Commentary: Harm, Truth, and the Nocebo Effect

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-245
Author(s):  
DIEN HO
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Nocebo Effect ◽  
Ethical Point ◽  
Nocebo Effects ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
The One ◽  
Duty To Inform ◽  
Physiological Reactions

Nocebo effects occur when an individual experiences undesirable physiological reactions caused by doxastic states that are not a treatment’s core or characteristic features.1 As Scott Gelfand2 points out, there are numerous studies that have shown that the disclosure of a treatment’s side effects to a patient increases the risk of the side effects. From an ethical point of view, nocebo effects caused by the disclosures of side effects present a challenging problem. On the one hand, clinicians’ duty to inform patients of the consequences (including possible side effects) of their treatments is critical in ensuring that patients’ autonomy is respected. Patients cannot act autonomously if relevant information is withheld from them (without their consent, perhaps). On the other hand, clinicians also ought to minimize harm to patients.

scholarly journals Williams on Ethics, Knowledge, and Reflection

Philosophy ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. W. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
Ethical Knowledge ◽  
Ethical Point ◽  
The One

The author begins with an outline of Bernard William's moral philosophy, within which he locates William's notorious doctrine that reflection can destroy ethical knowledge. He then gives a partial defence of this doctrine, exploiting an analogy between ethical judgements and tensed judgements. The basic idea is that what the passage of time does for the latter, reflection can do for the former: namely, prevent the re-adoption of an abandoned point of view (an ethical point of view in the one case, a temporal point of view in the other). In the final section the author says a little about how reflection might do this.

scholarly journals SOMEONE BETWEEN: ETHICAL AND MEDICAL PROBLEMS OF HUMAN AND (NON)HUMAN ANIMAL ENHANCEMENT

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
AGNIESZKA ŻOK ◽  
EWA BAUM
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Medical Technology ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Medical Problems ◽  
Healthy Life ◽  
Incurable Illness ◽  
Ethical Point ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
Personalised Therapy

Human dreams of a long and healthy life are becoming increasingly real. The advancement of medical technology allows to modify the genome or personalised therapy in order to avoid troublesome side effects. This process also leads to the blurring of boundaries between humans and animals. Rats with induced human diseases are used for testing drugs for incurable illness; humanised pigs can donate organs that are compatible with the genome and immune system of the recipient. A brave new human is approaching, and new “human” animals are making this possible. The main objective of the article is to show the differences between the refinement of people and other animals and to analyse this phenomenon from an ethical point of view.

THE MODERN GREEK FAMILY: AXIOLOGICAL CONTRADICTIONS

2021 ◽  
pp. 43-52
Author(s):  
Anna A. Toropova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Family Policy ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
Family Issues ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Family And Marriage ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
The One

Family issues and the topic of social family policy in Greece is the subject of researches by a number of Greek sociologists (V. Filias (Β. Φίλιας), G.-S. Prevelakis (Γ.-Σ. Πρεβελάκης), H. Simeonidou (Χ. Συμεωνίδου), G. Georgas (Γ. Γεωργάς), L. Musuru (Λ. Μουσούρου), L. Maratu-Aliprandi (Λ. Μαράτου-Αλιπράντη). It seems interesting and useful to consider the situation in Greece from the point of view of its ambivalent nature: traditional values and patriarchal order, on the one hand, and adherence to liberal European sentiments, on the other. In the modern world, there is a "reformatting of ideas about the essence of family and marriage" [Noskova A. V., 2017: 123], which leads, in particular, to the rejection of having children, to increasingly frequent divorces "for no reason", to irresponsibility in awareness roles in the family, to the vulnerability of socialization, to the infantilism of adults, to avoidance of awareness of problems of various kinds, to egocentrism. Modern Greece is not an exception. The growing number of single-parent families in cities, low birth rates, divorces, loneliness, depression are characteristic features of many families. This allows us to speak about the “crisis of the Greek family” [Γεωργάς, 2010]. This research may be of interest to specialists dealing with the topic of the family, and significantly supplement the existing research in the domestic sociological field.

Gruppe und Identität. Der »Social Identity Approach« im Gespräch mit theologischer Anthropologie und Ethik

2021 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-64
Author(s):  
Maximilian Schell
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Ethical Orientation ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Ethical Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
The One ◽  
Social Identity Approach

Abstract Against the background of the virulent question of destructive conflict dynamics between groups, the present contribution introduces the social-psychological theory complex of the »Social Identity Approach« (SIA) and discusses it from a theological-anthropological and theological-ethical point of view. While the SIA assumes that social identity, which is important for the concept of self, leads to depersonalization and the devaluation of foreign groups, a Christian understanding of identity could on the one hand protect against overidentification with collective identities and on the other hand, following Bonhoeffer's reflections, remind us that collectives, too, must be understood as actors with an ethical orientation and, as collective persons, must be held responsible in a specific way for processes of social transformation. The church, as an actor in civil society, could play the prototypical role of a reconciling collective.

Passione e immaginazione in Lucrezio: il caso dell’inganno onirico

Elenchos ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-279
Author(s):  
Francesca G. Masi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Representation ◽  
Mental Representations ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
De Rerum Natura ◽  
Emotional Aspect ◽  
Present Essay ◽  
Ethical Point ◽  
The One ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Epistemological Point

Abstract Lucretius devotes some sections of his De rerum natura to the treatment of dreams. He is particularly interested in the phenomenon of dream deception, namely the belief that the dreamt object is the object itself. This psychological phenomenon has some both unwanted and philosophically interesting implications. Firstly, from an ethical point of view, it can stimulate uncontrolled worries and feelings in the dreamer that undermine his/her mental tranquility and health. Secondly, from a physiological perspective, it seems to reveal a failure in the mechanism undergoing the formation of mental representation. Thirdly, from the epistemological point of view, it seems to compromise the veracity of mental representations. This paper aims to explain how Lucretius dealt with this phenomenon. In particular, it will show how he succeeded, on the one hand, to explain the nature and the origin of dream deception and of its emotional aspect, and, on the other hand, to preserve the informative contents of dreams and their correspondence to reality. For this purpose the present essay will address the following issues: (1) which is the condition of the soul and of the mind while sleeping; (2) what kind of mental activity is dreaming; (3) which is the nature and the origin of the simulacra responsible for dreams; (4) which is the contents of dreams and how dream deception comes about; (5) and finally why and how dream deception emotionally effects the dreamer.

Psychobiological Mechanisms of Placebo and Nocebo Effects: Pathways to Improve Treatments and Reduce Side Effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 599-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith J. Petrie ◽  
Winfried Rief
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Treatment Success ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Placebo Effects ◽  
Nocebo Effect ◽  
Medical Interventions ◽  
Nocebo Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Improve Clinical Outcome

Placebo effects constitute a major part of treatment success in medical interventions. The nocebo effect also has a major impact, as it accounts for a significant proportion of the reported side effects for many treatments. Historically, clinical trials have aimed to reduce placebo effects; however, currently, there is interest in optimizing placebo effects to improve existing treatments and in examining ways to minimize nocebo effects to improve clinical outcome. To achieve these aims, a better understanding of the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms of the placebo and nocebo response is required. This review discusses the impact of the placebo and nocebo response in health care. We also examine the mechanisms involved in the placebo and nocebo effects, including the central mechanism of expectations. Finally, we examine ways to enhance placebo effects and reduce the impact of the nocebo response in clinical practice and suggest areas for future research.

Dividing line between organ donation and euthanasia in a combined procedure

2021 ◽  
pp. medethics-2021-107230
Author(s):  
Jan Bollen ◽  
Kris Vissers ◽  
Walther van Mook
Keyword(s):  
Organ Donation ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
External Pressure ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
Combined Procedure ◽  
Ethical Point ◽  
Transplant Organ ◽  
Difficult Procedure ◽  
The One

In this article, we want to reply to the recent article by Buturovic, to be able to correct some statements and allegations about this combined procedure. Organ donation after euthanasia is an extremely difficult procedure from an ethical point of view. On the one hand, we see a suffering patient who wants to die but who also wants to make an altruistic effort to donate his organs. On the other hand, we visualise a patient in need of an organ but who is wary of the fact that someone else needs to die in order to potentially receive a transplant organ. Healthcare professionals seem to walk a tightrope when balancing between the interests of the patients at these two extremes: while facilitating the dying patient’s last wish on the one hand and abiding by all regulations regarding donation and transplantation on the other. Yet, these physicians, nurses and transplant coordinators do their utmost best to keep a strict line between euthanasia and organ donation, to avoid any external pressure on the patient, and to respect his autonomy. They really make an utmost attempt to make the process bearable for the donating patient. However, undeniably the patient who is about to undergo organ donation after euthanasia is nevertheless confronted with dozens of feelings and thoughts. However, this does not imply that procedural safeguards are failing to disentangle organ donation from euthanasia.

Nocebo effects from negative product information: when information hurts, paying money could heal

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumitava Mukherjee ◽  
Arvind Sahay
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Negative Information ◽  
High Price ◽  
Nocebo Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Price Levels ◽  
Nocebo Effects

Purpose This research aimed to find whether information about a product can give rise to negative perceptions even in inert situations (nocebo effects), and to understand how price levels impact such judgments. Design/methodology/approach In all experiments, participants were exposed to negative product information in the form of potential side-effects. In an initial study, a higher non-discounted versus a discounted price frame was presented for a health drink after customers were exposed to negative aspects. Then, in experiment 1, price (high vs low) and exposure to information (no information vs negative information) was manipulated for skin creams where participants physically evaluated the cream. In experiment 2, price was manipulated at three levels (low, high, discounted) orthogonally with product information (no negative information vs with negative information) to get a more nuanced understanding. Findings In the initial study, after exposure to negative information, the non-discounted group had more positive ratings for the drink. Study 1 showed that reading about negative information resulted in a nocebo effect on perception of dryness (side-effect). Moreover, when no information was presented, perception of dryness by low and high price groups were similar but in the face of negative information, perception of dryness by low-price group was more pronounced compared to a high-price group. Study 2 conceptually replicated the effect and also confirmed that not only discounts (commonly linked with product quality), but absolute price levels also show a similar effect. Practical implications Nocebo effects have been rarely documented in consumer research. This research showed how simply reading generically about potential side effects gives rise to nocebo effects. In addition, even though marketers might find it tempting to lower prices when there is negative information about certain product categories, such an action could backfire. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, the link between observable nocebo effects and its link with pricing actions is a novel research thread. We were able to show a nocebo effect on product perception after reading about negative information and also find that a higher price can mitigate the nocebo effect to some extent.

Intellectual Property and Pharmaceutical Drugs: An Ethical Analysis

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard T. De George
Keyword(s):  
Self Regulation ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ethical Analysis ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Pharmaceutical Drugs ◽  
Ethical Point ◽  
Life Saving ◽  
The One ◽  
The Needy

Abstract:The pharmaceutical industry has in recent years come under attack from an ethical point of view concerning its patents and the non-accessibility of life-saving drugs for many of the poor both in less developed countries and in the United States. The industry has replied with economic and legal justifications for its actions. The result has been a communication gap between the industry on the one hand and poor nations and American critics on the other. This paper attempts to present and evaluate the arguments on all sides and suggests a possible way out of the current impasse. It attempts to determine the ethical responsibility of the drug industry in making drugs available to the needy, while at the same time developing the parallel responsibilities of individuals, governments, and NGOs. It concludes with the suggestion that the industry develop an international code for its self-regulation.

scholarly journals Modes of Interpretation of «The Tragedy of Coriolanus» by W. Shakespeare

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (4) ◽  
pp. 12-28
Author(s):  
Vladimir I. Karasik
Keyword(s):  
Historical Context ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Pragmatic Aspect ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
Identification Stage ◽  
To Come ◽  
Artistic Images ◽  
The One ◽  
Semantic Aspect

The paper deals with the hermeneutic approach to drama interpretation on the material of «The Tragedy of Coriolanus» by W. Shakespeare. The offered model includes a two-fold coordinate system: the analysis of the plot from the point of view of its identification, comprehension and attitude formation, on the one hand, and its semantic, pragmatic and stylistic explanation, on the other hand. The application of this approach to understanding of the tragedy in question makes it possible to define the subject of the play, its genre and the main characteristic features of its heroes. This is a semantic aspect of the identification stage of the play. A pragmatic aspect of the identification consists in describing the main evaluative positions of the heroes as expressed in their words and actions. A stylistic aspect of identification allows us to describe the main linguistic means used to create artistic images. The comprehension level of the text analysis viewed semantically is aimed at the reconstruction of its social and historical context explained by scholarly studies of Shakespeare and his epoch. The pragmatic aspect of analysis on the comprehension level is centered around the motives of the characters’ behavior, the logic of their actions, and the inevitability of their fate. The stage of action in interpretation corresponds to formation of attitudes to the meaning of the text connected with the present days. The tragedy of Coriolanus is a story about a great person who intentionally cuts off his ties with reality and about people around him who fail to come to rescue and thus make him perish.

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