scholarly journals A Perspective of Moral Theology on the Problem of Tissue Donation and Organ Transplantation

2020 ◽  
pp. 389-426
Author(s):  
Stanisław Olejnik

e main objective of the present article was to show what is the crux of themoral problem of transplanting human organs and how it should be resolvedfrom the point of view of Christian morality. e issue posed by contemporarymedicine reveals several aspects, therefore it cannot be resolved too hastily. eformulation of the general position on the fairness of transplantation requiredconsideration of several specific issues implied by the general view of the phenomenonunder discussion. Considering the situation of the donor, from whomthe organ to be transplanted to someone else is taken, leads to the conclusionthat retrieving the organ from the body of a deceased person cannot be regardedas impious or immoral.Similarly donation of one’s organ, whose transplantation is not necessaryto maintain someone else’s life, should also be considered as morally correct.In the case of the donation of an organ necessary for maintaining the life of thedonor, one should regard the act as morally condemnable, mainly because of thecooperation of the recipient with doctors, which aims at inflicting death onan innocent person. In certain specific situations, the donation of one healthyorgans (from a pair), which is necessary to maintain the life of another personmay turn out to be an obligation dictated by family love or the love of the fatherland.e greatest number of reservations and difficulties in the field of organtransplantation concern the issue of the recognition of death, especiallyin connection with the successes of resuscitation. One should bear in mindthe ambiguity of death criteria in the ongoing discussions, from tests of deathin a biological sense, through clinical death, ending with the recognition of thedeath of the brain. Despite the existing discrepancies in opinions, it is possibleto declare the death of someone with full responsibility at a time when thereis still the possibility of harvesting an organ from that person and transferringit to someone else. A judgement of this type is not and cannot be issued withabsolute certainty.For the goals set in a given situation, it is completely sufficient and canfully justify undertaking transplantation activities. Conscientious considerationof the discussed case allowed the author of present article to concludethat the possible admission of the possibility of death in a given case cannot beidentified with the deliberate act of taking someone’s life. e final conclusionof this key part of the investigation turned out to favor organ transplantationin the sense that it does not have to involve the accelerating the death of thedonor. Practical difficulties with regard to organ transplantation, connectedin particular with the need to establish specific preferences as to the selection of organ recipients on both a macro and micro ethical scale, are not sufficientarguments which could make us firmly reject their implementation. ey canbe, however, overcome under certain conditions. ey are not, in any case,a decisive argument in favor of rejection of organ transplants in general. Also,possible abuses cannot be regarded as such an argument. It must be admittedthat their occurrence is possible, and may pose a serious threat in this regard.Nevertheless, cases of abuse can accompany and indeed they do accompanyall human activities, even the most noble in moral terms. In the face of thepossibility of abuse, in the discussed area of medical activities, associated witha special kind of risk, it is necessary to appeal to doctors that they should maintaina great sense of responsibility and a noble moral attitude.

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Rojas

The present article advances the notion of musical topography to describe the engagement between a practitioner and the musical instrument, emphasizing its developmental character. From the point of view of semiotic anthropology, it is suggested that the development of such a practical engagement is guided by expressivity, and that the instrument appears not only as an extension of the body, but participates in the generation of a unitary field, where bodily motion, the instrument and the tonal space are intertwined. The development of lived musical practice draws its force from a situated tradition that consists of normative, structural and stylistic elements, and of a constellation of genres and values shaped and reshaped by generations of practitioners. Finally, it is emphasized that the notion of musical topography brings back to musical praxis its long neglected imaginative dimension.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-123
Author(s):  
Wilfried Apfalter

Abstract In the face of widespread opinion holding that atheism is somehow necessarily separated from religion and opposed to it, the question “Is an atheist religion in Austria legally possible?” is both intriguing and challenging, leading to the cutting edge of contemporary studies on law, religion, and state. By providing a close, focused view on the legal framework concerning an example case in the Republic of Austria, the present article revisits this widespread opinion. It argues that this opinion can be challenged from a legal point of view in at least one concrete case, namely that of a growing group of atheists who try to establish an officially accepted, state-registered religious denominational community of atheists: Atheistische Religionsgesellschaft in Österreich (Atheist Religious Society in Austria), or arg for short. The article discusses this case and concludes that an atheist religion is legally possible in Austria.


Author(s):  
Bin ZHANG

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.器官移植的問題是當代生命倫理學的一個重要問題。如果從人類自身利益出發,這種被視為拯救危重病人生命的技術,的確是醫學科學的進步,但它涉及的社會倫理道德問題十分廣泛。如果從佛教倫理學——淨土宗的觀點出發,即以緣起論來認識屍體器官移植,則認為器官移植會使死者因強烈的痛苦而生嗔惱,障礙死者往生淨土;佛教的生死分際的判定標準——阿陀那識執受根身則認為腦死亡概念是由於器官移植術而產生的“腦死”名詞。另外,佛教的護生觀和平等觀反對異種移植和器官商業化。站在佛法的角度,器官移植不僅有違“眾生平等”的精神,而且可能成為“殺生利器”。The problem of organ transplantation is an important issue in contemporary bioethics. From the vantage point of view of benefiting the human life, organ transplantation can be seen as lifesaving technology and a sign of a great progress of medical science. Nevertheless, organ transplantation involves profound ethical dimensions and ambiguities. This paper offers a study of organ transplantation from the perspective of Pure Land Buddhism. Shall then employ the Buddhist theories such as dependant origination, karma, reincarnation, and compassion to approach issues regarding cadaver organ transplantation, brain death, xeno-transplantation, and organ trading. Since Buddhist tradition holds the view that the consciousness does not leave the body that is pronounced dead immediately, it would be a problem if the organ is removed from “the dead,” which might interrupt the final destination of rebirth. The paper concludes that organ transplantation is a kind of human technology that violates the basic spirit of Buddhism.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 527 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.


2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-383
Author(s):  
Vasily N. Afonyushkin ◽  
N. A. Donchenko ◽  
Ju. N. Kozlova ◽  
N. A. Davidova ◽  
V. Yu. Koptev ◽  
...  

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a widely represented species of bacteria possessing of a pathogenic potential. This infectious agent is causing wound infections, fibrotic cystitis, fibrosing pneumonia, bacterial sepsis, etc. The microorganism is highly resistant to antiseptics, disinfectants, immune system responses of the body. The responses of a quorum sense of this kind of bacteria ensure the inclusion of many pathogenicity factors. The analysis of the scientific literature made it possible to formulate four questions concerning the role of biofilms for the adaptation of P. aeruginosa to adverse environmental factors: Is another person appears to be predominantly of a source an etiological agent or the source of P. aeruginosa infection in the environment? Does the formation of biofilms influence on the antibiotic resistance? How the antagonistic activity of microorganisms is realized in biofilm form? What is the main function of biofilms in the functioning of bacteria? A hypothesis has been put forward the effect of biofilms on the increase of antibiotic resistance of bacteria and, in particular, P. aeruginosa to be secondary in charcter. It is more likely a biofilmboth to fulfill the function of storing nutrients and provide topical competition in the face of food scarcity. In connection with the incompatibility of the molecular radii of most antibiotics and pores in biofilm, biofilm is doubtful to be capable of performing a barrier function for protecting against antibiotics. However, with respect to antibodies and immunocompetent cells, the barrier function is beyond doubt. The biofilm is more likely to fulfill the function of storing nutrients and providing topical competition in conditions of scarcity of food resources.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
G. E. Bokov

The article is devoted to the study of the worldviews and social contradictions in Russian society on the example of two different positions on the relationship between religion and science. According to one of these positions these relationships are defined as conflict. The second, opposing point of view says there never was and there cannot be any conflict between religion and science. In the publication such points are called “the paradigm of conflict” and “the paradigm of dialogue”. It shows, the first “paradigm” in the Soviet period of Russian history was determined by ideologization of science and was an important part of anti-religious propaganda. On the contrary, “the paradigm of dialogue” has always been represented primarily by religious thinkers. Today it is the official position of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. The official Church document “The Basis of the Social Concept” says religion and science are designed to complement each other, especially in solving ethical problems that inevitably arise in the face of modern science. However, secular scientists often see in such statements the Church’s claims to active participation in the public life, including the educational process. Representatives of the academic community often speak out against the introduction of the theological educational programs and the theological departments in secular Universities of the Russian Federation. Thus, in contemporary Russian society some continue to believe that there is a conflict between religion and science, while others insist on the need for dialogue.


Author(s):  
Evi Zohar

Continuing the workshop I've given in the WPC Paris (2017), this article elaborates my discussion of the way I interlace Focusing with Differentiation Based Couples Therapy (Megged, 2017) under the systemic view, in order to facilitate processes of change and healing in working with intimate couples. This article presents the theory and rationale of integrating Differentiation (Bowen, 1978; Schnarch, 2009; Megged, 2017) and Focusing (Gendlin, 1981) approaches, and its therapeutic potential in couple's therapy. It is written from the point of view of a practicing professional in order to illustrate the experiential nature and dynamics of the suggested therapeutic path. Differentiation is a key to mutuality. It offers a solution to the central struggle of any long term intimate relationship: balancing two basic life forces - the drive for individuality and the drive for togetherness (Schnarch, 2009). Focusing is a body-oriented process of self-awareness and emotional healing, in which one learns to pay attention to the body and the ‘Felt Sense’, in order to unfold the implicit, keep it in motion at the precise pace it needs for carrying the next step forward (Gendlin, 1996). Combining Focusing and Differentiation perspectives can cultivate the kind of relationship where a conflict can be constructively and successfully held in the inner world of each partner, while taking into consideration the others' well-being. This creates the possibility for two people to build a mutual emotional field, open to changes, permeable and resilient.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Redacción CEIICH

<p class="p1">The third number of <span class="s1"><strong>INTER</strong></span><span class="s2"><strong>disciplina </strong></span>underscores this generic reference of <em>Bodies </em>as an approach to a key issue in the understanding of social reality from a humanistic perspective, and to understand, from the social point of view, the contributions of the research in philosophy of the body, cultural history of the anatomy, as well as the approximations queer, feminist theories and the psychoanalytical, and literary studies.</p>


Author(s):  
Jennifer Knust

The pericope adulterae (John 7:53–8:11) is often interpreted as an inherently feminist story, one that validates women’s humanity in the face of a patriarchal order determined to reduce sexual sinners and women more generally to the status of object. Reading this story within a framework of queer narratology, however, leads to a different point of view, one that challenges the consequences of seeking rescue from a god and a text that are both quite willing to forge male homosocial bonds at a woman’s expense. As the history of this story also shows, texts and their meanings remain unsettled and therefore open to further unpredictable and contingent elaboration. Pondering my own feminist commitments, I attempt to imagine a world and a story where a woman is a person and Jesus is in need of rescue. Perhaps such a world is possible. Or perhaps it is not.


2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-108
Author(s):  
A.F. Jităreanu ◽  
Elena Leonte ◽  
A. Chiran ◽  
Benedicta Drobotă

Abstract Advertising helps to establish a set of assumptions that the consumer will bring to all other aspects of their engagement with a given brand. Advertising provides tangible evidence of the financial credibility and competitive presence of an organization. Persuasion is becoming more important in advertising. In marketing, persuasive advertising acts to establish wants/motivations and beliefs/attitudes by helping to formulate a conception of the brand as being one which people like those in the target audience would or should prefer. Considering the changes in lifestyle and eating habits of a significant part of the population in urban areas in Romania, the paper aims to analyse how brands manage to differentiate themselves from competitors, to reposition themselves on the market and influence consumers, meeting their increasingly varied needs. Food brands on the Romanian market are trying, lately, to identify new methods of differentiation and new benefits for their buyers. Given that more and more consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about what they eat and the products’ health effects, brands struggle to highlight the fact that their products offer real benefits for the body. The advertisements have become more diversified and underline the positive effects, from the health and well - being point of view, that those foods offer (no additives and preservatives, use of natural ingredients, various vitamins and minerals or the fact that they are dietary). Advertising messages’ diversification is obvious on the Romanian market, in the context of an increasing concern of the population for the growing level of information of some major consumer segments.


1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Daan

The analysis of motivational systems underlying temporal organisation in animal behaviour has relied primarily on two conceptual functional frameworks: Homeostasis and biological clocks. Homeostasis is one of the most general and influential concepts in physiology. Walter Cannon introduced homeostasis as a universal regulatory principle which animals employ to maintain constancy of their ‘internal milieu’ in the face of challenges and perturbations from the external environment. Cannon spoke of “The Wisdom of the Body”, the collective of responses designed to defend the ideal internal state against those perturbations.


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