ETHICS IN PROGRESS
Not a member yet
351 research outputs found
Sort by
Russia’s War in Ukraine as a “War for Identity” and Appropriation of Cultural Tradition
Full text linkThe article analyzes Russia’s current war in Ukraine through the perspective of Francis Fukuyama’s concept of identity politics based on Samuel Huntington’s civilization approach. We argue that Russia’s war against Ukraine is a new type of war – a “war for identity” – a war that is waged primarily for the appropriation of Ukrainian cultural identity and historical heritage, rather than for political or economic resources. We believe that an effective explanatory framework for its consideration is provided by Huntington’s civilizational concept of the world order, in which the most widespread and dangerous conflicts will be between peoples belonging to different civilizations (and cultures). The article emphasizes that the Russian war in Ukraine is a direct consequence of two factors: on the one hand, Russia is not satisfied with its own cultural tradition and seeks to appropriate Ukrainian cultural identity and historical heritage in order to restore the “lost empire”; on the other hand, Russia is historically a region of civilizational fault line between the countries of Western civilization and the countries of Eastern civilizations, it is a “torn” state in terms of cultural identity and has maintained its integrity for centuries only due to its authoritarian political regime, but constantly produces numerous conflicts around its borders
The COPE / DOAJ / OASPA / WAME Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing: A Critical Analysis
Full text linkFour publishing-related organizations, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the first being dedicated specifically to the creation and dissemination of ethics policies, established a set of 16 principles related to journal and publisher transparency and “best” publishing practices. The first, second, third and fourth versions were published in 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2022, respectively. Membership of these organizations implies that members can only become such if they satisfy these principles. This paper compares the four versions to appreciate how the content has changed over time, as a historical endeavor to gather how publishing ethics has progressed over time. An assessment is also made to determine whether all principles are related to transparency and best principles, and if any may be missing. We concluded that the 16 principles offer broad guidance to several important aspects related to journal and publishing ethics and management. However, the vast majority are in general excessively broad, occasionally vague, or lack sufficient examples or specifics, despite the slight improvement between versions 3 and 4. We argue further that these weaknesses may limit their practical application. Until September 2022, there was no transparency regarding the consequences for any members that might violate, or not abide by, these principles. In the light of these arguments, we are of the opinion that the 16 principles of “best” publishing practices merit additional improvements
ChatGPT as Co-Author? AI and Research Ethics
Full text linkShould ChatGPT be viewed merely as a supportive tool for writers, or does it qualify as a co-author? As ChatGPT and similar language models are likely to become more prevalent in assisting with academic writing and research, it seems that we will face with two possibilities: an increase in ghostwriting that could finally undermine the integrity of the knowledge system, or the need to theoretical preparation to recognize the role of non-human contributors. Drawing on Actor-Network Theory, this article examines the question of whether this Chatbot meets, in principle, the requirements for co-authorship. Answering this question in affirmative, it delves into philosophical discussions concerning the agency, moral agency, and moral accountability of such technological entities
Life as Paradigm of Knowledge. What Use of Hegel in the Age of the Environmental Crisis?
Full text linkThis paper aims to show to what extent the normativity of organic life that emerged from the natural sciences of Hegel’s time influenced the structuring of his speculative approach. In the first part, the eighteenth-century paradigm shift in the natural sciences is investigated as marking the transition from a physics-based worldview to a biology-based one. This shift argues strongly against the reduction of nature to mechanism and provides an adequate model for analysing the functioning of all other complex systems and, above all, the functioning of reason. In the second part, the consequences of such a shift are evaluated with respect to Hegel’s idealism, especially in relation to the categories of organism and purpose. They are the core elements for understanding not only the mode of living but also that of thinking. In the last part, we identify Hegel’s philosophy as a “living ontology,” an ontology that keeps pace with reality by modifying its categories accordingly. From this point of view, Hegel’s idealism can be compatible with a new idea of the relationship between human beings and the environment, in the direction of a relational ontology. The paper then focuses on the legacy of this re-reading of Hegel’s philosophy in the contemporary debate on ecological thinking that attempts to answer the question raised in the discussion on the environmental crisis and Anthropocene
Why Turn to Hegel Today? An Introduction
Full text linkThis brief introduction sets the stage for the central aim of this issue of Ethics in Progress devoted to Hegel: to underscore the enduring relevance of his thought, in particular his Philosophy of Nature and his Realphilosophie, in addressing contemporary challenges. While Hegel may appear to some as an abstract thinker, seemingly surpassed by the demands of our era, the core elements of his philosophy – particularly the dialectical method, his reflections on the complex relationship between Natur (nature) and Geist (spirit), and key concepts such as Anerkennung (recognition) and Wille (will) – continue to provide a vital conceptual framework for addressing pressing issues of our time. These include the environmental crisis and the evolving dynamics between humanity, nature, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. Consequently, this issue strives to approach Hegel through the lens of our contemporary experience, not to distort or “denaturalize” his thought, nor to fall into the trap of anachronism, but to breathe new life into the concept. By doing so, it invites the reader to listen anew to what Hegel’s philosophy might still teach us today
Improving Social Civilization. New Progress in Research on Perspective Taking in China
Full text linkIn recent years, in the journey of building a modern socialist country in the new era, perspective taking has gradually attracted the attention of Chinese scholars due to its contribution to improving social civilization and the adaptability of Chinese citizens to society. New perspectives and empirical research are constantly emerging, and scholars are constantly exploring and improving relevant theories while conducting research based on China’s own national conditions. In order to improve social civilization, they are exploring the specific development of Chinese citizens’ perspective selection, and starting to focus on the intervention and application of perspective taking ability, integrating research into various aspects of education, management, and other aspects of China’s modern social construction. In this essay, we explored the new research achievements of Chinese scholars in the past decade, focusing on the relationship between perspective taking and prosocial behavior, perspective taking and inter group relationships, perspective taking and management of special populations, and the impact of gender factors on perspective taking. It also provides inspiration for China to improve social civilization and solve corresponding social problems
Is a Contemporary Hegelian Philosophy of Nature Possible?
Full text linkHegel’s philosophy of nature (Naturphilosophie) is impossible to separate from the rest of his system, in which nature is shown as a reflection of the idea (Idee) as presented in the logic (in the Enzyklopädie der philosophischen Wissenschaften). The system composed by logic, nature, and spirit, represents a dialectical relation in which logic as the universal, nature as the particular, and spirit as the singular, mediate through one another and develop as immanent and constitutive parts of the system as a whole. Yet, the goal of the philosophy of nature is not unrelated to a philosophy of science in the contemporary sense. The latter aims to solve (among other problems) the problem of dualism between the conceptual scheme/the world and the demarcation of science (and knowledge), where the crucial difference is that the Hegelian philosophy of nature benefits from having an answer to these in the form of the absolute idea (die absolute Idee). In a contemporary sense, the constitution of these problematics would follow an abductive reasoning where the Hegelian idea (Idee) would solve these crucial problems for philosophy of science. The following paper will attempt to provide some guiding points for such a project and suggest the assumptions necessary for its development, with the sole purpose of underscoring the similarities and differences between the Hegelian philosophy of nature and a contemporary philosophy of science
Culture, Development and Adolescence – towards a Theory and History of Adolescence
Full text linkThe present study identifies specifics of adolescence by reconstructing the cultural-historical process of the emergence of this age, which is essentially connected to modernity, by means of two epochal works of art from the years 1719 (Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe) and 1774 (Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s Die Leiden des jungen Werthers) which are reflected upon using terms derived from development theory. This study bases its conclusions on a summary theoretical model of adolescence as the awakening of subjectivity, with critical consideration given of current tendencies in dealing with and shaping adolescence. The potential associated with this stage of life as represented amid the unleashing of modernity seems to be decreasing again in its neoliberal late phase. It seems instead to be replaced by empty stagings and conjuration of creativity
Mediation of Climate Anxiety in Doctors and Nurses: A Structural Equation Modelling Study
Full text linkAims. The goal of this meteorological psychology study is to understand the behavioral implications on the professional lives of medical professionals in one of the most polluted regions of the world with a compromised air quality index. There is a paucity of literature to explore climate ethics as to how behavioral aspects of morals may alter related to climate change. Methods. The study is a cross-sectional correlational quantitative study formulated through purposive sampling. Research took place during the smog season of the world’s most polluted city. The research instruments of Climate anxiety, pain and distress, and cognitive failure were administered to a sample of 211 medical professionals. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and resulted in robust model fitness with indices between .80 and .90. Item loadings for three factors were statistically ideal of greater than. 30. Barron and Kenny’s approach was applied to conduct mediation through path analysis in which climate anxiety significantly mediates between pain distress and cognitive failure (β = .51; p < .0001). Multiple regression results using bootstrap confidence showed that climate anxiety (β = .993; p < .0001), and pain distress result in cognitive failure. The independent sample t-test was carried out to explore if nurses and doctors are different in terms of experiencing climate anxiety, pain distress, and cognitive failure. Results. There is a strong significant association among climate anxiety, pain distress, and cognitive failure with strong to moderate correlation values, p < .001. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and resulted in robust model fitness with indices between .80 and .90. Item loadings for three factors were statistically ideal at .30. 102 Nurses (M = 85.216; SD = 4.94) were more painfully distressed, prone to cognitive failure, and have climate anxiety as compared to 109 doctors (M = 71.211; SD = 9.23)
A Critical Analysis of Falsification as Fraud
Full text linkThis paper critically evaluates the classification of research-related fraudulent activities, with an emphasis on the specific misconduct falsification. The analysis begins by interrogating the assumption that all acts of fraud in research are intentional, suggesting that some instances may inadvertently arise during the course of scholarly activities. Misconducts like fabrication and falsification are categorized as fraudulent primarily due to their generation during research activities and their direct contribution to the distortion of scientific knowledge. Plagiarism, while deceptive, does not necessarily originate from the research process nor lead directly to such distortion, and therefore is not classified as de facto fraud. The paper proposes that the definition of falsification – as established by the PHS – requires refinement to prevent wrongful allegations and convictions, enhance transparency, and offer clearer guidelines. This nuanced understanding is vital for safeguarding the credibility of the research process and protecting scientists from unfounded career-damaging accusations. Ultimately, this paper advocates for a clearer definition of falsification to protect the integrity of scientific research and prevent the miscarriage of justice