In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Why People Matter: A Christian Engagement with Rival Views of Human Significance ed. by John F. KilnerLaura AlexanderWhy People Matter: A Christian Engagement with Rival Views of Human Significance Edited by John F. Kilner grand rapids, mi: baker academic, 2017. 240 pp. $26.99Although Why People Matter does not use the word, it is an apologetic for the Christian faith and ethical tradition. Its argument begins with a moral (...) intuition that the authors take to be near universal: "people matter." If Christian theological and ethical thought can be shown to explain and shore up the notion that [End Page 190] "people matter" better than other ethical outlooks—and the authors believe it can—then the work will have (1) established a proper moral foundation for holding and acting on the conviction that people matter and (2) provided a reasoned argument for why Christianity as a fundamental belief system is better and truer than the other ethical systems examined.The text of Why People Matter is accessible and well written. The essays weave together coherently around two central ideas: each human person has inherent, inalienable dignity, and Christianity is the truest way of understanding and acting on that conviction. To demonstrate what Christianity has to offer, the book begins (after a summative introduction by Kilner) with a set of essays describing five ethical outlooks: utilitarianism, collectivism, individualism, naturalism, and transhumanism. In each, a different author lays out an ethical foundation and concept of the outlook, shows how the concept illuminates why "people matter," explains why it may seem compelling, and argues that it fails to grasp something crucial about why people matter and how to live as if they matter. As Kilner puts it, "each [outlook] recognizes and champions something important that is missing in other ways of thinking. However, each is dangerously reductionistic by making that missing element the all-encompassing focus of its approach" (190).Next, Kilner examines the Christian conviction that every human being is made in the image of God. He argues that this conviction, rightly understood, provides the only adequate foundation for the idea that "people matter." Respect for the image of God leads to proper respect for the human rights of others. Following this, David Gushee analyzes biblical passages and themes to argue that encounters with human beings are always also encounters with God; thus, we must treat people accordingly.Why People Matter accomplishes its purpose as an apologetic, and it seems especially likely to help committed Christians understand how their moral convictions can hold up in debates with common Western philosophical ethical outlooks. A wise friend once described C. S. Lewis (referenced several times in the work) as "a master of convincing Christians that what they already believe is true." That sort of persuasion is one of the appropriate goals of apologetic, and Why People Matter seems likely to achieve it.I have two comments on areas where readers may come away unsatisfied. First, the contributors' descriptions of the ethical outlooks they discuss are necessarily brief; those who hold these outlooks would likely wish to quibble with or nuance their arguments. Second, the work addresses only Western philosophical outlooks; the authors do not engage non-Christian religious traditions. In the spirit of interreligious cooperation, this is an excellent decision: frankly, I would not want to read a work that spent several chapters explaining why Christian ethical thought is superior to the ethical thought of, say, Hinduism or Judaism. But the work does leave unanswered, and unasked, the question [End Page 191] of whether a reader who does come to reject individualism, transhumanism, and so on might not just as well embrace Islam or Buddhism as Christianity.That said, this is an engaging work on the title question. It traces the basic contours of certain ethical outlooks, shows their strengths and potential weaknesses, and argues for a deep understanding, based in Christian Scripture and ethical thinking, of why people matter.Laura AlexanderUniversity of Nebraska at OmahaCopyright © 2018 Society of Christian Ethics... (shrink)

Over email a few days after the death of Daniel Callahan, cofounder of The Hastings Center and for many years its director and then president, Joseph Fins, a longtime Hastings colleague, offered this comfort: “[H]enceforth every issue of the Report is a living memorial to Dan the writer, editor, and institution builder.” In the Hastings Center Report's first issue, published in June 1971, Dan stated, “To say that [the work of the Report] must be multi‐disciplinary is only to say the (...) issues [it will address] are as complex as human beings themselves.” This July–August 2019 issue continues the tradition Dan began. An essay by Laura Guidry‐Grimes expands on the importance of interdisciplinary conversations and problem solving—and attends to the complexity of human beings—in recalling a patient who was failed by multiple social institutions. In the lead article, a team of authors led by James Sabin identifies a challenge to conducting ethical research within learning health organizations, where research and care are integrated with the aid of patient data from health insurance providers. (shrink)

Recent revisions in child support and paternity establishment legislation enacted under the 1996 welfare reform act, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, significantly alter the American welfare state's relationship to men's fathering. Through a critical review of prior research and social service literature, the authors argue that PRWORA actively constructs fatherhood not only through state policies that maintain males as “breadwinners” but also through state-sponsored social service programs that seek to influence men's identities as fathers. PRWORA's policies and (...) their accompanying discourses simultaneously reproduce and undermine gender hierarchy yet tacitly maintain structural race and class inequalities. (shrink)

Background: The United Kingdom has the highest incarceration rate in Western Europe. It is known that women in prison are a vulnerable female population who are at risk of mental ill-health due to disadvantaged and chaotic life experiences. Accurate numbers of pregnant women held in UK prisons are not recorded, yet it is estimated that 6%–7% of the female prison population are at varying stages of pregnancy and around 100 babies are born to incarcerated women each year. There are limited (...) published papers that document the departure of the researcher following closure of fieldwork with women in prison. This article identifies the dilemmas and challenges associated with the closure of prison fieldwork through the interwoven reflections of the researcher. Departure scenarios are presented which illuminate moments of closure talk with five women, supported by participant reflections regarding abandonment and loss, making pledges for the future, self-affirmation, incidental add-ons at the end of an interview and red flags, alerting the researcher to potential participant harm through ill health or self-injury. Objectives: The primary intention of the study was to observe the pregnant woman’s experience with the English prison system through interviews with pregnant women and field observations of the environment. Research design: Ethnographic design enabled the researcher, a practising midwife, to engage with the prisoners’ pregnancy experiences in three English prisons, which took place over 10 months during 2015–2016. Data collection involved semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews with 28 female prisoners in England who were pregnant or had recently given birth while imprisoned, 10 members of staff and a period of non-participant observation. Follow-up interviews with 5 women were undertaken as their pregnancies progressed. Computerised qualitative data analysis software was used to generate and analyse pregnancy-related themes. Ethical considerations: Favourable ethical opinion was granted by National Offender Management Services through the Health Research Authority Integrated Research Application System and permission to proceed was granted by the University of Hertfordshire, UK. Findings: Thematic analysis enabled the identification of themes associated with the experience of prison pregnancy illuminating how prison life continues with little consideration for their unique physical needs, coping tactics adopted and the way women negotiate entitlements. On researcher departure from the field, the complex feelings of loss and sadness were experienced by both participants and researcher. Discussion: To leave the participant with a sense of abandonment following closure of fieldwork, due to the very nature of the closed environment, risks re-enactment of previous emotional pain of separation. Although not an ethical requirement, the researcher sought out psychotherapeutic supervision during the fieldwork phase with ‘Janet’, a forensic psychotherapist, which helped to highlight the need for careful closure of research/participant relationships with a vulnerable population. This article brings to the consciousness of prison researchers the need to minimise potential harm by carefully negotiating how to exit the field. Reflections of the researcher are interlinked with utterances from some participants to illustrate the types of departure behaviours. Conclusion: Closure of fieldwork and subsequent researcher departure involving pregnant women in prison requires careful handling to uphold the ethical research principle ‘do no harm’. (shrink)

This innovative book takes a new look at environmental ethics and the need for ecological and biological integrity. Laura Westra explores the necessity for radical alteration not only of interpersonal ethics, but also of social institutions and public policy. In the process, Westra denies the validity of majority rule in environmentally ethical concerns. Issues discussed in the book include the link between ecological integrity and human health; an environmental evaluation of business and technology; biotechnology and transgenics in agriculture and (...) aquaculture; and the environmental ethics of the ancient Greeks and Kant. Living in Integrity is a valuable book for philosophers and environmentalists alike. (shrink)

En el presente trabajo nos proponemos reflexionar acerca de las posibilidades, límites y desafíos que se presentan en la práctica docente cuando jóvenes de sectores subalternos emprenden la tarea de escribir sus propias historias. Estas reflexiones surgen a partir de una experiencia pedagógica desarrollada en el marco del Programa Pueblos Originarios y Escuelas Rurales de la UNCuyo. Consideramos que la fragmentación y la discontinuidad es un rasgo de la memoria colectiva de los sectores subalternos, sin embargo, en ocasiones encuentra espacios (...) para expresarse y tensionar la historia oficial. En esa dirección, en esta ocasión, decidimos convertir nuestros espacios curriculares en ámbitos de reflexión personal y colectiva donde los y las subalternos (parafraseando a la filósofa india Gayatri Spivak) “pudieron hablar”, para luego plasmar sus historias en fanzines. (shrink)

As a worldwide economic crisis emerged at the end of 2008, international health agencies were quick to highlight its predictable impact on health in the poorest of communities. The World Health Organization underscored the need for a multisectoral approach to the crisis, “seeking health gains through demonstrating the importance of health in all policies” and whether current investments in health addressed the broader social determinants of health. However, despite good intentions and decades of discussion addressing the need for transformative changes (...) globally to reduce poverty and improve health equity, little progress has been made.A recent report on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals indicates that many targeted goals have not been met, with some goals lagging many years behind schedule. Although progress towards achieving the MDGs has been made for some specific conditions, where targeted interventions have had an immediate impact, limited progress is reported in more complex areas such as maternal child health. Such complex health issues require structural changes, strong political will, long-term funding, and consideration of other health determinants, such as education and exposure to environmental hazards. (shrink)

A l'aube du troisième millénaire, l'âme est oubliée. Les poètes l'ont remplacée par son double, le corps ; les philosophes l'évitent, les psychanalystes tentent de le remplacer. Même les théologiens en boudent l'usage& Eclipse de l'âme. Une disparition si singulière appelle à la réflexion. Le mot très ancien se serait-il usé à force de trop signifier? Faudrait-il le ranger définitivement au grenier des idées désuètes? Ayant relégué l'âme au rayon des vieilleries, nous sommes aujourd'hui confrontés au fait que les notions (...) de corps, d'animal, de vie, de mort et de personne sont devenues impossibles à cerner, comme le savent les experts en bioéthique et les juristes, parfois désemparés devant les problèmes que posent la science, la médecine moderne et le développement des biotechnologies. L'auteur propose de revenir sur les théories et les " modèles " que les philosophes, les théologiens, les médecins et les hommes de science ont proposés, et parfois soumis à l'expérimentation pour penser l'âme, d'en retracer les origines parfois très anciennes, et d'en suivre les avatars dans l'histoire naturelle de l'Homme. Tout cela afin de retrouver le moyen de penser notre " place " parmi les autres êtres " animés ", les relations entre notre " âme vitale " et notre " âme pensante ", de penser les problèmes de la vie, la mort, et de la frontière entre les deux. (shrink)

This article explores the British anti-slavery writings of the mid- to late 18th century, and the meanings which they gave to the idea of owning a property in the person. It addresses the construction of a particular moral and political landscape where freedom was understood as both a kind of property and as non-domination, and slavery was constructed as a form of theft, and as the exercise of arbitrary power. This created a complex moral space, where possession, commerce, savagery, tyranny (...) and the emergence of race were all caught up with each other and entangled with the concept of consent. The article concludes with the suggestion that our current understandings of slavery continue to be informed by our notions of contract and consent, and so by conceptions of freedom and ownership that take us back to the tensions and debates of the 18th century. (shrink)

Volume 19, Issue 7, July 2019, Page 59-61.

IntroductionIn the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, Romanian universities switched to emergency relocation and online education, with students experiencing a sense of isolation, which affected their well-being, pace and normal learning style, relationships with other colleagues, and Professors. Beyond the technological obstacles that have arisen in learning, the aim of this study is to highlight the psychological variables that are associated and that explain the self-perceived well-being of students, in university, in the pandemic. The psychological variables studied were the following: the (...) level of openness and personal autonomy, as personality traits of students but also the mechanisms for regulating their academic motivation.MethodWe used a questionnaire-based survey, wherein all four research instruments had been validated and adapted to the investigated population. The subjects were BA and MA students at the University of Oradea, Romania, the majority being females with the age range of 27 years old. Pearson Correlation and Multiple Linear Regression were used to test the two hypotheses.ResultsResearch data obtained in the correlation analysis, point out association relationships with moderate and high effects size, between positive attitude toward self, others and student life and: openness to learning, openness to aesthetics, behavioral autonomy, cognitive autonomy, intrinsic motivation, and identification motivation. Furthermore, in regression analysis, it was revealed that regarding the variance of results concerning students’ self-perceived well-being in university, it contributes both of students’ personality traits and their intrinsic motivation and identification motivation.ConclusionThe fundamental conclusion of the research is that, although the personality traits of students explain in a higher percentage the variability of results in students’ self-perceived well-being, motivation regulation mechanisms play an important role, especially in the conditions of online activities. The results have direct implications for the work carried out in universities. The educational policies developed by specialists and government will have to emphasize the ways of forming resilient student communities in periods of sudden transition and adaptation to change which take place in education and society. (shrink)

Tomando 1968 como punto de inflexión que anticipa el endurecimiento creciente de la política cultural de la Revolución Cubana, el artículo se propone dos objetivos. Por un lado, reconstruir las condiciones sociales de producción de las prácticas simbólicas entre 1968 y 1971. Dichas condiciones resultaron, fundamentalmente, de los marcos normativos dictados por las instituciones culturales (la Unión de Escritores y Artistas Cubanos, las declaraciones emanadas de los congresos de 1968 y 1971) tanto como de las propias prácticas de los funcionarios (...) de esas instituciones (por ejemplo, de su modo de entender qué obras merecían ser premiadas o expulsadas de la ciudad letrada). Por otro, ver de qué manera estas condiciones reguladoras de la producción simbólica fueron desafiadas por y en dos obras ocultadas por sus autores que trabajan en torno a lo indecible: Una caja de zapatos vacía (1968), de Virgilio Piñera, y El central (fundación) (1970), de Reinaldo Arenas. Desde el punto de vista metodológico, el análisis se funda en la sociología de la cultura y en la crítica literaria. (shrink)

This new edition of Professionalism and Ethics: Q & A Self-Study Guide for Mental Health Professionals thoroughly updates the highly regarded and groundbreaking first edition, offering the contemporary reader clinical wisdom and ethical guidance for challenging times. As with its predecessor, the second edition features commentaries by leaders in psychiatric ethics, plus two foundational chapters on ethics and professionalism in the field of mental health. These commentaries and introductory chapters provide an overview of essential ethical principles and concepts, the professional (...) obligations of the mental health clinician, common ethical tensions found in practice, ethical aspects of caring for special populations, and ethical issues in professional training and research. The introductory chapters are followed by case-oriented questions and answers on core concepts and topics in clinical care, medical research, and interactions with colleagues and trainees. Topics explored in-depth include authorship, disclosure, and ethical peer review for scientific publications; assisted suicide and euthanasia; professional voyeurism versus patient privacy online and on social media; the appropriate process for reporting an impaired colleague; and problems of burnout, work-life balance, and professional well-being. Professionalism and Ethics: Q & A Self-Study Guide for Mental Health Professionals poses and plumbs critically important ethical dilemmas in a compelling, down-to-earth way for today's practitioners and learners. (shrink)

Let R be a real closed field, and X⊆Rm\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${X\subseteq R^m}$$\end{document} semi-algebraic and 1-dimensional. We consider complete first-order theories of modules over the ring of continuous semi-algebraic functions X→R\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${X\to R}$$\end{document} definable with parameters in R. As a tool we introduce -piecewise vector bundles on X and show that the category of piecewise vector bundles on X is equivalent to the category of syzygies of (...) finitely generated submodules of free modules. We give an explicit method to determine the Baur–Monk invariants of free modules in terms of pre-piecewise vector bundles. When R is a recursive real closed field this yields the decidability of the theory of free modules. Where it makes sense, we address the same questions for continuous definable functions in o-minimal expansions of a real closed field. From the free module case we are able to deduce generalisations of some results to arbitrary modules over the ring. We present a geometrically motivated quantifier elimination result down to the level of positive primitive formulae with a certain block decomposition of the matrix of coefficients. (shrink)

The field of ethics is enjoying a much-needed renaissance. Traditional theories and approaches are appropriately coming under fire, although not every new idea will stand time's test. Feminist thinking suggests that we at least emphasize the importance of women and their interests, focus on issues specially affecting women, rethink fundamental assumptions, incorporate feminist insights and conclusions from other areas, and be consistent with respect to our concerns about equality by paying attention to race and class.

Little is known about how researchers view ethically salient aspects of human studies. As part of a National Institutes of Mental Health-funded study, the authors performed a confidential written survey to assess the attitudes, views, and experiences of researchers with institutional review board approved protocols at the University of New Mexico. A total of 363 researchers (57% response rate) participated. Investigators overall held favorable views of general ethical aspects of research and ethics-based safeguards, and they identified a positive role of (...) ethics training. Investigators with more experience encountering ethical problems (p < .001), more ethics training (p = .001), and a PhD or MD/PhD (p = .003) held more favorable general ethical perspectives. Women investigators (p < .03), nonphysician investigators (p < .001), those whose training had been helpful in resolving ethical dilemmas (p = .006), and those for whom spirituality is important (p = .008) more strongly endorsed ethical safeguards. Investigators perceive the scientific and ethical aspects of their work as valuable and linked, and they affirm the role of safeguards in human studies. Formal ethics preparation and training initiatives were also viewed positively by investigators. (shrink)

Nuestro trabajo ofrece algunas claves de lectura del proceso por el cual fue posible que la actividad de los tribunales de justicia, a comienzos de los años '90 en Latinoamérica en general y en Argentina de manera significativa, adquiriese una relevancia y una consideración singular respecto al ejercicio del poder político. Este fenómeno, habitualmente denominado "judicialización de la política", supone una tendencia a procesar y dar respuesta a conflictos de índole política, a través de instituciones judiciales. En relación a ello, (...) nos interesa mostrar las interconexiones, puntos de apoyo, resortes a través de los cuales es posible ligarlo al diagrama de relaciones de poder y procesos de subjetivación que caracterizan a la gubernamentalidad neoliberal. Our paper offers some lecture keys on the process through which made it possible the political relevance of judicial activity during the 1990's in Latin American in general, and in Argentina in particular. This phenomenon, commonly known as 'judicialization of politics', supposes a tendency of processing political conflicts through the judiciary. Related to that our paper proposes to show, to make it visible, interconnections and supports through which it is possible to understand it emergence within the diagram of power relations and processes of subjectivation that characterizes neoliberal governmentality. (shrink)

El presente trabajo se propone hacer un análisis sobre los principales puntos argumentativos defendidos en el discurso de Pausanias en el contexto del diálogo El Banquetede Platón, con el fin de evidenciar los problemas que dicha argumentación implica. En este discurso, Pausanias defenderá de manera indirecta la pederastia, a través de la justificación de romances entre jóvenes y maestros y apelando al crecimiento espiritual que estos últimos pueden aportar a los primeros. Las afirmaciones de Pausanias son tan ambiciosas que sugieren, (...) incluso, que la pederastia puede ser una manera efectiva de mejorar las relaciones sociales en unapolis. Así puede la pederastia ser un factor fundamental para la constitución de una sociedad fuerte. Además, si tenemos en cuenta que Pausanias parte de una apelación a la divinidad, que ha de ser seguida por los hombres para conseguir el ideal de una sociedad estable, la argumentación de Pausanias parece bastante sólida. Sin embargo, se cuestionará no solo el papel de la pederastia como garante de la estabilidad social, sino la figura misma del sabio que Pausanias emplea para justificar el intercambio íntimo entre jóvenes y maestros. Para esto último se tendrá en cuenta la postura de Platón respecto al discurso de Pausanias. (shrink)

Kant’s account of moral feeling is continually disputed in the secondary literature. My goal is to focus on the Religion and make sense of moral feeling as it appears in this context. I argue that we can best understand moral feeling if we note its place in Kant’s concerns about the possibility of moral conversion. As Kant notes, if the new, morally upright man is of a different character than the man he used to be, then it remains unclear how (...) the new man can properly bear the debts of his old self. To address this issue, we need the presupposition that a person is both continually conscious of her empirical, bodily identity and capable of experiencing a felt recognition of the moral law; without this presupposition, I argue that fair punishment and the just payment of evil debts is impossible. (shrink)

Silver Spring monkeys -- Roots of the movement -- New visions -- Ideology into action -- The movement takes off -- Gaining momentum -- Focus on farming -- Moving forward.

Pese a que el concepto de _expresión_ es uno de los conceptos más centrales en la filosofía de Leibniz, el tratamiento que ha recibido mayoritariamente dentro de la literatura especializada sigue siendo escaso, parcializado e insuficiente. Es parcializado, puesto que se lo suele interpretar bien en calve _solo _metafísica, dejando sin demarcar el tipo particular de la relación expresiva; o bien desde el _mero_ análisis de la relación expresiva como isomórfica, dejando sin atender su contenido metafísico. No solo suelen dejarse (...) ambas tendencias recíprocamente fuera de consideración, sino que ninguna de las dos suele atender a un aspecto fundamental de la expresión: el cuerpo propio de la mónada como _lugar_ para su punto de vista expresivo. El presente trabajo ofrece una reconstrucción del concepto de expresión que reconcilia ambas clases de interpretación, atendiendo, a la vez, a la exigencia del cuerpo para la acción expresiva. (shrink)

Not so long ago, when I first became interested in flamenco poetry and was studying it from linguistic and cultural points of view, the question of the female image in the verses began to draw my attention. It is a cornerstone of flamenco poetry yet at the same time is full of contradictions. At that time I wanted to define the difference between the singer and the song: the woman who is the exponent of flamenco and the woman who appears (...) in the lyrics. Today, after translating many ‘coplas’ and having delved more and more deeply into the words and their hidden meanings I have discovered new aspects of the feminine concept in flamenco. There are nuances whose roots are found in many and different ancient cultures. To describe the combination of elements that place woman both at the heart of flamenco and at the borders, I would like to refer to a very interesting definition of the ‘feminine mystique’. (shrink)

In the lead article of the May‐June 2021 issue of the Hastings Center Report, Nancy Jecker and Caesar Atuire argue that the Covid‐19 crisis is best understood as a syndemic, “a convergence of biosocial forces that interact with one another to produce and exacerbate clinical disease and prognosis.” A syndemic framework, the authors advise, will enable bioethicists to recognize the ethical principles that should guide efforts to reduce the unequal effects that Covid‐19 has on populations. Drawing on sub‐Saharan African conceptions (...) of solidarity, the authors lay out an approach to global vaccine distribution that prioritizes low‐ and middle‐income countries. Like Jecker and Atuire's article, an essay by philosopher Keisha Ray pushes bioethicists to recognize broader justice‐oriented responsibilities with the aid of a wide‐angle lens. Ray's essay focuses on contemporary examples of environmental injustices that sicken, disable, or kill Black people. (shrink)

Uncertainty about the acceptability of the forest industry and its practices to the citizens of Mississippi provided the impetus for a study of the attitudes and perceptions of eight constituency groups toward the forest industry in the state. This study examines attitudes and perceptions of two of those groups, loggers and two environmentalists/conservationists, and finds similarities and differences. Survey data analysis finds that all groups hold similar perceptions of themes defining the forest industry and forest industry occupations but differ concerning (...) activities the industry does or does not perform well and environmental problems associated with the forest industry. Mississippi Loggers Association members hold more positive attitudes/perceptions, similar to those of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. Attitudes/perceptions of Mississippi 2020, a small grassroots organization, differ from Mississippi Loggers Association members in all instances and from Mississippi Wildlife Federation members on some issues. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:IntroductionStuart J. Youngner (bio), Laura A. Siminoff (bio), and Renie Schapiro (bio)This issue of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal (KIEJ) centers on a piece of empirical research. The motivation behind the study of Laura Siminoff, Christopher Burant, and Stuart Youngner (2004) was to find out more about what the general public understands and believes about when a person is dead. More specifically, the study tried to (...) determine how members of the public define death, especially their acceptance and interpretation of the medical concept of "brain death," and their attitudes toward the so-called "dead donor rule," an informal but powerful social and legal norm insisting that the taking of organs for transplantation not cause the death of the source of those organs.As the demand for organs increases and the waiting list grows, the United States has explored multiple ways to expand the pool of potential donors. One approach has been to gerrymander (coherently or not) the line between life and death to shift patients who are extremely compromised but traditionally considered to be in the living category into the dead category. In this way, the dead donor rule remains technically intact. This reasoning is explicit in the report of the Harvard Medical School Ad Hoc Committee (1968) that "introduced" "brain death" to the American culture. Since then, other efforts to redraw the line have been proposed and rejected.One alternative to gerrymandering is to consider under what conditions, if any, it is morally acceptable to violate the dead donor rule. Some would argue that this alternative is the more "honest" approach. Rather than sidestepping moral problems by calling people dead, it brings the moral problems to the surface where the necessity of sticking to the rule can be considered on its own merits. However, when the Journal of the American Medical Association printed a position paper that proposed making anencepahlic newborns an exception to the dead donor rule, along with arguments about why this was acceptable, the outcry was so great that the proposal was retracted (AMA 1995).Clearly, our society has identified organ transplantation as a priority, although two papers in this volume (those by Courtney Campbell and by Megan Crowley-Matoka and Robert Arnold) take issue with that prioritization. The fact that the donor pool has remained relatively stable (and inadequate) despite massive efforts [End Page 211] to increase it speaks, at least in part, to the cultural and legal resistance to "new" ways to procure more organs. Voluntarism seems to have peaked. Financial incentives clash with the heavily endorsed notion of the "gift of life" and seem to many to violate the dignity of the human body. Presumed consent or eminent domain, in which the community has a greater claim to a person's organs than that person or his/her family, go against the grain of American individual freedom and the ethos of patient autonomy.Abandoning the dead donor rule generally is regarded as an even tougher sell to the American public and its legislators. The study by Siminoff and colleagues attempts, among other things, to gauge just how tough this sell would be. What the data actually demonstrate is a matter of interpretation, and this issue of the KIEJ is devoted to some of those interpretations. The authors, with the exception of Daniel Hausman, came together for a meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, during which the study's methods and data were presented with time for questions, clarifications, and general discussion. The authors then worked with the editors to generate the papers printed in this volume.The issue begins with a presentation of the study conducted by Siminoff and colleagues. The same paper also appears in the journal Social Science and Medicine, where it includes the conclusions of the authors (Siminoff, Burant, and Youngner 2004). In the current volume, we present only the methodology of and data from the study, allowing a number of distinguished commentators to offer their own conclusions and reflections.The first response comes from Tracy Schmidt, Executive Director of Intermountain Donor Services, one of our nation's organ procurement organizations (OPOs). For years, organ procurement professionals have reported anecdotal stories about families who wished to donate organs of... (shrink)

La filosofia contemporanea, in particolare la fenomenologia husserliana, e il tomismo ";possono intendersi"; secondo Edith Stein, che ripercorre la questione dell'essere, centrale nella dottrina tomista, facendo tuttavia ricorso all'immagine trinitaria proveniente dall'insegnamento di Agostino. Si delinea così il rapporto fra l'io e il tu che, nella persona umana, costituisce l'essere come amore, in quanto la persona si viene costruendo a partire essenzialmente dall'incontro, secondo la logica della relazione che si rivela appunto come logica dell'amore.