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1
Brake, Elizabeth. "Marriage, contract, and the state." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/14482.
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This thesis is a work of applied moral and political philosophy which analyses the moral value of marriage and argues for a restructuring of the legal institution of marriage in accordance with principles of justice. The first section contains exegesis and criticism of Kant's and Hegel's accounts of marriage. Kant's focus is on the contractual exchange of rights, Hegel's on the nature of the relationship between the spouses. In the second section, I consider Kantian, Hegelian, and eudaimonistic accounts of the moral value of marriage and conclude that moral value is found in the relationship between the spouses, not in the rights established through the marriage contract. In order to defend the position that loving relationships have moral value, I elucidate what moral value love for a particular other has within a universalist ethics. While I argue that marriage has no moral value which is not to be found in such relationships, I defend a Hegelian account which locates social value in the institution of marriage precisely because it promotes such relationships. In the final section, I argue that the principle of liberal neutrality requires that the principle of freedom of contract should apply to marriage. While I defend the institution of marriage against certain feminist criticisms, I also argue that justice requires that the state recognize same-sex and polygamous unions as marriages. Freedom of contract may be limited under certain conditions in the interest of gender equality; I argue for an interpretation of Rawls' principle of equal opportunity which entails that liberalism is committed to addressing gender inequality even at the expense of freedom of contract.
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Kraybill, Ronald Sherer. "An Anabaptist paradigm for conflict transformation : critical reflections on peacemaking in Zimbabwe." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16126.
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Bibliography: pages 264-277.This thesis outlines a proposal from an explicitly religious standpoint of the key dimensions of peacebuilding, focusing particularly on mediation and facilitation as a primary task. What is the value of such a study? My initial responses in the paragraphs which follow are made at the broadest possible level: the desperate need for effective peacebuilders in a world torn by violence and the potential for religiously-based peacebuilders to fill that need. I then support this response by examining other reasons for the study: the current inadequacy of religious response to conflicts, the danger of manipulation of religious leadership by other actors, and potential for the insights of religiously-based actors to contribute to the over-all practice of peacebuilding and diplomacy. In addressing the latter question I outline my own understanding of the meaning of "religion", an understanding whose impact on the broad question of peacebuilding I explore throughout the chapters which follow.
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Grant, Elizabeth Michelle. "Private Property in America: Land Use and the Ethics of Owning Land." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2005. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4964/.
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Private property in the United States arose out of a tradition that emphasized the individual freedom to control holdings without interference from governmental influences. A sharp distinction between society as a whole and individual rights isolated ownership of private property from a notion of the common good. This dualistic framework excludes the possibility for forms of property that do not fall completely into either category. Property ownership attitudes are central to issues that often divide environmentalists and landowners. Property rights must be put in the context to understand the divergence between landowner attitudes and provisions made when the institution of private property was created. Finally, land itself as a type of property should be considered ethically distinct from other forms of property because of the interdependencies of human and nonhuman interests that the science of ecology has revealed.
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Audrain, Susan Connor. "Ethics in Technical Communication: Historical Context for the Human Radiation Experiments." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2005. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4820/.
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To illustrate the intersection of ethical language and ethical frameworks within technical communication, this dissertation analyzes the history and documentation of the human radiation experiments of the 1940s through the 1970s. Research propositions included clarifying the link between medical documentation and technical communication by reviewing the literature that links the two disciplines from the ancient period to the present; establishing an appropriate historiography for the human radiation experiments by providing a context of the military, political, medical, and rhetorical milieu of the 1940s to the 1970s; closely examining and analyzing actual human radiation experiment documentation, including proposals, letters, memos, and consent forms, looking for established rhetorical constructions that indicate a document adheres to or diverts from specific ethical frameworks; and suggesting the importance of the human radiation documents for studying ethics in technical communication. Close rhetorical analysis of the documents included with this project reveals consistent patterns of metadiscourse, passive and nominal writing styles, and other rhetorical constructions, including negative language, redundancies, hedges, and intensifiers, that could lead a reader to misunderstand the writer's original ethical purpose. Ultimately this project finds that technical communicators cannot classify language itself as ethical or unethical; the language is simply the framework with which the experimenters construct their arguments and communicate their work. Technical communicators can, however, consider the ethical nature of behavior according to specific ethical frameworks and determine whether language contributes to the behavior.
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Khewu-Mokati, N. P. D. "The use of animals by African people (Blacks) : an ethical perspective." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52584.
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Thesis (MPhil)-- Stellenbosch University, 2001.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This ethical case study of public slaughter has indicated that there is an urgent need to address the issue of public slaughter, because it has resulted in animosity and polarisation between black and white people living in the Goldfields. Black people feel that their rights are violated, and they are not protected by the government because they encounter problems when practising their rituals. White people feel that the government is not protecting them from the health hazards caused by black people. The ultimate aim of the study is to contribute to and amplify the existing body of knowledge with regard to the extent of the problem experienced by people in the Goldfields, its impact in their every day lives and to propose guidelines that will help when regulations governing environmental issues are drawn. In order to accomplish these aims the following objectives should be realised by this study: • South Africa is a multi-racial country so a uniting policy is needed. • Each culture is unique and it has a special value, so no culture must be marginalised. • The old policy needs to be revised and amendments made. • Identify the actual causes of these problems. Are they racist driven or are they driven by genuine health concerns? This ethical study also indicates that the following are central values that should inform decision-making: • Health. • Respect and tolerance. • Communication. • Participation. Transparency. • Commitment. Based on the findings from the research conducted it is clear that both clashing parties (black and white people) need to live in peace at the ultimate end although their description of peaceful life differs, so the following recommendations are made as to how to address and alleviate problems caused by public slaughter. • A formal meeting must be convened to discuss this critical issue. • Drafted proposals must be produced. • The proposals must be debated. • The proposal must be adopted. • The existing bylaws must be changed.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie gevallestudie in etiek oor slagtery in die openbaar is bevind dat daar 'n dringende behoefte bestaan om die probleem van slagtery in die openbaar aan te spreek, veralomdat dit in die verlede reeds tot spanning en polarisasie tussen swart en wit groepe in die Goudveld aanleiding gegee het. Swartmense voel dat hulle regte aangetas word en dat hulle nie genoegsaam deur die owerheid beskerm word om hulle rituele uit te voer nie. Witmense voel weer dat die owerheid hulle nie beskerm teen gesondheidsgevare wat geskep word deur swartmense nie. Die uiteindelike doel van hierdie ondersoek is om 'n bydrae te lewer tot die uitbouing van bestaande kennis oor die omvang van die probleem wat mense in die Goudveld ondervind met slagtery in die openbaar, wat die impak daarvan is op die alledaagse lewens van mense, en om voorstelle aan die hand te doen wat gebruik kan word wanneer regulasies opgestel word oor omgewingskwessies soos hierdie. Om hierdie oogmerke te bereik sal die volgende punte in hierdie studie aandag ontvang: • Suid-Afrika is 'n veelrassige land, so 'n beleid word benodig wat mense verenig. • Elke kultuur is uniek en het 'n besondere waarde, dus geen kultuur mag gemarginaliseer word nie. • Die bestaande beleid moet hersien en aangepas word. • Die werklike oorsake van die probleme moet geïdentifiseer word. Is hulle rassisties van aard, of gebaseer op werklike gesondheidsoorweginge ? In hierdie etiese studie is ook vasgestel dat die volgende kern-waardes die proses van besluitneming behoort te beïnvloed: • Gesondheid. • Respek en verdraagsaamheid. • Kommunikasie. • Deelname. • Deursigtigheid. • Verbintenis ("commitment"). Vanuit die bevindinge van die navorsing is dit duidelik dat albei die botsende partye (swart- en witmense) uiteindelik in vrede met mekaar moet saamleef, alhoewel hulle omskrywings van 'n vreedsame lewe verskil van mekaar. Gevolglik is die volgende aanbevelings gemaak om die probleem van slagtery in die openbaar aan te spreek: • 'n Formele byeenkoms moet saamgeroep word om die kritiese probleem te bespreek. • Skriftelike voorstelle moet vir so 'n byeenkoms opgestel word. • Die voorstelle moet bespreek word. • 'n Voorstel moet aanvaar word. • Die bestaande regulasies moet verander word.
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O'Grady, Taylor Jacob. "Women's health care in American Catholic hospitals : a proposal for navigating ethical conflicts in accessing reproductive health care." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/16588.
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The Catholic Church is one of the largest providers of medical care in the US, with 1 in 6 acute-care beds residing in a Catholic hospital. One third of these hospitals are in rural or underserved areas in the US, and advocacy for the vulnerable is a central platform of the Catholic Healthcare Association. Despite this, the Church has been under attack for allegedly putting women at risk of injury or death due to the care restrictions concerning reproductive health stipulated in the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs). Additionally, scholars are questioning the distinctiveness of the Catholic healthcare mission in practice, pointing to the increased homogenization of Catholic and non-Catholic hospitals. For these reasons, it is necessary to assess if and how women are being harmed in Catholic hospitals and, if there is harm being done, if there is a way to prevent these harms while preserving the Catholic Social Tradition in medicine. In carrying out this assessment, I read the current literature closely to explore both the origins and the practical consequences of these ethical conflicts. Subsequently, I use Chris Durante's "pragmatic perspectivism" to formulate a proposal that considers both Catholic medical ethics and secular medical ethics on the same plane. The proposal suggests the adoption of an alternative and complementary lens for Catholic health care. Using this framework would allow the Church to pursue its health care mission in a fuller sense, unencumbered by the inertia of the medical industry towards homogenization due to legal and economic pressures. It also provides the potential for Catholics to more easily receive Catholic care in all hospitals, not just those under Catholic sponsorship. Importantly, it would also prevent any American woman from being practically forced to receive Catholic care, circumventing many of the ethical conflicts present in the current system.
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Krapf, Elizabeth Maria. "Euthanasia, the Ethics of Patient Care and the Language of Propaganda." PDXScholar, 2012. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/606.
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This thesis is an examination of euthanasia, eugenics, the ethic of patient care, and linguistic propaganda in the Second World War. The examination of euthanasia discusses not only the history and involvement of the facility at Hadamar in Germany, but also discuss the current euthanasia debate. Euthanasia in World War II arose out of the Nazi desire to cleanse the Reich and was greatly influenced by the American eugenics movement of the early 20th century. Eugenics was built up to include anyone considered undesirable and unworthy of life and killed many thousands of people before the invasion of allied troops in 1944. Paramount to euthanasia is forced sterilization, the ethic of patient care, and how the results of the research conducted on euthanasia victims before their deaths should be used. The Nazis were able to change the generally accepted terms that researchers use to describe their experiments and this change affected how modern doctors and researchers use the terms in current research. This thesis includes research conducted in Germany and the United States from varied resources.
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Groninger, Katherine R. "Museum accountability in Britain and America : ethical standards and fiscal transparency in the twenty-first century." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/2593.
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This thesis examines the current state of nonprofit museum accountability in the United Kingdom and United States, assessing methods of achieving fiscal and ethical accountability, as well as the factors that have influenced museum codes and policies to that end. The recent development of museum accountability is couched in corporate culture, government influence, and public expectations, making it an interdisciplinary concern. Yet museum professionalisation, including codes of ethics, conflict of interest management, and agreed-upon standards, has received little attention from researchers. This study engages in empirical research to assess museums’ responses to recent regulations, their execution of governance accountability, and the application of internal controls and fiscal transparency measures. These subjects appraise ethical governance and board member duties, in addition to audit practices and best practice policies. Research reveals inadequacies in the museum accountability systems in both Britain and America. As case studies serve to demonstrate, opportunities remain for financial and ethical misconduct, which can damage the public trust in museums. This thesis is the first broad empirical study to explain museum accountability in Britain or America, collating data across the entire museum sector, creating an industry-wide national framework from the quantitative and qualitative findings. No research has reported on the implementation of best practice measures according to the private, public and third sectors, stakeholders, and by the museum industry itself. Ultimately, this thesis provides unique evidence previously lacking in both the UK and US museum sectors, making it possible to posit and assess specific museums against an accurate national accountability framework.
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Chirwa, Danwood Mzikenge. "Towards binding economic, social and cultural rights obligations of non-state actors in international and domestic law: a critical survey of emerging norms." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&.
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This study argued that the issue of non-state actors requires a comprehensive response that includes the recognition of both non-binding and binding human rights obligations of these actors. It examined critically the emerging norms on voluntary obligations, state responsibility, and direct responsibility of these actors with regard to human rights at both international and domestic levels.
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Hammer, Sara Jeanne. "The rise of liberal independence and the decline of the welfare state." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2002.
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Given the increased interdependency caused by ongoing task differentiation and precarious formal employment, this thesis asks why the stigmatisation of unemployed citizens and the retraction of unemployment benefits have received such widespread support in Australia. I contend that the concepts of dependency and independence, as reflexive
but mutually exclusive dual values, are increasingly used as a framework for welfare discourse. I argue that this framework has ethical ramifications for collective well-being in Australia since it discourages citizens from
acknowledging their own social and economic vulnerability. Using a combination of critical theory and discursive analysis, this thesis analyses discourses relating to poverty, unemployment and social welfare. It tracks the contradictions of this value dualism through selected forms of policy and media discourse literature and will challenge the negative moral valence associated with dependency, offering possible alternatives in the areas of moral anthropology, welfare discourse and social provision in order to reverse the stigmatisation of unemployed citizens.
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Cummine, Angela. "A citizen's stake in Sovereign Wealth Funds : the management, investment and distribution of sovereign wealth." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:5c3b8fa7-768e-445f-b4f1-54297dca9582.
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Over the past five years, Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) have become a prominent phenomenon in contemporary capitalism. Described as government investment vehicles that invest state wealth in financial markets, the majority of the world's 60-plus funds have been established since the year 2000. Despite extensive treatments of SWFs' geopolitical and international significance, ethical and domestic level analyses are sparse. In response, this thesis interrogates three key normative questions raised by the funds for the domestic citizen-state relationship: (1) How (and by whom) should sovereign funds be managed? (2) How should sovereign wealth be invested? (3) How should the earnings of sovereign fund investment be distributed? In answering these questions, this thesis aims to dispel ambiguity over the ownership status of sovereign funds, evident in popular and academic discourse and within communities that establish these entities. For this task, it draws on recently revived fiduciary theory of the citizen-state relationship to argue that the rightful owner of these funds is the citizenry - not states or governments who enjoy physical and legal possession of SWFs. It goes on to examine the implications of this fiduciary state conception of SWF ownership, asking how citizen-owners should enjoy control over and benefit from the distinct constituent parts of their SWF property: the institution of the fund, the underlying sovereign wealth and the financial returns earned on the investment of its assets. The model of citizen ownership defended demands substantially increased popular control over SWF management and the investment of sovereign wealth, as well as direct benefit rights for citizen-owners to fund income through individualised distribution of investment returns. Examination of existing practice among SWFs demonstrates that this normative ideal is far, although not impossibly distant from current institutional practice.
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Farrow, Soyna Hester, and Donna Marie Monroe. "Social work students: The learning of professional values in a graduate program." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2001. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1843.
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Munro, Lyle 1944. "Beasts abstract not : a sociology of animal protection." Monash University, School of Political and Social Inquiry, 2002. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/7967.
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Brannon, Christopher Omer, and James Oliver Tanghal. "Sparing the Rod?: Social workers and corporal punishment." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2002. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2211.
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The purpose of this study was to develop a survey that would provide professionals with an idea as to the thoughts, feelings, and values that social workers held regarding physical punishment towards a child. Social workers stand in a position to intervene in the intergenerational transmission of violence.
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Kabisa, Bular Pawen Jean-Baptiste. "Singularité des traditions et universalisme de la démocratie: étude critique, inspirée d'Eric Weil, sur l'espace négro-africain dans la "mondialisation"." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/211992.
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Coleman, Stephen 1968. "The ethical implications of human ectogenesis." Monash University, School of Philosophy, Linguistics and Bioethics, 2001. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/8904.
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Olivier, Stephen Chris. "Ethical issues in human movement research." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015402.
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In acknowledging past abuses of humans in research contexts, and recognising the potential for malpractices in Human Movement Studies (HMS), this study evaluated the extent to which ethical issues are addressed in the discipline. The primary method consisted of the standard techniques of philosophic analysis, with empirical data complementing the conclusions. In general, the study contends that insufficient attention is paid to ethical issues in HMS research. In response to a set of specifically constructed, ethically problematic research proposals, only 1.8% of comments from senior researchers advocated rejection of the proposals on ethical grounds. Also, a journal search indicated that consideration of ethical issues in published research may largely be absent. Questionnaire responses revealed that South African HMS departments may be deficient in terms of accountability towards ethical guidelines. Whilst noting the existence of utilitarian ethics in HMS research, it is advocated that deontologic principles should take precedence. Further, only a sound educative effort will produce improvements. In conclusion, this study advocates a deontology-based approach to research ethics. This is consistent with the contention that the use of humans in research is a privilege, and that the rights of participants ought to outweigh the desire of researchers to conduct research.
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Baum, Chris W. "Nationalism in United States Foreign Policy in the Post 9/11 Era." PDXScholar, 2015. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2531.
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One year after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, the administration of President George W. Bush introduced a revolutionary foreign policy strategy--the Bush Doctrine. Proponents of this strategy advocated the use of American 'hard power' as a tool to promote freedom and democracy, beginning with the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Opponents of the doctrine saw it as dangerously nationalistic, with the potential to entangle the United States in a myriad of protracted international conflicts. This thesis will identify aspects of nationalism within post-9/11 American foreign policy and illuminate the incompatibility of nationalism and the fundamental tenets of conflict resolution. This study theorizes that nationalism played a significant role in the development of the Bush Doctrine. Although its advocates promote specific policies historically associated with nationalism, as a rule they have not acknowledged its influence. Conversely, opponents of the doctrine acknowledge this influence and warn of its destructive characteristics. The study presented herein identifies nationalism as a powerful force in American culture and politics--one that has a profound influence on American foreign policy and on the longevity of our foreign wars.
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Okolie, Patricia. "Suicide : a philosophical and ethical perspective." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52469.
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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Suicide is a truly philosophical problem. Judging whether life is or not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. In Africa, suicide is not uncommon as evidenced by the Botswana experience. Suicide acts are the forefront of the daily existence even today. Suicide is felt in different areas of Botswana and while the study draws heavily on Africa especially Botswana, reference is also made to countries outside Africa. Hence, suicide in this thesis is not addressed in a restrictive manner. But its manifestation in essence is assessed in a general mode. This implies that the escalation of suicide is viewed from the sociological, psychological and philosophical implications. Although it is not easy to accept and live with suicide, people are beginning to accommodate it as an inevitable concept. However, the family and friends of a person who has committed suicide still feels ashamed, humiliated and sometimes guilty. The aim of this assignment is to analyse and evaluate the moral argument for and against suicide and to focus on the moral implications of committing suicide. While agreeing that individuals' autonomy are personal, the writer tries to suggest a way out of this self-destruction (suicide) which is just a means to an end and not an end in itself. The writer in the concluding chapter tries to explore the pros and cons of suicide, and comes up with the conclusion that the right to live should be given attention than the right to die, at least to preserve its generations which all creatures strive for. Areas of focus: • The concept of Suicide • The nature and incidence of Suicide. • Arguments in favour of Suicide • Arguments against Suicide • The Suicide I Euthanasia Debate
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Selfmoord is 'n ware filosofiese probleem. Om te oordeel of 'n lewe die moeite werd is om gelewe te word, vereis 'n antwoord op 'n fundamentele vraag van filosofie. In Afrika is selfmoord nie ongewoon nie, soos gesien in die geval van Botswana. Selfmoord kom baie algemeen daar voor. Selfmoord word aangetref in verskeie areas in Botswana, en, alhoewel die studie fokus op Afrika - en spesifiek Botswana, word daar ook verwys na lande buite Afrika. Maar die manifestasie daarvan word in essensie en in die algemeen aangespreek. Dit beteken dat die toename in selfmoord in terme van die verskynsel se sosiologiese, sielkundige en filosofiese implikasies aangespreek word. Alhoewel dit nie maklik is on selfmoord te aanvaar en mee saam te leef nie, begin mense dit aanvaar as 'n onvermydelike verskynsel. Maar die familie van 'n persoon wat selfmoord gepleeg het voel steeds skaam, verneder en soms skuldig. Die doel van hierdie werkstuk is om die argumente vir en teen selfmoord te analiseer, te evalueer, en om te fokus op die morele implikasies van selfmoord. Alhoewel die outeur saamstem dat individue outonoom is, word sterk teen die morele aanvaarbaarheid van selfmoord geargumenteer. In die gevolgtrekking ondersoek die outeur die voordele en nadele van selfmoord en eindig met die bevinding dat die reg tot lewe meer aandag behoort te kry as die sg. reg om te sterf. Areas waarop gefokus word: • Die konsep "selfmoord" as sodanig • Die aard van selfmoord en (hoe algemeen dit voorkom.) • Argumente ten gunste van selfmoord • Argumente teen selfmoord • Die selfmoord -genadedood debat
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Andrus, Brenda Olsen. "Utopian Marriage in Nineteenth-Century America: Public and Private Discourse." Diss., CLICK HERE for online access, 1998. http://patriot.lib.byu.edu/u?/MTAF,4596.
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Scott, Rebekah Anne. "On complex terms : James among the ethical critics." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.609038.
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Van, Schalkwyk Tanya Leonie. "The ethical conduct of new entry level emerging contractors." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4932.
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Ethics is not a new or modern discipline. It was developed thousands of years ago and still remains relevant today. Ethics is applied in all spheres of modern life from philosophy to business and religious environments and even around dinner table conversations. It is applicable to all areas of life. This research is aimed at investigating whether ethical conduct among new entry level emerging contractors can contribute to and ensure their sustainable competitiveness within the South African construction industry. This research is also aimed at determining whether education and knowledge of entrepreneurship, business, project and construction management and building contracts can contribute to new entry level emerging contractors’ ethical conduct and sustainable competitiveness. The literature reviewed and results of quantitative and qualitative research amongst professional consultants in South Africa formed the basis of the study. Ethics is a sensitive topic within the industry and therefor it is difficult to gather data directly from contractors, as they are reluctant to participate in fear of revealing their identities and having it negatively influencing their personal and business credentials. Therefor unbiased respondents who were not directly linked to emerging contractors and who were unafraid to give objective opinions were questioned. These unbiased respondents included consultants within the industry. The study revealed that ethics is an important factor in any business environment and that the correct application thereof can partially contribute to the sustainable competitiveness of new entry level emerging contractors and this in turn can promote the long term survival of a business. Furthermore, knowledge of good management practices and building contracts can contribute to a successfully run business. However, the average new entry level emerging contractor has insufficient experience and knowledge of the management of construction projects, as well as building contracts.
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Hooker, Brad. "Why should I be moral?" Thesis, University of Oxford, 1986. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:2b44fe6f-39b7-4d16-9b5c-8d8eb7251323.
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I begin my discussion of the question 'Why should I be moral?' by drawing distinctions both between possible different senses of 'moral' and also between different conceptions of what morality requires. I then criticize the idea that one should be moral because it serves self-interest. Self-interest is served by one's having benevolent concern for only a fairly small number of others, but being moral involves more than this. Furthermore, having moral dispositions other than benevolence is in one's interest only if these dispositions are required by the moral code predominant in one's society. Moreover, even if we confine our attention to people who live in such a society, each person would probably be better off with moral dispositions that were not so strong that they would always get their way, but the completely moral person would presumably have overriding moral dispositions. Finally, having the correct moral beliefs may not be in one's interest. But whatever the gap between self-interest and morality, might one not have most reason to be moral? Derek Parfit has recently argued that the view that one has most reason to do whatever best achieves one's present aims (and these may sometimes be moral aims) is at least as good as the view that one has most reason to do what best promotes one's own long-term good. I attack some of his arguments. But I then go on to argue that moral requirements as such—i.e., independently of whether they are reflected in present desires—do generate reasons for action. But are these moral reasons always stronger than reasons of other kinds? On the basis of an example I describe in the closing pages, I reluctantly conclude that they are not.
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Silove, Melanie. "Ethical decision-making in the therapeutic space : a psychoanalytic view." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020873.
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This study examined the ethical decision-making process as it transpired in the everyday context of the therapeutic space. In-depth interviews explored the subjective experiences of six South African psychologists, practicing as psychoanalytic psychotherapists, and their efforts to resolve real-life ethical dilemmas. The theoretical framework used to interpret the data subsumed professional literature in psychology on principle-based ethical decision-making as well as contemporary psychoanalytic debates on the phenomenon of countertransference enactments. A review of ethics codes, survey research and seminal decision-making frameworks suggests that ethical dilemmas have traditionally been resolved by recourse to an objective and impartial “principle ethics” perspective. Empirical evidence shows, however, that logical thinking and the rational application of codes, principles and standards are often insufficient to secure ethical action. The establishment of reflective space and the core theoretical notion of “ethical decision-making enactments” were proposed in order to address the subjective, irrational and unconscious dimension of professional decision-making. This study used a broadly hermeneutic research method which transformed participants‟ descriptions of engagement with real-life dilemmas into a psychoanalytically informed interpretive account of ethical decision-making. Twelve aspirational ethical principles were found to guide participants‟ daily analytic work. Beneficence was the principle most strongly identified with and nonmaleficence was the most neglected ethical principle. Unprocessed countertransference responses were shown to drive earlier prereflective phases of the ethical decision-making process. Mature ethical judgment was predicated upon the retrospective analysis of enactment phenomena. Dissatisfaction was expressed by all participants with regard to the role of professional resources in aiding the resolution of stressful ethical dilemmas. Risk factors for compromised professional decision-making included the paucity and perceived irrelevance of postgraduate ethics training, supervisory failure to confront the ethical and countertransference dimensions of common dilemmas and professional isolation. Rather than eliciting the hope of emotional support and greater insight, professional resources on the contrary mostly appeared to induce anxiety, mistrust and fearfulness. Based on the data and the literature, a pragmatic psychoanalytically informed ethical decision-making model was finally generated. The model, which considers both principle ethics as well as countertransference phenomena, offers a preliminary contribution to professional dialogue on the development and evaluation of empirically based decision-making frameworks. Practical recommendations are made for both the revision of the current South African ethics code and for improving the postqualifying ethics education of psychoanalytic practitioners and supervisors. The limitations of the data are discussed and directions for future research initiatives are proposed.
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Van, Bogaert Louis-Jacques. "Abortion, sentience and moral standing : a neurophilosophical appraisal." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52619.
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Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Moral theories on abortion are often regarded as mutually exclusive. On the one hand, pro-life advocates maintain that abortion is always morally wrong, for life is sacred from its very beginning. On the other hand, the extreme liberal view advocated by the absolute pro-ehoieers claims that the unborn is not a person and has no moral standing. On this view there is no conflict of rights; women have the right to dispose of their body as they wish. Therefore, killing a non-person is always permissible. In between the two extreme views, some moral philosophers argue that a 'pre-sentient' embryo or fetus cannot be harmed because it lacks the ability to feel pain or pleasure, for it is 'sentience' that endows a living entity (human and non-human) with moral considerability. Therefore, abortion of a pre-sentient embryo or fetus is permissible. Neurophilosophy rests a philosophical conclusion on neurological premises. In other words, to be tenable sentientism - the claim that sentience endows an entity with moral standing - needs robust neurobiological evidence. The question is, then: What is the basic neuroanatomical and neurophysiological apparatus required to be sentient? The answer to that question requires a fair understanding of the evolution, anatomy and function of the brain. The exploration thereof shows quite convincingly that the advocates of sentientism do not provide convincing arguments to root their theory in neurobiological facts. Their claims rest rather on emotions and on behaviours that look like a reaction to pain. The other shortcoming of sentientism is that it fails to distinguish pain from suffering, and that as a utilitarian moral theory it considers only the alleged pain of the aborted sentient fetus and disregards the pregnant woman's pain and suffering. And, finally, sentientism leaves out of our moral consideration living and non-living entities that deserve moral respect. The main thrust of the dissertation is that the argument of sentience as its advocates present it has no neurophilosophical grounds. Therefore, the argument from sentience is not a convincing argument in favour or against abortion.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Morele teorieë wat handeloor aborsie word dikwels as wedersyds uitsluitend beskou. "Pro-life" kampvegters hou oor die algemeen vol dat aborsie onder alle omstandighede moreel veroordeelbaar is, omdat die lewe van meet af heilig is. Daarteenoor hou die ekstreem-liberale oogpunt, wat deur "Pro-choice" voorstaanders ingeneem word, vol dat die ongeborene nie 'n persson is nie, en as sulks geen morele status het nie. Volgens hierdie standpunt is daar geen konflik van regte hier ter sprake nie; vroue het uitsluitelike beskikkingsreg oor hulle eie liggame. Dus is dit toelaatbaar om onder hierdie omstandighede 'n "nie-persoon" om die lewe te bring. Tussen hierdie twee ekstreme standpunte argumenteer party morele filosowe dat die voorbewuste embrio of fetus nie skade berokken kan word nie, omdat dit nie oor die vermoë beskik om pyn of plesier te voel nie. Dit is juis bewussyn en die vermoë om waar te neem wat morele status aan 'n entiteit (hetsy menslik of nie-menslik) verleen. Dus is dit toelaatbaar om 'n voorbewustw embrio of fetus te aborteer. Neurofilosofie basseer filosofiese gevolgtrekkinge op neurolgiese beginsels. Met andere woorde, so 'n standpunt sal eis dat 'n argument oor bewustheid op betroubare neurologiese feite gebasseer word, om sodoende met sekerheid morele status, al dan nie, aan de fetus of embrio toe te ken. Die vraag is dan: Wat is die basiese neuroanatomiese en neurofiologiese apparatuur waaroor 'n entiteit moet beskik om as bewus beskou te word? Die antwoord op hierdie vraag vereis dan ook 'n redelik grondige kennis van die evolusie, anatomie en funksie van die brein. Wanneer die vraagstuk van naderby beskou word, word dit duidelik dat voorstaanders van die bewustheids-argument oor die algemeen nie hulle standpunte op oortuigende, neurologiese feite berus nie. Hulle beweringe rus dan eerder op emosie en op waargenome optredes wat voorkom asof dit 'n reaksie op pyn is. Nog 'n tekortkoming van die bewustheids-argument is dat dit nie 'n onderskeid tref tussen die konsep van pyn en die van leiding nie, en dat dit as 'n utilitaristiese morele teorie slegs die beweerde pyn van die ge-aborteerde fetus in ag neem en nie die leiding van die swanger vrouw nie. Ten slotte neem die bewustheids-argument ook nie morele status van lewende en nie-lewende entiete, wat geregtig is op morele respek, in ag nie. Die hoof uitgangspunt van hierdie dissertasie is dan dat die bewustheids-argument, soos wat dit tans deur voorstanders daarvan voorgehou word, nie neurofilosfies begrond kan word nie. Dus is die argument vanuit 'n bewustheids-standpunt nie 'n oortuigende argument hetsy vir of teen aborsie nie.
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Brouillet, Miriam. "Is it justified to patent human genetic resources?" Thesis, McGill University, 2003. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=19699.
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In the past century, the scope of patentable objects has greatly expanded. Patents are now being granted on living organisms, human biological material and genes. What are the consequences of such practices for scientific research and health care? One of the fundamental philosophical questions behind this issue is the following: are we justified in patenting human genetic material? An examination of the traditional philosophical justification of intellectual property will allow us to critically explore whether or not this practice is ethically justifiable. It will be argued that the consequentialist justification of intellectual property requires, in this present case, that we modify the patent regimes in order to maximise social benefits and minimize public burdens.
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Bigney, Mark W. "Neither mechanic nor high priest : moral suasion and the physician-patient relationship." Thesis, McGill University, 2006. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=99576.
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The most ordinary man or woman has means of knowledge concerning his own feelings and circumstances that immeasurably surpass those that anyone else can have.-John Stuart Mill, On LibertyOne feature that varies within competing conceptions of medical shared decision-making is how a patient's values are to be engaged by a physician. One detail that can be overlooked under "shared" decision-making is whether or not a physician ought (or be allowed) to attempt to persuade the patient to adopt particular health-related values. Some argue that it is incumbent on a physician to share her privileged understanding of medicine so as to help her patient embrace "better" values. This thesis argues that it is dangerous to patient autonomy for a physician to exert moral suasion on her patient to attempt to influence or change those values; the danger lies in the power imbalance between patients and physicians that seems inherent in medical encounters, and is exacerbated by the sick role. Thus, while a physician ought to help her patient articulate his health-related values, she ought not try to change them.
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Lasky, Benjamin M. "Chronic accessibility of virtue-trait inferences : a social-cognitive approach to the moral personality." Virtual Press, 2000. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1177985.
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This study examined the hypothesis that the moral personality is one in which moral knowledge structures are chronically accessible. A spontaneous trait inference cued-recall paradigm was employed. It was expected that those with chronically accessible moral knowledge structures (N = 61) would spontaneously encode virtue-content information differently than those with less chronically accessible moral knowledge structures (N = 77). High and low moral chronic accessibility participants were instructed to memorize sentences that contained virtue-content implications. Sentence recall was then cued by either virtuous dispositional terms or by words that were linked semantically to the sentences. Within the spontaneous processing condition, dispositional cues prompted twice as much recall as semantic cues among participants with high moral chronic accessibility whereas semantic cues prompted twice as much recall as dispositional cues among participants with low moral chronic accessibility. As predicted, within the deliberate processing conditions, there were no high/low moral chronic accessibility differences. These findings support the claim that the moral personality is usefully conceptualized in terms of the chronic accessibility of moral knowledge structures.Department of Educational Psychology
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Fu, Lin. "On efficacy of ethical investment : a comparative study between UK and Chinese company practices." Thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.683316.
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Moore, Nancy Helen Vuckovic 1956. "Things that are good and things that are chocolate: A cultural model of weight control as morality." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/291712.
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The ideology of weight control as evidenced in the discourse of American adolescent girls is explored via a cognitive approach to discourse analysis, and focuses on the teasing out of cultural models through evidence in natural language. It is hypothesized that a cultural model exists which equates weight control with a moral code reflective of the Protestant ethic. The research examines how the cultural model frames experience by supplying interpretations of that experience, and how it influences behavior by supplying goals for action. The cognitive salience of the model within the belief system of the individual regulates the degree of influence the model has on behavior. Four levels of influence are proposed, ranging from cultural cliche to motivation of disordered eating. The predominant influence is found to be as an occasional guide to weight controlling action or discourse about such action.
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Watkins, Gareth. "Animal suffering in factory farming and the best way to prevent it." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003736.
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This thesis moves beyond the traditional approaches of how we ought to treat animals, and instead concentrates on the best strategy for preventing animal suffering in the farming industry. Chapter 1 considers the question of how we can know that animals feel pain, and concludes not only that it is rational to believe that they can, but also that this is a significant fact. Chapter 2 then analyses one possible strategy for helping to prevent animal suffering, namely demi-vegetarianism. For a number of reasons, however, this strategy is found to be flawed, therefore Chapter 3 analyses a second possible strategy, namely vegetarianism, and concludes that this is, in fact, the best strategy for helping to prevent animal suffering in the farming industry.
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Hurlimann, Thierry. "The duty to treat very defective neonates as "persons" : from the legal and moral personhood of very defective neonates to their best interests in medical treatment." Thesis, McGill University, 2003. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=80929.
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The dramatic improvement of neonatal intensive care has produced vexing ethical and legal questions. One of the most striking issues is to determine whether the most defective neonates should be provided with intensive care and to what extent they should be treated. This thesis demonstrates that an attempt to answer this question and an analysis of the demands and limitations of a duty to treat defective neonates cannot properly occur without first considering the legal concerns and ethical issues surrounding the notion of "person". The author examines germane ethical theories and North-American jurisprudence to see what approaches and standards commentators and courts have adopted in this respect. This thesis demonstrates that in the context of the cessation or non-initiation of intensive care, the legal and moral status of very defective neonates remain ambiguous. In particular, the author suggests that a legal best interests analysis that includes quality of life considerations may actually involve the use of criteria similar to those supported by the authors of the controversial moral theories that negate the personhood of seriously handicapped newborns. The author ultimately concludes that a clear divide between the legal definition of the "person" and the moral and social perceptions of that term is misleading.
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Brown, Elizabeth Jean. "The quest for whole sight or seeing with the eye of the mind and the eye of the heart : a place for imagination in moral education." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/MQ37194.pdf.
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Pousao-Lopes, Cecilia. "The mind values meaning above knowledge : narrative and moral education." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape11/PQDD_0004/MQ43935.pdf.
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Wimbush, James C. "Ethical climates and ethical behavior." Diss., This resource online, 1991. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-07282008-134238/.
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Benshalom, Edna. "Moral dilemmas of medical students : a study of ethical aspects of medical training." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/30935.
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This study examines the ethical reality of medical students, and ethical curricular aspects of medical school. The 'received curriculum' is analysed using a combined interdisciplinary theoretical framework of 'Ethics' and 'Curriculum'. Defined in terms of students' experience of the curriculum, and the participants' perceived moral reality, the study was framed within a phenomenological-interpretive research paradigm. Content analysis of the 'narrative corpus' obtained by 38 open questionnaires addressed to sixth-year medical students, and by 21 interviews with medical students and senior faculty members, was conducted. Based on students' interviews, holistic 'ethical profiles' were produced, and proved to be significantly informative. The study shows that during their clinical training years, medical students cope with daily contextual moral dilemmas that relate to their culture and status and involve subtle, elaborately-calculated decisions. The student's authentic, reflective and analytical accounts of their ethical dilemmas, lead to the novel concept of students' 'moral awareness'. This increasing awareness of ethical dilemmas complexity sheds light on an adult ethical-cognitive stage, characterised by pragmatic thinking focused on content, and by internalisation of relativism and contradictions. The study further demonstrates the significance of students' experience for viewing and evaluating curriculum: the students, who perceived their ethics 'received curriculum' in its totality, consequently offered important insights concerning ethical processes, thus enriching the 'traditional' medical school curricular thought.
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Brugger, E. Christian. "Capital punishment, abolition and Roman Catholic moral tradition." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2000. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:352bddad-62d7-4621-9043-b603afdc5855.
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The last fifty years have seen a turn in the Catholic Church's public attitude toward capital punishment. From openly defending the right of the state to kill malefactors, the Church has become an outspoken opponent. What accounts for this? How can it be reconciled with Catholic tradition? Should the current teaching be called a 'development of doctrine'? Can we expect further change? These questions shape this thesis. The work is divided into three parts comprising a total of eight chapters. Part I undertakes a detailed exegesis of the death penalty teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1997). I conclude that the text, while not explicitly stating that the death penalty is in itself wrong, lays down premises which when carried to their logical conclusions, yield just such a conclusion. This conclusion is checked and confirmed by the fundamental moral reasoning found in the papal encyclicals Evangelium Vitae and Veritatis Splendor. In light of this conclusion (what I call the new position), Part II asks the question: may the Church, constrained by sound biblical interpretation and dogmatic tradition, legitimately teach in a definitive way that capital punishment is per se wrong? This is a question which concerns the development of doctrine. Before it can be answered the Church's traditional teaching needs to be precisely formulated so that it can be placed in juxtaposition to the new teaching. An analysis of statements throughout ecclesiastical history is therefore undertaken and what we might call the cumulative consensus of ecclesiastical writers on capital punishment is formulated. The authoritative nature of this teaching is analyzed to determine what kinds of developments it admits and excludes. Judging its nature admits of a development like the one described in Part I, models are proposed to explain modes by which it might be understood to be developing. Finally, a systematic and philosophically consistent account of the new position is proposed and its implications for other teachings in the Church's tradition of 'justifiable violence' is examined.
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Reilly, Elizabeth. "Objectivity and responsibility in moral education." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/NQ27233.pdf.
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Viviers, Suzette. "A critical assessement of socially responsible investing in South Africa." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/637.
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This research deals with socially responsible investing (SRI) in its broadest context in South Africa and includes an analysis of the risk-adjusted performance of local SRI funds. SRI refers to an investment strategy whereby investors integrate moral as well as environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations alongside conventional financial criteria in evaluating investment opportunities. Typical SRI strategies include screening, shareholder activism and cause-based (targeted) investing. The primary objective of this research was to obtain a deeper understanding of SRI in South Africa as it represents a powerful means whereby private sector capital can be channelled into areas of national priority. Data and methodological triangulation strategies were adopted to investigate the research problem, respond to the research questions and test the research hypotheses of this study. The phenomenological component of the research consisted of an extensive literature review as well as in-depth, face-to-face interviews conducted with twelve SRI fund managers and industry experts. The positivistic dimension of this research centred on the construction of the first complete database of SRI funds in South Africa, the sourcing of quantitative primary data and the testing of eight pairs of null and alternative hypotheses. Risk-adjusted performance was evaluated by means of the Sharpe, Sortino and Upside-potential ratios during three sub-periods, namely 1 June 1992 to 31 August 1998, 1 September 1998 to 31 March 2002 and 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2006. Forty-three SRI funds have been launched in South Africa since June 1992 and it is estimated that SRIs constitute approximately 0.7 percent of the total investment capacity in the country. It was found that most local SRI funds combine a cause-based investment strategy with a positive or best-of-sector screening approach. ESG screens were found to focus on the promotion of broad-based Black Economic Empowerment and the development of social infrastructure in South Africa. The FTSE/JSE SRI Index and the Financial Sector Charter were identified as the most prominent drivers of SRI in South Africa, whereas a lack of skills and a shortage of new SRI opportunities, asset classes and funds were seen as impediments to the growth of the local SRI sector. The empirical evidence shows that: - local SRI funds underperformed relative to their respective benchmark indices during the first two sub-periods but significantly outperformed them during sub-period three (the resurgence period of SRI in South Africa); - local SRI fund performance is not significantly different from that of a matched sample of conventional (non-SRI) funds; and - local SRI funds significantly underperformed relative to the general equity market in South Africa during sub-period two (the decline period of SRI in South Africa) but performed on a par with the FTSE/JSE All Share Index during sub-periods one and two. The findings of this research therefore suggest that investors can consider SRI funds as part of a well-diversified investment strategy. It is strongly recommended that a Social Investment Forum be established in South Africa to address the educational needs of stakeholders in the local SRI sector. It is also recommended that local asset managers adopt a focused differentiation strategy to take advantage of the growing SRI sector in South Africa.
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Letendre, Martin. "Research with stored tissue samples of deceased persons : a North American perspective." Thesis, McGill University, 2004. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=80938.
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In this thesis, the author studies the ethical and legal aspects of research conducted on stored tissue samples of deceased persons in North America.The first part of this thesis presents an overview of what constitutes human tissues and how are they used in research. The author describes the process in which human tissues are acquired and stored by health facilities, their utility for scientific research, and currently used techniques.
The second part is dedicated to the analysis of the current normative framework associated with research involving human tissue samples in North America. The author underlines the presence of two different normative regimes depending on whether the human tissues were removed before or after death. Finally, the author examines international documents in order to evaluate whether or not they can provide guidance to North American national legislation.
The third part evaluates the normative limitations associated with the use of stored tissue samples of deceased persons for research. The author considers that these limitations are related to the presence of conflicting interests, the difficulties in establishing rights over human tissues, the difficulties of establishing the rights of the dead, and the limitations of the theory of informed consent with regards to stored tissue samples.
The last part of this thesis suggests that stored human tissues should be interpreted as if they were part of an individual's medical record. After presenting some of the philosophical arguments in favour of such an interpretation, the author underlines the presence of legal precedents supporting the "tissue as information" model. The author finally examines the legal implications and the potential limitations of this proposal.
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Sansbury, George Ernest, and G. Sansbury@latrobe edu au. "The employment relationship and integrated theory." La Trobe University. School of Business, 2004. http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au./thesis/public/adt-LTU20060427.125729.
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This research falls within the field of normative business ethics.
Its aim is to examine the moral nature of the employment relationship in western democracies by examining the liberal, democratic justifications that are normally advanced for its probity. Its concern is to challenge the notion that the employment relationship is in conformity with these liberal democratic values. Thus, the research is an exercise in the examination of the application of the liberal, democratic tradition to the social institution of employment.
Thus research examines areas of dissonance between the political relationship of employee � employer and the dominant values of the liberal tradition found elsewhere in western democracies.
The research firstly identifies the key moral characteristics of the employment relationship in private, capitalist organisations. This is derived from a consideration of the development historically, of the employment relationship, with acknowledgement of the combined influences of statute, common law, contract law and custom in forming the current employee relationship.
Secondly, the research identifies the justificatory arguments from the liberal tradition that are normally advanced in support of the employment relationship�s moral probity. These include notions of rights deriving from private property, the separation of social life into public and private spheres and the application of contract law to employment.
Thirdly, the research examines these arguments for their moral probity. Specifically, this involves an examination of the arguments regarding the private property status of employing organisations, the application of contract law to employment, the moral characteristics of the master and servant relationship as a basis for employment and the relevance of democratic values within employment.
As an additional perspective, the literature on human needs is reviewed as a source, outside of the liberal tradition, for a basis upon which to outline the moral requirements of human relationships to work.
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VAHA, Milla Emilia. "The metaphysics of moral subjectivity : theory without practice?" Doctoral thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1814/28056.
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Defence date: 16 July 2013Examining Board: Professor Christian Reus-Smit, University of Queensland (EUI Supervisor); Professor Kimberly Hutchings, London School of Economics and Political Science; Professor Mervyn Frost, King's College London; Professor Friedrich Kratochwil, Central European University (formerly EUI).
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digital archive of EUI PhD theses
In this work I aim to offer a theory of moral subjectivity of the state that helps to explain, in an analytically sound way, what is required for theorising about states as moral agents within a system of very different types of state-units, and, furthermore, enables one to explore what kind of consequences the practices of moral subjectivity might have for that very same system. The argument that I present has two levels. The first level consists of two theoretical claims about exploring the moral subjectivity of the state in International Relations. The first claim is that in order to argue meaningfully about the moral subjectivity of the state one has to take seriously the state's being-in-theworld qua state. By relying on Immanuel Kant's political philosophy and practical metaphysics, I will offer a theory that is applicable when one wishes to conceptualise the state as an autonomous entity in its own right, and, subsequently, allows one to argue that all states, despite their different prudential and contingent differences and characteristics, are moral agents. The second theoretical claim is that the moral personhood of the state is not in and of itself merely metaphysical – that it is, in fact, something purely intrinsic to the agent. Here I depart from Kant's original idea of essentialist moral personality of the state, and, in contrast to Kant, argue that the moral subjectivity of the state is always reciprocal. Moral subjectivity, therefore, cannot be studied without the concept of moral standing: the agent's positioning among other similar entities. Moral subjectivity proper is then constituted by recognition of other similar subjects who consider themselves as moral subjects. Moral subjectivity is always conditional and placed under scrutiny by politics of recognition. The second level of the argument maintains that when one then studies practices of moral subjectivity of the state – that is, states vis-à-vis each other in international society – it is the recognition of subjectivity that plays a central role in identifying states as moral agents in world affairs. While every state in theory qualifies as a moral person, their moral standing as fully-fledged moral subjects is constantly challenged due to their empirical differences in practice. One such difference explored in this study is the liberal/non-liberal character of the state. In order to make sense of the claims of different and sometimes even contradictory moral statuses of different types of empirical states in world politics, I argue that one has to explore the practices of moral subjectivity as well.
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Harrington, John Charles. "The failure to constrain corporate social injury : the state, the stakeholder and the fiduciary." Phd thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/155172.
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Business enterprises evolved from small private companies into largely independent, semi-sovereign publicly traded corporations, unrestrained by national and state governments and civil society. This resulted in excessive individual and corporate materialistic self-interest causing widespread social injury. In the mid-to-late twentieth century, institutional investors developed a self-regulatory methodology, specifically designed to identify and resolve corporate social injury based upon recognizing a minimum moral obligation. It failed. By the twenty-first century, large financial corporations dominated the U.S. financial sector and much of the economy by deregulating markets and controlling governments by lobbying and making political contributions. In 2008, a financial crisis erupted and global markets almost collapsed. This resulted in an attempt by the U.S. Congress and government regulators to constrain corporate power. This also largely failed. This dissertation argues that corporate directors, as fiduciaries, have legal obligations to act in the best interests of all stakeholders, including shareholders, and have the legal flexibility and independence to consider stakeholder concerns acting on behalf of the best interests of the corporation and civil society. Unless man acting in his capacity as a fiduciary cannot balance his and the corporation's excessive materialistic self-interest with the morality of obligation to serve civil society, then the state and stakeholder must compel such a balance. This dissertation argues that without major structural and legal change by government and stakeholders, including civil society, corporations will continue to remain unrestrained, engage in socially injurious conduct and once again large financial institutions may endanger U.S. economic stability.
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DeHart, Paul R. "Better than they knew: the constitution's implicit moral design." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/2412.
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Limerick, Michael Hyder. "The process used by surrogate decision-makers to withhold and withdraw life-sustaining measures in a Catholic intensive care environment." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/1613.
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Zupanec, Nives. "Uncovering the (ethno)gendered dimensions of ’unconventional’ state war and its effect on non-combatants/(ethno)nationalist ’women’." Thesis, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/9824.
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The exploitation and extermination of people in the context of internal conflict in the
former Yugoslavia is a grave injustice and the result of a systematic policy of war by an
unconventional state. Internal conflict requires investigation by international relations
scholars because it is evidence of the changing nature of war. Given that both the
methods of violence (ethnic cleansing, systematic/genocidal rape, and sexual torture) and
(ethno)nationalism are gendered, a 'new' approach to war is needed. Traditional
international relations theoretical approaches to the state, anarchy, and war/peace prove
unable to analyze: one, the unconventional state (structure); two, the dichotomous
separation of the public/international/external/formal/masculine/autonomous from the
private/domestic/internal/informal/feminine/vulnerable; three, unconventional war policy;
and four, the 'new' actors, the external and internal 'Others,' the 'Invisibles,' the noncombatants/
civilians, the 'women' (women and men; people with identities). Thinking that
will lead to solutions for the dilemma of war, inclusively defined, will be - to employ Joy
Kogawa's word - merciful; it will not exclude people and, while critical, it will be hopeful
that the protection of both human dignity and community is in the 'national interest,' in 'our
and their interest' as political/social/economic/etc. beings. Because it analyzes dichotomies
and deals with the role of identity in the various aspects of (changing) war, a feminist or
gendered/identity-deconstructivist approach is advanced as a means to more effectively
examine internal/international conflicts, such as the former Yugoslav wars - i.e.,
unconventional wars whose character challenges the rigid traditionalist international
relations definition of war.
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Hall, Dorothy Ledbetter. "Balancing accountability and ethics : a case study of an elementary school principle." 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/18440.
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In recent years, the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has increasingly had a major impact on daily decisions in schools, especially for principals' performance. Depending on the accountability rating, schools are in jeopardy of closing, and principals and teachers are at risk of being fired (McGhee [and] Nelson, 2005). As a result, it is increasingly difficult to make daily ethical decisions on behalf of students and teachers when much of the focus is on standardized testing and accountability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the leadership practices used by an elementary principal in her effort to balance accountability and ethics. Models of ethical, educational leadership including Servant Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Moral Leadership, Ethical Leadership, and Democratic, Ethical, Educational Leadership have described the practices implemented by ethical leaders. However, research concerning how an elementary principal is able to balance the pressures of accountability and ethical practices to meet the needs of the students, teachers, and parents is less prevalent. This qualitative single-case study of a principal in one high achieving, low socio-economic status elementary school examined the leadership practices in an accountability context. Semi-structured interviews, field notes of observations at the school, and relevant documents were collected and used as the data for the study (Marshall [and] Rossman, 1999). Findings revealed that a clear vision, positive relationships, honest communication, and school-wide systems lend strong support to teaching and learning. Meaningful curriculum, instruction, and assessment; caring, supportive relationships; and a student-centered school culture, are essential components of intended efforts to balance the pressures of accountability and the needs of the students. Resources, shared decision-making, and a culture of mutual respect and responsibility may lead school leaders to address the pressures of accountability and meeting the needs of the teachers. A welcoming environment, pertinent information in English and Spanish, and opportunities for parents and families to get involved are critical avenues to meet and address the concerns of parents. This information may generate recommendations to educational leaders and serve as suggestions for pre-service and in-service training programs which are designed to prepare future ethical school leaders.text
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Akor, Eusebius Ugochukwu. "In quest for an ethical and ideal post-colonial African democratic state : the cases of Nigeria and South Africa." Thesis, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/25445.
Full textAbstract:
Text in English, abstract in English, Afrikaans and Northern SothoThis study examines why post-colonial African states are not able to institutionalise the ideal ethical and democratic societies, given their access to international best practices and the abundance of human and natural resources; why the future of democracy in Africa remains uncertain despite the current efforts at democratisation; if western democracy can be implemented in Africa; why the West is able to produce better systems of governance; why leaders and managers find it daunting to create the kind of society that is inspiring, ethical, immune to bureaucracy, and that possesses excellent economic performance; how leaders, members of the community, bureaucrats, corporate executives and managers can contribute to the realisation of the ethical and ideal African state; and the options for alternative democratic order for the African continent. The inability of post-colonial African states to institute systems and strategies that adequately address the needs and expectations of their citizens has created chaos and anarchy that in some states can be likened to Hobbes state of nature where the weak is at the mercy of the strong and life is nasty, brutish and short. While the West has been largely blamed for playing a significant role in Africa’s inability to effectively manage itself, other theorists criticise African leaders and the community members for their inability to conduct themselves ethically and to implement a constructive and effective system of governance. It is imperative that African states devise adequate means of ethically administering their territories in a manner that meets societal expectations and needs, and in order to avoid intractable socio-political and economic complications.
Hierdie studie ondersoek die redes waarom postkoloniale Afrika-lande nie die ideale etiese en demokratiese samelewings instabiliseer nie, gegewe hul toegang tot internasionale beste praktyke en die oorvloed van menslike en natuurlike hulpbronne; waarom die toekoms van demokrasie in Afrika onduidelik bly ten spyte van die huidige pogings vir demokratisering; as westerse demokrasie in Afrika geïmplementeer kan word; waarom die Weste beter stelsels van bestuur kan lewer; hoekom leiers en bestuurders dit skrikwekkend vind om die soort samelewing wat inspirerend, eties, immuun vir burokrasie is, te skep en wat uitstekende ekonomiese prestasie besit; hoe leiers, lede van die gemeenskap, burokrate, korporatiewe bestuurders en bestuurders kan bydra tot die verwesenliking van die etiese en ideale Afrika-staat; en die opsies vir alternatiewe demokratiese orde vir die Afrika-kontinent. Die onvermoë van post-koloniale Afrika-state om stelsels en strategieë in te stel wat die behoeftes en verwagtinge van hul burgers voldoende aanspreek, het chaos en anargie geskep wat in sommige state vergelykbaar kan wees met Hobbes se toestand van die natuur, waar die swakeling aan die genade van die wat sterk is afhanklik is en die lewe ‘n nare, brutaal en kort lewe is. Terwyl die Weste grotendeels die blaam kry in terme van hul groot bydra in Afrika se onvermoë om homself doeltreffend te bestuur, kritiseer ander teoretici Afrika-leiers en die gemeenskapslede vir hul eie onvermoë om eties op te tree en om 'n konstruktiewe en effektiewe bestuurstelsel te implementeer. Dit is noodsaaklik dat Afrika-state voldoende middele voorsien om hul gebiede eties te administreer op 'n wyse wat voldoen aan maatskaplike verwagtinge en behoeftes, en om onwikkelbare sosio-politieke en ekonomiese komplikasies te vermy.
Thuto ye e lekola mabaka a gore ke eng dinaga tša ka morago ga bokoloneale di sa kgone go hloma dipeakanyo tša maswanedi tša maitshwaro le ditšhaba tša temokrasi, tšeo di filwego phihlelelo go ditiro tše kaonekaone tša boditšhabatšhaba le bontši bja methopo ya semotho le tlhago: ke ka lebaka la eng Bodikela bo kgona go tšweletša mekgwa ye kaone ya pušo; ke ka lebaka la eng baetapele le balaodi ba hwetša go le boima go hlama mokgwa wa setšhaba seo se nago le mafolofolo, maitshwaro, se sa huetšwego ke mokgwa wa pušo wo o diphetho di tšewago ke bahlanka ba mmušo bao ba sa kgethwago, gomme ba na le tiro ye kgahlišago ka ikonomi; ka moo baetapele, maloko a setšhaba, batšeasephetho ba mmušo ba sa kgethwago, malokopharephare a dikoporasi le balaodi ba ka aba mo go phihlelelong ya maitshwaro le naga ya maswanedi ya Afrika; le go dikgetho tša peakanyo ye e hlatlolanago ya temokrasi mo kontinenteng ya Afrika. Go se kgone ga dinaga tša ka morago ga bokoloneale go hlama mekgwa le maano ao a maleba a go bolela ka ga dinyakwa le ditetelo tša baagi ba bona di hlotše tlhakatlhakano le tlhokapušo yeo mo go dinaga tše dingwe e ka bapetšwago le naga ya Hobbes ka tlhago moo mofokodi a lego ka fase ga yo maatla gomme bophelo bo se bose, bo le šoro le go ba bjo bokopana. Mola Bodikela bo pharwa molato kudu mo go bapaleng karolo ye e tšweletšego mo go se kgonego ga Afrika go itaola ka tshwanelo, borateori ba bangwe ba solago baetapele ba Afrika le maloko a setšhaba mo go se kgonego go itshwara gabotse le go phethagatša mokgwa wo hlamilwego gabotse wo o šomago wa pušo. A bonagala gore dinaga tša Afrika di loga maano a makaone a go laola ka tshwanelo dinagadilete tša bona ka mokgwa wo o tla fihlelelago ditetelo tša setšhaba le dinyakwa, le gore go thibelwe go se boelemorago ga dipolotiki tša selegae le tlhakatlhakano ya ikonomi.
Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Philosophy)
49
"Audit planning decisions and audit conflict: a cross-cultural empirical analysis of Hong Kong U.S. auditors." 1997. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b6073028.
Full textAbstract:
by Kan Hee Anthony Tyen.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 367-394).
Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Abstracts in English and Chinese.
50
Swartz, Scott E. "American ideology and the atomic bomb." Thesis, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/34291.
Full textAbstract:
On August 6, 1945 the United States of America dropped an atomic bomb
on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later another atomic bomb was
dropped on the city of Nagasaki, Japan. The events that led up to the United
States' decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japanese cities is extensive, historical
and political. President Roosevelt died, and Harry S. Truman took his place as
President of the United States in April. The atomic bombs were being developed at
this time as well, and in July the first one was successfully tested.
It was necessary for the United States to publicly justify its use of the
atomic bombs. Secretary of war, Henry L. Stimson, was chosen to write the article.
In February 1947 the article, "The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb," was
published in Harper's Magazine. Stimson constructed the article in a manner that
would be consistent with American ideology and could be morally accepted by the
American readers.
Ideology provided the framework of the selected authors for analysis of
Stimson's article. The specific ideology focused on is the ideology of post World
War II America. This is the ideology in which Stimson's article "lived" in, and
influenced his choice of rhetoric; the main focus of the analysis is Stimson's
rhetoric.
Identifying the elements of the text of the article and the ideological
character of that text is key to understanding Stimson's choice of rhetoric. He
asked this audience to accept certain points in order to justify the United States' use
of the atomic bombs. He centered the article on themes such as American
dominance, leadership, and moral and intellectual superiority; he used specific
words and phrases to bring these themes to light.
While Stimson's article was, and is, an important source of information
there were many facts and events that he excluded from it to formulate the desired
version of the justification. Possibly, the most prominent of Stimson's
justifications for the use of the atomic bomb was this number of American lives
saved.
The analysis of this article and its findings are relevant in our understanding
of political reporting of important events. The importance of understanding how
and why Stimson used certain rhetoric to play to American ideological standards
can help Americans today and in the future to better understand the portrayals of
present day media coverage and political rhetoric.Graduation date: 2003