Taking the lead from Susan Wolf's and Linda Emanuel's work on systems thinking, and developing ideas from Moberg's, Seabright's and my work on mental models and moral imagination, in this paper I shall argue that what is often missing in management decision-making is a systems approach. Systems thinking requires conceiving of management dilemmas as arising from within a system with interdependent elements, subsystems, and networks of relationships and patterns of interaction. Taking a systems approach and coupling it with moral imagination, (...) now engaged on the organizational and systemic as well as individual levels of decision-making, I shall conclude, is a methodology that encourages managers and companies to think more imaginatively and to engage in integrating moral decision-making into ordinary business decisions. More importantly this sort of thinking is a means to circumvent what often appear to be intractable problems created by systemic constraints for which no individual appears to be responsible. (shrink)

With the recent rash of mergers and friendly and unfriendly takeovers, two important issues have not received sufficient attention as questionable ethical practices. One has to do with the rights of employees affected in mergers and acquisitions and the second concerns the responsibilities of shareholders during these activities. Although employees are drastically affected by a merger or an acquisition because in almost every case a number of jobs are shifted or even eliminated, employees at all levels are usually the last (...) to find out about a merger transaction and have no part in the takeover decision. Second, if shareholders are the fiduciary beneficiaries of mergers and acquisitions, then it would appear that they have some responsibilities or obligations attached to these benefits, but little is said about such responsibilities. In this essay I shall analyze these two ethical issues, and at the end of the paper I shall suggest how they are related. (shrink)

This article presents a response to Richard Rorty's paper "Is Philosophy Relevant to Business Ethics?" The author questions Rorty's views on the depreciation of the role of philosophy in applied ethics, and outlines four reasons why philosophy retains its relevance. The author addresses the role of moral reasoning in the development of the moral imagination. The author also concludes that humans have the means necessary to make moral progress and are capable of moral reasoning, and need only to develop a (...) strong moral imagination. (shrink)

A physically consistent semi-classical treatment of black holes requires universality arguments to deal with the `trans-Planckian' problem where quantum spacetime effects appear to be amplified such that they undermine the entire semi-classical modelling framework. We evaluate three families of such arguments in comparison with Wilsonian renormalization group universality arguments found in the context of condensed matter physics. Our analysis is framed by the crucial distinction between robustness and universality. Particular emphasis is placed on the quality whereby the various arguments are (...) underpinned by `integrated' notions of robustness and universality. Whereas the principal strength of Wilsonian universality arguments can be understood in terms of the presence of such integration, the principal weakness of all three universality arguments for Hawking radiation is its absence. (shrink)

A paediatric clinical trial conducted in a developing country is likely to encounter conditions or illnesses in participants unrelated to the study. Since local healthcare resources may be inadequate to meet these needs, research clinicians may face the dilemma of deciding when to provide ancillary care and to what extent. The authors propose a model for identifying ancillary care obligations that draws on assessments of urgency, the capacity of the local healthcare infrastructure and the capacity of the research infrastructure. The (...) model lends itself to a decision tree that can be adapted to the local context and resources so as to provide procedural guidance. This approach can help in planning and establishing organisational policies that govern the provision of ancillary care. (shrink)

Resumo: A cidadania-filosófica para o ensino de filosofia foi alvo recente de debate na ANPOF. Pesquisadoras e pesquisadores do ensino de filosofia, fundamentados nos desenvolvimentos históricos da área, reivindicam o reconhecimento institucional do campo Filosofia do Ensino de Filosofia junto à comunidade filosófica e às agências de fomento à pesquisa no país. Realizar um resgate histórico e filosófico do debate em torno da cidadania-filosófica compreende o objetivo do presente texto. Primeiramente, retomar-se-ão os acontecimentos dos anos de 1990 e 2000, mostrando (...) que, nesse momento, a cidadania-filosófica compreendeu a transformação do ensino de filosofia em um problema genuíno de pesquisa filosófica. Posteriormente, apresentar-se-ão números e algumas iniciativas acadêmicas na área, os quais indicam como essa abertura filosófica às pesquisas do ensino de filosofia promoveu a consolidação do campo e permitiu a emergência da discussão da cidadania-filosófica em um plano institucional, tal como reivindicado na ANPOF. Por fim, destaca-se que, apesar dos avanços vigentes, o campo ainda carece de uma convivência maior entre os pares: torna-se necessária a interação epistemológica, ética e política entre os membros da comunidade, a fim de que exista – através do esforço colaborativo e também de disputa – o fortalecimento dos projetos comuns e singulares à Filosofia do Ensino de Filosofia. Palavras-chave: Filosofia do Ensino de Filosofia; Cidadania-filosófica; Campo de Conhecimento. Philosophy of Philosophy Teaching: the debate of a philosophical citizenship from historical-discursive movements of the field Abstract: A philosophical citizenship for Philosophy teaching has recently been debated during the ANPOF (National Association of Graduate Studies in Philosophy) conference. Grounded on historical developments in Philosophy teaching, researchers have demanded the institutional acknowledgement of the field entitled Philosophy of Philosophy Teaching by the philosophical community and the agencies that promote research in Brazil. The purpose of this text is to carry out a historical and philosophical rescue of the debate around the philosophical citizenship that has been claimed in recent years. Firstly, facts of the 1990s and 2000s will be resumed, showing that, at that moment, the philosophical citizenship comprised the transformation of Philosophy teaching into a genuine problem for philosophical research. Subsequently, numbers and some academic initiatives in the area will be presented, which indicate how this philosophical openness to the research on Philosophy teaching has promoted the consolidation of the field and allowed the emergence of the discussion of philosophical citizenship at an institutional level, such as claimed during the ANPOF conference. Finally, it is emphasized that, despite the current advances, the field still lacks greater coexistence between peers: epistemological, ethical and political interaction between community members is necessary, so that the strengthening of common and singular projects to the Philosophy of Philosophy Teaching exists through collaborative effort and also dispute. Key-words: Philosophy of Philosophy Teaching; Citizenship-philosophical; Field of Knowledge. Filosofía de la Enseñanza de Filosofía: el debate de la ciudadanía filosófica desde los movimientos histórico-discursivos del campo Resumen: La ciudadanía filosófica para la enseñanza de filosofía fue un tema reciente de debate en el congreso de la ANPOF (Asociación Nacional de Posgrado en Filosofía). Los investigadores de la enseñanza de filosofía, con amparo en los desarrollos históricos del área, postulan el reconocimiento institucional de la Filosofía del campo de la Enseñanza de Filosofía por parte de la comunidad filosófica y de los organismos de promoción de investigación del país. Realizar un rescate histórico y filosófico del debate alrededor de la ciudadanía filosófica constituye el propósito de este texto. En primer lugar, se retomarán los acontecimientos de las décadas de 1990 y 2000, mostrando que, en ese momento, la ciudadanía filosófica entendió la transformación de la enseñanza de filosofía en un problema genuino de investigación filosófica. Posteriormente, se presentarán números y algunas iniciativas académicas en el área, que indican cómo esta apertura filosófica a la investigación sobre la enseñanza de filosofía promovió la consolidación del campo y permitió el surgimiento de la discusión de la ciudadanía filosófica en nivel institucional, como postulado en la ANPOF. Finalmente, se destaca que, a pesar de los avances actuales, el campo aún carece de una mayor convivencia entre pares: es necesaria la interacción epistemológica, ética y política entre los miembros de la comunidad, para que exista - a través del esfuerzo colaborativo y también de la disputa - el fortalecimiento de los intereses comunes y singulares a la Filosofía de la Enseñanza de la Filosofía. Palabras-clave: Filosofía de la Enseñanza de Filosofía; Ciudadanía-filosófica; Campo de Conocimiento. Data de registro: 20/01/2023 Data de aceite: 01/08/2024. (shrink)

Ondanks al zijn twijfels staat Nietzsche vrij positief tegenover de waarde van kennis en waarheid. Maar hij is tevens sceptisch over de mogelijkheid om de waarheid te kennen. Daarom ruimte hij een grote plaats voor de kunst in, die zijn creativiteit put uit het ongeloof in de waarheid.

This article examines fashion models as gender myths and cultural iconsthrough a cultural history of modelling. It reveals the construction of models’ personas by the successive addition of meaningful signs:physique, manner, attitude, nationality, class, race, salary, chameleonism, slenderness and so on. On the basis of empirical material on models’ experiences gathered from interviews, secondary oral sources and autobiographical material, the author approaches models’ bodies, identities and public personas as artefacts performed through the reiteration of collectively defined gender standards and practices. (...) This approach overcomes the contrast cast in fashion discourse between visibility/invisibility, private/public, real/unreal while disclosing the hegemonic beauty standards as fiction. (shrink)

While there is a large and ever-expanding body of work on the fields of business ethics and corporate social responsibility, there is a noted absence of a single source on the methodology and research approaches to these fields. In this book, the first of its kind, leading scholars in the fields gather to analyse a range of philosophical and empirical approaches to research in business ethics and CSR. It covers such sections as historical approaches, normative and behavioural methodologies, quantitative, qualitative (...) and experimental perspectives, grounded theory and case methodologies, and finally a section on the role of the researcher in research projects. This book is a valuable and essential read for all researchers in business ethics and CSR, not only for those starting out in the fields, but also for seasoned scholars and academics. (shrink)

The global expansion of free enterprise has been underway for some time, and the challenges for global companies are well‐known. Companies often operate in economically blighted communities and in corrupt environments without a rule of law. At the same time Western‐based global corporations are under increasing public pressure to take on responsibilities to these communities that are often beyond their expertise or economic purview. For example, at the 2008 Davos meetings Bill Gates proposed the idea of “creative capitalism, challenging business (...) to ‘meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits’...” In what follows I shall argue that while there have been many successful global ventures, the Gates’ challenge requires academics and managerial leaders to rethink their mind sets and expand their thinking about what we mean by globalization, poverty, and the multiple dimensions of free enterprise. (shrink)

Drawing extensively on letters sent to me by him over fifty years, this paper tries to present a vivid picture of Paul Hirst in different aspects of his life. The first section covers the huge amount of work he did at the universities of London and Cambridge—in teaching and writing philosophy of education, high-level administrative university responsibilities, and involvement in national education policy. This is followed by a glimpse into his passion for music, especially opera. Final sections show him as (...) an academic mentor and friend. (shrink)

Evolutionary ethics posits the evolution of dispositions to love self, kin, and friend. Christianity claims that God's ethical demand is to love one's neighbor. I argue that the distance between these two positions can be interpreted theologically as original sin, the disposition to disobey God's command and practice self-love and nepotism rather than neighbor-love. Original sin requires Incarnation and Atonement to unite God and humanity. The ancient doctrine of the Atonement as educative does not invoke the Fall. Its revival may (...) help reconcile Christianity and evolutionary ethics. (shrink)

Images That Move is concerned with how images take place in wider worlds: how they move around, via processes of transmission and uptake, but, equally importantly, how they move their audiences affectively. Images play a significant part in projects of "poetic world-making" and political transformation. They participate in the production of commensuration or of incommensurability, enact moments of prophecy or exposure, and attract or repel spectators' attention. Images move, then, but not just as they wish, and any examination of images (...) in motion must also recognise the blockages and breakdowns that prevent their movement as well as the enframings or "stickinesses" that trap them in particular places, prevent them from reaching others, or hedge their arrival in specific ways. The contributors explore topics ranging from high art to mass media, religious iconography to pornography, and popular photography to political cartoons in a range of contexts and media including photography in early twentieth century China, art and literature in contemporary South Africa, upscale real estate development in India, occult media images and the aesthetic of appearance in urban Indonesia, and film censorship in Nigeria. All of these instances of the visual continuum require different ways of highlighting and addressing the problematics of images in motion. Images That Move traces some of the tangled paths of images' travels and returns, unfolding their effects and aftereffects and scanning the diverse and variable publics-fixed or ephemeral, situated or dispersed-that these moving images call into being. Contributors: Ernst van Alphen, Christiane Brosius, Steven C. Caton, Finbarr Barry Flood, Brian Larkin, Oliver Moore, Rosalind C. Morris, Christopher Pinney, Patricia Spyer, Mary Margaret Steedly. (shrink)

Historique mais parfois perdue de vue, la place de l’économie sociale et solidaire (ESS) dans le secteur agricole connaît un regain d’intérêt et d’actualité dans le cadre des transitions en cours. La transition alimentaire illustre tout particulièrement le rôle renouvelé et innovant des acteurs de l’ESS pour contribuer aux enjeux de réduction des impacts environnementaux de la production alimentaire tout en œuvrant en faveur d’une reconquête de la valeur ajoutée pour les territoires. Les projets alimentaires territoriaux, dynamiques systémiques à l’échelle (...) locale, sont les outils de ces stratégies multi-acteurs qui donnent une large place aux acteurs de l’ESS. Les pouvoirs publics accompagnent ces démarches qui misent davantage sur la coopération que sur la mise en concurrence, tout en n’abandonnant pas complètement la logique concurrentielle libérale. Cet article décrit ces dynamiques multiples en cours et insiste sur le rôle clef des expérimentations et des volontés politiques locales pour accélérer les transitions. (shrink)

Michel Henry questions the opposition body - flesh as indebted to the opposition between what appears/the appearing, under the light of what he calls the reversal of phenomenology, i.e. the substitution of the phenomenology of the world for a phenomenology of life. This question raises another question: the constitution of intersubjectivity, which this article is trying to answer by developing a schema of intersubjectivity through a critical rereading of the theory of Nietzsche about active force and reactive force.

The objective of this paper is to analyze the effect of privatization on the performance of firms by using a panel data set of 38 companies that were privatized in Europe. We compare the profit, profitability, total product, operating efficiency, net income, employment, leverage and risk of these SOEs before and after their privatization. The legal environment, regulation, goals of privatization and competition characterize each sector, which is why we split the total sample into sectors. Our results indicate that the (...) performance of companies in the utility industry is significantly better after privatization; however, we cannot assert this for the other sectors. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Yet Life Keeps ComingPatricia Romanowski BasheWhile the guidance offered to authors of commentary articles suggests they not write about their personal experiences, the fact is, I would not be here were it not for my personal experience as the mother of a young man with autism spectrum disorder and other diagnoses. Though I left a successful writing career to become a special education teacher and then a Board Certified (...) Behavior Analyst (BCBA), it was not, strictly speaking, a career decision. It was a mom decision. When asked how I came to where I am today, I say, “Well, one day, I looked across the table at an individualized education program (IEP) meeting and asked myself, ‘Could I do as good a job as the people sitting across from me?’ And the answer was, yes.” Some people believe I am joking. I am not.To parent a child with autism is to be confronted daily with a dream of his future and the realization that you probably cannot achieve that alone. Instead, you will rely on a world of professionals, institutions, and systems to make it happen. How well that works out for you depends on a number of factors that should not matter but ultimately do: where you live, how well funded and law abiding your local school district is, how much access you have to qualified professionals, and how well your state agencies charged to care for individuals with disabilities after they leave school does its job. Though essential, love, dedication, and hope may not be enough to hoist your child over the hurdles, whether they are set by immovable bureaucracy or mercurial brain chemistry. We each strive to clear the track, to level the road, and I chose to do that by “going pro” and becoming a small part of the system that will serve my son and countless others with ASDs throughout their lives. Even so, I find myself as daunted by the transition to adulthood and the prospect of preparing him for a life without me as anyone writing here. Anonymous Three, who recounts her son’s struggle for independence, captures the questions that most of us might never get to answer but can’t stop asking: “What happens when we can no longer care for him?”When a pediatric psychiatrist diagnosed my own son with Asperger disorder in 1997, I wished to be one day free of the obligation to explain his diagnosis to people who had never heard of it. Today, thanks to major campaigns to promote autism awareness and the public recognition of a handful of celebrities with autism, there is less explaining required. It seems that everyone knows someone who has a child with autism, and everyone knows Temple Grandin’s story. Contrast this to the world of 1993, shortly after my friend and coauthor Barbara L. Kirby (Romanowski Bashe and Kirby 2001, 2005) turned to the internet to make sense of her son’s Asperger diagnosis. There was no Google, no Bing. It would be months before the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), which included Asperger’s for the first time, was published. Local doctors and teachers had never heard of it; parents and professionals were still gathering facts, trying to put the pieces together to form a coherent picture of what it meant to have autism. [End Page 183]Some things are different now, nearly twenty years later. Professionals, parents, and individuals with autism have developed a culture of autism, complete with opposing views on everything from applied behavior analysis and classroom inclusion to medication and guardianship. As a number of narratives illustrate, parents often find themselves making tough choices around these issues, and the best option in the abstract is not always the best option or even a possibility in the real world, on the ground. These narratives depict how the parents of individuals with ASDs struggle, sometimes mightily, to bridge the gap between what should be in terms of reliability of diagnosis and prognosis, access to effective, affordable, evidence–based education, treatment, and intervention, and—perhaps most important—meaningful, practical, realistic planning and programming for successful transition to adulthood. And... (shrink)

The adoption of the 2007 Indonesian Law No. 40 has created significant debate over the nature of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), namely, whether it is voluntary or mandatory. On the one hand, the adoption of such a law represents a legal recognition of the existence of CSR, and this clarification on the legal nature of a concept is necessary for understanding the obligation and responsibility. On the other hand, it has created much confusion surrounding its substance and procedures. This article (...) tries to analyze the development and consequences of CSR under 2007 Indonesian Law No. 40, through the discussion of mandatory versus voluntary dichotomy. It is argued in this article that the mandatory nature of CSR is legitimate and therefore encouraged; however, in practice, this is problematic, as it not only requires a precise concept of interpretation of CSR and identification of the duty bearer and beneficiaries, but also an effective implementation mechanism and a means of verifying the impact. (shrink)

Abstract The use of photo research methods is influenced by underlying ontological and epistemological assumptions. Variant assumptions about reality and knowledge converge to conceive a relationship between the knower and what can be known. These assumptions provide the rationale for decided ways of engaging participants in the process of scientific inquiry. In this paper, we examine how perspectives of realism and relativism may shape epistemological understandings and influence type and use of photo methods in qualitative research. Based on deliberations about (...) underlying ontological and epistemological assumptions and related strengths and challenges of photo methods, we assert that photo methods contribute to the development of knowledge that both matters to participants and informs nursing practice. (shrink)

Observers of agriculture and theenvironment have noted the recent remarkable growth ofthe organic products industry. Is it possible for thisgrowth in the organics market to contribute toprogressive environmental and social goals? From theperspective of green consumerism, the organics marketis a powerful engine for positive change because itpromotes greater environmental awareness andresponsibility among producers and consumers alike.Given its environmental benefits and its ability touse and alter capitalist markets, organic agricultureis currently a positive force for environmentalism.Still, there are contradictions between organic idealsand (...) practice – e.g., the reductionism of organicstandards, the limitations of private organiccertification, and the widespread practice ofinput-substitution – that emerge through thedynamics of the capitalist market. As the marketmatures, these contradictions will increasinglyundermine the very environmental benefits that are thefoundation of organic agriculture. Fundamental change,therefore, is not likely to occur through the marketalone. There are ways, however, that the organicsmarket could contribute to a broader movement leadingto collective action. For instance, the organicsmarket tends to undermine commodity fetishism in theagrifood system, thereby strengthening civil society.In addition, the market provides space and resourcesfor social movement activity, such as in the struggleover the National Organic Standards. (shrink)

Research QuestionsIn a first research question, we examined whether the relations that are generally observed between the coherence of written autobiographical narratives and outcomes of mental health and social support, can be replicated for the coherence of oral narratives. Second, we studied whether the coherence of oral narratives is related to the coherence of written narratives.MethodsPearson correlations and t-tests were calculated on data of two separate studies to examine the research questions.ResultsFirst, only thematic coherence of oral narratives was significantly, although (...) moderately, negatively associated to symptoms of depression, anxiety and negative social interactions. Second, the coherence of oral narratives was higher than the coherence of written narratives. Only the thematic coherence of oral narratives was positively associated with thematic and total coherence of written narratives. Furthermore, correlations between written and oral narratives were stronger for negative narratives as compared to positive narratives.DiscussionThe ability to elaborate emotionally and make meaning out of important life events in oral narratives is, to a certain extent, related to better mental health and more social support. Furthermore, thematic coherence may be a relatively stable feature of individuals’ narrative styles that is reflected in narratives of different modalities. Nonetheless, these topics need to be further researched to overcome present limitations. (shrink)

This thesis is an examination of Frege's logicism, and of a number of objections which are widely viewed as refutations of the logicist thesis. In the view offered here, logicism is designed to provide answers to two questions: that of the nature of arithmetical truth, and that of the source of arithmetical knowledge. ;The first objection dealt with here is the view that logicism is not an epistemologically significant thesis, due to the fact that the epistemological status of logic itself (...) is not well understood. I argue to the contrary that on Frege's conception of logic, logicism is of clear epistemological importance. ;The second objection examined is the claim that Godel's first incompleteness theorem falsifies logicism. I argue that the incompleteness theorem has no impact on logicism unless the logicist is compelled to hold that logic is recursively enumerable. I argue, further, that there is no reason to impose this requirement on logicism. ;The third objection concerns Russell's paradox. I argue that the paradox is devastating to Frege's conception of numbers, but not to his logicist project. I suggest that the appropriate course for a post-Fregean logicist to follow is one which divorces itself from Frege's platonism. ;The conclusion of this thesis is that logicism has of late been too easily dismissed. Though several critical aspects of Frege's logicism must be altered in light of recent results, the central Fregean thesis is still an important and promising view about the nature of arithmetic and arithmetical knowledge. (shrink)

Throughout their history, symbolic interactionism and critical perspective have been viewed as divergent theoretical perspectives with different philosophical underpinnings. A review of their historical and philosophical origins reveals both points of divergence and areas of convergence. Their underlying philosophies of science and views of human freedom are different as is their level of focus with symbolic interactionism having a micro perspective and critical perspective using a macro perspective. This micro/macro difference is reflected in the divergence of their major concepts, goals (...) and basic tenets. While their underlying philosophies are different, however, they are not necessarily contradictory and areas of convergence may include the concepts of reference groups and looking glass self within symbolic interactionism and ideological hegemony within critical perspective. By using a pragmatic approach and combining symbolic interactionism and critical perspectives, both micro and macro levels come into focus and strategies for change across individual and societal levels can be developed and applied. Application of both symbolic interactionism and critical perspective to nursing research and scholarship offers exciting new opportunities for theory development and research methodologies. In nursing education, these two perspectives can give students added insight into patients' and families' problems at the micro level while, at the same time, giving them a lens to see and tools to apply to problems at the macro level in health care. In nursing practice, a combined symbolic interactionism/critical perspective approach assists nurses to give high-quality care at the individual level while also working at the macro level to address the manufacturers of illness. New research questions emerge from this combination of perspectives with new possibilities for theory development, a transformation in nursing education, and the potential for new practice strategies that can address individual client and larger system problems through empowerment of clients and nurses. (shrink)