be echoed both in schools and within society. In today's era, the spirit and values of mutual cooperation have diminished in some areas. Therefore, efforts are needed to further enhance this dimension. One way to deepen the Dimension of Mutual Cooperation is through Catholic Religious Education and Moral Education using the Problem-Based Learning model with five students at SDN 16 Panoalatn, aiming to improve the Dimension of Mutual Cooperation. In Cycle 1, the students’ development results showed 40% in the "Still Developing" category, 40% in the "Adequate" category, and 20% in the "Proficient" category, with none reaching the "Mastery" level (0%). Improvements were made in Cycle 2, with results showing 0% in the "Still Developing" and "Adequate" categories, 40% in the "Proficient" category, and 60% in the "Mastery" category for the Dimension of Mutual Cooperation.

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.

Application of Kant’s universal moral principle to the context of Kenyan political unrest

Application of Kant’s universal moral principle to the context of Kenyan political unrest

Challenges and limitations of applying Kant’s universal moral principle to Kenyan political unrest

Challenges and limitations of applying Kant’s universal moral principle to Kenyan political unrest

The Code of Ethics for Chemists between Universal Moral Values and Local Reality.

In an increasingly globalized world, threatened by resource depletion, global warming and pollution, scientists in general and the chemists in particular are obliged to rapidly integrate ethical values into their work. This article shows that the codes of ethics are a valuable aid in this process. Two real life examples are highlighted. The first one concerns a misbehaviour situation from an academic, while the second one presents the entangled political, economic and legal implications brought about by the pollution by polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) of the landfill La Pila, in the canton of Fribourg. Ultimately, the article underscores the collective responsibility of scientists, policy makers and economical players to uphold ethical excellence, for the benefit of the whole society and of everyone.

Love’s Limits in Paul of Tarsus and Seneca the Younger

This paper argues that we can get a better grip on the divergences and convergences between Paul and Seneca on the ethics of love than those on offer in the large and growing literature comparing the two by distinguishing their attitudes to two broad and conceptually distinct families of love, which Tyler VanderWeele has described as “contributory love” (which desires that the good of the beloved be promoted for its own sake) and “unitive love” (which regards the beloved as a good to be enjoyed in one’s own life). I argue that debates over whether Seneca and Paul had the more universal ethic of neighbor love are largely a distraction; the two are fundamentally in agreement about the scope of love, although Paul’s thinking in this area is shaped in fundamental ways by his conviction that the whole cosmos is defined to be eventually and finally united and so conformed to the resurrected and glorified Christ. Rather, Paul’s true difference from Seneca on the ethics of love lies instead in the importance he affords to unitive love; for Paul, the flourishing life does not consist simply in virtuous activity but also requires appropriate union with one’s beloveds, paradigmatically with God in Christ and with Christ’s body, the church. Seneca and Paul would each have accepted Sigmund Freud’s observation that “we are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love”. Seneca, however, would have taken it as a caution against attachments to anything whose loss might cause us to suffer, while Paul, by contrast, would have taken it as a statement of our condemnation to suffering “in this present evil age” (Gal. 1:4), in which we must love what we will inevitably lose.

The Divine Comedy (Hell) through Aristotelian ethics and Thomistic ontology

The first part of the Divine Comedy, the Inferno, should be interpreted through the prism of the Aristotelian conception of virtue. Against all expectations, Dante did not base his work on virtue as defined by Catholic morality, which makes his work seem less guided by established principles, even if the ontological essence of the text reflects the Thomistic structure. This is not without consequence. The characters of the Inferno are not approached from the angle of absolute morality, but rather through the accounts of their concrete lives, which Dante narrates and analyses in depth. In this way, he can position himself uniquely in relation to these figures, expressing his own personal feelings. The poet has a deep respect for those who had a direct or indirect influence on his life (such as Virgil, Brunetto Latini and the fictional character of Ulysses), even if they are among the damned. He sees them not in absolute terms, but relatively, considering their humanity, which, like all humanity, is imperfect and fallible. From this perspective, the term “transhumar”, one of the main vectors of the spiritual habitus in the Comedy, can be seen as an equivalent of the Greek term “eudaimonia”, which designates the supreme good or its quest. This is precisely what the poet aspires to, and what his most beloved characters cling to, whom he saves from eternal damnation by means of Aristotle’s moral teaching. That’s why the play is called “Comedy”. It is, after all, a story with a happy ending. And how could it be otherwise, when Dante, and those he holds in high esteem in the Inferno, aspire to maximum personal fulfilment in the light of “the love that moves the Sun and the other stars”? In the end, the “lectura aristotelica” proves to be a great help in grasping the dialectic of the poem.

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.

박경리 후기 산문의 여성성과 정치성 - 『원주통신』 연작을 중심으로

Park Kyung-ri's collection of prose (1994), “Wonju News Agency-The Dreamer Create,” “New Wonju News Agency-The Delusion for Hypothesis” (2007), and “The Pain of Life”(2004) are articles that show the feminine foundation of the idea of life, which is the main point of Park Kyung-ri's literature. It is a self-narrative that cannot be dismissed as a simple experience and observation of daily life, and a style of the late years when the author acquired his identity as a civilization critic and environmental activist. Park Kyung-ri confessed her emptiness and pessimism through the free and loose form of prose, while discovering “Life” and “Care” as values of civilization that could overcome this sense of despair. It was an enlightenment gripped by experiential knowledge and critical dissection of the 20th century history, which was dominated by memories of pain that persisted that could not be dismissed as “centimentism,” compassion for life, and logic of power. In particular, animals need to be carefully considered in that they were decisive beings in proclaiming symbiosis and care with nature as human universal ethics by paying attention to vulnerability, the essence of life, and convinced of the value of culture, aesthetic imagination, and practical movement against human-centered development.

An Arrested Dialectic: The National Past and (Post-)Dissident Catholic Moral Reasoning in Slovakia

During the 1980s, Catholic dissidents in Slovakia constructed divergent modes of moral reasoning. While national democratic Catholic dissidents looked to universal Catholic morality, nationalist Catholic dissidents anchored their moral reasoning in nationalized ethics. Their respective modes of moral reasoning were crucially formed in the making of national Catholic memory. If both appreciated Slovak sovereignty, the former prioritized democracy, human rights, and dialogue across religious and ethnic divides, the latter national independence over democracy. This in turn determined how and when they pursued Slovak cultural and political sovereignty across the boundary of 1989.