ETHICS IN PROGRESS
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Reconstructive Habits: John Dewey on Human Functioning
No full textThe academic strife to parse, investigate and adjust human functioning establishes varieties of at least three key concepts: behavior, action, activity. Depending on the general approach chosen, human functioning is therefore defined in a certain way and in a certain understanding of freedom. Within this paper, the pragmatist considerations of John Dewey (1859-1952) offer a sophisticatedly formulated theory of human functioning that, undoubtedly, takes action-theoretical paths but formulates underlying assumptions in a significantly unusual way. The main focus is to outline the theory in such a way that clearly shows the unusual as part of the usual and the usual as part of the unusual. For this purpose, the first section defines action as the basic category of Deweyan human functioning where sensory stimuli, registering elements and motor responses play a leading role, but according to Dewey questions the today still popular model of behaviorist psychology, that positions isolated and a-cultural stimulus-response-procedures in the human organism. The second section affirms the theoretical inclusion of deliberative elements that constitute human action, but according to Dewey witnesses their substantial and rather sporadic significance in a predominantly habitual human functioning. The conclusive section outlines the possibilities and limits of transforming habitually inured patterns of human conduct by means of reconstructive habits
Why Can´t We Regard Robots As People?
Get PDFWith the development of autonomous robots, one day probably capable of speaking, thinking and learning, self-reflecting, sharing emotions, in fact, with the raise of robots becoming artificial moral agents (AMAs) robot scientists like Abney, Veruggio and Petersen are already optimistic that sooner or later we need to call those robots “people” or rather “Artificial People” (AP). The paper rejects this forecast, due to its argument based on three metaphysical conflicting assumptions. Firstly, it is the idea that it is possible to precisely define persons and apply the definition to robots or use it to differentiate human beings from robots. Further, the argument of APs favors a position of non-reductive physicalism (second assumption) and materialism (third assumption), finally producing weird convictions about future robotics. Therefore, I will suggest to follow Christine Korsgaard’s defence of animals as ends in themselves with moral standing. I will show that her argument can be transmitted to robots, too, at least to robots which are capable of pursuing their own good (even if they are not rational). Korsgaard’s interpretation of Kant delivers an option that allows us to leave out complicated metaphysical notions like “person” or “subject” in the debate, without denying robots’ status as agents
On Philosophy of Barbara Skarga: An Approach to Get to Know Her Life and Work
No full textBarbara Skarga (1919–2009) was one of the most important Polish Philosophers of 20th century. She was an expert in classical and contemporary French (e.g. Comte, Bergson, Lévinas) and German Philosophy (e.g. Kant, Hegel, Heidegger). In this paper I present some important biographical facts (participation in organized resistance in Vilnius, interments in Gulags) as well Skarga’s philosophical, mostly sociopolitical and ethical, ideas. I called its philosophical concept “philosophy of difference”
Towards Masculinity As an Ethical Project. An Outline of the Philosophical and Social Situation
No full textThe article is an attempt at addressing the problem of "masculinity" as a historically privileged category in the social and philosophical tradition. In the dichotomous gender system, femininity is usually valued as aesthetic quality, while masculinity stands as an ethical value. This distinction, suggesting the subordinated and disadvantaged position of "femininity" derives from ancient philosophy and biblical tradition and was strengthened not only by philosophical writings but also by symbolic, legal, economic and social practices. By sketching a review of positions and confronting the stereotypical image of "masculinity" with the complex reality of multiple forms of masculine expressions, the article brings the situation of "masculinity" in the world organized by the phallogocentric symbolic order
The Categorical Imperative in Defence of Animal Rights. Christine Korsgaard’s Ethical Extensionism
No full textIn this paper, I present Christine Korsgaard’s style of building a conception of animal rights protection based on a concept of Kantian provenance, namely “end in itself”. Considering that an end in itself in Immanuel Kant’s philosophy includes only human beings, the American philosopher needed to modify (extend) the meaning of the abovementioned concept. This study aims at showing this change of the meaning in categories derived from Fregean semantics (sense and reference). Moreover, I will attempt to prove that by broadening the extension of “end in itself” Korsgaard uses a strategy called ethical extensionism and situates the revised (naturalized) categorical imperative ipso facto within environmental ethics.I start with elucidating Korsgaard’s views on the meaning of “end in itself” before she took interest in animal rights (set out mainly in Kant’s Formula of Humanity and The Sources of Normativity) and then I synthetically describe her animal rights philosophy with a special regard to the category of “natural good”. The second part of the article explains the methodology used in the paper, while the last part is intended to be an interpretation of Korsgaard’s thought
For a Future Free of Violence: Moral Competencies As a Means of Emancipation and Self-Empowerment
Get PDFThe paper explores the role of fostering moral-democratic competencies for violence prevention, in particular in the relation to genderbased, intimate partner and domestic violence. Additionally, significant emphasis is placed on the prevention of revictimisation. Violence prevention is framed with regard to the political importance of violence-free homes and intimate relationships for the empowerment of women. The paper refers to the complex situation of women subjected to abuse and the effects of violence on an individual. As a countermeasure, the paper proposes the development of moral-democratic competencies, and recommends the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion® as an example of an efficient method to accomplish this task
Is The Stimulation of Moral Competence with KMDD® Well-suited for Our Brain? A Perspective From Neuroethics
Get PDFThis article is an attempt to show that the KMDD® method is the best for both our brain and our moral functioning, which undoubtedly has its basis in the brain. At the same time, it is an attempt to draw attention to the importance of planning interventions (e.g. at the educational level) which stimulate moral development in accordance with the psychological and neurobiological functioning of an individual. The paper briefly presents the neuropsychological context of moral functioning, and then a series of arguments in support of the thesis that the scientifically proven effectiveness of using the KMDD® method has its support in adapting the method not only to one\u27s pattern of individual behavior, but also to the proper functioning of one\u27s brain
A Commentary Reflection of Moral Psychology Based on Embodied Cognition
Get PDF The rise of embodied cognition in recent ten years has brought about significant influence on the research of moral psychology. On the one hand, the development of neuro-cognitive science has facilitated the research of morality deeply into the mirror neurons of brain, no longer being limited simply on the philosophical speculation; and on the other hand the experimental research of embodied cognition has provided new evidence for some traditional and philosophical moral issues and even made some new recognition of the issues which are different from the traditional interpretations. Tracing back to the research of the Western moral psychology, we find that cognitive rationality and virtual ethics are the two main research lines for moral psychology.（1）J. Piaget and L. Kohlberg opened a way for the research of cognitive development of morality, and their successors have formed new Kohlbergian School, such as the moral judgment theory based on DIT proposed by J. Rest and his colleagues, G. Lind’s dual-aspect theory based on his MCT and KMDD®; the social cognitive domain theory proposed by E. Turiel and his colleagues; the feminine caring ethics advocated by C. Gilligan and N. Noddings; the Social Intuitionist Theory proposed by J. Haidt based on evolutionary psychology, cultural psychology and neuro-cognitive science and so on. (2) The traditional moral philosophy and ethics have opened another way to the research of character education and virtues, such as the American movement of character education facilitated by W, Bennett and T. Lickona and others; the argument between J. Rawls and R. Nozick on moral problems; A. C. MacIntyre’s moral critique to the Western societies and his virtue ethics and so on. Since 21st century the research of embodied cognition has broken through the limitation of the traditional research on moral psychology, attempting to realize the new synthesis of intellect, human body and its environment, and therefore started the embodied research of moral judgment which is unfolded around the three dimensions of physical cleanliness, disgust, body temperature and body movements. I has also assimilated Piaget and Vygotsky’s ideas of psychological development, the theory of conceptual metaphor in cognitive semantics and the theory of evolutionary psychology, and made its theoretical interpretation and exploration for the embodied effect of moral judgment. Since the variable of physical body could have its influence on individual moral judgment by means of one’s emotion and cognitive elements, the moral judgment based on embodied cognition should be integrated with the theories of moral judgment, especially with moral competencies that are the core of moral judgment, and meanwhile the relationship between the embodied cognition and moral intuition should be deeply explored, and the issues such as chronergy, that is, time efficiency, and dynamics taken place when there is the embodied effect should be further examined, the regulated variables of embodied effects while making moral judgment and the individual differences should also be found out through detailed research. And finally we should check out the embodied effects of moral judgment through the cross-cultural comparison
Uwagi o odpowiedzialności dyscyplinarnej sędziów za rażącą i oczywistą obrazę prawa w polskim systemie prawnym
Get PDFThe paper deals with the disciplinary responsibility of judges for obvious and flagrant legal misconduct. A model of the aforementioned responsibility in the Polish law has been presented. The problems deliberated upon include: the moral justification of punishing judges for mentioned disciplinary delicts and critical evaluation of Supreme Court view about this responsibility. A question is asked about reconsidering the interpretation of obvious and flagrant legal misconduct according to modern times and the complicated social and law reality.The paper deals with the disciplinary responsibility of judges for obvious and flagrant legal misconduct. A model of the aforementioned responsibility in the Polish law has been presented. The problems deliberated upon include: the moral justification of punishing judges for mentioned disciplinary delicts and critical evaluation of Supreme Court view about this responsibility. A question is asked about reconsidering the interpretation of obvious and flagrant legal misconduct according to modern times and the complicated social and law reality