University of Windsor, Ontario: Open Journal Systems
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Wooden spoons and “pulling the mom card”: A critical discourse-historical analysis of an interview with a social worker
No full textDespite increasing acknowledgement within and beyond the social work profession of our role in enacting violence against people we claim to care for and serve, discursive strategies that rationalize and naturalize violence are endemic within social work discourse. In this article, I use critical discourse-historical analysis to examine one interview I conducted with a practicing social worker in Alberta, Canada. Grounded in an intersectional critical approach to inquiry, I elucidate how rationalization strategies for professional violence emerge in ordinary social work talk and situate one social worker’s description of her practice within a historical context of the fabrication of social work in Canada. I focus on this social worker’s reports of threatening clients with a “virtual wooden spoon” to identify linguistic and discursive patterns at play and their semiotic significance as means to rationalize and normalize professional power and control. I specifically situate the analysis within the context of social work as a story of racist, classist, and ableist violence often committed by morally exalted, wealthy, white women. I conclude by reflecting on the importance of examining discursive strategies to rationalize, dismiss or diminish violence in our everyday social work talk
The Duty to Implement Explainable Artificial Intelligence: A Case Study of Public Service Postal Banks
No full textThis paper examines Explainable AI (XAI) from a duty-based perspective in the context of public service postal banks. It argues that XAI is a strict obligation for these banks whenever they implement advanced AI-recommendation systems. This obligation emanates from the Kantian principle to respect humanity, something that is integral to their public service identity
Forgiveness, Finitude, Apology and Acknowledgment
No full textWe argue for a particular conception of forgiveness with the following characteristics: forgiveness as transactional (primarily bi-lateral, rather than unilateral), elective (not obligatory) and conditional. Initiating the process requires forgiveness to be extended to the wrongdoer but not at the expense of forgetting, excusing, or condoning the wrong. The offer of the apology shifts the control or power from the wrongdoer to the victim who may initiate the conditional decision which may culminate in the repairing of the damaged relationship. A wrong may not be simply a perpetration of harm, but also a moral insult. It is the insult, this loss of respect for the dignity and integrity of the other, that needs to be addressed by the apology. The focus of this paper is on the role of apology; in particular, as it is offered by the perpetrator of the wrong and as it is received by victim who can, if she chooses, forgive
Opposites
No full textIrony appears to be deeply rooted in the practice of ethics. Attempts to prescribe morally obligatory duties, and to will morally justified actions, often bring about the opposite of their intended result. Imposing imperatives, e.g., justice, in efforts to produce fair, equitable, caring societies, inadvertently plants seeds of failure. The imposition of moral imperatives increasingly appears to generate polarities rather than unities, as cases of abortion, euthanasia, reactions to liberal immigration, and environmental protection policies have illustrated. Imposed imperatives generate counter imperatives and counterclaims of having justice on “our” side. I attempt here to explain this phenomenon and, in the process, argue that attempts to resolve such conflicts by defending one’s position against its opposition is, in a certain way, destructive of moral life. I conclude with a sketch of how an ethic of attunement can help rectify this problem
Lying to Children and the Cultivation of Epistemic Virtue
No full textThis paper argues that, regardless of the type of lies involved, lying to children is not morally justified. The argument is grounded in the need to treat children as members of the moral community who are becoming moral and epistemic agents. The paper first sets out the boundaries of the dishonest behaviour concerned and examines the reasons parents and scholars have given for thinking that lying to children is sometimes justifiable
Ethics in Locality: Confessions of a Not-So-Innocent Bystander
No full textUsing narrative form, so important in the Indigenous tradition, this paper tells the story of Ojibwa philosopher, Dennis McPherson, a friend and colleague of the author, and his persistent efforts over the years to liberate Locality
Canadian Decolonization: The Path to Indigenous Recognition and Sovereignty
No full textHow can Indigenous peoples acquire recognition and sovereignty within Canada? The heinous treatment of Indigenous Canadians is well documented. Thankfully, Canada has progressed from this horrific past. Whether it was Stephen Harper’s public apology in 2008, the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or Justin Trudeau’s 2015 campaign promise of a “nation-to-nation” approach, Canada has tried to repair past wrongs. However, this is not enough. By relying on decolonization theory, this paper explains that Canada must change its process for adjudicating legal affairs if Indigenous peoples are to have their rights respected, guaranteed, and upheld as sovereign peoples
Taylor Smith: Passage d’un joueur afro- descendant au Québec, 1899-1900
No full textAfrican-American baseball player Taylor Smith was long forgotten until an American sports collectoracquired a photo picturing him in his Saint-Jean, Quebec baseball club uniform. This discovery highlightedTaylor Smith’s exceptional career path, from Pennsylvania’s black teams to the famous Cuban Giants, ending upin Quebec at the end of his career with two Provincial League teams. An example of baseball racial integrationlong before Charlie Culver and Jackie Robinson.Le joueur de baseball afro-descendant Taylor Smith a longtemps été oublié jusqu’à ce qu’un collection-neur américain d’articles sportifs fasse l’acquisition d’une photo de lui dans son uniforme du club de Saint-Jeanau Québec. Cette découverte a mis en évidence le parcours exceptionnel de Taylor Smith, des équipes de noirsde la Pennsylvanie jusqu’aux fameux Cuban Giants pour aboutir au Québec en fin de carrière au sein de deuxéquipes de la Ligue provinciale. Un exemple d’intégration raciale du baseball bien avant Charlie Culver et JackieRobinson
The 1949 Windsor Canadians
No full textThe 1949 edition of the semipro Michigan-Indiana League expanded into Canada in mid-season. TheWindsor Canadians inherited a poor won-lost record from a newly defunct team from South Bend, Indiana.From there, the season only got worse for Windsor. The Canadians failed miserably, despite encouraging perfor-mances against well-known Negro League clubs and the House of David. The Windsor roster included formerpros, a “home brew,” and a convicted criminal from Detroit. After the regular season, two of the Canadians wereloaned to Fort Wayne, a rival Michigan-Indiana League club that was also defending U.S. national semiprochampion. Fort Wayne retained the title, partly due to the play of their Windsor contingent.L’édition 1949 de la ligue semi-professionnelle Michigan-Indiana s’est étendue au Canada à la mi-sai-son. Les Canadians de Windsor ont hérité d’une piètre fiche de victoires et de défaites d’une équipe de SouthBend, en Indiana, qui venait de disparaître. À partir de là, la saison ne fait qu’empirer pour Windsor. Les Ca-nadians échouent lamentablement, malgré des performances encourageantes contre des clubs bien connus desNegro Leagues et celui de la Maison de David. L’équipe de Windsor comprend d’anciens professionnels, uncontingent local et un criminel condamné de Détroit. Après la saison régulière, deux des Canadiens sont prêtés àFort Wayne, un club rival de la Michigan-Indiana League qui est également champion national semi-profession-nel des États-Unis en titre. Fort Wayne conserve son titre, en partie grâce au jeu de son contingent de Windsor
Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy for Detecting Inorganic Phosphate in the Great Lakes
No full textThe eutrophication of rivers, lakes, and marine coastlines remains a persistent global issue. In Lake Erie, excessive nutrient inputs have led to the growth of harmful algal blooms (HABs) that cause fish to die off in large numbers, among other negative outcomes (Wurtsbaugh et al., 2019). HABs also lead to poor water quality, which is a concern for the millions of people who rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water and recreation (Sellner et al., 2003). For instance, certain species present in HABs contain toxins that can alter cellular processes of organisms from plankton to humans (Harper at al., 1992; Sellner et al., 2003). Soluble reactive phosphate (SRP) is a small subset of the total phosphorus (TP) of an aquatic environment and is usually in the form of orthophosphate. SRP is the most important component of TP for biological functions and is a key contributor to the growth of algae. There has been a recent increase in HAB growth in Lake Erie, and it has been proposed that, despite a reduction in the overall loading of TP to Lake Erie over time, the fraction of more bioavailable SRP may be increasing (Maccoux et al., 2016). Traditionally, SRP has been measured via an absorbance measurement in the UV-visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the most common method, molybdate is used to form a blue-coloured complex with orthophosphate (Tarapchak, 1983). In this case, the concentration of SRP is inferred via the absorption of the molybdate-phosphate complex. Issues with this method include signal interference, lengthy measurement time, difficulties making in-situ measurements, and toxicity of reagents (Sarwar et al., 2019). There is a need for a new technique to measure phosphate in lakes, and we propose measuring the vibrational properties of the nutrient via its Raman response