In this paper we provide a critical discussion of how the most progressive parental leave policies are doing with respect to three goods which we identify as essential for liberal egalitarian feminists interested in parental leaves: the good of parental care, the good of gender fairness, and the good of individual choice. Then we offer our own model, based on the power of defaults, which promotes the goods of parental care and gender justice by sacrificing as little as possible of (...) the good of individual choice. (shrink)

This book is the first to offer a full account of the philosophical work of Else Voigtländer. Locating the sources of her thought in the philosophy and psychology of the 19th and 20th centuries in figures such as Nietzsche and Lipps, the book uncovers and examines Voigtländer’s intellectual exchanges with both phenomenology and psychoanalysis. The major themes within her work are also considered in light of more recent developments in the philosophy of emotion, self, and sociality.

While standard definitions of envy tend to focus on the coveted good or the envied rival, this paper describes envy by reflecting on the envious self and its feelings. The paper begins by describing envy and establishing its key features and objects. It presents envy as an emotion of self-assessment which necessarily involves a sense of powerlessness and a feeling of one’s own diminishing value as a person. The second section illustrates the link between envy and the feeling of self-worth (...) by exploring one of its most radical manifestations: the phenomenon of existential envy. (shrink)

ZusammenfassungEntscheidungen am Lebensende sind Bestandteil der ärztlichen Tätigkeit. In dieser Studie wurden Berliner Medizinstudierende zu ihren Kenntnissen der rechtlichen Grundlagen und ihrer ethischen Bewertung von passiver und aktiver Sterbehilfe befragt. Im Wintersemester 2002/2003 wurde eine schriftliche Befragung zu ethischen und rechtlichen Aspekten der Sterbehilfe unter den Teilnehmenden eines Pflichtkurses für Medizinstudierende im fünften Studienjahr an der Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin durchgeführt. Gruppenunterschiede im Antwortverhalten wurden mit dem χ2-Test nach Pearson geprüft. Von 102 Studierenden beantworteten 85 den Fragebogen (Rücklaufquote = 82,5%). Es (...) wussten 46 Medizinstudierende (54,1%), dass die Therapiebegrenzung am Lebensende legal sein kann; 70 (82,3%) hielten dies für ethisch akzeptabel. Die Tötung auf Verlangen in bestimmten Situationen hielten 35 Studierende (41,2%) für ethisch akzeptabel; 28 (33,0%) befürworteten die Legalisierung der Tötung auf Verlangen in bestimmten Situationen. Im Vergleich zu Ärztinnen und Ärzten in Deutschland wurde die Tötung auf Verlangen von weniger Studierenden abgelehnt. Angesichts der bestehenden Unsicherheiten bei den Studierenden hinsichtlich der rechtlichen und ethischen Bewertung von Entscheidungen am Lebensende sollten diese Aspekte in der medizinischen Ausbildung stärker berücksichtigt werden. (shrink)

A very basic form of experience consists in feeling energetic, vital, alive, tired, dispirited, vigorous and so on. These feelings – which I call feelings of vitality or vital feelings – constitute the main concern of this paper. My aim is to argue that these feelings exhibit a distinctive form of affectivity which cannot be explained in terms of emotions, moods, background feelings or existential feelings and to explore different paths for their conceptualization. The paper proceeds as follows. After introducing (...) the topic (sect. 1), I show that these feelings cannot be subsumed under any of the current categories of the affective mind (sect. 2). Against this backdrop, I present and critically assess Scheler’s notion of vital feelings as an alternative model for capturing their distinctive nature (sect. 3). Next, I explore varieties of vital feelings by focusing on different levels of the bodily-felt experience (sect. 4) and analyze their specific form of self-involvement (sect. 5). Finally, I conclude by showing how the study of vital feelings might contribute to phenomenological bioethics (sect. 6). (shrink)

This paper examines the notion of aesthetic pleasure within the framework of an aesthetics of value. The topic is introduced in sect. 1, while sect. 2 presents Moritz Geiger’s distinction between two kinds of aesthetic pleasure: liking, which enables us to grasp the aesthetic values of the artwork; and enjoyment, which is understood to be an emotional response. Sect. 3 reassesses the main tenets of Geiger’s account in the light of current research. In particular, I provide arguments in favor of (...) Geiger’s distinction between liking and enjoyment, but I call into question the claim that liking reveals aesthetic values. In sect. 4, I suggest that liking is a form of feeling motivated by the cognition of aesthetic value and I distinguish it from both the grasping of values and emotional responses. I conclude in sect. 5 by briefly summarizing my main claims. (shrink)

The objective of explainable artificial intelligence systems designed for clinical decision support (XAI-CDSS) is to enhance physicians’ diagnostic performance, confidence and trust through the implementation of interpretable methods, thus providing for a superior epistemic positioning, a robust foundation for critical reflection and trustworthiness in times of heightened technological dependence. However, recent studies have revealed shortcomings in achieving these goals, questioning the widespread endorsement of XAI by medical professionals, ethicists and policy-makers alike. Based on a surgical use case, this article challenges (...) generalising calls for XAI-CDSS and emphasises the significance of time-sensitive clinical environments which frequently preclude adequate consideration of system explanations. Therefore, XAI-CDSS may not be able to meet expectations of augmenting clinical decision-making in specific circumstances where time is of the essence. This article, by employing a principled ethical balancing methodology, highlights several fallacies associated with XAI deployment in time-sensitive clinical situations and recommends XAI endorsement only where scientific evidence or stakeholder assessments do not contradict such deployment in specific target settings. (shrink)

Name der Zeitschrift: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie Jahrgang: 63 Heft: 3 Seiten: 536-537.

This chapter explores Unamuno’s narrative fictions as thought experiments regarding the self and the emotions. It begins by developing a notion of thought experiment consequent with his understanding of philosophy as a form of literature. Next, it focusses on the philosophy of the emotions implicit in his major essay Del Sentimiento trágico de la vida. The third section offers a case study in the form of envy in the novel Abel Sánchez. The final section addresses different forms of knowledge about (...) the emotions conveyed by Unamuno’s fictional works. (shrink)

En este artículo se propone una delimitación epistemológica y cronológica que permita organizar y analizar la literatura y la dramaturgia producida en Valparaíso durante el siglo XX. Las categorías de decadentismo, panoptismo y nihilismo cualificaran a tres momentos históricamente situados en los que se han producido obras narrativas y teatrales en la ciudad-puerto. De esta manera, se pretende poner en relevancia la producción de obras culturales a partir del imaginario diferencial de Valparaíso, como un caso de análisis posibles en otras (...) ciudades-puertos del cono sur de América. (shrink)

Die Gottesfrage hat im Denken Martin Heideggers von seinen Anfängen bis zu seinem Ende eine treibende Rolle gespielt. Nach den Vorüberlegungen Norbert Fischers, die das Vorfeld der geschichtlichen Situation umreißen, in der Heidegger die Gottesfrage bedenkt, gibt Friedrich-Wilhelm v. Herrmann einen grundlegenden Überblick über die drei Wegabschnitte der Gottesfrage im Schrifttum Heideggers: 1. Zur hermeneutischen Analytik des faktischen Lebens und der wahrhaften Idee der christlichen Philosophie, 2. Zur hermeneutischen Daseinsanalytik in der theologischen "Epoché", 3. Zum ereignisgeschichtlichen Da-Sein im Bezug (...) zum "letzten Gott". Die Betrachtung der einzelnen Stationen beginnt mit einem Beitrag von Costantino Esposito zum frühen Heidegger, der bekanntlich wichtige Impulse von der Theologie und der faktischen Religion erhalten hat. Günther Pöltner bezieht sich auf das Verhältnis von Phänomenologie und Theologie und stellt Heideggers Auffassung der Philosophie als 'Korrektion' der Theologie dar. Die Neuansätze Heideggers zum "letzten Gott" in den "Beiträgen zur Philosophie", die zum dritten Wegabschnitt gehören, kommen bei Paola-Ludovika Coriando einführend zur Sprache. In den nachfolgenden Arbeiten werden Einzelaspekte untersucht: Johannes Brachtendorf wendet sich Heideggers Abhandlung Nietzsches "Wort 'Gott ist tot'" zu, Klaus Düsing betrachtet Heideggers Hölderlin-Auslegung und Heideggers Seinsgeschichte, Norbert Fischer macht die Rilke-Interpretation Heideggers zum Thema, und Rainer Thurnher bringt Heideggers Distanzierung von der metaphysisch geprägten Theologie und Gottesvorstellung in den Blick. Die Wirkung Heideggers auf die christliche Theologie, insbesondere auf die katholische Rezeption, stellt Albert Raffelt dar. (shrink)

Discussions about the impacts of marketing systems on society have been strongly encouraged in the field of macromarketing. However, these studies have focused on analyzing human and organizational actors, neglecting, to a large extent, the impacts of practices of marketing systems on other non-human stakeholders, such as those associated with or materialized in the form of a product. This article debates the material basis of the product of animal origin based on the concepts of justice, stakeholder theory, and externalities. An (...) argument was developed attributing the status of a moral agent to the animals used to make products and focusing on this debate, arguing for the establishment of a consumption pattern that morally considers animals. This was made feasible by new alternatives for food performances exemplified by the conduct of vegetarian and vegan consumers. (shrink)

An effectiveness assessment on ASCT in locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer identified serious ethical issues associated with this intervention. Our objective was to systematically review these aspects by means of a literature analysis. We chose the reflexive Socratic approach as the review method using Hofmann's question list, conducted a comprehensive literature search in biomedical, psychological and ethics bibliographic databases and screened the resulting hits in a 2-step selection process. Relevant arguments were assembled from the included articles, and were assessed (...) and assigned to the question list. Hofmann's questions were addressed by synthesizing these arguments. Of the identified 879 documents 102 included arguments related to one or more questions from Hofmann's question list. The most important ethical issues were the implementation of ASCT in clinical practice on the basis of phase-II trials in the 1990s and the publication of falsified data in the first randomized controlled trials (Bezwoda fraud), which caused significant negative effects on recruiting patients for further clinical trials and the doctor-patient relationship. Recent meta-analyses report a marginal effect in prolonging disease-free survival, accompanied by severe harms, including death. ASCT in breast cancer remains a stigmatized technology. Reported health-related-quality-of-life data are often at high risk of bias in favor of the survivors. Furthermore little attention has been paid to those patients who were dying. The questions were addressed in different degrees of completeness. All arguments were assignable to the questions. The central ethical dimensions of ASCT could be discussed by reviewing the published literature. (shrink)

This chapter examines the critiques of sentimentalism developed by Moritz Geiger and José Ortega y Gasset within the field of phenomenological aesthetics. It explores and evaluates the main arguments behind this critique: namely the existence of an aesthetic attitude, an intellectualized view of appreciation, and the predominance of form over content. Though both authors utilize Kant’s idea of “aesthetic disinterestedness”, they endorse a view of appreciation which differs from the Kantian one in substantial respects.

As large language models (LLMs) continue to demonstrate remarkable abilities across various domains, computer scientists are developing methods to understand their cognitive processes, particularly concerning how (and if) LLMs internally represent their beliefs about the world. However, this field currently lacks a unified theoretical foundation to underpin the study of belief in LLMs. This article begins filling this gap by proposing adequacy conditions for a representation in an LLM to count as belief-like. We argue that, while the project of belief (...) measurement in LLMs shares striking features with belief measurement as carried out in decision theory and formal epistemology, it also differs in ways that should change how we measure belief. Thus, drawing from insights in philosophy and contemporary practices of machine learning, we establish four criteria that balance theoretical considerations with practical constraints. Our proposed criteria include accuracy, coherence, uniformity, and use, which together help lay the groundwork for a comprehensive understanding of belief representation in LLMs. We draw on empirical work showing the limitations of using various criteria in isolation to identify belief representations. (shrink)

ABSTRACT:Increasing research attention to the ways that firms seek to influence the emotions of employees, consumers, and other stakeholders has not been accompanied by systematic attention to the ethical dimensions of emotion management. In this article we review and discuss research that informs the morality of influencing and regulating the emotions of others. What are the moral limits of the use of emotion as a management tool for shaping workplace behavior and influencing the thoughts and actions of consumers? Do the (...) ethics of emotional labor and emotional appeals (e.g., in consumer advertising) depart from moral rules that apply in “non-emotional” contexts? To explore these questions we examine research on the means by which individuals’ emotions are shaped and on the organizationally relevant consequences of individual emotional experience. We then discuss a number of potential ethical issues that are implicit or explicit in the organizationally sanctioned use of emotion management, incorporating existing literature in management and business ethics that has addressed the moral obligations of organizations in this context, and highlighting areas where there is yet work to be done. We conclude by discussing the implications of our analysis. (shrink)

This paper provides a defence of a lifetime limit on how much a person can receive in the form of gifts and inheritances, that is, a person's accessions. I argue that any accessions above that limit should be taxed at a rate of 100%. The analysis shows how this proposal can bring into equilibrium the core values and other goals at stake in the design of taxation on inheritances and gifts. To counter the low level of support for inheritance taxation (...) in general, the analysis must include a proposal concerning what will be done with the tax revenues. I propose turning the accession tax revenues into an unconditional citizen's stake that is granted to young adults. Such an institutional design would create additional value by reducing unfair inequalities between age groups. (shrink)

This article explores a rarely acknowledged and all too often specifically denied possibility: the relevance of Hegel’s philosophy to the interpretation of the literary work of Hermann Hesse. Contemporary Hesse scholars critical of this position, such as Edmund Gnefkow, Martin Pfeifer, and Mark Boulby, tend to view Hegel primarily as a rigorously rationalist philosopher of history. Thus they perpetuate a myth which has long been abandoned by the mainstream of Hegelian scholarship and should have been permanently laid to rest by (...) Iwan Iljin in Die Philosophie Hegels als kontemplative Gotteslehre when he presented convincing evidence for considering Hegel as an “intuitively-rational clairvoyant”. (shrink)

Prologue: the hooded friar -- A most solemn act of justice -- The Nolan philosopher -- "Napoli e tutto il mondo" -- "The world is fine as it is" -- "I have, in effect, harbored doubts" -- "I came into this world to light a fire" -- Footprints in the forest -- A thousand worlds -- Art and astronomy -- Trouble again -- Holy asininity -- The signs of the times -- A lonely sparrow -- Thirty -- The gifts of (...) the Magi -- The song of Circe -- "Go up to Oxford" -- Down risky streets -- The art of magic -- Canticles -- Squaring the circle -- Consolation and valediction -- Infinities -- Return to Italy -- The witness -- The adversary -- Gethsemane -- Hell's purgatory -- The sentence -- The field of flowers -- Epilogue: the four rivers. (shrink)

This monograph on the capability approach does two things. First, it provides an advanced introduction to the capability approach, as an account used in philosophy, as well as other disciplines. Second, it provides an account of the capability approach which is able to encompass all existing views and theories on the capability approach, including the writings on the capability approach by Martha Nussbaum and Amartya Sen.

The starting-point is the distinction between concept and conception. Our conceptions of gold, for instance, are the different understandings we get when we hear the word ‘gold’ whereas the concept of gold consists in the scientific determination of what gold is. It depends on the context whether it is more reasonable to claim a concept or to look for fitting conceptions. By arguing against metaphysical realism and for non-metaphysical realism, I will elaborate on some philosophical reasons for dealing with conceptions (...) instead of concepts of God, and secondly, I will discuss how such conceptions should be critically assessed. (shrink)

According to the scientific ideal of modernity, the propositions of science are considered fundamentally fallible. On the other hand, science strives for objective knowledge. Kant saw in the apriori the precondition for objective knowledge. But with the new conception of science the apriori (if it is not to be only logic) has become problematic. With it, however, the objectivity of scientific knowledge is at stake. As long as one grants objectivity to scientific knowledge, the question of the apriori remains topical. (...) On the one hand, this volume wants to trace the historical roots as well as the different interpretations of the apriori, and on the other hand, it wants to ask for approaches for a contemporary reinterpretation of this basic concept. (shrink)

In the past two decades, feminist scholars have produced an abundance of theoretical writing in humanities and social science disciplines. The result is a body of work that is extraordinarily rich, hard to keep up with, and extremely difficult to teach.With the appearance of Theorizing Feminism: Parallel Trends in the Humanities and Social Sciences, the first genuinely interdisciplinary anthology of significant contributions to feminist theory, teachers will finally have a volume that does justice to their topic. Creatively edited, with insightful (...) introductory material, this timely reader illuminates the historical development of feminist theory as well as the current state of the field.Emphasizing common themes and interests in the humanities and social sciences, the editors have chosen those topics that have been central to feminist theory in many disciplines, that remain relevant to current debates, and that reflect the interests of a diverse community of thinkers.The contributors include leading figures from psychology, literary criticism, sociology, philosophy, anthropology, art history, law, and economics. This is the ideal text for any advanced course on interdisciplinary feminist theory, one that fills a long-standing gap in feminist pedagogy. (shrink)

The economic sciences want to explain economical phenomena scientifically, which presupposes a causality concept. But the distinction between causes and reasons makes causal approaches problematic. While it is true that the question of the naturalizability of causal arguments is undecided, the significance of causal explanations of economic phenomena remains unaffected.

Background: According to ethical guidelines, healthcare professionals should be able to provide care that allows for the patients’ values, customs and beliefs, and the existential issues that are communicated through them. One widely discussed issue is existential loneliness. However, much of the debate dealing with existential loneliness concludes that both the phenomenon and the concept are quite vague. Aim: To clarify what constitutes existential loneliness, and to describe its lived experiences. A further aim was to provide a definition of existential (...) loneliness that can function as a tool for identifying the phenomenon and for differentiating it from other kinds of loneliness. Method: A literature review including theoretical and empirical studies. Different search strategies were used to gather the articles included in the study. The analysis of the empirical studies had an interpretative approach. The articles were also analysed with the aim of providing a definition of existential loneliness. This was done by means of criteria such as language, uniqueness, theory and usefulness. This study is not empirical and does therefore not require an ethics review. Results: The analysis resulted in two main characteristics. The first one was perceiving oneself as inherently separated (disconnected) from others and from the universe. The second one brings out emotional aspects of EL, such as isolation, alienation, emptiness and a feeling of being abandoned. The empirical findings were divided into two categories: experiences of EL and circumstances in which EL arises. A definition of EL is also suggested, based on the two main characteristics identified. Conclusion: In order to meet patients’ needs, it is an ethical duty for healthcare staff to be able to recognise experiences of EL, that is, to communicate with the patients about these experiences in an appropriate manner. This in turn demands knowledge about existential issues and skills to deal with them. (shrink)

This article analyses the general ethical milieu in a nursing home for elderly residents and provides a decision-making model for analysing the ethical situations that arise. It considers what it means for the residents to live together and for the staff to be in ethically problematic situations when caring for residents. An interpretative phenomenological approach and Sandman’s ethical model proved useful for this purpose. Systematic observations were carried out and interpretation of the general ethical milieu was summarized as ‘being in (...) the same world without meeting’. Two themes and four subthemes emerged from the analysis. Three different ethical problems were analysed. The outcome of using the decision-making model highlighted the discrepancy between the solutions used and well-founded solutions to these problems. An important conclusion that emerged from this study was the need for a structured tool for reflection. (shrink)

Journal of Political Philosophy, Volume 30, Issue 2, Page 249-270, June 2022.