En el presente artículo se pone de relieve el impacto que tienen las reglas estéticas de una cultura sobre la configuración de las sociopolíticamente denominadas ‘identidades de género’ de los sujetos. Se trabaja con la agencialidad de la imagen fotográfica, a partir del cual se describe el carácter performativo de la fotografía, que opera tanto en un sentido normativo como en uno subversivo. El objetivo general de este artículo es situar a la parodia estética como una herramienta política potencialmente capaz (...) de sublevarse contra los valores éticos y estéticos de los géneros sexuales dominantes en la cultura occidental contemporánea. Para ello se recurre al análisis de fotografías consideradas como dispositivos de construcción de subjetividad. Se describen distintas estéticas de género constitutivas del imaginario social de esta cultura, la normativa, la abyecta y la paródica. A la parodia estética se le atribuyen tres características que resultan fundamentales para llevar a cabo la tarea de desestabilizar las normas estéticas hegemónicas de las identidades de género, a saber, la intransitividad, concepto tomado de la teoría de Wittgenstein, la repetición, noción que situamos en la obra de Butler, y el movimiento, principio derivado de nuestro análisis. (shrink)

En el presente trabajo abordamos actuaciones administrativas enmarcadas en la Dirección de Espectáculos Públicos (DEP) de la Municipalidad de Córdoba. Particularmente, nos preguntamos por los sujetos encargados de implementar las políticas de esta dirección (inspectores) y la formación que adquieren para el ejercicio de prácticas administrativas de control y fiscalización de “casas de fiestas infantiles” y locales de diversión nocturna (bares, discotecas, bailes). Las preguntas que guían el análisis son las siguientes: ¿Cómo se adquieren los conocimientos necesarios para “ser inspector (...) municipal” y cuáles son los escenarios y modalidades de transmisión? ¿Cuáles son los saberes que circulan, se movilizan y son (re)apropiados en esos espacios? Y, finalmente, ¿qué sujetos se construyen en estos procesos (“inspectores”, “especialistas”, “capacitadores”)? Como fuente de reflexión empírica, consideramos actuaciones administrativas que tienen lugar en la DEP, junto con los cursos de capacitación en “Inspectoría General” ofrecidos a los agentes municipales que se desempeñan en aquella Dirección. Los materiales utilizados en el análisis provienen de registros de observaciones participantes realizadas en la DEP, en un curso de capacitación, y entrevistas a funcionarios e inspectores municipales. Las argumentaciones vertidas a lo largo del artículo pretenden contribuir al estudio de los procesos de formación continua del Estado municipal cordobés, a partir de una indagación etnográfica en torno a actuaciones administrativas y formas de transmisión de conocimientos para determinados ejercicios de poder estatal. (shrink)

Durante el año 2020, en contexto de pandemia por COVID-19 y de Aislamiento Social Preventivo Obligatorio (ASPO), nos propusimos y vivenciamos una experiencia educativa con estudiantes de la Licenciatura en Trabajo Social de la Universidad Nacional de San Juan, en el espacio de la asignatura: “Orientación Optativa Educación”.En el presente artículo, nos proponemos compartir la experiencia en cuestión, en dos sentidos. Por un lado, como actividad pedagógica en sí misma y de gran valor para el Trabajo Social, en tanto su (...) concreción no sólo habilitó el abordaje de los contenidos propios de la asignatura; sino también la práctica de habilidades imprescindibles para la disciplina, como lo son el registro, la escritura, el análisis. Por otro lado, como testimonio de experiencia vital de estudiantes universitarias que les tocó re-aprender a serlo, en tiempos de pandemia. Todo ello, anclado desde los aportes de las narrativas sociales, dado que las mismas configuran un sustento teórico-metodológico apropiado para lograr ambos cometidos de este artículo; a la vez que habilitan una reflexión sobre la práctica docente, en tanto meta-relato de la experiencia realizada. (shrink)

Adults who stutter (AWS) have demonstrated atypical coordination of motor and sensory regions during speech production. Yet little is known of the speech-motor network in AWS in the brief time window preceding audible speech onset. The purpose of the current study was to characterize neural oscillations in the speech-motor network during preparation for and execution of overt speech production in AWS using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Twelve AWS and twelve age-matched controls were presented with 220 words, each word embedded in a carrier (...) phrase. Controls were presented with the same word list as their matched AWS participant. Neural oscillatory activity was localized using minimum-variance beamforming during two time periods of interest: speech preparation (prior to speech onset) and speech execution (following speech onset). Compared to controls, AWS showed stronger beta (15-25Hz) suppression in the speech preparation stage, followed by stronger beta synchronization in the bilateral mouth motor cortex. AWS also recruited the right mouth motor cortex significantly earlier in the speech preparation stage compared to controls. Exaggerated motor preparation is discussed in the context of reduced coordination in the speech-motor network of AWS. It is further proposed that exaggerated beta synchronization may reflect a more strongly inhibited motor system that requires a stronger beta suppression to disengage prior to speech initiation. These novel findings highlight critical differences in the speech-motor network of AWS that occur prior to speech onset and emphasize the need to investigate further the speech-motor assembly in the stuttering population. (shrink)

Resenha sobre o livro Occupy : Movimentos de protesto que tomaram as rua.

A DIFICULDADE DA EFETIVA PROTEÇÃO JURÍDICA GLOBAL DOS DIREITOS HUMANOS: UNIVERSALISMO X RELATIVISMO CULTURAL.

In this volume, five of Erasmus’s polemical texts are presented, on issues related to the Latin translation and Greek text of his New Testament and other theological issues.

The origins of teacher training programs in Chile have not been addressed in depth apart from Vivanco’s studies. Even though these studies explore the development of these programs in Chile from a chronological perspective, there are no qualitative studies that consider senior academics’ narrations. This qualitative study reconstructs the trajectory of teacher training programs in Chile from a series of interviews with 25 academics in charge of these programs. Results were analyzed in three different periods: 1960-1973, 1973-1990, and 1990 to (...) 2019. Results, discussed in a political and academic context, reveal that these teacher training programs have evolved in a sociopolitical context, generating a series of tensions that substantially impact these training programs. The study finishes with the statement of a series of questions aimed at reflecting upon the state of the art in Chile’s training programs. (shrink)

The aim of this paper lies in characterizing the explanations and models used in the field of evolutionary developmental biology throughout its history. While manipulative experiments in controlled conditions have been useful to set the bases of the discipline and are still routinely performed, this approach supposes a tension between the reliability and the representativity of the conclusions. Given the recent changes in the understanding of evolutionary phenomena, different authors currently emphasize the need of avoiding excessive simplifications in experimental approaches, (...) incorporating the complexity of the analyzed systems as a relevant trait in the study of biological diversity. On the other hand, the fragile and contingent nature of evolutionary processes and the impossibility of intervening some of these phenomena underscore the importance of non-manipulative models that allow the elucidation of how-possibly mechanisms. We argue that a pluralism characterized by the integration of different kinds of explanations, models and metaphors used in evo-devo allows to exploit their respective advantages, favours interdisciplinarity and can contribute to form a representative description of evolutionary processes without relinquishing the local and detailed study of actual mechanisms. (shrink)

Resumen:Una gran diversidad de seres vivos y valores humanos son invisibles a la cultura global prevaleciente, que asocia la palabra biodiversidad con grandes organismos tales como mamíferos y árboles. Paradójicamente, la mayoría de la biodiversidad está compuesta por pequeños organismos que permanecen invisibles para la sociedad global y son subrepresentados en la filosofía, la ciencia y la educación. Para contribuir a resolver esta “ceguera biocultural” sobre la diversidad biológica y de valores, en este artículo presentamos conceptos y prácticas de la (...) filosofía ambiental de campo. Nos enfocamos en la actividad “ecoturismo con lupa” para ilustrar “lentes conceptuales” que amplifican la apreciación de la diversidad biológica y cultural. Esta actividad integra las ciencias, artes, humanidades y ética para apreciar la belleza y relevancia de los pequeños organismos y los múltiples lenguajes, formas de conocimientos y valores que diferentes tradiciones culturales otorgan a la biodiversidad. Los participantes practican formas de pensamiento analógico para co-crear conocimiento y expresiones bioculturales propias, en vez de ser receptores pasivos de información. Finalmente, la práctica de la filosofía ambiental de campo combina actividades corporales y sensoriales con lecturas teóricas que proveen fundamentos conceptuales para cultivar una ética biocultural que orienta formas de co-habitación con pequeños y grandes co-habitantes, humanos y otros-que-humanos, con quienes compartirnos tanto nuestros hábitats locales como la biosfera global. Palabras claves: biodiversidad; ética biocultural; educación; filosofía ambiental de campo; otredad. (shrink)

In this article, we investigate three arguments for Rights of Antarctica (RoA), understood as recognising the whole continent as a rights-holder with legal standing. For this, we draw inspiration from the Antarctica Declaration, a text developed by an interdisciplinary and international group of scholars and activists. We scrutinise three justifications that could potentially be used in support of RoA. First, we investigate whether arguments for Rights of Nature (RoN) elsewhere can support RoA. RoN has been accepted in several domestic legislations. (...) Unfortunately, we discover important disanalogies between RoA and RoN, defeating the purpose of justifying RoA with reference to RoN. Second, we scrutinise potential arguments that focus on giving rights to specific Antarctic ecoregions or places. However, such arguments would only cover parts of the continent, thus going against the holistic approach of RoA, and they would require using a broader understanding of ‘attachments’ as grounds for justifying rights for parts of Antarctica. In contrast, we construct an argument for accepting RoA based on four components: (1) Antarctica’s intrinsic value, (2) wider forms of human attachments, (3) Antarctica’s substantial role as a global systemic resource, and (4) the fact that Antarctica is under recurrent and substantial threats. While none of these are individually sufficient for recognising RoA, they can jointly make RoA appropriate. We conclude that it remains an open question whether international law or, more specifically, the Antarctic Treaty, would be open to such conceptual and normative innovation, adopting a new paradigm in our treatment of the nonhuman natural world. At the same time, we hope to kickstart a discussion of what RoA would require and how it should relate more generally to RoN discourses. (shrink)

Este artículo presenta el informe final de una investigación que ha surgido a partir de la observación situada en aquellos jardines de infantes de San Carlos de Bariloche en los cuales las estudiantes realizaban las prácticas de enseñanza. Al relevar los modelos organizacionales de las instituciones educativas de primera infancia se observa que presentan variadas organizaciones en la conformación de las grupalidades. A partir de ello, nos propusimos profundizar en las salas multiedad, y analizar las formas en que se lleva (...) a cabo la planificación didáctica en las mismas. Hemos fundamentado la propuesta de investigación desde el paradigma de la diversidad cultural de la UNESCO (2002), haciendo énfasis en la educación desde el enfoque pedagógico “que contemple la diversidad como condición inherente al ser humano” (Anijovich, 2019, p. 21). Mientras que, desde lo metodológico, seleccionamos especialmente un enfoque cualitativo, si bien consideramos aspectos cuantitativos necesarios para la tarea. En relación a las planificaciones que acompañaban estos cambios - en términos generales - observamos que revestían diferentes formatos, pero en todos los casos se las consideraba como proceso de construcción dinámico e interactivo. La intencionalidad de esta investigación fue la construcción de nuevos saberes que aporten y enriquezcan la didáctica específica de la educación inicial. (shrink)

Localized mRNA translation is a biological process that allows mRNA to be translated on‐site, which is proposed to provide fine control in protein regulation, both spatially and temporally within a cell. We recently reported that Vasa, an RNA‐helicase, is a promising factor that appears to regulate this process on the spindle during the embryonic development of the sea urchin, yet the detailed roles and functional mechanisms of Vasa in this process are still largely unknown. In this review article, to elucidate (...) these remaining questions, we first summarize the prior knowledge and our recent findings in the area of Vasa research and further discuss how Vasa may function in localized mRNA translation, contributing to efficient protein regulation during rapid embryogenesis and cancer cell regulation. (shrink)

El propósito del trabajo es exponer las reflexiones epistemológicas hechas por investigadores que integran un grupo interdisciplinario y que elaboran un diagnóstico durante la primera fase de una Investigación Acción Participativa (IAP). El proyecto se centra en la atención a la salud integral de cuatro comunidades en estado de alta y muy alta marginación, ubicadas en la Meseta Comiteca-Tojolabal, Chiapas, México, durante el periodo 2021-2022. Este artículo, de corte cualitativo, descriptivo y crítico reflexivo, permite repensar la investigación fundada en las (...) relaciones lineales. Se entiende que, una filosofía de la educación transdisciplinar, delinea una praxis compleja que genera transformaciones sociales. Primero, se define el método de IAP y sus desafíos. Luego, se exponen los retos experimentados por los investigadores, desde que planean acciones para atender a las solicitudes de la convocatoria emitida por el Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), hasta el momento de una segunda reflexividad en el que comprenden lo que hicieron en tanto hicieron (Giddens, 2011). Los principales resultados revelan que el acercamiento y diálogo constante entre el cuerpo de investigadores y de éstos con las comunidades genera sensibilidad intercultural cuando coexisten diferentes epistemologías y formas plurales de entenderlas. Lo anterior, favorece la proyección de diversas estrategias metodológicas que tejen esfuerzos a favor del bienestar comunitario y permite que el investigador asuma una actitud socialmente responsable. (shrink)

El artículo pretende realizar el debate en relación con dos posiciones enciencias sociales: una posición reduccionista que pretende que para queuna disciplina sea científica debe seguir el modelo de las ciencias naturales,razón por la cual las sociales no lograrían ese estatus en cuanto no puedenconseguir la universalidad que ellas alcanzan.Adiferencia suya, pero sin laapropiada discusión a ese modelo, se ha generado en estas ciencias unaposición relativista que considera que efectivamente el conocimiento quealcanzan es solamente particular y relativo a cada cultura. (...) Esta posición seha desarrollado, en parte, siguiendo la interpretación realizada por MartínHollis al círculo hermenéutico. En discusión con esas concepciones, el artí-culo defiende que es posible alcanzar una generalidad en ciencias sociales yque, en contra de la tendencia a escoger entre la universalidad de las cienciasnaturales y la particularidad de las sociales, es preciso aceptar diversosniveles de generalidad. Finalmente de la mano de Ricoeur se expone la maneraen que cabe entender este sentido de generalidad. (shrink)

Pocos niegan hoy que el mercado, por sí sólo, es incapaz de generar espontáneamente una distribución equitativa de los recursos sociales. Para lograr una buena articulación entre capitalismo, mercado y democracia, se ha propuesto el reconocimiento de un nuevo derecho social: el Ingreso Básico Universal que, en su versión más extendida, supone un ingreso incondicional de subsistencia, pagado por el gobierno, de manera uniforme y en intervalos regulares, tanto a nacionales como a residentes permanentes. Aunque existen disputas sobre la incondicionalidad (...) de este ingreso, es decir, sobre si el beneficiario debe o no cooperar con su trabajo a la sociedad, lo cierto es que la propuesta del Ingreso Básico Universal tiene, al menos, tres importantes atractivos. Primero, que es probablemente la primera oportunidad real en la historia para reconocer el trabajo de cuidado que realizan las mujeres en todo el mundo gratuitamente. En segundo lugar, se trataría de una propuesta visionaria que permitirá responder a la previsible problemática generada por el llamado capitalismo cognitivo y la pérdida de trabajos derivada del desarrollo de la Inteligencia Artificial. Finalmente, el Ingreso Básico Universal sería una herramienta eficaz para paliar la actual crisis del desempleo y la precariedad laboral. (shrink)

El artículo analiza las características del vínculo de representación política configurado por Carlos Reutemann, gobernador de la Provincia de Santa Fe entre 1991 y 1995. A través del análisis de contenido del discurso (integrado por declaraciones públicas del gobernador, discursos institucionales y propaganda electoral) y del análisis de entrevistas a dirigentes peronistas de la época, se observa que Reutemann delineó un vínculo de proximidad “no intimista” con la ciudadanía santafesina. Esto es, desplegó una serie de elementos que se corresponden anticipadamente (...) con un tipo de representación de proximidad (a saber: una presencia empática, una escucha sin promesas ni discursos y una auto-presentación como “comprovinciano” y “no-político”), pero dicho vínculo representativo no incluyó una estrategia de intimización por parte del líder. Por el contrario, prefirió delinear una estrategia de cercanía a través del contacto cara a cara en el terreno y no de la escenificación de la intimidad (familiar o laboral) del individuo privado que posibilitan los medios de comunicación. En este sentido, la legitimidad de proximidad en Reutemann operaba de manera unidireccional: era él quien iba a “escuchar” o “empatizar” con sus representados, mientras que no se dejaba “escuchar” o que “empatizaran” con ninguna situación privada propia (a diferencia de los líderes de proximidad analizados por la literatura, en quienes la intimización se despliega de manera bidireccional). El análisis de la figura del “hombre de campo” que emerge de su particular estilo representativo (con rasgos que proyectan una personalidad parca, mesurada, solitaria, ajena a la exhibición de los demás) permite identificar una serie de atributos que le dan sentido a su faceta no intimista de representación. La investigación, además, permite reflexionar en torno a las posibilidades del despliegue de un formato de proximidad que no incluya la mostración de la intimidad del político, en tiempos en los que la intimización política se ha vuelto un recurso privilegiado al servicio de la generación de un lazo representativo que refuerce la cercanía y la identificación para con los ciudadanos. (shrink)

At Universitat Politècnica de València, Meridies, an internship programme that places engineering students in countries of Latin America, is one of the few opportunities the students have to explore the implications of being a professional in society in a different cultural and social context. This programme was analyzed using the capabilities approach as a frame of reference for examining the effects of the programme on eight student participants. The eight pro-public-good capabilities proposed by Melanie Walker were investigated through semi-structured interviews. (...) The internship is an environment in which students can put into practice the knowledge they have acquired in undergraduate studies and to find practical relevance in what they studied. Occasionally, this also entails a critical questioning of what they have learned, a greater awareness of the limits of the contents of their studies and of the way things were taught, and interest in less explored issues that are closely linked to social justice. However, tensions can arise between the pro-public-good oriented perspectives of this programme, and a more instrumental vision. One way to overcome these tensions is to foster consideration of reflexivity, that is, the dynamic relationship between technology and society. To do so, the programme must create space before and during the internship, and upon the return of the students, to discuss and collectively reflect upon their lived experience. Additionally, it ought to engage supervisors in this educational journey, both at the university and in the host institutions, and also involve socially committed organisations in this task. (shrink)

Given the grim global statistics of extreme poverty and socioeconomic inequalities, moral and political philosophers have focused on the duties of justice and assistance that arise therefrom. What the needy are morally permitted to do for themselves in this context has been, however, a mostly overlooked question. Reviving a medieval and early modern account of the right of necessity, I propose that a chronically deprived agent has a right to take, use and/or occupy whatever material resources are required to guarantee (...) her self-preservation, or the means necessary to acquire them. There are three individually necessary and jointly sufficient conditions: the need is basic, the claimant does not violate other equally important moral interests, and it is a last resort. I present two recommendations to be followed by the claimants, and offer some examples where this principle may be applied today. I reply to the objections that understanding the right of necessity in this way kills its intuitive plausibility, and that it is a remedy worse than the disease. I conclude that, while not the best solution for the problem of global poverty, the exercise of this right should be accepted if we believe in the human right to subsistence. (shrink)

1. Properties of mirror neurons in monkeys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (...) . . . 000 1.1. Action types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 000 1.2. Context effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 000 2. Is there a human ‘mirror neuron system’? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 000 2.1. Monkeys versus humans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 000 2.2. Action understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 000 3. The development of mirroring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 000 3.1. Imitation in newborns? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 000 3.2. Effects of experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 000 3.3. Effects of sensorimotor experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. (shrink)

_ Source: _Volume 36, Issue 1, pp 63 - 77 At the basis of modern natural law theories, the concept of the _suum_, i.e. what belongs to the person, has received little scholarly attention despite its importance both in explaining and justifying not only the genealogy of property, but also that of morality and war. In this essay I focus on Grotius’s account of the _suum_ and examine what it is, what things it includes, what rights it gives rise to, (...) and how it is extended in the transition from the state of nature to civil society. I then briefly suggest that reviving this concept could help to illuminate the current discussion on the foundations of basic human rights, and to re-evaluate cases where these seem to clash with property rights. (shrink)

Anna Stilz’s Territorial Sovereignty (2019) aims to be a revisionist account of territorial rights that puts the value of individual autonomy first, without giving up the value of collective self-determination. In what follows I examine Stilz’s definition of occupancy rights and her emphasis on the moral relevance of what she calls ‘located’ life plans. I suggest that, if it aims at being truly revisionist, her theory should work with a broader definition of occupancy. So long as it doesn’t, these rights (...) will be mainly the preserve of groups of settlers and peoples with predictable patterns of movement. Moreover, insofar as occupancy rights ground collective rights to self-determination, they actually have the potential to trump individual rights to what I call ‘dynamic’ or non-located occupancy. This is worrying, I claim, for at least two reasons. First, rights to dynamic occupancy are arguably as central for respecting individual autonomy as rights to located occupancy. And second, rights to dynamic ocupancy should be seen as key in helping to form the kind of political allegiances required to overcome the most pressing collective action problems that humanity faces. (shrink)

Dennett, a philosopher, and Griffin, an ethologist, have recently presented influential arguments promoting the extended use of intentional language by students of animal behavior. This essay seeks to elucidate and to contrast the claims made by each of these authors, and to evaluate their proposals primarily from the perspective of a practicing comparative psychologist or ethologist. While Griffin regards intentional terms as explanatory, Dennett assigns them a descriptive function; the issue of animal consciousness is central to Griffin's program and only (...) tangentially related to Dennett's. The philosopher's arguments are founded upon a more coherent metaphysics, but Dennett neglects to substantiate his claim that animal competences can be most readily modelled by artificial intelligence specialists when they are described in intentional terms. Both authors assume that some examples of animal behavior should not be given an intentional characterization, but neither provides adequate guidelines for the identification of cases belonging to this negative set. (shrink)

A general exposition of the principal advances in the three great fields of contemporary Thomist historiography —biography, authenticity of Aquinas’s works, and chronology—, and of the most promising lines of advance for future research.

El presente texto vincula el concepto de responsabilidad descrito por Husserl en la Crisis al tercer sentido de evidencia, correspondiente, a su vez, al tercer momento de la delimitación de lo inmanente y lo trascendente. En la primera parte del trabajo se revisa el concepto de evidencia; en la segunda, el de intencionalidad; y, en la tercera, el de responsabilidad, para lo cual se esbozan aquellos de la libertad, la idea de la humanidad, la historia y la tarea de la (...) filosofía. (shrink)

REFLEXIONES EN TORNO AL CONCEPTO DE CLASE SOCIAL - Pierre Bourdieu y el espacio social pluridimensional.

The procedures for structuring clinical ethics case reflections in a childhood cancer care setting are presented, including an eight-step model. Four notable characteristics of the procedures are: members of the inter-professional health care team, not external experts, taking a leading role in the reflections; patients or relatives not being directly involved; the model explicitly addressing values and moral principles instead of focussing exclusively on the interests of involved parties; using a case-based (inductive) rather than principle-based (deductive) method. By discusing the (...) advantages and disadvantages of the proposed procedures, our paper aims to contribute to the literature on models and procedures for ethical analysis that can be used in clinical settings. It is suggested that our proposed procedures have some advantageous features when it comes to promoting health care staff’s learning to structure their thinking about ethical issues. (shrink)

“Literature and the Right to Death” is probably the most quoted of French thinker Maurice Blanchot’s texts. For decades it has been discussed by such important figures as Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Derrida, or even the writer Paul Auster. Its importance is twofold: on the one hand, it is often considered an important gateway to Blanchot’s literary thought. On the other hand, it constitutes a substantial example of the new reception of Hegel in France after the Second World War. Although there (...) is no doubt about its Kojèvo-Hegelian inspiration and its center in what we could call “literary experience”, this article intends to explore another of its layers: its relation to the discussion around humanism and the Terror, as forgotten as it was central in France at the end of the 1940’s. We will thus try to lay the foundations for a new reading of this fundamental piece in Blanchot’s production. (shrink)

Background: How well ethical concerns are handled in healthcare is influenced by the ethical climate of the workplace, which in this study is described as workplace factors that contribute to healthcare professionals’ ability to identify and deal with ethical issues in order to provide the patient with ethically good care. Objectives: The overall aim of the study was to describe perceptions of the paediatric hospital ethical climate among healthcare professionals who treat/care for children with cancer. Research design: Data were collected (...) using the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey developed by Olsson as a separate section in a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse perceptions of the ethical climate. Participants and research context: Physicians, nurses and nurse-aides (n = 89) from three paediatric units participated in this study: haematology/oncology, chronic diseases and neurology. Ethical considerations: The study was approved by the regional ethical review board. Findings: Different perceptions of the ethical climate were rated as positive or negative/neutral. Nurses’ ratings were less positive than physicians on all items. One-third of the participants perceived that they were able to practice ethically good care as they believed it should be practised. Discussion: Differences in professional roles, involving more or less power and influence, might explain why physicians and nurses rated items differently. A positive perception of the possibility to practice ethically good care seems to be related to inter-professional trust and listening to guardians/parents. A negative/neutral perception of the possibility to practice ethically good care appears to be influenced by experiences of ethical conflicts as well as a lack of ethical support, for example, time for reflection and discussion. Conclusion: The two-thirds of participants who had a negative/neutral perception of the possibility to practice ethically good care are at risk of developing moral stress. Clinical ethics support needs to be implemented in care where important values are at stake. (shrink)

Background: Childhood cancer care involves many ethical concerns. Deciding on treatment levels and providing care that infringes on the child’s growing autonomy are known ethical concerns that involve the whole professional team around the child’s care. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore healthcare professionals’ experiences of participating in ethics case reflection sessions in childhood cancer care. Research design: Data collection by observations, individual interviews, and individual encounters. Data analysis were conducted following grounded theory methodology. Participants and research (...) context: Healthcare professionals working at a publicly funded children’s hospital in Sweden participated in ethics case reflection sessions in which ethical issues concerning clinical cases were reflected on. Ethical considerations: The children’s and their parents’ integrity was preserved through measures taken to protect patient identity during ethics case reflection sessions. The study was approved by a regional ethical review board. Findings: Consolidating care by clarifying perspectives emerged. Consolidating care entails striving for common care goals and creating a shared view of care and the ethical concern in the specific case. The inter-professional perspectives on the ethical aspects of care are clarified by the participants’ articulated views on the case. Different approaches for deliberating ethics are used during the sessions including raising values and making sense, leading to unifying interactions. Discussion: The findings indicate that ethical concerns could be eased by implementing ethics case reflection sessions. Conflicting perspectives can be turned into unifying interactions in the healthcare professional team with the common aim to achieve good pediatric care. Conclusion: Ethics case reflection sessions is valuable as it permits the discussion of values in healthcare-related issues in childhood cancer care. Clarifying perspectives, on the ethical concerns, enables healthcare professionals to reflect on the most reasonable and ethically defensible care for the child. A consolidated care approach would be valuable for both the child and the healthcare professionals because of the common care goals. (shrink)