This article presents the results of the longitudinal study of Addiopizzo, a successful anti-bribery organization founded in Sicily in 2004. It analyzes how this organization has used information disclosure as a strategy to fight adverse environmental conditions and the immoral activities of the Sicilian Mafia. This article extends the business ethics and corporate social responsibility literature by showing how multi-level strategic information disclosure processes can help gain organizational legitimacy in adverse social environments and successfully fight against social resistance to change, (...) low levels of moral imagination and attacks from criminal organizations. This article provides an additional contribution to the literature by linking the three research streams on corporate transparency, the fight against corruption, and organizational legitimacy. The results of this research also contribute to the special issue of the EBEN AC 2010, “Which values for which organizations”, since it provides a unique example of an organization capable of spreading the values of social justice and honesty in a difficult social environment plagued by Mafia. (shrink)

ll volume è la prima trattazione in lingua italiana, introduttiva ma il più possibile completa e aggiornata, dell’Etica delle virtù (Virtue Ethics), una corrente dell’etica contemporanea ancora poco conosciuta e coltivata nell’Europa continentale, che pone al suo centro proprio la nozione di virtù. Nonostante questo termine non sia oggi particolarmente usato e apprezzato sul piano del linguaggio comune, l’interesse che esso ha suscitato da qualche decennio permette di presentare la Virtue Ethics come un vero e proprio filone dell’etica contemporanea con (...) radici classiche, che si distingue da quelli deontologico e utilitarista-consequenzialista. Dopo un excursus sui principali autori riconducibili alla Virtue Ethics, il libro ne prende in esame i più rilevanti e dibattuti snodi concettuali da una prospettiva tematica o problematica, ed evidenzia i nessi tra le virtù e altre dimensioni dell’agire umano. Segue, infine, un’ampia e aggiornata bibliografia. (shrink)

Introduction: Novel coronavirus is having a devastating psychological impact on patients, especially patients with cancer. This work aims to evaluate mood disorders of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy during COVID-19 in comparison with cancer patients who underwent radiation therapy in 2019.Materials and Methods: We included all the patients undergoing radiation therapy at our department in two-time points and during the COVID-19 outbreak. All the patients were asked to fulfill a validated questionnaire, the Symptom Distress thermometer, and the Beck Depression Inventory (...) v.2. We took into account the COVID-19 outbreak and also sex, age, week of radiation treatment, and disease.Results: We included 458 patients, with a median age of 64 years. STAI-Y1 median score was 40, whereas the median score of SDT was five and BDI-2 median score was 11. STAI-Y1, SDT, and BDI-2 were significantly correlated with the COVID-19 outbreak, sex, week of treatment, and disease.Conclusions: The prevalence of mood disorders in patients undergoing radiation therapy is higher than expected and even higher during the COVID-19 outbreak. These measurements could be useful as a baseline to start medical humanities programs to decrease these scores. (shrink)

This article addresses the issue of properly assenting children with psychotic disorders to participate in clinical research. Due to the protective concerns with such a vulnerable population, additional precautions are necessary to ensure that youth with psychotic disorders assent to research with an appropriate level of understanding regarding study procedures. Current literature suggests that positive/negative symptoms and minor cognitive deficits do not interfere with the ability to comprehend study-related information for adults with psychosis if the study information is presented through (...) an educative process. Similarly, youth benefit from repeated presentation of procedures and periodic assessment of their comprehension. An integrated educative process is proposed that emphasizes the importance of an interactive consent through repetition and participant/investigator feedback. (shrink)

A partir da análise da arqueologia/genealogia do poder de Michel Foucault, o presente artigo propõe-se a discutir a evolução do conceito de poder disciplinar para o conceito de biopolítica, com base na transição que o filósofo identifica, no que se refere à organização do espaço urbano, da arquitetura e do urbanismo para a engenharia. Procura-se responder, com o artigo, à seguinte objeção: em que medida a arquitetura da sociedade disciplinar a partir da concepção de estruturas de disciplinamento dos corpos com (...) o objetivo de inclui-los no regime de produção da incipiente sociedade capitalista perde sua funcionalidade no contexto da sociedade do biopoder, pautada por uma engenharia da exclusão? Parte-se da hipótese de que, se a sociedade disciplinar, por meio da arquitetura do panóptico, buscava a integração dos indivíduos ao modelo de produção vigente, a sociedade da biopolítica promove, por meio da engenharia, a exclusão das massas que se transformam em excedente e, reflexamente, em inconveniente social. (shrink)

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo elucidar en qué sentido la idea de acontecimiento está presente en la filosofía de Michel Foucault, más como operador práctico en el modo de investigación que como puro concepto teórico. Pasando puntualmente por algunos trabajos reunidos en la obra Dits et Écrits, se intenta mostrar la real aparición de tal concepto a través de la aproximación del filósofo con la historia, en la elucidación de las relaciones entre el saber y el poder. Los ejemplos (...) clásicos de investigación sirvieron de base para establecer la relación entre el acontecimiento y la práctica filosófica que le es característica. (shrink)

Resumo: Este artigo aborda a relevância da ocupação de si no processo de formação ética do sujeito e discute as possibilidades de seu uso para a educação. Recobra-se, para tanto, a genealogia da história da noção de cuidado, da parresia e da ética da amizade, retratadas no curso Hermenêutica do Sujeito ministrado por Michel Foucault. Objetiva-se problematizar, com isso, os aspectos moralizantes da pedagogia moderna e evidenciar uma dimensão ética da amizade e estética da existência, as quais foram abandonadas na (...) educação escolar. Buscam-se pensar em que medida essa dimensão pode ser recuperada como uma espécie de esquiva à racionalidade econômica e ao empreendimento de si, presentes nas práticas escolares contemporâneas, indicando algumas pistas sobre as questões éticas e políticas que incidem sobre as referidas práticas, no presente. Esse movimento possibilitará sinalizar para uma face psicagógica esboçada na antiguidade greco-romana, mas que fora abandonada em seu desenvolvimento moderno. Ao se enfatizar essa dimensão psicagógica e o papel que o outro ocupa, nessa relação, destaca-se a necessidade de certa ociosidade (Skholé) e encontro afetivo (Philia) do discípulo com o mestre, indagando-se sobre as adversidades tanto daquela vacância quanto dessa erótica, para se pensar nos desafios atuais da educação escolar. Palavras-chave: cuidado de si; formação ética do sujeito; educação escolar; Foucault. On the Foucauldian ethics of care, the subject and education: interpretive drifts 40 years after Hermeneutics of the Subject Abstract: This article analyzes the relevance of self-care in the subject's ethical formation process and discusses the possibilities of its use for education. For this purpose, we recover the genealogy of the history of the notion of care, parrhesia and the ethics of friendship, portrayed in the Hermeneutics of the Subject course taught by Michel Foucault. We aim to problematize with this the moralizing aspects of modern pedagogy and to highlight an ethical dimension of friendship and aesthetics of existence that were abandoned in school education. We seek to think to what extent this dimension can be recovered as a kind of evasion of economic rationality and the self-enterprise in contemporary school practices, indicating some clues about the ethical and political issues that affect these practices in the present. This movement will allow us to point to a psychogogical face outlined in Greco-Roman Antiquity, but which had been abandoned in its modern development. By emphasizing this psycagogical dimension and the role that the other occupies in this relationship, we highlight the need for a certain idleness (Skholé) and an affective encounter (Philia) of the disciple with the master, asking us about the adversities of both that vacancy and this erotic to think in the current challenges of school education. Keywords: self of care; ethical formation of the subject; schooling; Foucault. Sobre la ética foucauldiana del cuidado, el sujeto y la educación: derivas interpretativas 40 años después de la Hermenéutica del Sujeto Resumen: Este artículo analiza la relevancia de la ocupación de sí mismo en el proceso de formación ética del sujeto y discute las posibilidades de su uso para la educación. Para ello, recuperamos la genealogía de la historia de la noción de cuidado, la parresía y la ética de la amistad, retratada en el curso de Hermenéutica del Sujeto impartido por Michel Foucault. Pretendemos con eso problematizar los aspectos moralizantes de la pedagogía moderna y resaltar una dimensión ética de la amistad y estética de la existencia que fueron abandonadas en la educación escolar. Buscamos pensar en qué medida esta dimensión puede ser recuperada como una vía de escape a la racionalidad económica y el emprendimiento del yo en las prácticas escolares contemporáneas, indicando algunas pistas sobre las cuestiones éticas y políticas que afectan a estas prácticas en el presente. Este movimiento nos permitirá señalar un rostro psicagógico esbozado en la antigüedad grecorromana, pero que había sido abandonado en su desarrollo moderno. Al enfatizar esta dimensión psicogógica y el papel que el otro ocupa en esta relación, destacamos la necesidad de una cierta ociosidad (Skholé) y un encuentro afectivo (Philia) del discípulo con el maestro, preguntándonos por las adversidades de ambos esa vacancia y esta erótica para pensar en los desafíos actuales de la educación escolar. Palabras-clave: cuidado de sí; formación ética del sujeto; enseñanza; Foucault. Data de registro: 10/07/2022 Data de aceite: 13/12/2022. (shrink)

1 Os artigos reunidos em torno deste título, retratam a segunda parte das discussões ocorridas nas mesas redondas do VIII Simpósio Internacional em Educação e Filosofia, ocorrido de 27 a 29 de agosto de 2019, na UNESP, Campus de Marília/SP. Agradecemos a FAPESP, CAPES pelo apoio financeiro que nos possibilitou a apresentação dos resultados da proposta. O presente Dossiê tem como tema o governo das diferenças empreendidos pelas políticas estatais no neoliberalismo, as quais têm repercussão na educação. As reflexões aqui (...) desenvolvidas inserem-se, teoricamente, no debate filosófico contemporâneo da governamentalidade e da biopolítica. Particularmente, interessa debater em que medida os corpos ingovernáveis, denominados por vezes de desviantes ou anormais, estão compreendidos por essas formas de governo atuais ou lhes escapam, tanto singularmente quanto na qualidade de povo ou multidão, afrontando-as e agenciando modos outros de subjetivação, assim como potências da vida ou biopotências para tal. Para isso, esses artigos transitam entre a filosofia da diferença, a arte e a política, explicitando uma crítica contundente ao atual governo das diferenças e explorando cartografias do ingovernável na educação. A partir das diferenças mapeadas nos corpos singularizado, tais como os corpos das pessoas transgêneras, das deficientes, dos grupos afrodescendentes, dos povos indígenas ou quilombolas, este dossiê busca debater o lugar que ocupam no atual governo das diferenças na biopolítica neoliberal. Entende-se que a violência ou a exceção cometidas contra eles na atual conjuntura, quer seja nos contextos escolares ou em outros espaços sociais, assim como o potencial de resistência que apresentam, ao relatarem situações de abuso e de bullying, compõe uma ampla frente de desafios a serem problematizados pela filosofia da educação. É dessa expressividade e ethos que se ocuparão esses artigos, assim como a reflexão sobre e com eles, com vistas a dar visibilidade a esses modos de existência enquanto uma experiência singular e como um entretecido comum, associado às comunidades LGBTT+, afrodescendentes, deficientes, dentre outras, emergentes das suas lutas transversas em escolas e outras instituições. Apoiados em referências como as de Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, Hannah Arendt, Jean Luc Nancy, Gilles Deleuze e Félix Guattari, dentre outros, assim, os artigos visibilizam esses corpos ingovernáveis, situando-os no jogo de subjugação e crítica empreendida pelas atuais formas de governamentalidade biopolítica – particularmente, na educação escolar. Ao mesmo tempo, como apresentados abaixo, eles abordam as possibilidades de sua biopotência, de sua capacidade de agenciar eticamente novas formas de inclusão pautadas na criação de novos modos de viver juntos e de vida comum. [...]. (shrink)

In this article, we seek to discuss the recurrence of racism and prejudice toward black lives and childhoods, in spite of repeated initiatives to overcome it by social and educational policy-makers. Following the investigations launched by Michel Foucault on the biopower hypothesis, we revisit some of his interpreters, with the objective of discussing the challenges posed by racism to pedagogical provisions for black children and—following on a concept offered by Emmanuel Levinas--an education of the Face, as a weapon in the (...) political field of struggle against the thanatological dimension of biopolitics. To do so, we retrace some scenes from the history of inclusion devices – especially those policies aimed at black populations. We reflect on the racism embedded in our historical unconscious and discuss how it affects the education of the black Face in our country. We problematize the peculiarities of Brazilian racial prejudice and explore its necropolitical positioning when it comes to the governance of black childhoods. We conclude that the current form of governmentality and education needs a movement of de-rostification—deconstuction of the black Face--in order to identify a future for black children that makes it possible to rise up against the hegemonic order of the white-male-heterosexual-christian-European, and to create processes of subjectivation that can build solidarity with the multiplicity of others-becoming-minoritarian. (shrink)

Fábio Abreu dos Passos é doutor em Filosofia Política pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Atualmente é Professor do Departamento e do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Filosofia da Universidade Federal do Piauí – UFPI. Tem experiência na área de Filosofia, com ênfase em Filosofia Política, atuando principalmente nos temas relacionados à Filosofia Política Contemporânea, a partir dos seguintes autores: Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault e Giorgio Agamben. É autor também da obra A Faculdade do Pensamento em Hannah Arendt:: implicações políticas e (...) da organização conjunta das obras Hannah Arendt: pensamento, revolução e poder e A gramática da ação e a sintaxe do poder em Hannah Arendt. (shrink)

We thank the commentators for their thoughtful responses to our article.1 Due to space constraints, we will confine our discussion to just three key issues. The first issue relates to the central ethical conundrum for clinicians working with young people like Phoenix: namely, how to respect, value and defer to a person’s own account of their identity and what is needed for their well-being, while staying open to the possibility that such an account may reflect a work in progress. This (...) conundrum thus relates both to what will be beneficial for that person and what constitutes respecting their autonomy, and clinicians must dwell on these questions when deciding what forms of medical intervention to offer. D’Angelo,2 Lemma3 and Wren4 highlight the importance of considering Phoenix as a ‘whole person in context’ 2 prior to initiating treatment or care. In this way, they advocate for a process of ‘therapeutic exploration’,4 which includes taking sufficient time to explore Phoenix’s personhood with them so as to support them in achieving an ‘authentic self-discovery’.2 We agree with these authors that identity development is a complex, life-long process that is influenced by biological, psychosocial and relational aspects, all of which may contribute to an individual’s desire to pursue gender-affirming interventions. To explore the various factors—both conscious and unconscious—that might be motivating Phoenix’s decision to pursue ongoing puberty suppression, D’Angelo,2 Lemma3 and Wren4 describe a comprehensive psychological approach to working with transgender and gender diverse individuals and propose questions to guide such discussions. Consistent with this approach, we stipulated that Phoenix had undergone regular psychological counselling and that the psychologist had judged that ‘Phoenix’s distress is significant and enduring…not a symptom …. (shrink)

EU regulations explicitly preclude recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) for aquaculture grow-out from organic certification because they are not close enough to nature (Regulation (EEC) No. 710/2009). Meanwhile, according to another EU regulation, one criterion for organic food production is its contribution to sustainable development (Regulation (EEC) No. 834/2007). Against this background, one might argue that in spite of their distance to nature RAS are innovative solutions to sustainability issues in food production. The paper will deal with the claim that RAS (...) for aquaculture could be one innovative solution to sustainability issues. In this respect, the picture is ambivalent. In the past, the organic movement (OM) has searched for innovative alternatives to industrial forms of agriculture and food production that are non-sustainable. Hence, the majority of the OM does not feel fit to support industrial RAS, even though one might argue that these systems comply with many of the European OM’s founding principles. While there are potential positive effects for a sustainable development, we might still regard these systems as techno-scientific solutions to social problems. This paper discusses innovation narratives related to RAS from the perspective of post-normal innovation critique. It first presents potential contribution to a more sustainable food sector. It then contrasts these arguments within critical assessments of innovation narratives for sustainable development. Finally, the paper concludes by discussing moral challenges of RAS for the OM’s self-conception. (shrink)

We argue that in extensive decision problems (extensive games with a single player) with imperfect recall care must be taken in interpreting information sets and strategies. Alternative interpretations allow for different kinds of analysis. We address the following issues: 1. randomization at information sets; 2. consistent beliefs; 3. time consistency of optimal plans; 4. the multiselves approach to decision making. We illustrate our discussion through an example that we call the ‘‘paradox of the absentminded driver.’’ Journal of Economic Literature Classification (...) Numbers: C7, D0. 1997 Academic Press. (shrink)

The concept of cultural capital has been increasingly used in American sociology to study the impact of cultural reproduction on social reproduction. However, much confusion surrounds this concept. In this essay, we disentangle Bourdieu and Passeron's original work on cultural capital, specifying the theoretical roles cultural capital plays in their model, and the various types of high status signals they are concerned with. We expand on their work by proposing a new definition of cultural capital which focuses on cultural and (...) social exclusion. We note a number of theoretical ambiguities and gaps in the original model, as well as specific methodological problems. In the second section, we shift our attention to the American literature on cultural capital. We discuss its assumptions and compare it with the original work. We also propose a research agenda which focuses on social and cultural selection and decouples cultural capital from the French context in which it was originally conceived to take into consideration the distinctive features of American culture. This agenda consists in 1) assessing the relevance of the concept of legitimate culture in the U.S.; 2) documenting the distinctive American repertoire of high status cultural signals; and 3) analyzing how cultural capital is turned into profits in America. (shrink)

This essay articulates two heterodox approaches to the political realm: normativity and governmentality, and it applies this theoretical framework to postcolonial societies. Through a close reading of the work of some well-known postcolonial scholars, such as Partha Chatterjee and Ranabir Samaddar, the essay offers a sketch of what it proposes to call the «normativity of the governed». The ethnographic description of both public authorities and social actors in postcolonial contexts sheds light on a peculiar dimension of political negotiation. One that (...) is forged by the “governed” through a strategic use of those very same discourses and practices, mainly legal, that governmental powers use in order to rule. In the end, the coupling of anthropology and normativity allows for a fresh and more comprehensive critique of the political itself. (shrink)

Here, we provide an ethical analysis of discrimination in private insurance to guide the application of non-discriminatory algorithms for risk prediction in the insurance context. This addresses the need for ethical guidance of data-science experts, business managers, and regulators, proposing a framework of moral reasoning behind the choice of fairness goals for prediction-based decisions in the insurance domain. The reference to private insurance as a business practice is essential in our approach, because the consequences of discrimination and predictive inaccuracy in (...) underwriting are different from those of using predictive algorithms in other sectors. Here we focus on the trade-off in the extent to which one can pursue indirect non-discrimination versus predictive accuracy. The moral assessment of this trade-off is related to the context of application—to the consequences of inaccurate risk predictions in the insurance domain. (shrink)

This paper addresses a largely neglected question in ongoing debates over disagreement: what is the relation, if any, between disagreements involving credences and disagreements involving outright beliefs? The first part of the paper offers some desiderata for an adequate account of credal and full disagreement. The second part of the paper argues that both phenomena can be subsumed under a schematic definition which goes as follows: A and B disagree if and only if the accuracy conditions of A's doxastic attitude (...) are such that, if they were fulfilled, this would ipso facto make B's doxastic attitude inaccurate, or vice-versa. (shrink)

In the rapidly evolving healthcare environment, perhaps no role is in greater flux and redefinition than that of the clinical bioethicist. The discussion of ethics consultation in the bioethics literature has moved from an ambiguous concern regarding its proper place in the clinical milieu to the more provocative question of which methods and theories should best characterize the intellectual and practical work it claims to do. The American Society for Bioethics and Humanities addressed these concerns in its 1998 report, CoreCompetenciesforHealthCareEthicsConsultation. (...) The report tries to answer the question as to what disciplinary training, background experience, and levels of knowledge in ethics the clinical ethics consultant should have, and what specific skills and character traits the clinical ethics consultant should cultivate. In addition to acquiring knowledge of common bioethical issues, theoretical concepts in ethical theory and moral reasoning, and health-related law and policy, the report also recommends that ethics consultants demonstrate knowledge of the health beliefs and perspectives of patients and healthcare providers. In our opinion, this recommendation underscores a crucial aspect of the practice of ethics consultation in the increasingly multicultural settings of healthcare institutions. Clearly, the dynamic of American life and culture is permeated with diversity and variety as new groups suffuse their own beliefs and faith perspectives into the health sector. New immigrant groups force society to question traditional healthcare practices and to accommodate changing medical needs. (shrink)

The pluralist sheds the more traditional ideas of truth and ontology. This is dangerous, because it threatens instability of the theory. To lend stability to his philosophy, the pluralist trades truth and ontology for rigour and other ‘fixtures’. Fixtures are the steady goal posts. They are the parts of a theory that stay fixed across a pair of theories, and allow us to make translations and comparisons. They can ultimately be moved, but we tend to keep them fixed temporarily. Apart (...) from considering rigour of proof as a fixture, I discuss fixed models, invariant notions and fixed information about objects across theories. There are other fixtures, but it is enough to start with these. (shrink)

The article investigates the significance of the so-called phenomenon of apparent faultless disagreement for debates about the semantics of taste discourse. Two kinds of description of the phenomenon are proposed. The first ensures that faultless disagreement raises a distinctive philosophical challenge; yet, it is argued that Contextualist, Realist and Relativist semantic theories do not account for this description. The second, by contrast, makes the phenomenon irrelevant for the problem of what the right semantics of taste discourse should be. Lastly, the (...) following dilemma is assessed: either faultless disagreement provides strong evidence against semantic theories; or its significance should be considerably downplayed. (shrink)

Biotechnology surpasses even computer technology in predictions of its potential for revolutionary effects on humankind. It includes agribusiness and phar-maceuticals. The U.S. government began investing heavily in biotechnology research in the 1980s, and by 1987 had spent approximately $2.7 billion to support research and development, including $150 million for agricultural biotechnology. The approximately sixty U.S. biotechnology companies invested $3.2 billion in R and D in 1991 alone, with a total of more than $10 billion spent since the industry began in (...) the late 1970s. (shrink)

Summary By introducing the concept of “invariants”, Koffka endowed perceptual psychology with a flexible theoretical tool, which is suitable for representing vision situations in which a definite part of the stimulus pattern is relevant but not sufficient to determine a corresponding part of the perceived scene. He characterised his “invariance principle” as a principle conclusively breaking free from the “old constancy hypothesis”, which rigidly surmised point-to-point relations between stimulus and perceptual properties. In this paper, we explain the basic terms and (...) assumptions implicit in Koffka’s concept, by representing them in a set-theoretic framework. Then, we highlight various aspects and implications of the concept in terms of answers to six separate questions: forms of invariants, heuristic paths to them, what is invariant in an invariant, roots of conditional indeterminacy, variability vs. indeterminacy, and overcoming of the indeterminacy. Lastly, we illustrate the lasting value and theoretical power of the concept, by showing that Koffka’s insights relating to it do occur in modern perceptual psychology and by highlighting its role in a model of perceptual transparency. (shrink)

The intriguing issue of pain and suffering in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOCs), particularly in Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome/Vegetative State (UWS/VS) and Minimally Conscious State (MCS), is assessed from a theoretical point of view, through an overview of recent neuroscientific literature, in order to sketch an ethical analysis. In conclusion, from a legal and ethical point of view, formal guidelines and a situationist ethics are proposed in order to best manage the critical scientific uncertainty about pain and suffering in DOCs (...) and ensure the best possible care for the patient. (shrink)

Em minha tese de doutorado defendi que, para compreender como Hegel articula a passagem da contradição dialética à lógica, o conceito hegeliano de contradição deve ser analisado sob a perspectiva de uma antinomia. Para sustentar este argumento, propus uma atualização deste conceito a partir de uma estrutura antinômica. Essa atualização, porém, trouxe um outro problema: nessa reconstrução, a contradição, em Hegel, continua a se desenvolver de maneira gradativa, ao passo que a lógica tradicional trabalha apenas com valores de p e (...) -p, e não com níveis de gradação. Assim, para continuar sustentando o argumento de que o conceito hegeliano de contradição, sob a perspectiva de uma antinomia, pode ser compreendido como uma contradição lógica, seria necessário encontrar uma lógica que não operasse apenas com valores binários, mas também com níveis de gradação. Foi a partir dessa necessidade que surgiu a ideia de aplicar o conceito de contradição em Hegel à Lógica Difusa, e esta é, portanto, a proposta do presente artigo. (shrink)

Recent epidemiological reports of associations between socioeconomic status and epigenetic markers that predict vulnerability to diseases are bringing to light substantial biological effects of social inequalities. Here, we start the discussion of the moral consequences of these findings. We firstly highlight their explanatory importance in the context of the research program on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) and the social determinants of health. In the second section, we review some theories of the moral status of health inequalities. (...) Rather than a complete outline of the debate, we single out those theories that rest on the principle of equality of opportunity and analyze the consequences of DOHaD and epigenetics for these particular conceptions of justice. We argue that DOHaD and epigenetics reshape the conceptual distinction between natural and acquired traits on which these theories rely and might provide important policy tools to tackle unjust distributions of health. (shrink)

In this study, we explore the role of Chief Executive Officers’ incentives, split between monetary and non-monetary, in relation to corporate social responsibility. We base our analysis on a sample of 597 US firms over the period 2005–2009. We find that both monetary and non-monetary incentives have an effect on CSR decisions. Specifically, monetary incentives designed to align the CEO’s and shareholders’ interests have a negative effect on CSR and non-monetary incentives have a positive effect on CSR. The study has (...) important implications for the design of executive remuneration plans, as we show that there are many levers that can affect the CEO’s decisions with regard to CSR. Our evidence also confirms the prominent role of the CEO in relation to CSR decisions, while also recognizing the complexity of factors affecting CSR. Finally, we propose a research design that takes into account endogeneity issues arising when examining compensation variables. (shrink)

Leandra Medine indicates that she wants the Man Repeller multi-author blog to ‘serve as an open forum for women to draw their own conclusions’ instead of making ‘any sort of feministic statement’. Medine renders feminism as amorphous and an individual choice but she has been widely lauded for offering a feminist engagement in fashion. Her practices and position, as I argue throughout this article, allow her to fashion feminism, including associating feminism with the man repeller style and replacing aspects of (...) second wave and rights-based feminisms with the purportedly more equitable and liberating website ethos of choice and equality feminism. Yet in replacing ‘feministic’ critiques with promises of stylish cultural change and clothing that reportedly repels men, Medine and other Man Repeller authors elide how systemic oppression functions. This ambivalent relationship to feminism, and dearth of intersectional advocacy, prompted a backlash in 2020. Critics interrogated Medine's facile statement about #BlackLivesMatter, the company's lack of diversity and the unsuccessful restructuring of the blog. As a means of analysing Man Repeller, I employ textual analysis, feminist and queer literature and media theory. I define fashioning feminism as a collaborative and ongoing process of producing feminist positions and thinking, including the negation of certain forms of feminism. I assert that attending to the fashioning of feminism can foreground central and developing feminist theories; the appeal, unstylishness and effacement of feminism; and the connection between style and politics. This includes readers’ interrogations of Man Repeller's politics, which are occurring along with contemporary examinations of racism. Since fashioning feminism is a collaborative and ongoing process of producing feminist positions and thought, engaging with its concepts and debates can further the critical study of feminism, nurture feminist conversations and advocate for social change. (shrink)

For nearly five years, bioethicists and neurologists debated whether Jahi McMath, an African American teenager, was alive or dead. While Jahi's condition provides a compelling study for analyzing brain death, circumscribing her life status to a question of brain death fails to acknowledge and respond to a chronic, if uncomfortable, bioethics problem in American health care—namely, racial bias and unequal treatment, both real and perceived. Bioethicists should examine the underlying, arguably broader social implications of what Jahi's medical treatment and experience (...) represented. On any given day, disparities in the quality of health care and health outcomes for people of color in comparison to whites are evidenced in American hospitals and clinics. These disparities are not entirely explained by differences in patient education, insurance status, employment, income, expressed preference for treatments, and severity of disease. Instead, research indicates that, even for African Americans able to gain access to health care services and navigate institutional nuances, disparities persist across a broad range of services, including diagnostic screening and general medical care, mental health diagnosis and treatment, pain management, HIV‐related care, and treatments for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease. (shrink)

PurposeTo examine the contribution of “values-based reasoning” in evaluating older adults’ capacity to make medical decisions.Design and MethodsOlder men with schizophrenia (n=20) or dementia (n=20), and a primary care comparison group (n=19), completed cognitive and psychiatric screening and an interview to determine their capacity to make medical decisions, which included a component on values. All of the participants were receiving treatment at Veterans Administration (VA) outpatient clinics.ResultsParticipants varied widely in the activities and relationships they most valued, the extent to which (...) religious beliefs would influence healthcare decisions, and in ratings of the importance of preserving quality versus length of life. Most participants preferred shared decision making with doctor, family, or both. Individuals with schizophrenia or dementia performed worse than a primary care comparison group in reasoning measured by the ability to list risks and benefits and compare choices. Individuals with dementia performed comparably to the primary care group in reasoning measured by the ability to justify choices in terms of valued abilities or activities, whereas individuals with schizophrenia performed relatively worse compared to the other two groups. Compared to primary care patients, participants with schizophrenia and with dementia were impaired on the ability to explain treatment choices in terms of valued relationships.ConclusionMedical decision making may be influenced by strongly held values and beliefs, emotions, and long life experience. To date, these issues have not been explicitly included in structured evaluations of medical decision-making capacity. This study demonstrated that it is possible to inquire of and elicit a range of healthcare related values and preferences from older adults with dementia or schizophrenia, and individuals with mild to moderate dementia may be able to discuss healthcare options in relation to their values. However, how best to incorporate a values assessment into a structured capacity evaluation deserves further research attention. (shrink)

Most guidelines and proposalsfor Internet research ethics are based onregulations for human subjects research. In therelated research, Internet material is viewedas animate and described as people. Humanitiesresearchers have rarely been a part of thedebate about Internet research ethics and thepractices of these scholars have not been takeninto consideration when drafting most of theguidelines. This threatens to limit the kindsof Internet research that can be performed – critical strategies are particularlydiscouraged – and the ways that researchers andother users understand the Internet.Researchers (...) who use human subjects models havenot fully acknowledged computer mediation, theconstructed aspects of Internetrepresentations, and the screen. If we viewInternet material as cultural production thenthe models for Internet research would be ArtHistory and Visual Culture, English andLiterary Studies, Film and Media Studies, Musicand Sound Studies, and Theatre and PerformanceStudies. A more complete integration of theseapproaches into Internet Studies – either as asole investigatory strategy or in tandem withother forms of inquiry – would changeresearchers' ethical questions. It would alsoshow instances in which human subjectsguidelines do not apply to complex Internetmaterial. It is imperative to demonstrate thatInternet material is not people because thisconception makes highly constructed words andimages seem natural and stereotypedrepresentations appear to be real. (shrink)

: The purposes of this critical analysis are to clarify why high stakes testing reforms have become so prevalent in the United States and to explain the connection between current federal and state emphases on standardized testing reforms and educational opportunities. The article outlines the policy context for high stakes examinations, as well as the ideas of testing and accountability as major tenets of current education reform and policy. In partial explanation of the widespread acceptance and use of standardized tests (...) in the United States, we argue that there is a pervasive testing culture, in addition to other contributing factors such as administrative utility, profit motives, and political ideology. Finally, we offer a critique of high stakes testing reforms in light of concerns about equality of educational opportunity. (shrink)