As the potential for enhancement technologies migrates from the theoretical to the practical, a difficult and important decision will be imposed upon human civilization, namely the issue as to whether or not we are morally obligated to biologically enhance nonhuman animals and integrate them into human and posthuman society. Precedents for intra-species cultural uplift abound in human history, providing both sobering and edifying episodes showcasing the possibilities for the instigated and accelerated advancement of technologically delayed societies. As a number of (...) scientists, philosophers and futurists have recently argued, there is mounting evidence in support of the suggestion that these historical episodes are symptomatic of a larger developmental trend, namely the inexorable and steady advancement of intelligence. Civilizational progress necessarily implies increasing levels of organization and refinement across all realms of activity. Consequently, the status of nonhuman species and the biosphere will eventually come under the purview of guided intelligence rather than autonomous processes. That said, a developmental tendency towards uplift does not imply that it is good or right; more properly, it can be argued that uplift scenarios do in fact carry moral currency. Through the application of Rawlsian moral frameworks, and in consideration of the acknowledgement of legally recognized nonhuman persons, it can be shown that the presence of uplift biotechnologies will represent a new primary good and will thus necessitate the inclusion of highly sapient nonhumans into what has traditionally been regarded as human society. In addition to issues of distributive justice, the Rawlsian notion of the original position can be used to answer the question of whether or not there is consent to uplift. Finally, it will be shown that the presence of uplift biotechnologies in the absence of the legal recognition of nonhuman persons and a mandate for responsible uplifting will ultimately lead to abuse, adding another important consideration to the uplift imperative. (shrink)

Analyzing different philosophical and theological components of Aquinas’s view regarding the relation between human agency and divine providence, the monograph shows this view to be compatibilist, based on a determinist conception of causation and an aristocratic understanding of goodness.

Parents play an integral role in the mental health service provision of children and adolescents, and they can have significant effects on the outcomes of youth. A growing body of research has linked parents’ own mental health status to numerous outcomes for their children, and recent guidelines have emerged recommending the assessment of parent psychopathology when treating child patients. However, these recommendations present a range of ethical considerations. Mental health professionals must determine if the assessment of a parent is empirically (...) supported and that an assessment procedure appropriate for parents can be feasibly implemented. They must also respect the autonomy and confidentiality of parents while ensuring that assessment findings can be translated to meaningful benefits for child patients. This article details and discusses each of these concerns within the context of the relevant principles and standards of the 2016 American Psychological Association’s Code of Ethics. Further, it provides guidelines, relevant clinical examples, and an applied model for mental health professionals to consider the ethical implications of assessing parent mental health when serving child patients. (shrink)

Podrobna istraživanja o Petrićevu grobu, provedena u crkvi Sv. Onofrija u Rimu, u Muzeju Torquata Tassa u Rimu i u literaturi o Tassu urodila su spoznajom o karakteru odnosa između Franje Petrića i kardinala Cinzija Aldobrandinija za vrijeme Petrićeva rimskog razdoblja: Petrić je bio službeni dvorski filozof kardinala Aldobrandinija, državnog tajnika Papinske države i nećaka pape Klementa VIII. Kardinal Aldobrandini, tijesno povezan s Torquatom Tassom, najvjerojatnije je odlučio da Petrić bude ukopan u Tassov grob u crkvi sv. Onofrija u Rimu, (...) da mu dvorski pjesnik i filozof počivaju zajedno.Thorough research on finding Petrić’s grave, conducted in the Church of St. Onophrio and the Torquato Tasso Museum in Rome, as well as in literature, has resulted in the knowledge about the nature of relationship between Franjo Petrić and Cardinal Cinzio Aldobrandini during Petrić’s Roman period: Petrić was the official court philosopher of Cardinal Aldobrandini, the secretary of State of His Holiness the Pope, and the nephew of Pope Clement VIII. Cardinal Aldobrandini, closely connected with Torquato Tasso, most likely chose Tasso’s grave in the Church of St. Onophrio in Rome as the place of Petrić’s burial, in order that his court poet and philosopher rest together. (shrink)