Antropo-etica della vulnerabilità al tempo del Covid-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 819-840
Author(s):  
Maria Chiara De Nardo
Keyword(s):  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Alasdair Macintyre ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Philosophical Literature ◽  
Human Vulnerability ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Ethical Approaches ◽  
Ethical Reflections

Concern for human vulnerability seems to be at the heart of the recent sanitary emergency. The aim of this article is to show why actual reflections on Covid-19 need an adequately theorized conception of vulnerability. We first review anthropological and ethical approaches to vulnerability in two of the main authors of the classical-medieval tradition: Aristoteles and Thomas Aquinas, proving that they include the vulnerability in their reflections. The thought of these authors is then combined with the ethical reflections of the contemporary philosophers Alasdair MacIntyre and Marta Nussbaum, identifying some of the challenges emerging from these authors. In particular, we wonder how to reconcile constitutive human vulnerability, which reappears manifestly after Covid-19, with the general tendency to be scared from or to avoid it. We then briefly propose theoretical concepts, such as humility, care and creativity, available within the philosophical literature, to address these challenges.

Opening the Public Accessibility to the Wreckage of the RMS Titanic: Some Ethical Reflections

2021 ◽  
pp. 245592962110534
Author(s):  
Alberto Frigerio
Keyword(s):  
Public Access ◽  
The Public ◽  
Ethical Approaches ◽  
Ethical Reflections ◽  
First Time

In 2021, Ocean Gate Expeditions allowed people to visit the remains of the RMS Titanic. While this is not the first time that the site has been accessed for touristic aims, this case has, once again, opened the debate about the ethics of such experiences. The key dilemma is if permitting the public access to a natural graveyard, such as the wreck of the Titanic, should be considered as an acceptable practice or an immoral act that must be banned. Notwithstanding the sensitive arguments raised against the organization of similar initiatives, the visit to the RMS Titanic seems to be a valuable and legitimate practice according to diverse ethical approaches.

Waveguidability of idealized midlatitude jets and the limitations of ray tracing theory

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volkmar Wirth
Keyword(s):  
Ray Tracing ◽  
Potential Vorticity ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
Local Source ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Model Configuration ◽  
Longitudinal Sector ◽  
Current Context ◽  
Dissipative Model

<p>Ray paths of stationary Rossby waves emanating from a local mid-latitude source are usually refracted equatorward. However, this general tendency for equatorward propagation is mitigated by the presence of a midlatitude jet which acts as a zonal waveguide. This opens the possibility for circum-global teleconnections and quasi-resonance, which suggests that the ability of a jet to guide a wave in the zonal direction is an important property.</p><p>This paper investigates waveguidability of idealized midlatitude jets in a barotropic model on the sphere. A forced-dissipative model configuration with a local source for Rossby waves is used in order to quantify waveguidability by diagnosing the latitudinal distribution of waviness in a longitudinal sector far downstream of the forcing. Systematic sensitivity experiments show that waveguidability increases smoothly with increasing jet amplitude and with decreasing jet width. This result is contrasted with the predictions from two idealized theoretical concepts based (1) on ray tracing as derived from WKB theory and (2) on a sharp jet with a zonally oriented front of potential vorticity. The existence of two so-called turning latitudes, which is the key diagnostic for a zonal waveguide according to ray tracing theory, turns out to be a poor predictor for the dependence of waveguidability on jet amplitude and jet width obtained in the numerical simulations. By contrast, the meridional gradient of potential vorticity correlates fairly well with the diagnosed waveguidability. The poor prediction from ray tracing is not surprising, because the underlying WKB assumptions are not satisfied in the current context.</p>

scholarly journals Waveguidability of idealized midlatitude jets and the limitations of ray tracing theory

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-125
Author(s):  
Volkmar Wirth
Keyword(s):  
Ray Tracing ◽  
Potential Vorticity ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
Local Source ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Model Configuration ◽  
Longitudinal Sector ◽  
Current Context ◽  
Dissipative Model

Abstract. Ray paths of stationary Rossby waves emanating from a local midlatitude source are usually refracted equatorward. However, this general tendency for equatorward propagation is mitigated by the presence of a midlatitude jet that acts as a zonal waveguide. This opens up the possibility of circum-global teleconnections and quasi-resonance, which suggests that the ability to guide a wave in the zonal direction is an important jet property. This paper investigates waveguidability of idealized midlatitude jets in a barotropic model on the sphere. A forced-dissipative model configuration with a local source for Rossby waves is used in order to quantify waveguidability by diagnosing the latitudinal distribution of waviness in a longitudinal sector far downstream of the forcing. Systematic sensitivity experiments show that waveguidability increases smoothly with increasing jet amplitude and with decreasing jet width. This result is contrasted with the predictions from two idealized theoretical concepts based on (1) ray tracing as derived from Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin (WKB) theory and (2) a sharp jet with a zonally oriented front of potential vorticity. The existence of two so-called turning latitudes, which is the key diagnostic for a zonal waveguide according to ray tracing theory, turns out to be a poor predictor for the dependence of waveguidability on jet amplitude and jet width obtained in the numerical simulations. By contrast, the meridional gradient of potential vorticity correlates fairly well with the diagnosed waveguidability. The poor predictions from ray tracing are not surprising, because the underlying WKB assumptions are not satisfied in the current context. The failure of WKB is traced back to the properties of the underlying equations, and a heuristic argument is presented to elucidate the potential of the potential vorticity (PV) gradient to act as a proxy for waveguidability.

Catholic Natural Law and Business Ethics

2001 ◽  
pp. 107-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Velasquez
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Natural Law ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
The United States ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Alasdair Macintyre ◽  
Basic Goods ◽  
Right Reason

This article describes Catholic natural law tradition by examining its origins in the medieval penitentials, the papal decretals, the writings of Thomas Aquinas, and seventeenth-century casuistry. Catholic natural law emerges as a flexible ethic that conceives of human nature as rational and as oriented to certain basic goods that ought to be pursued and whose pursuit is made possible by the virtues. Four approaches to natural law that have evolved within the United States during the twentieth century are then identified, including the traditionalist, proportionalist, right reason, and historicist approaches. The normative implications of these approaches are discussed in relation to ethical issues in the tobacco industry, ITT under Geneen, the marketing of pharmaceuticals, affirmative action, and bribery. It is argued that Alasdair MacIntyre is correct in claiming that the natural law tradition issuperior to the liberal ethics of modern deontology and utilitarianism.

Pre-Modern Ethics, Authoritative Narratives, and the Tribunal

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenifer Booth
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Natural Law ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Alasdair Macintyre ◽  
Health Law ◽  
Patient Narratives ◽  
Additional Protection ◽  
Aristotelian Ethics

This chapter applies the modified philosophy of Alasdair MacIntyre to mental health law, and in particular to the mental health tribunal. The natural law approach of Thomas Aquinas is used to assist in this. It is argued that, for law to be just in pre-modern terms, it requires that it be assessed as rational together with the care it supports as a single entity. As such, according to a modified version of the Thomistic Aristotelian ethics of MacIntyre, justice would require reconciliation of both doctor and patient narratives regarding care, possibly at the tribunal. It is suggested that psychiatric intensive care, in particular, could benefit from this approach. The approach might be seen as an additional protection to human rights-based considerations. It is also argued that the tribunal can be seen differently, according to the tradition of enquiry.

scholarly journals Usulan a. Macintyre Kembali ke Etika Keutamaan : Sebuah Solusi atau Nostalgia Belaka?

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
J. Sudarminta
Keyword(s):  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Alasdair Macintyre ◽  
Human Values ◽  
Global Ethics ◽  
The Past ◽  
Enlightenment Project ◽  
Reasonable Ground ◽  
Rational Ground ◽  
Moral Nihilism

<p><strong>Abtract :</strong> As an alternative to the impasse of the modern-enlightenment project in ethics, Alasdair MacIntyre suggests to recourse to virtue-ethics. This article will present first, what MacIntyre means by the modern-enlightenment project in ethics, secondly, his critique of that project, especially his arguments why such ethics is bound to fail. Thirdly, why, according to him, developing virtue-ethics, somewhat like the Aristotelian-Thomistic model, will provide a solution to the impasse. Finally, I would like to make a short evaluation of MacIntyre’s suggestion by focusing on the question whether his suggestion to recourse to virtue-ethics is just a nostalgia to the past as criticized by Ross Poole. I will argue in this article that, despite MacIntyre’s failure to give concrete examples of good modern ethical communities that live out his model of virtue-ethics, as Poole has rightly pointed out, as long as human being can still agree on certain basic human values upon which global ethics of virtue can be built, MacIntyre’s suggestion is not simply a nostalgic recourse to the past as Ross Poole believes. MacIntyre’s recourse to virtue-ethics can indeed provide solution to overcome the danger of moral nihilism looming over the modern-enlightenment project and it can also provide reasonable ground for living ethically.</p><p><em>Keywords : Ethics of virtue, Modern-enlightenment project, Nostalgia, Solution, Rational ground, Nihilism.</em></p><p> </p><p><strong>Abstrak :</strong> Sebagai usulan guna mengatasi kegagalan di bidang  etika proyek modern-pencerahan, Alasdair MacIntyre menawarkan ajakan untuk kembali ke etika keutamaan. Tulisan ini pertama-tama bermaksud menjelaskan apa yang ia maksudkan dengan proyek<strong></strong> modern-perncerahan, khususnya di bidang etika dan mengapa proyek seperti itu, menurut MacIntyre, niscaya gagal. Kemudian akan dikaji mengapa baginya membuat langkah kembali ke etika keutamaan model Aristoteles dan Thomas Aquinas akan dapat mengatasi kegagalan tersebut. Akhirnya, sebuah evaluasi singkat terhadap usulan MacIntyre akan diberikan. Dalam artikel ini akan ditunjukkan bahwa, lepas dari kegagalan MacIntyre untuk memberikan contoh kongkret komunitas etis modern yang mengayati etika keutamaan yang ia cita-citakan, sebagaimana telah dengan tepat ditunjukkan oleh Poole, asalkan umat manusia, sampai batas tertentu, masih dapat  menyepakati adanya nilai-nilai dasar kemanusiaan atas dasar mana sebuah etika keutamaan yang berisfat global dapat dibangun, usulan MacIntyre untuk kembali ke etika keutamaan, bukanlah sekedar suatu bentuk nostalgia ke masa lalu seperti dikemukakan oleh Ross Poole dalam kritiknya. Usulan itu sesungguhnya memang dapat memberi jalan keluar mengatasi bahaya nihilisme moral yang membayangi proyek etika modern-pencerahan serta dapat memberi dasar yang masuk akal untuk hidup secara etis.</p><em>Kata Kunci : Etika keutamaan, Proyek pencerahan modern,  Nostalgia, Solusi, Landasan rasional, Nihilisme.</em>

Natural Law and Business Ethics

1997 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Velasquez ◽  
F. Neil Brady
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Natural Law ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
The United States ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Alasdair Macintyre ◽  
Basic Goods ◽  
Right Reason

Abstract:We describe the Catholic natural law tradition by examining its origins in the medieval penitentials, the papal decretals, the writings of Thomas Aquinas, and seventeenth century casuistry. Catholic natural law emerges as a flexible ethic that conceives of human nature as rational and as oriented to certain basic goods that ought to be pursued and whose pursuit is made possible by the virtues. We then identify four approaches to natural law that have evolved within the United States during the twentieth century, including the traditionalist, proportionalist, right reason, and historicist approaches. The normative implications of these approaches are discussed in relation to ethical issues in the tobacco industry, ITT under Geneen, the marketing of pharmaceuticals, affirmative action, and bribery. It is argued that Alasdair MacIntyre is correct in claiming that the natural law tradition is superior to the liberal ethics of modern deontology and utilitarianism.

scholarly journals Waveguidability of idealized midlatitude jets and the limitations of ray tracing theory

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volkmar Wirth
Keyword(s):  
Ray Tracing ◽  
Potential Vorticity ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
Local Source ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Model Configuration ◽  
Longitudinal Sector ◽  
Current Context ◽  
Dissipative Model

Abstract. Ray paths of stationary Rossby waves emanating from a local mid-latitude source are usually refracted equatorward. However, this general tendency for equatorward propagation is mitigated by the presence of a midlatitude jet which acts as a zonal waveguide. This opens the possibility for circum-global teleconnections and quasi-resonance, which suggests that the ability to guide a wave in the zonal direction is an important jet property. This paper investigates waveguidability of idealized midlatitude jets in a barotropic model on the sphere. A forced-dissipative model configuration with a local source for Rossby waves is used in order to quantify waveguidability by diagnosing the latitudinal distribution of waviness in a longitudinal sector far downstream of the forcing. Systematic sensitivity experiments show that waveguidability increases smoothly with increasing jet amplitude and with decreasing jet width. This result is contrasted with the predictions from two idealized theoretical concepts based on (1) ray tracing as derived from Wenztel-Kramers-Brillouin (short: WKB) theory and (2) a sharp jet with a zonally oriented front of potential vorticity. The existence of two so-called turning latitudes, which is the key diagnostic for a zonal waveguide according to ray tracing theory, turns out to be a poor predictor for the dependence of waveguidability on jet amplitude and jet width obtained in the numerical simulations. By contrast, the meridional gradient of potential vorticity correlates fairly well with the diagnosed waveguidability. The poor predictions from ray tracing are not surprising, because the underlying WKB assumptions are not satisfied in the current context. The failure of WKB is traced back to the properties of the underlying equations, and a heuristic argument is presented to elucidate the potential of the PV gradient to act as a proxy for waveguidability.

scholarly journals Persahabatan: Sumbangsih Moralitas Tradisi Kristen bagi Moralitas Bangsa Indonesia

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-182
Author(s):  
Hendrawan Wijoyo
Keyword(s):  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Alasdair Macintyre ◽  
Public Theology ◽  
Islamic Theology ◽  
Moral Thought ◽  
Free Riders ◽  
Philosophical Basis ◽  
False Claim

Untuk betul-betul menjadi terang, kekristenan perlu menggumulkan sumbangsihnya bagi moralitas bangsa. Menggunakan ide tradisi Alasdair MacIntyre dan teologi natural Alister McGrath, penulis menawarkan sebuah konstruksi teologi yang membuka kemungkinan ide moralitas Kristen diperhitungkan dalam pembicaraan moralitas bangsa. Penulis kemudian menawarkan konsep persahabatan dalam kekristenan sebagai contoh nyata sumbangsih kekristenan bagi moralitas bangsa. Kata-kata Kunci: Alasdair MacIntyre, Alister McGrath, Aristoteles, Etika, Persahabatan, Teologi Publik, Thomas Aquinas   English: Christians in Indonesia are often depicted as free riders who don’t contribute much to Indonesian’s independence and life as nation. This is a false claim. However, Christianity does need to offer a greater contribution, especially in the area of moral thought of Indonesia which is dominated by Islamic theology and secular ideas. Using the framework of Alasdair MacIntyre and Alister McGrath, this article constructs a theological and philosophical basis for Christianity’s contribution for the nation’s morality discussions. In the later part of this article, a Christian conception of friendship will be offered as an example of a Christian contribution. Keywords: Alasdair MacIntyre, Alister McGrath, Aristotle, Ethic, Friendship, Public Theology, Thomas Aquinas

Models of Thermodynamic Properties of Prominences

1979 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 349-355
Author(s):  
R.W. Milkey
Keyword(s):  
Thermodynamic Properties ◽  
Mass Transport ◽  
Emission Spectrum ◽  
Thermodynamic Parameters ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Group 3 ◽  
Observational Techniques

The focus of discussion in Working Group 3 was on the Thermodynamic Properties as determined spectroscopically, including the observational techniques and the theoretical modeling of physical processes responsible for the emission spectrum. Recent advances in observational techniques and theoretical concepts make this discussion particularly timely. It is wise to remember that the determination of thermodynamic parameters is not an end in itself and that these are interesting chiefly for what they can tell us about the energetics and mass transport in prominences.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document