Search

In 1951, Harold Lasswell defined the ability to clarify value goals as integral to a policy analyst’s job. But graduate education in public policy analysis has paid insufficient attention to the skills needed to investigate and clarify value disputes. In turn, practicing policy analysts don’t have ready access to a set of methods for normative analysis that serves Lasswell’s vision of a contextualized, holistic, and interdisciplinary policy science. I start by describing calls for more emphasis on social equity in policy analysis and explore the complementary relationship of empirical, fact-based analysis and normative, value-driven analysis. I then propose seven competencies that policy analysts should be expected to master. They need to understand how normative issues arise in and adjacent to the classical model of policy analysis. They need to master a vocabulary for normative analysis and understand how humans make moral judgments, recognizing the distinction between moral rationalism and moral intuitionism. To engage in moral rationalism, practitioners need to be able to use the tools of analytic political philosophy. When it comes to moral intuitionism, they need to recognize the emotion-driven foundations of moral judgement and personal values. Finally, policy analysts also need to know where to find the values that are relevant to their analysis. Mastery of these competencies will allow analysts to better serve what Laswell describes as the intelligence needs of policymakers.

Introduction: Understanding police legitimacy among children and youth is important for building a just and democratic society. Although the volume of studies on police legitimacy among underaged persons has grown in recent decades, the findings on the relationships between police legitimacy and procedural justice and their definitions, associated determinants, and consequences remain heterogeneous across studies and across political and legal contexts. Given these heterogeneities, the conclusions and implications generated by this research are far from comprehensive. Method: This scoping review offers readers a comprehensive and comparative understanding of this topic by answering the following questions. (1) How can we define police legitimacy and procedural justice for children and youth? (2) What are the determinants of police procedural justice and legitimacy for children and youth? (3) What are the consequences of police procedural (in)justice and (il) legitimacy for children and youth? (4) Among children and youth, who are the vulnerable groups receiving less legitimate and unjust treatment from the police? A scoping review of the literature published between January 1, 1990 and May 31, 2022 was conducted based on four databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest. Guided by the scoping review screening framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley, that is, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines, and the checklist provided by the Joanna Briggs Institute for quality assessment, 47 publications, consisting of 38 quantitative studies and 9 qualitative studies, were retained in the final sample. Results: The results synthesize the operational and subjective interpretations of police legitimacy offered by the respondents in the studies reviewed which is followed by the discussion of conceptual and measurement issues. The key correlates of police legitimacy identified in these studies were police procedural justice and behavior, followed by experience and contact with the police, relationships with other authority figures, and personal competence in moral reasoning and self-control. In addition to compliance and cooperation, cynicism, trust, and health were related to police (il)legitimacy. Discussion: We argue that in addition to building and maintaining police legitimacy, it is vital to remedy the negative consequences of injustice in police-youth encounters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1975, The New England Journal of Medicine published James Rachels' article ‘Active and Passive Euthanasia’. The argumentative method that Rachels introduced, the Bare Difference Argument (also known as the Contrast Strategy), became one of the most widely used tools in ethical reasoning. The argument, however, fails to show active euthanasia being morally permissible. It fails because Rachels takes the intuitions from the case where letting die is morally impermissible and applies the intuitions to cases where letting die is morally permissible. While it is possible to create thought‐experiments that are more analogous to euthanasia, in this respect, than Rachels' cases, they too are disanalogous to euthanasia with some of the relevant features. Creating the perfect analogy, however, would be a mistake too. Such a case would be too analogous; people would simply be divided on what kind of moral intuitions they would have. The problem thus highlights a methodological limit in philosophical bioethics and raises questions related to the roles of philosophical ethicists in the context of assisted dying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2021, Spain became the first Southern European country to grant and provide the right to euthanasia and medically assisted suicide. According to the law, the State has the obligation to ensure its access through the health services, which means that healthcare professionals' participation is crucial. Nevertheless, its implementation has been uneven. Our research focuses on understanding possible ethical conflicts that shape different positions towards the practice of Medical Assistance in Dying, on identifying which core ideas may be underlying them, and on suggesting possible reasons for this disparity. The knowledge acquired contributes to understanding its complexity, shedding light into ambivalent profiles and creating strategies to increase their participation. Methods: We conducted an exploratory qualitative research study by means of semi-structured interviews (1 h) with 25 physicians and nurses from primary care (12), hospital care (7), and palliative care (6), 17 women and 8 men, recruited from Madrid, Catalonia, and Andalusia between March and May 2023. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded in Atlas.ti software by means of thematic and interpretative methods to develop a conceptual model. Results: We identified four approaches to MAiD: Full Support (FS), Conditioned Support (CS), Conditioned Rejection (CR), and Full Rejection (FR). Full Support and Full Rejection fitted the traditional for and against positions on MAiD. Nevertheless, there was a gray area in between represented by conditioned profiles, whose participation cannot be predicted beforehand. The profiles were differentiated considering their different interpretations of four core ideas: end-of-life care, religion, professional duty/deontology, and patient autonomy. These ideas can intersect, which means that participants' positions are multicausal and complex. Divergences between profiles can be explained by different sources of moral authority used in their moral reasoning and their individualistic or relational approach to autonomy. Conclusions: There is ultimately no agreement but rather a coexistence of plural moral perspectives regarding MAiD among healthcare professionals. Comprehending which cases are especially difficult to evaluate or which aspects of the law are not easy to interpret will help in developing new strategies, clarifying the legal framework, or guiding moral reasoning and education with the aim of reducing unpredictable non-participations in MAID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physicians are frequently faced with ethical dilemmas that require answers based in moral reasoning, which develops and evolves during their lives and their medical education. According to Kohlberg, there are three levels of moral reasoning development: pre-conventional (in which decisions are guided by oneself convenience), conventional (focused on obeying society’s rules), and post-conventional (decisions are based in universal ethical principles). The aim of this study was to describe the level of moral reasoning among new pediatric resident physicians in a tertiary hospital. Method: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from 2020 to 2023. The Defining Issues Test was used to assess the level of moral reasoning among 195 new pediatric resident physicians in a tertiary hospital. Results: Most resident physicians considered the fourth stage affirmations to be the most important. The median P-index (PI) was 40, and 49% of participants were on the post-conventional level of moral reasoning. The year with the lowest number of new resident physicians on the post-conventional level was 2021. Conclusion: The moral reasoning level among pediatric resident physicians was higher than the average found in general population. This suggests that the education received during the medical formation may influence the individuals’ moral development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate crisis is both an environmental and moral issue. The United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework for a global response to systematically challenge the world's reactions to the climate crisis, making sustainable education for all a priority. For such sustainability education to be effective, it should engage children in early childhood in, about, and for the environment, emphasizing the moral ramifications of climate equity and justice. We investigated in what ways 19 United States (US) nature-based early childhood educators focused their sustainability education (ECEfS) in, about, and for the environment. The types of activities that engaged about and for experiences were related to the moral principles of welfare, harm reduction, resource allocation, and equality, as well as teachers' reasoning about these experiences with children. Our findings suggest that educators' curricula and activities reflect potential moral issues related to sustainable development. However, educators did not engage children in moral reasoning about these issues. A possible explanation is US teachers' beliefs about developmental practice and children's capabilities leading them to rarely engage in moral reasoning about sustainability issues instead of scaffolding children to develop personal psychological resources, thereby supporting the SDG for sustainable education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Moral reasoning in nursing is crucial in delivering high-quality patient care and fostering increased job satisfaction among nurses. Adhering to professional values is vital to this profession, and nurses must modify their actions to align with these values. Objective: This study aimed to examine the correlation between moral reasoning and professional values among undergraduate nursing students. Research design: A descriptive correlational design was recruited. Participants and research context: The research was conducted at three nursing schools located in Tehran, Iran. The sample was recruited through random stratified sampling, specifically targeting undergraduate nursing students. The data collection tool comprised a three-part questionnaire, including a demographic information form, the Nursing Dilemma Test, and the Nurses Professional Values Scale Revised Questionnaire. The distribution of questionnaires encompassed both face-to-face and electronic methods. The analysis of data was conducted using SPSS 16 software. The data was analyzed using the independent samples t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and linear regression analysis. The P value of 0.05 was considered significant. Ethical considerations: The Ethics Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences approved the study. Findings: Data analysis showed that moral reasoning was directly correlated to professional values (r = 0.528, p < 0.001). The mean scores of Principled Thinking (P.T.), Practical Consideration (P.C.), and Familiarity with similar moral dilemmas of the NDT scale were 42.55 (SD = 12.95), 15.72 (SD = 6.85), 16.08 (SD = 6.67), respectively. Also, the total score of professional values of students was 90.63 (SD = 28.80). Conclusion: The findings indicated that moral reasoning and interest in nursing predict students' professional identity. Thus, any effort to enhance interest in the profession can contribute to developing students' professional identity. This can involve incentivizing, enhancing the professional reputation at the community and university levels, and valuing student preferences and necessities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are good practical reasons to use electronic consent (e-consent) in randomised trials, especially when conducting large-scale clinical trials to answer population-level health research questions. However, determining ethical reasons for e-consent is not so clear and depends on a proper understanding of what e-consent means when used in clinical trials and its ethical significance. Here we focus on four features of ethical significance which give rise to a range of ethical considerations relating to e-consent and merit further focused ethics research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Amazonia Investiga is the property of PRIMMATE and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Sociological Context / Sosyolojik Bağlam Dergisi is the property of Journal of Sociological Context and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ciencia y Educación (2707-3378) is the property of Duanys Miguel Pena Lopez and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Nurses with intelligence and moral reasoning can perform well and be effective in their relationships with colleagues, patients, and companions. The clinical competence of nurses is the primary concern of healthcare systems. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between moral intelligence, moral reasoning, and clinical competence of nurses. Material & Methods: This descriptive-analytical correlational study was conducted on 110 nurses who were selected via convenience sampling in the teaching hospitals of Ilam in 2022. Data collection tools were demographic characteristics form, Link and Keel's moral ‎intelligence, the Nursing Clinical Competence Questionnaire by Liu et al., and the Nursing Dilemma Test by Chrisham. ‎Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 16) using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The level of statistical significance was 0.05. Results: The majority of subjects were women (54.5%) with a bachelor's degree in nursing (87.3%), official employment (61.8%), with a work experience of 1-5 years (50%), and mean age of 30.98±5.83 years. The mean scores of moral intelligence, moral reasoning, and clinical competence were reported as 157.59±26.60, 36.51±16.17, and 136.65±46.08, respectively. There was a direct and significant correlation between moral intelligence and clinical competence (r=0.517; P=0.001), moral intelligence and moral reasoning (r=0.444; P=0.001), as well as moral reasoning and clinical competence (r=0.802; P=0.001). Discussion & Conclusion: Considering the direct and significant relationship between the variables, it is recommended that nurses' awareness of moral intelligence, moral reasoning, and clinical competency be raised through clinical training courses.

Abstract Background Moral reasoning in nursing is crucial in delivering high-quality patient care and fostering increased job satisfaction among nurses. Adhering to professional values is vital to this profession, and nurses must modify their actions to align with these values. Objective This study aimed to examine the correlation between moral reasoning and professional values among undergraduate nursing students. Research design A descriptive correlational design was recruited. Participants and research context The research was conducted at three nursing schools located in Tehran, Iran. The sample was recruited through random stratified sampling, specifically targeting undergraduate nursing students. The data collection tool comprised a three-part questionnaire, including a demographic information form, the Nursing Dilemma Test, and the Nurses Professional Values Scale Revised Questionnaire. The distribution of questionnaires encompassed both face-to-face and electronic methods. The analysis of data was conducted using SPSS 16 software. The data was analyzed using the independent samples t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and linear regression analysis. The P value of 0.05 was considered significant. Ethical considerations The Ethics Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences approved the study. Findings Data analysis showed that moral reasoning was directly correlated to professional values (r = 0.528, p

We argue that students have moral reasons to refrain from using chatbots such as ChatGPT to write certain papers. We begin by showing why many putative reasons to refrain from using chatbots fail to generate compelling arguments against their use in the construction of these papers. Many of these reasons rest on implausible principles, hollowed out conceptions of education, or impoverished accounts of human agency. They also overextend to cases where it is permissible to rely on a machine for something that once required human cognition. We then give our account: you have a moral obligation to respect your own humanity (i.e., your capacity to set and pursue your own ends), and the process of writing a humanities paper is important for the cultivation of your humanity. We conclude by considering objections and offering replies. In the end, we argue that the moral reasons students have to refrain from using chatbots depend crucially on instructors' ability to make writing assignments worthwhile. This relies on instructors having the right kind of institutional support, which sheds light on implications that this duty has for administrators, legislators, and the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Educational Philosophy and Educational Practice in Confucianism" explores the roots of Confucian educational thought within the broader context of Chinese civilization, particularly focusing on the Zhou Dynasty. It discusses the importance of virtue, self-cultivation, and moral education in Confucianism, as well as the views of Confucius and Mencius on cultivating virtuous gentlemen to govern the country. The text also delves into the evolution of Confucian moral education during the Han and Tang Dynasties, emphasizing inward transformation and understanding human relations as key educational goals. [Extracted from the article]

According to the EU Justice Scoreboard reports, over 70% of Croatian citizens are dissatisfied with the Croatian judiciary, particularly its independence and efficiency. This paper addresses the deep-rooted challenges in the country’s legal education system. Despite reform initiatives, the current system serially produces ‘legal technicians’ lacking values, critical thinking capacity, and active student engagement. This echoes Montesquieu’s depiction of legal practitioners as ‘mouths that pronounce the words of the law.’ Acknowledging the pivotal role of legal education methodology in the creation of future legal practitioners and legal culture, this contribution explores how an average regular educator can support the development of students’ moral reasoning and values awareness. Through predominantly analytical research methods, we critically examine whether higher education environments should incorporate value education, the feasibility of teaching values in the traditional sense, and the potential of ethical analysis in a classroom to truly influence ethical behaviour in practice. Furthermore, we explore the complex matter of authority to decide on values to be imparted and delve into value education methodology. Concluding with practical suggestions, we propose the integration of the Evocation-Realization of meaning-Reflection (ERR) framework into lectures, as well as various creative tools to enhance moral reasoning.

Background: Pharmacists are often faced with scenarios in practice that require application of ethical reasoning and decision-making skills. There is limited research on the ethical decision-making processes of hospital pharmacists. Pharmacists who are compassionate and put the interests of their patients first are thought to positively impact on patient care, but there are often complex health-care system pressures in the hospital setting that cause pharmacists to behave in ways that may conflict with professional values and behaviours. This multisite study aimed to evaluate an interactive education workshop on hospital pharmacists' ethical reasoning skills and explore the need for ongoing training and support. Methods: This mixed-methods study was carried out across two health services including three hospitals. It incorporated a pre-workshop survey, a feedback survey immediately post-workshop and a third survey four weeks after the workshop. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with hospital pharmacists at least four weeks after the ethics workshop. Results: In total, 32 participants completed the pre-workshop survey, nominating peers/colleagues as the most common source of support they would consult to inform ethical decision-making (17/118 sources of support). Almost all (n = 31/33; 94%) strongly agreed/agreed that the education session provided them with ethical reasoning skills and a process/framework which they could use when faced with an ethical issue. Pre- and post-survey responses showed increased self-confidence in identifying the regulatory frameworks applicable to pharmacy privacy requirements (p = 0.011) and ethical issues applicable to pharmacy privacy requirements (p = 0.002), as well as applying ethical reasoning to scenarios that involve pharmacy privacy dilemmas/issues (p = 0.004). Participants' self confidence in knowing where to find support when faced with clinical and non-clinical ethics questions was improved (p = 0.002 and p = 0.003 respectively). Participants supported the introduction of quarterly ethics cafes after the workshop, compared to before the workshop (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Hospital pharmacists rely on discussions with colleagues to brainstorm how to address ethical issues. This study showed that a targeted interactive education workshop facilitated familiarity with ethics resources and decision-making processes. It also demonstrated that this approach could be used to enhance hospital pharmacists' readiness, confidence, and capabilities to recognise and respond to challenging ethical issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes a controlled experimental design to investigate the influence of a virtual reality experience on empathy, compassion, moral reasoning, and moral foundations. With continued debate and mixed results from previous studies attempting to show relationships between virtual reality and empathy, this study takes advantage of the technology for its ability to provide a consistent, repeatable experience, broadening the scope of analysis beyond empathy. A systematic literature review identified the most widely used and validated moral psychology assessments for the constructs, and these assessments were administered before and after the virtual reality experience. The study is comprised of two pre-post experiments with student participants from a university in the United States. The first experiment investigated change in empathy and moral foundations among 44 participants, and the second investigated change in compassion and moral reasoning among 69 participants. The results showed no significant change in empathy nor compassion, but significant change in moral reasoning from personal interest to post-conventional stages, and significant increase in the Care/harm factor of moral foundations. By testing four of the primary constructs of moral psychology with the most widely used and validated assessments in controlled experiments, this study attempts to advance our understanding of virtual reality and its potential to influence human morality. It also raises questions about our self-reported assessment tools and provides possible new insights for the constructs examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Forum Pedagogiczne / Pedagogical Forum is the property of Uniwersytet Kardynala Stefana Wyszynskiego w Warszawie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Metafísica y Persona. Revista Sobre Filosofía, Conocimiento y Vida is the property of Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla A.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Nurses with intelligence and moral reasoning can perform well and be effective in their relationships with colleagues, patients, and companions. The clinical competence of nurses is the primary concern of healthcare systems. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between moral intelligence, moral reasoning, and clinical competence of nurses. Material & Methods: This descriptive-analytical correlational study was conducted on 110 nurses who were selected via convenience sampling in the teaching hospitals of Ilam in 2022. Data collection tools were demographic characteristics form, Link and Keel's moral intelligence, the Nursing Clinical Competence Questionnaire by Liu et al., and the Nursing Dilemma Test by Chrisham. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 16) using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The level of statistical significance was 0.05. Results: The majority of subjects were women (54.5%) with a bachelor's degree in nursing (87.3%), official employment (61.8%), with a work experience of 1-5 years (50%), and mean age of 30.98±5.83 years. The mean scores of moral intelligence, moral reasoning, and clinical competence were reported as 157.59±26.60, 36.51±16.17, and 136.65±46.08, respectively. There was a direct and significant correlation between moral intelligence and clinical competence (r=0.517; P=0.001), moral intelligence and moral reasoning (r=0.444; P=0.001), as well as moral reasoning and clinical competence (r=0.802; P=0.001). Discussion & Conclusion: Considering the direct and significant relationship between the variables, it is recommended that nurses' awareness of moral intelligence, moral reasoning, and clinical competency be raised through clinical training courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practical wisdom enables moral decision making and action by aligning one's apprehension of proximate goods with a distal, socially embedded interpretation of a more ultimate Good. A focus on purpose within the overall process mutually informs human moral psychology and moral AI development in their examinations of practical wisdom. AI practical wisdom could ground an AI system's apprehension of reality in a sociotechnical moral process committed to orienting AI development and action in light of a pluralistic, diverse interpretation of that Good. Defining AI purpose in terms of the human struggle to determine the moral "ought" (versus the way reality is) can overcome practical and normative limitations of principle-based approaches to AI ethics without requiring idiosyncratic moral reasoning or a premature commitment to a single ethical theory, which could hinder navigating the moral implications of future unknowns. Dividing practical wisdom into proximate, mediating, and distal processes enables each division to incorporate the moral dimensions of the situation, individual AI system, and sociotechnical community, respectively. Drawing upon externalist (4E) and ecological cognitive psychology theories to extend Xavier Zubiri's sentient intelligence, proximate apprehension of what an object affords the perceiver includes affordances for practical and moral purposes. Those apprehensions are structured by moral and other social-cognitive schemas that mediate moral constructs, the apprehended situation, and individual commitments and other motivating identifications in a process Ignacio Ellacuria calls historical reality. Distally, Josiah Royce's community of interpretation characterizes one way of organizing a sociotechnical process to synthesize diverse interpretations of the Good, orient AI moral practice, and align AI development with human and AI moral purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing body of scholarship on the ethics of autonomous vehicles. Yet the ethical discourse has mostly been focusing on the behavior of the vehicle in accident scenarios. This paper offers a different ethical prism: the implications of the autonomous vehicle for human well-being. As such, it contributes to the growing discourse on the wider societal and moral implications of the autonomous vehicle. The paper is premised on the neo-Aristotelian approach which holds that as human beings, our well-being depends on developing and exercising our innate human capacities: to know, understand, love, be sociable, imagine, create and use our bodies and use our willpower. To develop and exercise these capacities, our environments need to provide a range of opportunities which will trigger the development and exercise of the capacities. The main argument advanced in the paper is that one plausible future of the autonomous vehicle—a future of single-rider autonomous vehicles—may effectively reduce the opportunities to develop and exercise our capacities to know, be sociable and use our willpower. It will therefore be bad for human well-being, and this provides us with a moral reason to resist this plausible future and search for alternative ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the possibility of developing artificial intelligence (AI) systems capable of exhibiting limited cognitive processes analogous to aspects of human religious belief. The literature review pertains to the most essential cognitive mechanisms of belief and the most relevant models for AI with belief. Accordingly, and as a result of the theoretical review, drawing inspiration from belief cognition to endow AI with enhanced cognitive capacities, the core objective is to try to build a theoretical model that simulates cognitive processes of belief, equipping AI agents with abilities to recognize subtle divine synchronistic patterns and form provisional convictions computationally modeled on belief cognitive mechanisms. The hypothesis is that this could hopefully unlock a higher level of cognitive function and could enhance capacities for nuanced, context-sensitive reasoning and prediction for these AI models. The method is a novel "Trans-Belief" theoretical model that will be considered, integrating fuzzy and doxastic logic models to trace synchronistic divine patterns, in the results section. Finally, in the discussion, additional moral aspects and the nature of the data set of the model will be examined, and directions for future research will be proposed. While not implying AI can or should fully replicate complex human spirituality, tentative artificial belief could impart beneficial qualities like contextual awareness. However, developing belief-inspired algorithms requires grappling with profound philosophical questions regarding singularity and implementing strong ethical safeguards on any AI-granted agency over human affairs. This represents an early exploration of belief's implications for machine learning, necessitating future research and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moral judgments are often viewed as the outcome of affective and deliberative processes that could be impacted by social factors and individual characteristics. The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction between gender and social context on moral judgment. Participants included 315 undergraduate students (67.3% female). The participants completed the Moral Decision-Making Task while seated at row tables facing the front of the room or round tables facing other participants. The results indicated that males responded in a more utilitarian manner (harm one to save five) than females for moral impersonal (MI) and moral personal (MP) dilemmas regardless of seating arrangements. When seated at round tables, all participants were more likely to respond deontologically (cause no harm) to the moral impersonal dilemmas. In addition, we calculated a moral reasoning difference score for each participant as the difference between the MI and MP scores to represent additional reactivity due to the idea of taking direct action. The moral reasoning difference score was consistent for females but indicated a more deontological response from males at round tables and a more utilitarian response from males at row tables. These results suggest that males are more utilitarian than females and are more likely to be influenced by social context when responding to moral dilemmas. More broadly, the current results indicate that moral judgments are affected by social context particularly in males in ways that have not been incorporated in many models of moral decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a general norm-dependent utility function with disutility for actions that are inferior or superior to a norm. We test its validity by assessing the moderating role of norm sensitivity in explaining responses to peer influences in a budget reporting experiment. Managers become less honest after seeing a less honest peer (the rotten apple effect) and more honest after seeing a more honest peer (the sterling example effect). We measure the sensitivity to social norms by the Maintaining Norms Schema score generated from the responses to the Defining Issue Test-2 moral reasoning questionnaire. We find that (1) the sterling example effect is significantly increased in an individual's sensitivity to social norms and (2) the rotten apple effect does not vary significantly with an individual's sensitivity to social norms. Our evidence supports inclusion of a disutility component for actions that are inferior to the norm in representations of personal preferences. JEL Classifications: C72, D03; J44; M41; M55. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a review of Thomas Nagel's book "Moral Feelings, Moral Reality, and Moral Progress." The book contains two essays that delve into moral intuitions and moral epistemology. The first essay examines the relationship between immediate moral intuitions and moral knowledge, exploring consequentialist and deontological approaches to morality. The second essay focuses on moral progress and presents a form of local, pluralist moral realism. The review raises questions about the possibility of moral regress within Nagel's framework and discusses the accessibility and insights of the book, providing an overview of different moral positions and contemporary societal issues. While there is some confusion about Nagel's own moral convictions, the review concludes that the book is thought-provoking and insightful. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Con-textos Kantianos: International Journal of Philosophy is the property of Con-Textos Kantianos (CTK) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction and purpose: The present study was conducted with the aim of designing and determining the effectiveness of the moral psychology model on moral reasoning, moral judgment and moral emotions among bullied students in the second year of high school in Tabriz. Methodology: The current semi-experimental research is of pre-test, post-test type with a control group. The statistical population included all middle school students in Tabriz city and the statistical sample was based on cluster sampling method and included two middle school boys' schools. In order to identify aggressive students, first, the aggression questionnaire was filled by all students in the sample. Then 100 aggressive students were selected and placed in two intervention and control groups of 50 people. To do the intervention, a pre-test was done first. Then, the students of the intervention group were treated with the design of the moral psychology model in coordination with the school principals, and after 8 sessions of the training course for the intervention group, the questionnaires were filled again by the two groups. Findings: Based on the observed findings, the moral psychology model increased the scores of moral reasoning (P=0.001 and F=38.969), moral judgment (P=0.001 and F=147.247) and moral emotions (0.001). =P and F=172.934) among bully students in the group was intervened. Conclusion: The results of this research can provide psychologists with a model in the field of moral psychology counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to some pessimists, trusting moral testimony is an action in which the agent does not think about moral questions by herself, and thus it is unacceptable. I argue for optimism by giving some reasons to display moral agents are still depending upon their own in many cases of moral testimony. Specifically, I argue that testimony is a form of social cooperation: the division of epistemic labor. My strategy is as follows: First, I give a principle to show when an agent could reasonably trust moral testimony. Specifically, an agent could reasonably accept the testimony, when she can reasonably expect she would make the same or similar judgment with the testifier. Second, I show how moral testimony could work as a form of social cooperation. Given the principle of the same judgment, it is reasonable for the agent to form a moral belief and act with moral testimony. And it provides us higher efficiency in moral knowledge and shows respect for each moral agent. After that, I provide explanations for the problem of moral disagreement and moral understanding with such a principle for moral testimony. Finally, I respond to some possible objections and give some clarifications of my argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Midwives are faced with important ethical issues in their professional lives; therefore, becoming a midwife is not only the acquisition of knowledge and skills but also includes acquiring moral values that cause fundamental changes in their attitudes toward their professional responsibilities. The aim of this study was to explore the process of professional ethics development in midwifery students. Materials and Methods: This grounded theory study was conducted from 2020 to 2022 at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. The participants included 17 midwifery students and 14 key informants. They were selected through purposeful and theoretical sampling. Data were collected using semi structured in-depth interviews, field notes, and theoretical notes until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data collection and data analysis were performed simultaneously. Data were analyzed based on the grounded theory presented by Corbin and Strauss (2014) using MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2020. Results: The core category was "interactive-cognitive learning in a two-way reasoning path" which addressed the participants' main issue of moral numbness. Moral distress, interactive-cognitive learning, moral reasoning, and moral hopelessness were the midwifery students' strategies that led to a spectrum of moral internalization to moral burnout. The improper context of moral development was the context theme of this study. Conclusions: The theory of "interactive-cognitive learning in the two-way path of reasoning" creates a deep understanding of the process of formation of professional ethics in midwifery students and it can be used in the effective training of students with the aim of promoting professional ethics in midwifery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anales del Seminario de Historia de la Filosofía is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

IntroductionPersons with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) can exhibit apparently antisocial behaviors. An example is their tendency to adopt utilitarian choices in sacrificial moral dilemmas, i.e. harmful actions to promote overall welfare. Moral cognition models interpret such tendencies as deriving from a lack of emotional engagement and selective impairment in prosocial sentiments.MethodsWe applied a qualitative approach to test those theoretical assumptions and to further explore the emotional experiences and values of people with bvFTD while they contemplate moral scenarios. We conducted semistructured interviews with 14 participants: 7 persons with bvFTD and 7 older healthy controls. Transcripts were coded using ATLAS.ti 5.0.ResultsDuring the moral reasoning task, persons with bvFTD reported more positive emotions than negative and showed significantly less cognitive precision in their moral reasoning compared to controls. Persons with bvFTD also organized their choices predominantly around kindness and altruism, and their responses reflected higher rule compliance. Our study showed that bvFTD persons' utilitarian responses to moral dilemmas did not arise from an emotionally disengaged or antisocial perspective. Instead, they were underpinned by positive emotionality and prosocial values.DiscussionThese findings enrich current understandings of moral cognition and highlight the importance of incorporating mixed methods approaches in dementia research that take into consideration the viewpoint of cognitively impaired individuals.

BackgroundAlthough prior research shows supportive evidence that parental practices are associated with adolescents' prosocial behaviors, limited evidence exists on the effects of parents' use of social and material rewards on distinct forms of prosocial behaviors, and the mediating effects of sociocognitive and socioemotive traits in these relations.AimsThe present study was designed to examine the longitudinal relations among parents' use of social and material rewards, youth prosocial traits, and prosocial behaviors.Materials & methodsParticipants were 417 adolescents (M age = 14.70 years; 225 girls) from Valencia, Spain who completed surveys on parents' use of social and material reward practices, prosocial moral reasoning, empathic concern, and six types of prosocial behaviors.ResultsPath analyses showed that parents' use of social rewards was indirectly, positively related to emotional, dire, altruistic, public (negatively), and compliant prosocial behaviors via empathic concern. The use of social rewards was also indirectly positively linked to altruistic prosocial behaviors via both empathic concern and prosocial moral reasoning. In contrast, parents' use of material rewards predicted less prosocial moral reasoning, which in turn, was linked to more altruistic, prosocial behaviors.Discussion and conclusionsThe implications for parental socialization and self-determination theories of prosocial and moral development are discussed.

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) raise important questions about whether people view moral evaluations by AI systems similarly to human-generated moral evaluations. We conducted a modified Moral Turing Test (m-MTT), inspired by Allen et al. (Exp Theor Artif Intell 352:24–28, 2004) proposal, by asking people to distinguish real human moral evaluations from those made by a popular advanced AI language model: GPT-4. A representative sample of 299 U.S. adults first rated the quality of moral evaluations when blinded to their source. Remarkably, they rated the AI's moral reasoning as superior in quality to humans' along almost all dimensions, including virtuousness, intelligence, and trustworthiness, consistent with passing what Allen and colleagues call the comparative MTT. Next, when tasked with identifying the source of each evaluation (human or computer), people performed significantly above chance levels. Although the AI did not pass this test, this was not because of its inferior moral reasoning but, potentially, its perceived superiority, among other possible explanations. The emergence of language models capable of producing moral responses perceived as superior in quality to humans' raises concerns that people may uncritically accept potentially harmful moral guidance from AI. This possibility highlights the need for safeguards around generative language models in matters of morality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad is the property of Frontiers Journal, Inc and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

John Hare interprets the moral gap according to Kant's teachings that is in practical reason and between moral will and human desire. He considers the first step to bridge this gap with the help of two categorical imperative: general law and the end in itself. The categorical imperative requires us to obey moral laws, because if it were not within our power, we would not be commanded to do so. So, we have to choose a rule that we can consider as a general law and act according to it; then we should be able to put humanity as our goal and prioritize other people's goals and objectives over our own desires; However, despite the evil that is inherent in humans, preferring our happiness over the happiness of others is dangerous. Using these rules leads to an internal revolution that is not possible except with divine assistance. That is, one should believe that there is a supreme good that if a person prefers the happiness of others to his own happiness and leads a virtuous life, he will be given a happiness commensurate with his virtue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tax evasion is a major issue for authorities worldwide. Understanding the factors that influence individuals' intrinsic motivation to pay taxes, known as their tax morale, is important for improving tax compliance. This study investigated gender differences in judging tax evasion in the context of cryptocurrency trading. Specifically, a survey study explored whether different moral foundations, financial literacies, and political orientations among females vs. males might explain potential gender differences in judging tax evasion. In an online survey, 243 U.S. adults read a vignette about a friend evading taxes in a cryptocurrency trading context. In a correlational analysis, we found that females judged tax evasion harsher, as being more morally wrong than males. Of the psychographic factors, only individualizing moral foundation values (i.e., fairness and harm avoidance) explained the harsher moral judgment by females. That is, individualizing moral foundation values were at a higher level among females, which further predicted females' harsher judgment of tax evasion. While females also had, on average, lower financial literacy and knowledge of cryptocurrencies than males, these did not predict their harsher judgment of tax evasion. The findings contribute to research on gender differences in moral judgments and highlight that a given transgression, or a specific crime, may violate different moral values in men and women. The results demonstrate to policy makers that it is important to take into account gender differences, in campaigns promoting tax morale and compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People can be uncertain in their moral judgments. Philosophers have argued that such uncertainty can either refer to the underlying empirical facts (empirical uncertainty) or to the normative evaluation of these facts itself (normative uncertainty). Psychological investigations of this distinction, however, are rare. In this paper, we combined factor‐analytical and experimental approaches to show that empirical and normative uncertainty describe two related but different psychological states. In Study 1, we asked N = 265 participants to describe a case of moral uncertainty and to rate different aspects of their uncertainty about this case. Across this wide range of moral scenarios, our items loaded onto three reliable factors: lack of information, unclear consequences, and normative uncertainty. In Study 2, we confirmed this factor structure using predefined stimulus material. N = 402 participants each rated eight scenarios that systematically varied in their degree of uncertainty regarding the consequences of the described actions and in the value conflict that was inherent to them. The empirical uncertainty factors were mainly affected by the introduction of uncertainty regarding consequences, and the normative uncertainty factor was mainly affected by the introduction of value conflict. Our studies provide evidence that the distinction between empirical and normative uncertainty accurately describes a psychological reality. We discuss the relevance of our findings for research on moral judgments and decision‐making, and folk metaethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the past few years, a new generation has joined the ranks of business managers or is preparing to become business managers: Generation Z (Gen Z), described as individuals born between 1995 and 2010. This paper has two aims: (1) to assess the Gen Z cohort framed by their value orientation preferences (VOP) and the importance given to principled moral reasoning (PMR) using values and cognitive moral reasoning theories and (2) to compare this information about the Gen Z cohort to prior generations. Using the Rokeach Value Survey and the Moral Reasoning Inventory, we uncovered support for our expectations that Gen Zs would have a balanced set of VOP—that is, similar preferences for a personal and a social value orientation and similar preferences for a competence and moral value orientation. Further, Gen Z preferences are unlike prior generations. The importance given to principled moral reasoning to resolve ethical dilemmas is lower than Baby Boomers and Gen Xers but surprisingly higher than Millennials as found in prior studies. Implications of these discoveries and suggestions for future research are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A genuine commitment to ethics and compliance (E&C) programs means that top management adopt them for what they represent and not for other purposes. Only then can they truly build socially responsible behavior and a successful and sustainable business, as stated in the latest international standard for compliance management practice (ISO 37301:2021), which we found to be consistent with a new business narrative as conceptualized in Freeman's work. However, it also requires that top managers place a moral value on these practices, rather than simply using them for instrumental reasons. Building on Kohlberg's six stages of moral development as applied to managers' moral thinking, this manuscript offers a model to explain how top managers' moral valuing of these practices varies along a moral reasoning continuum, resulting in four distinct modes. It also theorizes that each mode of moral valuing yields an archetype of E&C programs. It thus offers a new approach that contributes to the business ethics and management literature by incorporating a morally grounded perspective on the adoption and implementation of E&C practices and how it might shape their features and characteristics. It also aims to improve professional practice and business contributions to Freeman's ideas through genuine ethics‐based E&C programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The expressions of a "wish to hasten death" or "wish to die" raise ethical concerns and challenges. These expressions are related to ethical principles intertwined within the field of medical ethics, particularly in end-of-life care. Although some reviews were conducted about this topic, none of them provides an in-depth analysis of the meanings behind the "wish to hasten death/die" based specifically on the ethical principles of autonomy, dignity, and vulnerability. The aim of this review is to understand if and how the meanings behind the "wish to hasten death/die" relate to and are interpreted in light of ethical principles in palliative care. Methods: We conducted a meta-ethnographic review according to the PRISMA guidelines and aligned with Noblit and Hare's framework. Searches were performed in three databases, Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, with no time restrictions. Original qualitative studies exploring the meanings given by patients, family caregivers and healthcare professionals in any context of palliative and end-of-life care were included. A narrative synthesis was undertaken. PROSPERO registration CRD42023360330. Results: Out of 893 retrieved articles, 26 were included in the analysis, accounting for the meanings of a total of 2,398 participants. Several factors and meanings associated with the "wish to hasten death" and/or "wish to die" were identified and are mainly of a psychosocial and spiritual nature. The ethical principles of autonomy and dignity were the ones mostly associated with the "wish to hasten death". Ethical principles were essentially inferred from the content of included articles, although not explicitly stated as bioethical principles. Conclusions: This meta-ethnographic review shows a reduced number of qualitative studies on the "wish to hasten death" and/or "wish to die" explicitly stating ethical principles. This suggests a lack of bioethical reflection and reasoning in the empirical end-of-life literature and a lack of embedded ethics in clinical practice. There is a need for healthcare professionals to address these topics compassionately and ethically, taking into account the unique perspectives of patients and family members. More qualitative studies on the meanings behind a wish to hasten death, their ethical contours, ethical reasoning, and implications for clinical practice are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning (ML) trains itself by discovering patterns of correlations that can be applied to new inputs. That is a very powerful form of generalization, but it is also very different from the sort of generalization that the west has valorized as the highest form of truth, such as universal laws in some of the sciences, or ethical principles and frameworks in moral reasoning. Machine learning's generalizations synthesize the general and the particular in a new way, creating a multidimensional model that often retains more of the complex differentiating patterns it has uncovered in the training process than the human mind can grasp. Particulars speak louder in these models than they do in traditional generalizing frameworks. This creates an odd analogy with recent movements in moral philosophy, particularly the feminist ethics of care which rejects the application of general moral frameworks in favor of caring responses to the particular needs and interests of those affected by a moral decision. This paper suggests that our current wide-spread and justified worries about ML's inexplicability—primarily arising from its reliance on staggeringly complex patterns of particulars—may be preparing our culture more broadly for a valorizing of particulars as at least as determinative as generalizations, and that this might help further advance the importance of particulars in ideas such as those put forward by the ethics of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "MAXIM AND PRINCIPLE CONTRACTUALISM" by Aaron Salomon discusses the concept of contractualism as a moral theory. Contractualism determines which actions are morally required by evaluating whether they accord with principles for the general regulation of behavior that no one can reasonably reject. However, contractualism faces the ideal world problem, where it may recommend actions that would be great if generally accepted but are impractical in certain situations. To solve this problem, the author proposes maxim contractualism, which evaluates an agent's actions based on the maxim reflected in their actions rather than general principles. Maxim contractualism allows for more flexibility and avoids being overly demanding. The text discusses the limitations of principle contractualism, a moral theory that focuses on the effects of a principle's general acceptance. It argues that principle contractualism can lead to extensional problems and may not always produce the desired moral outcomes. The text suggests that an alternative approach called act contractualism, which evaluates individual actions rather than general principles, may be more effective in certain situations. Act contractualism retains restrictions on appeals to impersonal outcomes and focuses on the implications of actions for specific individuals. It also allows for the establishment of rules of thumb to guide moral decision-making. The text discusses the concept of maxim and principle contractualism. It argues that while act contractualism is too demanding and cannot account for certain moral intuitions, maxim contractualism offers a solution by evaluating an agent's actions based on the maxims they adopt over time. [Extracted from the article]

This article examines the relationship between time travel and moral responsibility, specifically focusing on objections to the Fischer and Ravizza theory. The objections argue that time travel scenarios disrupt counterfactual reasoning and challenge the idea that moral responsibility is based on an agent's intrinsic properties. However, the article suggests that the focus should be on the mechanism rather than the agent, and that counterfactuals about the mechanism can still be valid. The article concludes by suggesting that actual-sequence compatibilists should reconsider the role of counterfactuals in their theories. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the importance of ethical reasoning and decision-making in data science education. It emphasizes the need to develop students' Ethical Mathematics Consciousness (EMC) to address the ethical dilemmas and implications of mathematical work in data science. The article discusses the consequences of Big Data in society, such as market effects and the discriminatory effects of data analysis. It argues for a sociopolitical perspective in data science education and proposes an ethical mathematics education that considers diverse perspectives and identities. The article also introduces frameworks and principles for ethical reasoning in data science and provides examples of their application. Additionally, the article discusses the importance of incorporating ethical considerations and diverse perspectives into data science education and proposes design elements for fostering equitable participation in data science courses. It provides a list of references and sources for further research on mathematics education, ethics, social justice, and the impact of technology on inequality. The article also discusses two ethical theories, the Ethics of Care and Agent-Based Theories, and their relevance to ethical decision-making. It clarifies that the text does not endorse gender stereotypes or prioritize traditionally feminine traits over masculine traits. [Extracted from the article]

This study utilizes a controlled experimental design to investigate the influence of a virtual reality experience on empathy, compassion, moral reasoning, and moral foundations. With continued debate and mixed results from previous studies attempting to show relationships between virtual reality and empathy, this study takes advantage of the technology for its ability to provide a consistent, repeatable experience, broadening the scope of analysis beyond empathy. A systematic literature review identified the most widely used and validated moral psychology assessments for the constructs, and these assessments were administered before and after the virtual reality experience. The study is comprised of two pre-post experiments with student participants from a university in the United States. The first experiment investigated change in empathy and moral foundations among 44 participants, and the second investigated change in compassion and moral reasoning among 69 participants. The results showed no significant change in empathy nor compassion, but significant change in moral reasoning from personal interest to post-conventional stages, and significant increase in the Care/harm factor of moral foundations. By testing four of the primary constructs of moral psychology with the most widely used and validated assessments in controlled experiments, this study attempts to advance our understanding of virtual reality and its potential to influence human morality. It also raises questions about our self-reported assessment tools and provides possible new insights for the constructs examined.