In this bold and impressive book Veatch undertakes a formidable task of attacking not only the whole tradition of analytic and existential ethics, but with equal determination their "forerunners" in modern philosophy—utilitarianism and de-ontological ethics. Despite the apparent diversity of all of these movements, Veatch finds in them a common, basic tenet proclaiming the possibility of ethics without ontology, i.e., an ethics which denies that moral distinctions are grounded in the nature of things in themselves, but rather are to be (...) justified in terms of our human, subjective responses to them. In this fashion all modern moral philosophies subscribe to the dichotomy between fact and value. (shrink)

The hopes and fears expressed in the debate on human enhancement are not always based on a realistic assessment of the expected possibilities. Discussions about extreme scenarios may at times obscure the ethical and policy issues that are relevant today. This paper aims to contribute to an adequate and ethically sound societal response to actual current developments. After a brief outline of the ethical debate concerning neuro-enhancement, it describes the current state of the art in psychopharmacological science and current uses (...) of psychopharmacological enhancement, as well as the prospects for the near future. It then identifies ethical issues regarding psychopharmacological enhancements that require attention from policymakers, both on the professional and on the governmental level. These concern enhancement research, the gradual expansion of medical categories, off-label prescription and responsibility of doctors, and accessibility of enhancers on the Internet. It is concluded that further discussion on the advantages and drawbacks of enhancers on a collective social level is still needed. (shrink)

As its title implies, this collection of previously published popular essays and lectures by Hare attempts to bridge the gap between analytic ethics and moral and political issues. It succeeds in that endeavor only in so far as it, on the whole, provides some concrete illustrations for students of Hare’s theoretical positions; but the professional philosopher will seek in vain here for anything that is either new or incisive regarding the topics discussed. Worse still is the fact that a few (...) of the essays are so old and out of date that they are misleading to students as regards Hare’s views; for they reflect an obstinateness, and even superficiality, that typifies an earlier period of analytic philosophy but which is not evident in his major and later writings. Thus, for example, in the essay entitled "Nothing Matters," a critique of Camus’ nihilism, Hare argues that people become persuaded that "nothing matters" because of a misunderstanding of the function of the word "matters." Taking it to be the name of some process that things did, rather than seeing that it is used to express the speaker’s concern, they soon begin to wonder what this activity is called "mattering," and, failing to find anything corresponding to it, become easily convinced of the meaninglessness of life! (shrink)

In their paper, “Helpful Lessons and Cautionary Tales: How Should COVID-19 Drug Development and Access Inform Approaches to Non-Pandemic Diseases?” Holly Fernandez Lynch and colleagues have present...

Recent data indicate that under a specific posthypnotic suggestion to circumvent reading, highly suggestible subjects successfully eliminated the Stroop interference effect. The present study examined whether an optical explanation could account for this finding. Using cyclopentolate hydrochloride eye drops to pharmacologically prevent visual accommodation in all subjects, behavioral Stroop data were collected from six highly hypnotizables and six less suggestibles using an optical setup that guaranteed either sharply focused or blurred vision. The highly suggestibles performed the Stroop task when naturally (...) vigilant, under posthypnotic suggestion not to read, and while visually blurred; the less suggestibles ran naturally vigilant, while looking away, and while visually blurred. Although visual accommodation was precluded for all subjects, posthypnotic suggestion effectively eliminated Stroop interference and was comparable to looking away in controls. These data strengthen the view that Stroop interference is neither robust nor inevitable and support the hypothesis that posthypnotic suggestion may exert a top-down influence on neural processing. (shrink)

The Random Number Generation task has a long history in neuropsychology as an assessment procedure for executive functioning. In recent years, understanding of human behavior has gradually changed from reflecting a static to a dynamic process and this shift in thinking about behavior gives a new angle to interpret test results. However, this shift also asks for different methods to process random number sequences. The RNG task is suited for applying non-linear methods needed to uncover the underlying dynamics of random (...) number generation. In the current article we present RandseqR: an R-package that combines the calculation of classic randomization measures and Recurrence Quantification Analysis. RandseqR is an easy to use, flexible and fast way to process random number sequences and readies the RNG task for current scientific and clinical use. (shrink)

Festschrift volume in honour of Mohd. Sabir Hussain, b. 1935.

Objective: To evaluate one ethics rounds model by describing nurses’ and doctors’ experiences of the rounds. Methods: Philosopher-ethicist-led interprofessional team ethics rounds concerning dialysis patient care problems were applied at three Swedish hospitals. The philosophers were instructed to promote mutual understanding and stimulate ethical reflection, without giving any recommendations or solutions. Interviews with seven doctors and 11 nurses were conducted regarding their experiences from the rounds, which were then analysed using content analysis. Findings: The goal of the rounds was partly (...) fulfilled. Participants described both positive and negative experiences. Good rounds included stimulation to broadened thinking, a sense of connecting, strengthened confidence to act, insight into moral responsibility and emotional relief. Negative experiences were associated with a sense of unconcern and alienation, as well as frustration with the lack of solutions and a sense of resignation that change is not possible. The findings suggest that the ethics rounds above all met the need of a forum for crossing over professional boundaries. The philosophers seemed to play an important role in structuring and stimulating reasoned arguments. The nurses’ expectation that solutions to the ethical problems would be sought despite explicit instructions to the contrary was conspicuous. Conclusion: When assisting healthcare professionals to learn a way through ethical problems in patient care, a balance should be found between ethical analyses, conflict resolution and problem solving. A model based on the findings is presented. (shrink)

The physical interpretation of induced representation intertwining as a process of materialization or localization is extrapolated to mappings (which are not intertwinings) between configuration and momentum representations. Propagation of extended particles composed of an external and an internal mode is a combination of two generalized materializations and two generalized localizations. Our aim is to submit, in the spinless case, the idea that mappings from external representations to internal ones are possible alternatives, probability amplitudes of which must be summed up in (...) the whole propagator. However, it turns out that they lead to different final states and then correspond to 64 different propagators and not to alternatives of the same propagation. In addition to being transitions from one location to another, these propagations contain processes of interconversion between internal and external modes which are responsible for creation and annihilation of the extended particle. The physical interpretations are striking, while the mathematical stricture is poor. Inconsistencies of the model are outlined. (shrink)

Next SectionIn an online study conducted separately in the UK and the US, participants rated the acceptability and fairness of four interventions: two types of financial incentives and two types of medical interventions. These were stated to be equally effective in improving outcomes in five contexts: weight loss and smoking cessation programmes, and adherence in treatment programmes for drug addiction, serious mental illness and physiotherapy after surgery. Financial incentives were judged less acceptable and to be less fair than medical interventions (...) across all five contexts. Context moderated the relative preference between rewards and penalties: participants from both countries favoured rewards over penalties in weight loss and treatment for serious mental illness. Only among US participants was this relative preference moderated by perceived responsibility of the target group. Overall, participants supported funding more strongly for interventions when they judged members of the target group to be less responsible for their condition, and vice versa. These results reveal a striking similarity in negative attitudes towards the use of financial incentives, rewards as well as penalties, in improving outcomes across a range of contexts, in the UK and the USA. The basis for such negative attitudes awaits further study. (shrink)