Whereas in the first half of the 20th century, proclamation was the focal point of pastoral care in Germany, the 1970s witnessed an embracing of the American pastoral care movement. From then on, pastoral care was increasingly understood as accompanying patients whilst adopting the spiritual dimension. Nowadays, Christian chaplains are encountering an increasing number of patients from different religious communities. Various models have been proposed to help Protestant chaplains find an authentic form of pastoral care suitable for all religions. Until (...) a clear position is assumed with regard to Christianity's demands of absolutism, however, none of these approaches can be satisfactory. (shrink)

In general parlance the term sin has lost its existential meaning. Originally a Jewish-Christian term within a purely religious context, referring to a wrongdoing with regard to God, sin has slowly become reduced to guilt in the course of the secularization process. Guilt refers to a wrongdoing, especially with regard to fellow human beings. It also refers to errors of judgement with what can be tragic consequences. These errors can occur whenever human beings are called upon to act, including the (...) hospital environment. A Christian hospital has to address the issue of how to deal not only with guilt-ridden misdemeanors, but also with wrongdoing unto God, which overshadows every instance of guilt-ridden human behavior. Here, as in every parish, the Church Service is the place to acknowledge sin, confess sin, and forgive sin, beyond the boundaries of the parish itself. Article translated by Sarah L. Kirkby, B.A. Hons. (shrink)

This article was prepared for the International Demographic History Congress on ‘Malthus Yesterday and Today’ which took place in Paris, 27–29 May 1980.

Movies tell stories. Thrilling are especially those situations, when people have to make ethical decisions. Issues of medical ethics crop up not only in hospital series, but often in genres where this subject is hardly to be supposed: comedies, westerns, love stories and gangster movies. Enacting these conflicts means offering a solution, and in doing so films refer to moral values and – at the same time – function as seismographs for the social relevance of bioethical topics. But it is (...) possible that ethical principles of good decision-making fall victims to the drama of the story. Analysis of the portrayed conflict is similar to a case discussion in bioethics and represents a helpful adjunct to the procurement of analytical and communicative competences. (shrink)

Economic Imperialism is the claim of some economists that the methodology of neoclassical economics has superior scientific qualities and should be adopted by most or all social sciences. The paper first shows why such a dominant claim could develop among economists but in no other science and then goes on to point out the shortcomings of this claim of methodological superiority. These critical remarks are also relevant for methodological controversies within economics between a mainstream and heterodox economists.

Von Mitarbeitenden im Gesundheitswesen wird ein professioneller Umgang mit PatientInnen und Zugehörigen verlangt. Die Begleitung in Lebenskrisen, bei Erkrankung, Sterben und Tod stellt hohe Anforderungen. Als besonders belastend kann erlebt werden, wenn Mitarbeitende bei der Entscheidungsfindung in Gewissenskonflikte geraten oder sich in einer Dilemmasituation wiederfinden. Das Spektrum reicht von außergewöhnlichen Triage-Entscheidungen bis hin zu einem – vergleichsweise häufigeren – Beteiligtsein an einem (mutmaßlichen oder Beinahe‑) Behandlungsfehler. Angesichts der teilweise tragischen Auswirkungen auf die Patienten und Zugehörigen, die ihr Vertrauen in die (...) Institution gesetzt haben, wird der Umgang für die Mitarbeitenden vor allem dann zusätzlich belastend, wenn innerhalb der Organisation kein glaubwürdiges Konzept für einen strukturierten Umgang mit derartigen Ereignissen etabliert und unter den Kolleginnen und Kollegen sowie Vorgesetzten wenig Wissen über hilfreiche Unterstützungsmöglichkeiten vorhanden ist. (shrink)

Von Mitarbeitenden im Gesundheitswesen wird ein professioneller Umgang mit PatientInnen und Zugehörigen verlangt. Die Begleitung in Lebenskrisen, bei Erkrankung, Sterben und Tod stellt hohe Anforderungen. Als besonders belastend kann erlebt werden, wenn Mitarbeitende bei der Entscheidungsfindung in Gewissenskonflikte geraten oder sich in einer Dilemmasituation wiederfinden. Das Spektrum reicht von außergewöhnlichen Triage-Entscheidungen bis hin zu einem – vergleichsweise häufigeren – Beteiligtsein an einem Behandlungsfehler. Angesichts der teilweise tragischen Auswirkungen auf die Patienten und Zugehörigen, die ihr Vertrauen in die Institution gesetzt haben, (...) wird der Umgang für die Mitarbeitenden vor allem dann zusätzlich belastend, wenn innerhalb der Organisation kein glaubwürdiges Konzept für einen strukturierten Umgang mit derartigen Ereignissen etabliert und unter den Kolleginnen und Kollegen sowie Vorgesetzten wenig Wissen über hilfreiche Unterstützungsmöglichkeiten vorhanden ist. (shrink)

Bioethical debate in Europe is partly a reaction to political endeavors and events. In line with the political goal of a united Europe, a European regulation is being sought for medical research and medical ethics ('Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine'). A certain degree of ambivalence has come to the fore: whilst it does seem possible to reach a consensus (albeit a merely 'diplomatic' consensus) about complicated bioethical issues at an international level when certain controversial matters are excluded or a (...) certain vagueness maintained, new principles are also required at a national level, for example when the medical profession of one state feels obliged to assume a 'local' stance, such as in the sensitive issue of termination of treatment. The individual contributions to this publication, together with various other current fields of bioethical conflict in Europe - especially Germany - are introduced below against a common background, namely that the original dividing line between the concealed and the revealed has shifted. (shrink)

The author comments on the Consensus Statement from the point of view of an ethics consultant in Germany. Since many hospitals in Germany are under considerable competitive pressure, mission statements are becoming more and more important in order to draw a distinction between the different hospital types and to convey the meaning of the corporate identity both internally and externally. The Consensus Statement, which provides basic orientation without going into too much detail, can be a helpful initial document. However, it (...) does not deal with two specific problem areas which are examined more closely in the commentary: the application of risk-of-death algorithms in ICUs and the question of church membership of the caregivers to enable a proper preparation for death. The commentary also reveals certain differences in the discussions taking place in Anglo-Saxon countries and Continental Europe. (shrink)

This personal account traces a series of studies that led from DNA physical chemistry to anticancer drug mechanisms. Chemical crosslinking as a basis for anticancer drug actions had been suspected since the time of the first clinical reports of the effectiveness of nitrogen mustard in 1946. After the elucidation of the DNA helix‐coil transition, several nearly concurrent findings in the early 1960s established the paradigm of DNA interstrand crosslinking. The DNA filter elution phenomenon was discovered in the early 1970s, and (...) lent itself to the development of practical assays for DNA crosslinks and other DNA lesions in mammalian cells. The assays allowed studies of the effects of DNA damaging agents at pharmacologically or toxicologically relevant doses, and have been widely applied in studies of mutagenic and chemotherapeutic agents. During the period 1979–1986, DNA filter elution studies led to the paradigm of DNA topoisomerases as targets of anticancer drug action, and this has become one of the most active areas of anticancer drug development. (shrink)

The emerging field of neuroeducation, concerned with the interaction between mind, brain and education, has proved revolutionary in educational research, introducing concepts, methods, and technologies into many advanced institutions around the world. The Educated Brain presents a broad overview of the major topics in this new discipline: Part I examines the historical and epistemological issues related to the mind/brain problem and the scope of neuroeducation; Part II provides a view of basic brain research in education and use of imaging techniques, (...) and the study of brain and cognitive development; and Part III is dedicated to the neural foundations of language and reading in different cultures, and the acquisition of basic mathematical concepts. With contributions from leading researchers in the field, this book features the most recent and advanced research in cognitive neurosciences. (shrink)

In this article we frame a set of important issues in the emerging field of Mind, Brain, and Education in terms of three broad headings: methods, models, and morality. Under the heading of methods we suggest that the need for synthesis across scientific and practical disciplines entails the pursuit of usable knowledge via a catalytic symbiosis between theory, research, and practice. Under the heading of models the goal of producing usable knowledge should shape the construction of theories that provide comprehensive (...) accounts of human learning and development spanning multiple levels of analysis. Under the heading of morality usable knowledge must be put to good use: Its application and dissemination ought to be infused with moral considerations gleaned from dialogue among all those potentially affected. Generally, the field should be shaped not only by its constituent scientific disciplines but also by its applications to education and learning. Thus we argue for the adoption of a kind of pragmatism that would be best actualized by building research‐school collaborations between researchers and practitioners. (shrink)

Relational complexity theory has important virtues, but the present model omits key aspects and evidence. In contrast, skill theory specifies (1) a detailed series of developmental changes in relational complexity from birth to age 30, (2) processes of interaction of content and structure that produce variability in complexity, (3) the role of cortical development, and (4) empirical criteria for complexity levels, including developmental discontinuities. Many findings support these specifications.

In this article we frame a set of important issues in the emerging field of Mind, Brain, and Education in terms of three broad headings: methods, models, and morality. Under the heading of methods we suggest that the need for synthesis across scientific and practical disciplines entails the pursuit of usable knowledge via a catalytic symbiosis between theory, research, and practice. Under the heading of models the goal of producing usable knowledge should shape the construction of theories that provide comprehensive (...) accounts of human learning and development spanning multiple levels of analysis. Under the heading of morality usable knowledge must be put to good use: Its application and dissemination ought to be infused with moral considerations gleaned from dialogue among all those potentially affected. Generally, the field should be shaped not only by its constituent scientific disciplines but also by its applications to education and learning. Thus we argue for the adoption of a kind of pragmatism that would be best actualized by building research-school collaborations between researchers and practitioners. (shrink)

(1997). Super‐paradigms, art, and science: Romanticism and the birth of social science. The European Legacy: Vol. 2, Fourth International Conference of the International Society for the Study of European Ideas, pp. 749-754.