First published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Most ethicists have paid little attention to the rhetorical features of case presentations. In order to examine the constructed nature of bioethics cases, this paper examines the literary characteristics of four presentations of Donald “Dax” Cowart's story. By comparing tellings of the same case, a pattern of redaction is revealed by which the tellers conceal the very features that would challenge the perspectives taken in their arguments. In conclusion, the issue of the applied nature of bioethics is examined.

Forty years after Dax Cowart fought to have his voice heard regarding his medical treatment, patient autonomy and rights are at the heart of patient care today. Yet, despite its centrality in patient care, the tension between a severely burned patient’s right to stop treatment and the physician’s role in saving a life has not abated. As this case study explores, barriers remain to hearing and respecting a patient’s treatment decisions. Dismantling these barriers involves dispelling the myths that burn (...) patients must grin and bear intense pain to recover and that a patient’s choice to discontinue treatment equals physician failure. Moreover, in these situations, sustained, direct engagement between physician and patient can reduce the moral distress of all involved and enable physicians to hear and better accept when a patient is calling for the end of the day. (shrink)

The suppression of sexuality is culturally widespread, and women’s sexual promiscuity, activity, and enjoyment are almost always judged and punished more harshly than men’s. It remains disputed, however, to what end people suppress sexuality, and who benefits from the suppression of female sexuality. Different theories predict that women in general, men in general, women’s intimate partners, or parents benefit most. Here we use the lies women and men tell—or imagine telling—about their sexual histories as an indirect measure of who is (...) most involved in the suppression of sexuality. We asked men and women what they would reply if asked questions by their mother, father, current partner, attractive confederate, and various same- or opposite-sex friends and colleagues about their number of previous sex partners, age at first romantic kiss, age at first consensual sex, and cheating on a previous partner or spouse. By comparing the size and direction of the lies that subjects told, we tested competing predictions of several cultural and evolutionary theories concerning why female sexuality is suppressed and who is driving its suppression. We found that men and women told larger and more frequent lies to their parents, with women telling the largest and most frequent lies of all to their fathers. Additionally, the majority of lies by both men and women were in sexually conservative directions. Our findings suggest that mothers, and especially fathers, restrict female sexuality. (shrink)

Understanding what it means toconsent is of considerable importance sincesignificant moral issues depend on how this actis defined. For instance, determining whetherconsent has occurred is the deciding factor insexual assault cases; its proper occurrence isa necessary condition for federally fundedhuman subject research. Even though mosttheorists recognize the legal and moralimportance of consent, there is still littleagreement concerning how consent should bedefined, or whether different domains involvingconsent demand context-specific definitions.Understanding what it means to consent isfurther complicated by the fact that currentlegal (...) conceptions are not necessarily groundedin argument; they typically depend on appealsto authority and precedent. The purpose ofthis paper is to use speech act theory toprovide a theoretically grounded conception ofconsent; such a conception can aid in the justresolution of legal and moral disputes thathinge on whether an act of consent occurred. (shrink)

Perception is not an independent, in‐the‐moment event. Instead, perceiving involves integrating prior expectations with current observations. How does this ability develop from infancy through adulthood? We examined how prior visual experience shapes visual perception in infants, children, and adults. Using an identical task across age groups, we exposed participants to pairs of colorful stimuli and implicitly measured their ability to discriminate relative saturation levels. Results showed that adult participants were biased by previously experienced exemplars, and exhibited weakened in‐the‐moment discrimination between (...) different levels of saturation. In contrast, infants and children showed less influence of memory in their perception, and they actually outperformed adults in discriminating between current levels of saturation. Our findings suggest that as humans develop, their perception relies more on prior experience and less on current observation. (shrink)

An embodied movement-planning field cannot account for behavior and cognition more abstract than that of reaching. Instead, we propose an affordance field, and we sketch how it could enhance the analysis of the A-not-B error, underlie cognition, and serve as a base for language. Admittedly, a dynamic systems account of an affordance field awaits significant further development.

Este artigo tem por objetivo apresentar as concepções de alegria, graça e felicidade nas obras de Clément Rosset.

O presente artigo consiste em uma tentativa de compartilhar algumas ideias no que tange à ambiguidade no atual contexto de pandemia. Embora não possamos de modo algum chegar a alguma solução, tampouco a uma resposta clara para cada um dos problemas envolvidos, certamente podemos colocar questões acerca dos limites da Política e das políticas de Saúde Pública. Por fim, podemos ainda pensar sobre a impossibilidade moral trazida por esse cenário.

In view of misguidance found in democratic States concerning their grounding liberal model, some analysts are inclined to declare the bankrupt of liberalism, as well there are others who consider it not yet achieved. This paper aims to indicate in Locke’s political theory some intrinsic limitations of this model itself that has as result its very non-sustainability at long date.

A relação entre ética e metafísica e a própria determinação do que se entende por ética e por metafísica, como bem se sabe, são flexionadas de múltiplas maneiras, frequentemente conflitantes, na tradição que denominamos filosófica. Penso que seja produtivo empregar a perspectiva de uma filosofia transcendental que tem Kant e Fichte como os seus interlocutores fundamentais.

This essay starts at the well-known thesis according to which ‘to know something is to know its cause’, its reason. Not disagreeing with that at all, we mean to set the proper domain and reaching of the thesis once considering its limitations and effects for modern and contemporary way of thinking. Does may human thought be just representation, or not? If it does not, the thesis will actually make philosophers stay away from the originary pathos as we may show. If (...) it does, what it is left to think about but mind productions? (shrink)

O presente ensaio parte da conhecida tese de que "conhecer é conhecer a causa", a razão de ser. Sem recusar a correção desta tese, pretende-se determinar o âmbito e o alcance próprios da mesma levando-se em conta suas limitações e consequências sobre os modos moderno e contemporâneo de pensar. Deve ser o pensamento humano apenas representacional ou não? Se não é este o caso, a referida tese afastara os filósofos do pathos originário, como devemos mostrar. Caso contrário, que nos resta (...) pensar senão produtos do intelecto? (shrink)

O pessimismo pode ser encontrado sob diversas formas na obra de Schopenhauer, embora não haja para o pessimismo em geral uma definição precisa. Ele se mostra antes de tudo como uma espécie de valoração da existência tal como o otimismo, seu contrário. Procuro mostrar que o “pessimismo schopenhaueriano” não deve ser tomado como um pressuposto ou postulado acerca do ser originário, tampouco como mero resultado da experiência de vida. Pelo contrário, trata-se da consequência final da crítica da razão que leva (...) à total refutação de toda e qualquer forma de dogmatismo defensor de uma razão para a existência do mundo. Essa consequência abrange todas as questões filosóficas, mas, segundo suas premissas epistemológicas, mantém-se como uma avaliação crítica dirigida ao mundo enquanto pensado sob o princípio de razão. Pode-se, então, dizer que esse “pessimismo” não consiste em uma doutrina filosófica sobre um mal metafísico substancial e impessoal. (shrink)

Pretende-se com este artigo encontrar um possível esclarecimento para a afirmação de Schopenhauer segundo a qual somente a Vontade é o unicamente Real, uma tese publicada pela primeira vez em A vontade na natureza que exigiria várias mudanças em sua obra capital, uma vez que se torna a definitiva demarcação do pensamento de Schopenhauer com relação a seus antecessores. Esse problema nos levou a considerar a relação entre Schopenhauer e Kant em vista de descobrir o sentido próprio dessa tese, bem (...) como o de alguns aspectos da crítica levantada pelo primeiro contra o segundo. Nesse sentido, aproveita-se para destacar muitas passagens novas ausentes na edição de 1819 de O mundo como vontade e representação, além de uma cuidadosa consideração de suas anotações ao exemplar pessoal. (shrink)

Resumo: Embora ainda sejam escassas as abordagens sobre o amor em Heidegger, tal reflexão pode ser liberada em múltiplos sentidos, sendo objetivo do presente artigo apontar para um deles, talvez o mais abrangente. Para tanto, após introduzirmos breves considerações acerca de trabalhos já existentes, buscamos privilegiar aqui, de início, a centralidade, não do amor como um conceito na obra de Heidegger, mas do sentido do amor em sua própria concepção de Filosofia, tal como ele parece assumir. Todavia, a restrição a (...) esse aspecto da questão pode fazer com que caia em segundo plano algo mais essencial, a saber, que o amor não apenas traduz a essência da atitude pensante, mas compreende toda a discussão heideggeriana sobre nosso modo de ser, da qual emerge o problema da Filosofia e a Filosofia como problema. Em seguida, portanto, partimos para a correspondência entre essa consideração mais geral e a questão das relações de amor entre humanos.: Although studies on love in Heidegger's works are rare, the question can be approached in many ways. This paper aims to discuss one aspect of the question, perhaps the most comprehensive. After a brief consideration of existing works on Heideggerian love, we start from the perspective that love is not a kind of "central concept" in Heidegger's work, but that the meaning of love is central for his concept of philosophy. Restricting our discussion to this point, however, should not let us forget a more essential understanding, which is that love not only refers to the thinking attitude, but comprehends Heidegger's entire discussion of our mode of being; from the latter emerges the problem of philosophy and philosophy as problem. We then proceed to examine the existing correspondence between this more general consideration and the question of relations of love among human beings. (shrink)

In this article we provide evidence for a Minimalist account of English-type resumptive pronouns. Our findings provide empirical support for syntactic theories that, like Minimalist accounts, allow for competition among derivations. According to our account, resumptive pronouns are spell-outs of traces. For reasons of economy, the resumptive pronoun surfaces only when the derivation with the trace is precluded by syntactic principles. This account predicts that resumptive pronouns should only improve violations of constraints on representation, and not violations of constraints on (...) movement. We tested this prediction by conducting an acceptability judgment task with 36 native speakers of English. The results bore out our prediction; subjects preferred the resumptive pronoun over the trace in cases where the trace itself was illicit, but not in cases where only the movement operation was illicit. (shrink)

Nike. McDonald’s Apple. These companies and many others invest millions of dollars each year protecting that one thing that distinguishes them in the marketplace – a trademark. A company’s trademark is the symbol that allows consumers to know that they are dealing with a particular company. This article addresses the extent to which some companies will go to obtain and protect a trademark. Specifically, it will address the fight between Cisco and Apple over the iPhone trademark, as both companies took (...) questionable steps in the United States and abroad to obtain rights to the iPhone mark. In addition, the basics of trademark law and ethical theories relevant to trademark law will be addressed. (shrink)

The Protein Ontology (PRO; http://proconsortium.org) formally defines protein entities and explicitly represents their major forms and interrelations. Protein entities represented in PRO corresponding to single amino acid chains are categorized by level of specificity into family, gene, sequence and modification metaclasses, and there is a separate metaclass for protein complexes. All metaclasses also have organism-specific derivatives. PRO complements established sequence databases such as UniProtKB, and interoperates with other biomedical and biological ontologies such as the Gene Ontology (GO). PRO relates to (...) UniProtKB in that PRO’s organism-specific classes of proteins encoded by a specific gene correspond to entities documented in UniProtKB entries. PRO relates to the GO in that PRO’s representations of organism-specific protein complexes are subclasses of the organism-agnostic protein complex terms in the GO Cellular Component Ontology. The past few years have seen growth and changes to the PRO, as well as new points of access to the data and new applications of PRO in immunology and proteomics. Here we describe some of these developments. (shrink)

The study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the coronavirus anxiety scale during the coronavirus disease 2019 delta epidemic. A total of 2,116 participants on the Chinese mainland completed the online survey. We employed exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to investigate the factor structure. The findings showed that the one-factor model of the CAS Chinese version fitted perfectly with the data. The multigroup CFAs showed the measurement invariance across gender and age groups. We also examined the CAS’s (...) internal consistency and convergent and concurrent validity. The results demonstrated that the one-factor model had good reliability and convergent and concurrent validity. Overall, according to our findings, the CAS Chinese version was reliable for measuring coronavirus anxiety during the COVID-19 delta outbreak. (shrink)

The coronavirus disease 2019 continues to spread globally. This infectious disease affects people not only physically but also psychologically. Therefore, an effective psychological intervention program needs to be developed to improve the psychological condition of patients screened for fever during this period. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a brief mindfulness intervention on patients with suspected fever in a screening isolation ward awaiting results of the COVID-19 test. The Faces Scale and the Emotional Thermometer Tool were used to (...) investigate 51 patients who were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. All patients completed self-rating questionnaires online at the time they entered the isolation ward and before they were informed of the results. The intervention group listened to the mindfulness audios through hospital broadcasts in the isolation ward before their lunch break and while they slept. Compared with the control group, the intervention group’s life satisfaction score increased and the emotional thermometer score decreased. The anxiety scores and the needing help scores decreased significantly. Distress, depression, and anger also decreased, but did not reach significance. Brief mindfulness interventions can alleviate negative emotions and improve the life satisfaction of patients in the isolation ward who were screened for COVID-19 during the waiting period. (shrink)

Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 posed an unprecedented threat to Chinese healthcare professionals. Nevertheless, few studies notably focused on the mental health conditions of nurses and explored protective factors to prevent posttraumatic stress and psychological distress. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and the predictive factors especially defensive predictors associated with posttraumatic stress and psychological distress in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: In this online study, 1,728 nurses were included in the final analysis. Posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for (...) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition and Self-Reporting Questionnaire was used to assess posttraumatic stress and psychological distress.Results: The results demonstrated that the prevalence of posttraumatic stress and psychological distress in nurses throughout China between February 1, 2020 and February 13, 2020 was 39.12 and 24.36%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that insomnia, high panic intensity, and high impact of the COVID-19 pandemic were risk predictors of posttraumatic stress and psychological distress in nurses. Married participants had a 1.58 times increased risk of having posttraumatic stress when compared with the single participants. Frontline medical staff were more likely to suffer from psychological distress. The adequate exercise was a protective predictor of psychological distress [adjusted odds ratio = 0.655, 95% CI = 0.486–0.883], but not with posttraumatic stress. High-quality diet was a protective predictor of posttraumatic stress and psychological distress.Conclusions: Our study revealed the prevalence and factors associated with posttraumatic stress and psychological distress in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Low panic intensity, low level of impact, satisfactory sleep, adequate exercise, and better diet were protective factors of posttraumatic stress and psychological distress. It indicated that the psychological status of nurses should be monitored, and protective factors associated with posttraumatic stress and psychological distress should be increased. (shrink)

The controversial case of Terri Schiavo came to a close on March 31, 2005, with her death following the removal of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube. This event followed years of controversy and social upheaval. Voices from across the entire political and cultural spectrums filled the airwaves and op-ed pages of major newspapers. Protests ensued outside of Ms. Schiavo’s care facility. Ms. Schiavo’s parents published videos of their daughter on the internet in an effort to prove that she was not (...) in a vegetative state and could potentially recover. There is a certain mystery to the entire controversy given the fact that, legally, it was largely a matter of settled law. Precedent cases and legal statutes clearly set out the proper procedures and decisions to be followed in this case. Nonetheless, powerful challenges and virulent opposition to these standards arose. Through an investigation of this case as well as a comparative study of the case of Dax Cowart (in particular, the documentary depictions of Dax Cowart’s case) and of a photograph by Joel-Peter Witkin, I plan to investigate the source of these social upheavals and hypothesize that they were largely the result of a phenomenological reaction to the human face. (shrink)

The Issue of Abortion in America is an interactive multi-media CD-ROM created by the award winning Carnegie Mellon team that brought us A Right to Die?: The Dax Cowart Case. In this ground breaking CD-ROM, The Issue of Abortion in America gives users an opportunity to see and hear women and couples speak of the emotional struggles and moral dilemmas they face in their consideration of continuing or terminating a pregnancy. It also places the issue of abortion in the (...) larger social context of medical, legal, philosophical, and religious considerations. The information on the CD is presented in three student friendly sections: * Introduction: offers an introduction to the project as well as an overview of the program. * Case Histories: a set of interactive multimedia modules present situations in which women and couples describe their decisions to continue or terminate a pregnancy. * Resources: Reviews the background context that informs the discussion of the issue of abortion in America along with a summary section of the case histories. (shrink)