西が中心に据える〈虚〉という概念に注目し、「平和・和解」理論としての可能性を問うた。.

When we examine the quality of life for each individual, several specific dimensions need to be considered. Health conditions and quality of family relationships are critical. When the individual in question is married, his/her marital quality is important. When he/she has a job, subjective assessment of that job is important. Social relationships regarding friends, neighbors, colleagues, relatives, etc. may be critical also. Although the quality of life is more than the sum of qualities of these specific areas of one's life, (...) it is still determined to a great extent by the qualities of these sub-areas, including marital and family relationships. (shrink)

This article is an attempt by Japanese physicians to introduce the practice patterns and moral justification of Japanese critical care to the world. Japanese health care is characterized by the fact that the fee schedule does not reward high technology medicine, such as surgery and critical care. In spite of the low reimbursement, our critical care practice pattern is characterized by continuing futile treatment for terminal patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). This apparently wasteful practice can be explained by (...) fundamental Japanese cultural values, social factors in Japan, the availability of extensive insurance coverage, physicians' psychological factors, lack of cost-benefit considerations and the pragmatic approach the Japanese take to situations. We attempt to make some brief suggestions regarding the improvement of our critical care practices. Although we can not fully present quantitative data to support our argument, this article represents our real-world approaches to the ethical issues in the ICU in Japan. (shrink)

The concept of 'sustainable welfare society' is highlighted in the social quality analysis, an approach that was extended from a European into an Asian developmental context. is article will expose the basic meaning and conceptual framework used for an analysis of the sustainable welfare society. On this basis, it will examine the postwar Japanese experience of public policymaking and, furthermore, explore the implications of this approach by the analysis of Asian cases and of developing economies. Accordingly, the idea of realizing (...) sustainable welfare societies is discussed in the background of Japanese social policies in reference to the European context of development. (shrink)

Japanese sociologistsCulture and social consciousnessclass, stratification, and mobilityindustry, labor, and organization’. Overall characteristics of sociological studies of Japanese society in Japan are summarized. The discrepancy between contemporary social phenomena and sociological research is also noted, using an example of freeters and neets, among others.

近世の儒者・熊沢蕃山(一六一九~九一)の一つ一つの著作の思想構造の解明をめざし、さらにそれぞれの著作を比較することで、蕃山の思想の変化に注目し、その変化の意味を問う。また中江藤樹『翁問答』や池田光政の 藩政改革をとりあげて、岡山藩における蕃山の政治体験の意味を解明し、それらの考察から多様な蕃山の思想を立体的に浮かび上がらせる。.

The allocation of resources among different stakeholders is an ethical dilemma for chief executive officers (CEOs). In this study, we investigate the association between CEO power and workplace injuries and illnesses. We use an establishment-level dataset comprising 31,924 establishment-year observations between 2002 and 2011. Our main result shows that employees at firms with structurally powerful CEOs experience fewer workplace injuries and illnesses and days away from work. We reason that CEOs derive a private benefit from low injury and illness rates (...) and that powerful CEOs are better at influencing employees to take workplace safety and health seriously. Additional analyses reveal fewer injuries and illnesses in firms led by CEOs with expertise power. However, increased injuries and illnesses were linked to firms controlled by CEOs with ownership power. Moreover, we find that structurally powerful CEOs mitigate injury and illness differences in relation to geographical proximity to corporate headquarters. We contribute with both research and practical implications on the topics of CEO power and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in general and workplace safety and health in particular. (shrink)

In this paper, the aim is to study how the work organization in one specific company for one specific trade has changed over time and with these changes, the presence and absence of alienation of employees in this trade. Blauner’s U-shaped alienation development trend has been a reference in discussions on alienation. It displays a connection between the degree of alienation and technological development. The findings from this study verify the trend and the connection in the case company. However, although (...) the development trend may look similar to that of Blauner’s model, it is differently founded. Where previous studies highlight the production system, including technology, as crucial to the presence of alienation, this study documents that external conditions outside or partly outside the company’s control—such as digital information availability, product complexity, and quality requirements—will determine the presence of alienation. Thus, researchers should adjust the content of the concept of alienation accordingly. (shrink)

A milestone in Japan's post-war philosophical thought and a dramatic turning point in Tanabe's own philosophy, _Philosophy as Metanoetics_ calls for nothing less than a complete and radical rethinking of the philosophical task itself. It is a powerful, original work, showing vast erudition in all areas of both Eastern and Western thought.

Technical reasoning refers to making inferences about how to use tools. The degree of technical reasoning is indicated by the bias of the gaze on the functional part of the tool when in use. Few studies have examined whether technical reasoning differs between familiar and unfamiliar novel tools. In addition, what effect the intention to use the tool has on technical reasoning has not been determined. This study examined gaze shifts in relation to familiar or unfamiliar tools, under three conditions, (...) among 14 healthy adults. The cumulative fixation time on the functional part of the tool served as a quantitative indicator of the degree of technical reasoning. The two-way analysis of variance for tools and conditions revealed that the cumulative fixation time significantly increased under free viewing and use conditions, compared to lift conditions. Relative to the free viewing condition, cumulative fixation time for unfamiliar tools significantly decreased in the lift condition and significantly increased in the use condition. Importantly, the results showed that technical reasoning was performed in both the use and the free viewing conditions. However, technical reasoning in the free viewing condition was not as strong as in the use condition. The difference between technical reasoning in free viewing and use conditions may indicate the difference between automatic and intentional technical reasoning. (shrink)

We study the notion of [Formula: see text]-MAD families where [Formula: see text] is a Borel ideal on [Formula: see text]. We show that if [Formula: see text] is any finite or countably iterated Fubini product of the ideal of finite sets [Formula: see text], then there are no analytic infinite [Formula: see text]-MAD families, and assuming Projective Determinacy and Dependent Choice there are no infinite projective [Formula: see text]-MAD families; and under the full Axiom of Determinacy [Formula: see text][Formula: (...) see text] or under [Formula: see text] there are no infinite [Formula: see text]-mad families. Similar results are obtained in Solovay’s model. These results apply in particular to the ideal [Formula: see text], which corresponds to the classical notion of MAD families, as well as to the ideal [Formula: see text]. The proofs combine ideas from invariant descriptive set theory and forcing. (shrink)

We study the notion of ????-MAD families where ???? is a Borel ideal on ω. We show that if ???? is any finite or countably iterated Fubini product of the ideal of finite sets Fin, then there are no analytic...

Hegels Phänomenologie des Geistes schließt mit dem Begriff des absoluten Wissens. Nicht zuletzt deswegen war dieses Werk Hegels wie seine Philosophie überhaupt seitdem immer Gegenstand grundlegender philosophischer Kontroversen. Dennoch gab es überraschend wenige Versuche zur Klärung dieses umstrittenen Begriffes. Das Ziel dieses Artikels besteht in einer recht elementaren und einführenden Diskussion einiger Gesichtspunkte der Theorie Hegels vom Absoluten, ohne die Absicht einer Interpretation irgendwelcher durch seine Phänomenologie aufgeworfenen wirklich schwierigen Probleme. Der Zweck liegt darin, eine verständliche Einführung zu bieten und (...) eher die Skizze einer adäquaten Annäherung an die Probleme zu liefern als diese mit allen ihren philosophischen Implikationen zu diskutieren. Teil I unternimmt es, eine bestimmte Interpretation von Hegels eigener Einleitung in die Phänomenologie in solchen Termini zu kritisieren, von denen ein durch Hegel vorläufig umrissener Begriff des Absoluten irrtümlich mit seinem richtigen Begriff identifiziert zu werden vermag. Teil II bietet eine Begründung der Idee Hegels vom Absoluten als Selbstbewußtsein, indem auch einige der Ursachen für eine Annahme des absoluten Selbstbewußtseins als ein überindividuelles gesucht wird. Schließlich diskutiert Teil III einige Probleme, die mit dem phänomenologischen Versuch im Zusammenhang stehen, das absolute Wissen zu rechtfertigen. (shrink)

The genome revolution has provided the basis for many new applications in diverse areas such as health, food and agriculture, and forensics. While standard DNA profiling has become the paramount form of identification in forensics, expansion of genomic applications is being considered and tested to provide more descriptive information to facilitate the capture of perpetrators. Two major applications are being explored and tested: 1) ancestry profiling from which race can be inferred; and 2) profiling for physical traits to provide a (...) genetic-based description or sketch. The use and incorporation of these new applications raises several logistical questions and ethical issues. This article will explore some of the policy implications in the use of expanded genome profiling for forensics purposes. (shrink)