scholarly journals Compassion, Reasoning, and the Urgency of Healing Divided Societies

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Marc Gopin
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Mass Murder ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Divided Societies ◽  
Common Concern ◽  
Conflicting Interests ◽  
Life On Earth

An unprecedented planetary danger faces human civilization and puts its future in question, especially climate catastrophe. There is a vital need for human beings to make better decisions together. These decisions must take place across many cultures and civilizations that have conflicting interests, ambitions, and needs. Thinking together leads to more advanced problem solving. In order to survive and thrive, humans have always had to make decisions informed by two things: (1) a common concern for each other, and (2) a capacity for reasoning that supports sustainable life. We often do this, but we are also capable of mass murder and destruction of life on earth. This is a paradox of mutually exclusive fates, with the negative fate only circumvented through the cultivation of our positive capacities. Our positive capacities for survival require a cultivation of compassion and moral reasoning, what is being introduced in this book as Compassionate Reasoning.

HIV Infection: Options for Control

1995 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 644-647
Author(s):  
Eddie Moore
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Vaccine Research ◽  
Global Spread ◽  
Spread Of Infection ◽  
Methods Of Control

Current efforts to control the global spread of HIV infection include drug and vaccine research on animals and human beings, as well as measures to reduce the risk of person-person transmission. By using a simple, five-step problem-solving approach, it can be shown that none of these methods of control can succeed and that only the avoidance of risk will stop the spread of infection. Politicians, teachers, doctors and others in positions of responsibility should therefore be persuaded of the importance of making health education the first priority for funding in programmes to control HIV infection.

Aspirational Principles in African Federalism: South Africa, Ethiopia and Nigeria Compared

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-382
Author(s):  
Erika Arban ◽  
Adriano Dirri
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Constitutional Design ◽  
Divided Societies ◽  
Common Concern

Finding a balance between diversity and social cohesion is a common concern in constitutional design: in divided societies, such a balance has often been sought through federalism. But the need to reconcile diversity and social cohesion can also be addressed through aspirational values embedded in a constitution. In fact, constitutions may entrench fundamental principles directing policies to foster equality, eliminate obstacles or require the different tiers of government to collaborate harmoniously in the performance of their functions. In exploring solidarity between different communities and cooperative government in South Africa, ethnicity as foundational value in Ethiopia, and the federal character in Nigeria, this article offers a comparative account of the three most important federations in Africa to assess how their constitutions reconcile diversity and social cohesion through aspirational principles related to federalism.

The Influence of Challenge Course Participation on Moral and Ethical Reasoning

2002 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. Smith ◽  
Sharon E. Strand ◽  
Camille J. Bunting
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
University Students ◽  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Ethical Reasoning ◽  
Defining Issues Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Challenge Course ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

This study investigated the impact of a 15-week outdoor experiential program on the moral reasoning of college students. One hundred and ninety-six university students volunteered to participate in this study, which utilized Rest's (1979) Defining Issues Test (DIT). The DIT investigates how individuals arrive at making decisions, and formulates a “P” (Principled moral reasoning) score for each subject. The groups were found to be homogeneous in moral reasoning at the pretest (outdoor experiential x = 36.07; control x = 33.08; F = 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference on the posttest scores of the outdoor experiential program participants (x = 40.98) in relation to the control group (x = 34.14) (F = 3.84). The results of this study demonstrated that the outdoor experiential program participants were significantly different from the control group at posttest. It is postulated that even though improved moral reasoning was not a stated objective, the outdoor experiential students, through front-loading, reflection, critical thinking, problem solving, and adherence to the full value contract, did enhance their level of moral reasoning. Through the combined modeling of behavior and discussion, changes in behavior can occur. The nature of outdoor experiential programs seems well suited to positively influence moral and ethical reasoning.

scholarly journals Development and Standardization of Scale to Measure Role of Farm Women towards Natural Resource Management Activities

2020 ◽  
pp. 190-199
Author(s):  
Neha Singh ◽  
Neena Sareen
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Farm Women ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Continuous Use

Natural resources are important for human beings to sustain life on earth. However, continuous use of natural resources by the human beings, had affected the earth. There is need to manage our natural resources to improve the sustainability of the natural resources. Women have always come to forward to conserve and protect natural resources because they are the primary users of natural resources traditionally as well as modern. In this paper, A scale has been developed and standardized that can be used to measure the role of farm women towards natural resource management activities. The scale was developed by using the technique of “Scale Product Method” which combines the Thurston’s technique of equal appearing interval scale for selection of the items and Likert’s technique of summated rating for ascertaining the response on the scale. A total of 78 Natural Resource Management (NRM) activities were selected. Based on Scale (median) value and Q value, 72 Natural Resource Management (NRM) was selected to measure the role of farm women towards natural resource management activities. The co-efficient of reliability was calculated by the Rulon’s formula i.e. 0.81 and the content validity was observed thoroughly. The reliability and validity of the scale indicate its consistency and precision of the results. This scale can be used to measure the role of farm women in natural resource management activities.

Compassionate Reasoning, the Mind, and Moral Choice

2021 ◽  
pp. 79-130
Author(s):  
Marc Gopin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Moral Choice ◽  
Extensive Training ◽  
Positive Social Change ◽  
Fierce Competition ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Obedience To Authority

The ethical schools of thought are essential to decision-making for peacebuilding and positive social change. The directives emerging from ethical schools often contradict each other, but Compassionate Reasoning can help resolve these contradictions and guide people in a more coherent direction of thinking and acting. The cultivation of compassion is shown to be a glue that bonds schools of ethics into one enterprise of moral reasoning as seen through several lenses. People who reason together are more adept at problem solving than when reasoning alone, but only if they have cultivated caring and compassionate relationships as a group. Moral reasoning in fierce competition with others, by contrast, retards the discovery of solutions to thorny problems. Compassionate Reasoning encourages collective reasoning rather than isolated and selfish reasoning. Excessive obedience to authority is also one of the most dangerous aspects of the human lower brain. A critical antidote is extensive training in taking the perspectives of others through Compassionate Reasoning.

scholarly journals The Vulnerable (Post) Modern Self and the “Greening” of Spiritual Personhood through Life in the Spirit

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
Mary Frohlich
Keyword(s):  
Human Existence ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Construction Of Identity ◽  
Christian Perspective ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Social Esteem ◽  
Life On Earth

In the period now being called the Anthropocene, the fatal vulnerabilities of the modern way of constructing selfhood are becoming ever more evident. Joanna Macy, who writes from a Buddhist perspective, has argued for the need to “green” the self by rediscovering its participation in ecological and cosmic networks. From a Christian perspective, I would articulate this in terms of an imperative to rediscover our spiritual personhood as radical communion in both God and cosmos. In this paper, “self” refers to an ever-restless process of construction of identity based in self-awareness and aimed at maintaining one’s integrity, coherence, and social esteem. I use the term “person,” on the other hand, to refer to a relational center that exists to be in communion with other persons. How—within the conditions of the dawning Anthropocene—can the tension between these two essential aspects of human existence be opened up in a way that can more effectively protect human and other life on Earth? This would require, it seems, harnessing both the self-protective and the self-giving potentials of human beings. The proposed path is to give ourselves over into the rhythms of the Spirit, being breathed in to selfless personal communion and out to co-creation of our refreshed selfhood.

“A Life Worthy of Being Called Human”

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-332
Author(s):  
Catherine Larrère ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Environmental Ethic ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Ecological Transition

“Act so that the effects of your action are compatible with the permanence of genuine human life on Earth.” How can we understand Jonas’ “maxim”? Is it too anthropocentric to be of any interest for an environmental ethic? Is is too limited to survival to have a moral signification in a truly human ethic? One can argue first that it is not so much anti-Kantian than that it challenges the current prevailing “presentism” and obliges us to take into consideration not only future generations, but also the context in which one anticipates these future generations to be living. Therefore, we can distinguish two different interpretations of Jonas’ maxim: in a first stage, that of sustainable development, it was understood as taking into consideration not only the needs but also the rights of future generations; in a second stage, that of an Anthropocene and ecological transition, it means that making sense of humanity implies connecting human beings to the Earth and other living beings far from opposing them.

Water Resource Management Practices of Food Establishments in Siquijor Province

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Sumaylo
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Efficient System ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Descriptive Survey

Water is one of the basic needs of human beings and is imperative for sustaining the quality of life on earth (Brooks, 2006).  However, its unbalanced and unmanaged use makes its scarce. Hence, this study assessed the water resource management practices of the 53 food establishments in Siquijor Province. The study utilized the descriptive survey using a self- made questionnaire which yielded that majority of the respondents are females and are in the age brackets of 18-40 and 41-62. A greater majority of the establishments were in the operation for more than ten years. As to respondents’ water resource management practices, they Often do not let water flow while cleaning or rinsing, check the water supply system for leaks and turn off unnecessary flows, and adjust water flow by the type of cleaning to be undertaken, but they Never install self-closing faucets. However, reading water meter regularly, washing only full loads in the dishwasher, and installing low flush toilets were sometimes done while installing automatic water volume controls, reusing the rinse water from the dishwasher and installing flow regulators on the faucet heads were seldom practiced. The respondents’ sex, age and number of years in operating the business had no significant relationships to their extent of water resource management practices. Thus, it is concluded that better management coupled with effective policy, awareness and efficient system is vital to enhance water resource management.

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