The subject of this abstract is the description of professional ethics of a damage adjuster in an insurance company. The work of a damage adjuster in a financial institution is more than looking after the profit of the company which goes to the company shareholders. The job is very often regarded as a position of public trust. When the aggrieved parties report a damage to an insurance company they not only entrust their personal data, which are protected by law, but (...) they also reveal confidential information like medical records, their income and important personal documentation. Reporting a damage, the aggrieved party has to be sure that the entrusted information will be only used for the purpose of the liquidation of damages. On the other hand, the damage adjuster is supposed to know that when contacting the aggrieved party, who is not an expert in insurance, should never use the professional knowledge to make decisions which are not in favour of the party. In this case the damage adjuster has two roles; not only is he a professional who is responsible for the liquidation of the damage but he is also a representative of a financial institution to the aggrieved party. Therefore there are also some marketing aspects involved in the process because quick and accurate handling of the liquidation process can convince the aggrieved party to choose the insurance company’s offer. In my paper I am going to focus on ethical issues of the profession of a damage adjuster both when interacting with clients and decision taking. I will try to show what ethical and moral standards a person working as a damage adjuster should follow. These being especially important for the profession of a personal damage adjuster. The role of a damage adjuster is not only the liquidation of the damage following procedures but also help and support for the aggrieved party by explaining the procedures, existing rights and claims. (shrink)

Recent literature demonstrates the contribution of short food supply chains to regional economies and sustainable food systems, and acknowledges their role as drivers for sustainable development. Moreover, different types of SFSC have been supported by urban food policies over the few last years and actors from the food chain became part of new institutional settings for urban food policies. However, evidence from the sustainability impact assessment of these SFSC in urban contexts is limited. Our paper presents an approach for the (...) development of an SIA framework for different SFSC types. In addition, a practical application of the tool in four metropolitan regions is tested. The conceptual development of the SIA framework is based on an in-depth analysis of existing SIA frameworks and methods for assessing the sustainability of agriculture, food chains and food systems and adapted to the specific needs of analysing SFSC in metropolitan regions. The operational value and utility of the framework and the tool were tested with social and natural scientists and local stakeholders. The assessment results demonstrate that SFSC seems to be more sustainable than the baseline in the social dimension, but also feature specific strengths and weaknesses concerning their economic and environmental sustainability. This might give an indication for regional adjusted strategies and food chain innovations that improve the sustainability performance may be required. We found the tool useful for framing the dialogue between food chain actors, consumers and policy, because it makes benefits and trade-offs of the chain types operating in an urban–rural context more visible and communicable. (shrink)

There has been little previous scholarship regarding the aims, options and impact of ethics education on residential care‐givers. This manuscript details findings from a pragmatic cluster trial evaluating the impact of three different approaches to ethics education. The focus of the article is on one of the interventions, an immersive simulation experience. The simulation experience required residential care‐givers to assume the profile of elderly care‐recipients for a 24‐hr period. The care‐givers were student nurses. The project was reviewed favourably by a (...) university ethics committee, and participants provided informed consent. Data from six postsimulation experience focus groups were analysed thematically and three themes were identified: the experience of vulnerability, dignity in care and the organisation of care. Findings suggest that the immersive simulation experience had a powerful immediate impact as participants described epiphanous insights relating to their care experiences. It is suggested that reflecting on and recording epiphanous events has the potential to sustain ethical care practices. Further research is required to evaluate the impact of different ethics education interventions in different cultural contexts. Exploration is also required regarding the meaning and significance of care epiphanies, those “most delicate and evanescent of moments,” for the sustainability of ethical care. (shrink)

There is a disproportionate number of complaints about social workers in England to the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) as compared with the other health care professionals regulated by HCPC. This paper discusses findings from interviews and focus groups that formed part of a mixed methods study that aimed to find out the reasons for complaints and the strategies that may reduce complaints. Four themes were identified: social work as an evolving profession; social work involves challenging practice; social work (...) takes place in a pressurised environment; and public perceptions and expectations of social work are often negative and unrealistic. Findings highlight explanations that focus on organisational culture and public responses to social workers’ control functions. We argue that, at a time of change for the profession, there is a need for public education regarding the role and function of social workers and for regulators to have more proactive engagement with registrants and employers. (shrink)

There has been little previous research regarding the effectiveness of ethics education interventions for residential care‐givers. The Researching Interventions to Promote Ethics in social care project responded to the question: Which is the most effective ethics education intervention for care‐givers in residential social care? A pragmatic cluster trial explored the impact of three ethics education interventions for: (a) interactive face‐to‐face ethics teaching; (b) reflective ethics discussion groups; and (c) an immersive simulation experience. There was also a control arm (d). 144 (...) trial participants were recruited from 39 residential care homes for older people in southern England. Change scores compared across intervention arms showed a significant reduction in work‐related moral stress in the teaching arm compared with control group (p =.03); there were no significant differences between control and intervention arms in change scores for moral sensitivity, interpersonal reactivity (empathy) or ethical leadership. Qualitative data themes were as follows: ethical care; care challenges; and ethical care inhibitors. Overall findings stimulate reflection on the value of three different ethics education interventions and the most appropriate means to evaluate their impact. Findings suggest the complexity and diverse nature of ethical competence in care. We suggest a way forward for research evaluating ethics education. (shrink)

Author: Sawicki Jerzy Title: THELEOGICAL PRINCIPLE IN KANT’S METHODOLOGY (Zasada teleologiczna w metodologii Kanta) Source: Filo-Sofija year: 2005, vol:.5, number: 2005/1, pages: 281-292 Keywords: KANT, THELEOGICAL PRINCIPLE, FINALISM, MECHANICISM Discipline: PHILOSOPHY Language: POLISH Document type: ARTICLE Publication order reference (Primary author’s office address): E-mail: www:The work contains a concise of I. Kant’s views on the problem of the laws of nature and the theleological principle presented in this context, which Kant proposes in the character of a regulative methodological postulate. (...) The analysis of fundamental philosophical notions (the law of nature, necessity, causality, purpose) carried out from the position of an extreme aprioristic rationalism leads Kant to the conclusion about the basic impossibility of educing the conception of purpose (in relation to nature) from aprioristic transcendental laws, ie. such laws which the theoretical reason imposes to the nature by necessity. However, the fact of a total functioning of an organism does not fit, according to Kant, into the frames of a mechanically understood causality. Kant tries to solve this problem choosing the way of conclusion by analogy and finally he suggests to introduce into the living nature a specific causal relation in which the purposes constitute a particular kind of causes and results at the same time. That conception oscillates between mechanicism and theological finalism, and the fitting of a science system into the frames of aprioristic categories does not permit a finally decide about the supremacy of one or the other way of seeing the world. However, nevertheless, the perceiving and stressing of the peculiarity of organic symptoms, the formulation of the postulate about their unreductability to the law of a mechanical type constitute unquestionable and great merit of the author of the Criticism of the Judgment Authority. The idea of the totality of organism, though involved in subjective idealistic non consequences of Kant’s conceptions has in the given historical period all features of a deep and progressive thought, outpacing and inspiring several later research ideas, both in philosophy and in natural science. (shrink)

Tourism has become one of the most popular leisure activities and the number of tourists has increased remarkably in recent years. UNWTO forecasts further development of this sector, predicting that the number of international arrivals will reach nearly 1.6 billion by the year 2020. Growth in the number of tourists poses a serious threat to the environment. The way to solve this problem is by introducing a more sustainable approach to this sector. The concept of sustainability was recently introduced into (...) tourism and we can already notice many good practices. The article focuses on presenting the concept of sustainable tourism, its key objectives, and main characteristics, cases of its application, challenges connected with a more sustainable approach to tourism. Sustainable tourism is presented as the solution for environmental and social problems caused by intensified tourist activity. (shrink)

Within the content of the following paper I aim to reveal some epistemological benefits, related to Husserl's concept of an eidetic intuition. In order to do so, I refer to Kant's radical division of the subject's cognitive activity into two main epistemic faculties, namely intuition, which – according to Kant's statements – may be just empirical, and being strictly and only discursive intellect. Having presented it I further proceed to describe certain difficulties, being the result of the rejection of possibility (...) of an intuitive use of intellect, such as the objective validity of cognizing an apriorical forms, or the process of creating an empirical notions. Finally I refer to Husserl's acceptation of an eidetic intuition, being – according to my opinion – the only way of solving all the problems presented above. (shrink)

The paper deals with the question of the validity of the Law of Excluded Middle in intuitionistic logic. Because of a different interpretation of the logical connectives, intuitionists reject the intuitionistic (constructive) counterpart of the Law of Excluded Middle. In the intuitionistic approach the meta-linguistic Law of Excluded Middle is not valid, which results in a replacement of a classical definition of truth with an definition, which sees the essence of truth in the relation of a sentence to the result (...) of a certain cognitive efforts. A true sentence is a sentence which satisfies the criterion of truth, i.e. is (constructively) provable. Thus, a dispute between classical logic and intuitionistic logic can be described as a dispute between the and the. (shrink)

A Deontic Logic for Normative Dilemmas: Standard deontic logic does not tolerate normative conflicts. If we assume that one ought to do A and ought to do B, but cannot do them both, we get a contradiction within deontic logic. Philosophers who deny that there could be genuine moral dilemmas treat this fact as the proof that dilemmas are logically impossible. At the same time, the advocates of the possibility of moral dilemmas propose to reject or restrict standard deontic principles. (...) What consequences does it have for the resulting logic? Some of them are too strong because they contain the theorem of normative triviality or “deontic explosion,” which says that if there is any case of normative conflict, then everything is obligatory. On the other hand, some of them are too weak, since they are not able to validate more important deontic inferences especially the Smith Argument. Lou Goble introduces three criteria of adequacy that any deontic logic should meet if it is to accommodate normative conflicts successfully. First, I present these conditions and then I introduce a new logic of ought that fully meets all of them. (shrink)

Celem tego tekstu jest rekonstrukcja i analiza argumentów przedstawianych za Psychologiczną Zasadą Niesprzeczności, stwierdzającą, że żaden podmiot nie może mieć sprzecznych przekonań lub być opisany jako posiadający sprzeczne przekonania. Poprzez rozróżnienie dwóch możliwych interpretacji PZN, deskryptywnej i normatywnej, oraz dokładne zbadanie argumentacji przedstawionej dla każdej z nich z osobna, wskazuję zawarte w nich błędy oraz problemy związane z uzgodnieniem ich z wynikami badań prowadzonych w psychologii poznawczej i klinicznej. Uzasadniam, dlaczego PZN nie może być wyprowadzona z żadnego ze stanowisk metafizycznych (...) dotyczących nastawień sądzeniowych i że posiadanie sprzecznych przekonań powinno być uznane za możliwe. Następnie piszę, dlaczego zinterpretowanie niektórych podmiotów jako posiadających sprzeczne przekonania może być bardziej efektywne w wyjaśnianiu przypadków nieracjonalnego zachowania niż rozwiązania zgodne z PZN. (shrink)

The author analyses three aspects of the correspondence between theories: physical, methodological and philosophical.

In the following paper the author presents and analyses J. Maritain’s social theory. The French Thomist attempted to associate the principle of common good (that plays the main role in the Christian social thought) with democracy. Maritain claims that only democracy can be regarded as an acceptable form of government, i.e. the one that satisfies rational and moral requirements (which, according to the Thomists, are the same). Such a statement put forward by the Thomist philosopher emphasises the necessity of asking (...) a number of questions of the human nature, human dignity and human autonomy; it also demonstrate how to introduce the ethical values into the realm of democratic politics, which in its turn is described as axiologically neutral by contemporary political theories. J. Maritain’s views on those issues were taken into consideration by Catholic intellectuals and were announced before the Second Vatican Council. Regarding the time they were widely opened to the contemporary ideas. Consequently, they contributed to the significant development of the current attitude of the Catholic Church to the present political and social problems. (shrink)

Various arguments for and against principles of non-contradictions: ontological and logical are presented in this article. Two non-classical sentential calculi, in which logical principles of non-contradictions are not effective, are presented too.

There are some reasons to treat the principle of beneficence and the principle of nonmaleficence as separates. One of these reasons is, that they may sometimes stay in opposition. Then the question arises: to which of the two priority should be given. To resolve this in the area of medical ethics, a definition of the principle of nonmaleficence, considering its meaning and importance, seems to be necessary.

The subject of the paper is the ways of interpreting messages that are defective either syntactically or semantically. The formal models of communicative events in which such messages are being sent are based on a specially designed situational ontology. A situation is something of the sort of pragram, and it is meant to represent both the context of use and the meaning of an utterance. Five „economy rules” explain why (and how) language is such a user-friendly device, highly tollerant to (...) misuse: slips of the tongue, grammatical incorrectness, mistakes in meaning, etc. (shrink)

In this article the notions of local and global extensionality principle are defined; the problem of relations between extensionality of a language and theory of extension of a name and extension of a sentence is discussed.

Private health insurance is a domain of mutually conflicting models of healthcare systems. Most European healthcare systems are built upon the principles of solidarity and equality, and are provided by public entities. But the private health insurance market can threaten these values, limiting solidarity, equality and universality for the sake of cost effectiveness, consumer choice and market competition. The aim of this article is to analyse these risks and present mechanisms for their mitigation, which would allow the construction of effective (...) and socially acceptable models, or private-public partnerships, in this domain. (shrink)