HOW SHOULD WE BEHAVE? A REVIEW OF REASONS AND PERSONS BY DEREK PARFIT

In this book Parfit attempts to develop a rational, non-religious ethics. Instead of asking, “What does God tell us to do?” he asks, “What does reason tell us to do?” Given a set of simple assumptions, he considers whether it is possible to be consistently selfish or consistently good. Analyses of personal dilemmas (problems of self-control) and moral dilemmas (problems of social cooperation) show that neither consistent selfishness nor consistent goodness is logically possible. Instead, a fine balance must be maintained between, on the one hand, our immediate versus long-term good and, on the other, our own good versus that of other people. Ultimately Parfit fails to develop a formula by which such a balance may be struck. Parfit''s analysis is consistent with behavioral analysis in its reductionistic view of the self and the parallel it draws between relations with other people and relations with oneself at other times. Parfit''s analysis is inconsistent with behaviorism in its view of the mind as internal, available to introspection, and able to cause behavior. His nonfunctional mentalism leads Parfit to inconsistencies and blocks the path to a consistent ethics. Teleological behaviorism''s view of the mind in terms of patterns of overt behavior is not hampered by these inconsistencies and may lead to a functional rather than purely rational ethics.     

INTRODUCTION: VIRTUE AND VICE

Abstract: This introduction to the collection Virtue and Vice, Moral and Epistemic addresses three main questions: (1) What is a virtue theory in ethics or epistemology? (2) What is a virtue? and (3) What is a vice? (1) It suggests that a virtue theory takes the virtues and vices of agents to be more fundamental than evaluations of acts or beliefs, and defines right acts or justified beliefs in terms of the virtues. (2) It argues that there are two important but different concepts of virtue: virtues are qualities that attain good ends, and virtues are qualities that involve good motives. (3) Accordingly, vices are qualities that either fail to attain good ends or involve bad motives. Finally, the introduction summarizes the eleven essays in the collection, which are divided into four sections: the Structure of Virtue Ethics and Virtue Epistemology; Virtue and Context; Virtue and Emotion; and Virtues and Vices.     

EXPERIENTIAL NARRATIVES OF RAPE AND TORTURE

Many Guatemalan women suffered extreme sexual violence during the latter half of the twentieth century. Learning of this violence can evoke hatred in persons who love and respect women—hatred for the men who perpetrated the violence and also for other men around the world who victimize women in this way. Hatred is a common response to a perceived evil, and it might in some cases be a fitting response, but it is important to subject one's emotions to critical moral reflection. A key task of ethics is to encourage persons to cultivate good habits of being moved. This essay analyzes the way in which two different texts manage, through the skillful presentation of experiential narratives, to help readers acknowledge the hatred they might feel, but also to think twice about the hatred to which they consent.     

产前超声检查的医学伦理学思考

产前超声检查是指在妊娠期间应用超声检查技术检测母体内胎儿是否存在先天性缺陷和遗传性疾病,随着超声技术的迅速普及和发展,产前超声检查已成为产前诊断的不可缺少的有效手段之一。本文从医学与哲学的角度对产前超声检查的必要性、安全性、局限性以及相关医学伦理问题,如知情同意权、隐私权及人工流产等进行综合分析。     

伦理与审美的双重奏——儒家之礼的人类学解析

借鉴人类学关于仪式的研究成果,探讨传统儒家之礼对个体身心进行调节和实现社会整合的内在机制。儒家对礼进行建构的过程中,通过一系列具有审美意味的象征符号,展演了内在的伦理精神和道德理念,释放了个体的感性情感和欲望;通过赋予和强化个体的社会角色与身份,礼为个体生命的价值实现提供了一个构建意义的场域,同时也完成了对于个体的社会调控。     

Infusing Ethics in Psychopharmacology Course Design

Creatively infusing ethics in psychopharmacology course design can better prepare future counselors to work with the complexities of holistic client concerns in a modern context. The authors provide a sample course design from a psychopharmacology course within a counselor education program targeting counselors-in-training to increase counseling ethics and values awareness. Implications for future mental health and school counselors are provided.     

Ethical Dilemmas of Confidentiality With Adolescent Clients: Case Studies From Psychologists

Navigating limits to confidentiality with adolescent clients can be ethically and professionally challenging. This study follows on from a previous quantitative survey of psychologists about confidentiality dilemmas with adolescents. The current study used qualitative methods to explore such dilemmas in greater depth. Twenty Australian psychologists were interviewed and asked to describe an ethically challenging past case. Cases were then used to facilitate discussion about the decision-making process and outcomes. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using interpretive content and thematic analysis. Three key findings are discussed. First, it is of little use to perceive confidentiality dilemmas as binary choices (breach/don’t breach) because psychologists described 5 distinct options. These can be conceptualized on a spectrum of varying degrees of client autonomy, ranging from “no disclosure” (highest client autonomy) to “disclosure without the client’s knowledge or consent” (lowest client autonomy). Second, confidentiality dilemmas often involve balancing multiple and conflicting risks regarding both immediate and future harm. Third, a range of strategies are employed by psychologists to minimize potential harms when disclosing information. These are primarily aimed at maintaining the therapeutic relationship and empowering clients. These findings and the case studies described provide a valuable resource for teaching and professional development.     

The implications of religious identity for teaching ethics

Some debate exists about the degree to which one should merge one’s identities, particularly those with important normative content, with one’s teaching practices. This issue becomes particularly important for those with a religious identity who purposefully merge their identity with classroom practices. This article examines the qualitative answers of 328 Christian professors to a question addressing how they merge their Christian theological tradition with their ethical teaching in the classroom. We find that the answers demonstrate the identity merging takes place in multiple ways. For these professors, teaching consists of multiple sub-practices (e.g. discussion, lecturing, grading, etc.) that need to be guided by certain virtues and theological perspectives and justifications in order to develop the requisite goods. Indeed, both good teaching and their conception of the good cannot be separated from their identity.