Examples in ethics

Author(s):  
Robert B. Louden

Philosophers often employ examples to illustrate how their favoured principles are to be applied to concrete cases, and sometimes even to show that principles are of no help in decision-making. Examples are also used to convince readers of the existence of moral dilemmas – unresolvable conflicts between moral obligations. But a variety of different philosophical questions concerning the role, status, and nature of examples used in ethics have also been raised. One such question concerns the role that examples should play in our moral experience: should this be a rhetorical, pedagogic role of persuading us to do what is right, as determined by pre-existing principle; or a stronger, logical role of helping to determine what is morally right? Another query relates to moral teaching: is exposure to and reflection on stories, tales, narratives and exemplars sufficient for moral education, or is there a further need for exposure to principles and theories of ethics? Third, in terms of the kinds of examples employed in moral philosophy and reflection, should such examples be culled from great literature or sacred texts? Alternatively, should they be actual case studies drawn from real life, or hypothetical but realistic examples constructed by theorists? Or should they be imaginary, highly improbable cases designed to test our intuitions? A fourth question asks how examples are best identified and described, and to what extent the examples used in ethics are themselves theory-laden or even theory-constituted.

Complexity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Hao Qinxia ◽  
Shah Nazir ◽  
Ma Li ◽  
Habib Ullah ◽  
Wang Lianlian ◽  
...  

The influential stage of Internet of Things (IoT) has reformed all fields of life in general but specifically with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has drawn the attention of researchers into a new paradigm of life standard. This revolution has been accepted around the globe for making life easier with the use of intelligent devices such as smart sensors, actuators, and many other devices. AI-enabled devices are more intelligent and capable of doing a specific task which saves a lot of resources and time. Different approaches are available in the existing literature to tackle diverse issues of real life based on AI and IoT systems. The role of decision-making has its own importance in the AI-enabled and IoT systems. In-depth knowledge of the existing literature is dire need of the research community to summarize the literature in effective way by which practitioners and researchers can benefit from the prevailing proofs and suggest new solutions for solving a particular problem of AI-enabled sensing and decision-making for the IoT system. To facilitate research community, the proposed study presents a systematic literature review of the existing literature, organizes the evidences in a systematic way, and then analyzes it for future research. The study reported the literature of the last 5 years based on the research questions, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and quality assessment of the selected study. Finally, derivations are drawn from the included paper for future research.


Author(s):  
Eric Beerbohm

This chapter defends a theory of citizenship that recognizes our need to make online decisions under electoral pressures, given our foibles as decision makers. Drawing upon the extensive literature on decision and judgment, it examines how fragile citizens are when it comes to decision making. The usual heuristics offered by political scientists suggest that citizens rely on informational shortcuts that are morally irresponsible. If we reconceive the role of the voter in explicitly moral terms, this approach is unsatisfactory in addressing the cognitive biases and defects of citizens. The chapter also considers the notion of cognitive partisanship and argues that it is unavoidable for decision makers to rely on heuristics when they reason about complex decisions. It concludes by emphasizing the task for a democratic ethics of belief: to provide citizens with heuristics that reduce the cognitive burden while respecting the moral obligations to attach to coercive, term-shaping decision making.


Author(s):  
Cristina Leston-Bandeira ◽  
Louise Thompson

Exploring Parliament offers a fresh perspective on an ancient institution. It provides a real-life insight into the inner workings, impact, and relevance of twenty-first century Parliament. Short academic and practitioner chapters are combined with relevant and practical case studies, to provide an introduction to Parliament's structures, people, and practices. As well as covering the broader structure of UK Parliament, this text explains the role of small parties in law-making, the design and space of Parliament, and offers illuminating case studies on highly topical areas such as the Backbench Business Committee, the Hillsborough Inquiry and recent pieces of legislation such as the Assisted Dying Bill.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-45
Author(s):  
Gustavo B Castellana ◽  
Lilia B Schraiber ◽  
Talita R de Oliveira ◽  
Daniel M de Barros

Background Based on an actual case in which a psychiatrist was called in to assess a patient’s capacity to refuse treatment, the aim of this study is to discuss how to manage this ethical and clinical issue and the dilemmas faced by the medical team. Case presentation: The case involved a 45-year-old female patient diagnosed with breast cancer who refused treatment. Since the mastology team had doubts about the patient’s mental state and given that she refused to consent to surgery, a forensic psychiatric consult was requested. Conclusion The forensic psychiatry team concluded that the patient’s decision-making capacity was preserved. The team suggested some actions to help the specialists deal with the ethical conflict. A reflection is proposed about the role of psychiatrists when an ethical dilemma involving decision-making capacity emerges in clinical situations, elucidating their work not only as physicians who determine diagnoses and conducts, but also as agents of transformation in the doctor–patient relationship.


2017 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Engelken-Jorge

This article deals with the role of public communication in democratic decision-making, with a view to identifying communicative practices that can be expected to meet deliberative democratic standards. On the basis of two case studies, a mechanism is reconstructed through which public communication, although being poorly deliberative, can influence decision-making and achieve some of deliberative democracy’s most fundamental goals, namely, to attain mutually justified decisions, to secure the free and reasoned consent of citizens and to promote substantively correct decisions. This mechanism consists in the recurrent problematisation of a situation and the concomitant generation of political demands and proposals. This argument can at least be formulated if one adopts an institutional system perspective coupled with a concept of mutual justification understood along the lines of the ‘reasonable rejection test’.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-162
Author(s):  
Angelina I. Matyashevskaya ◽  

Considering effective communication, linguists traditionally focus on the type of the addressee and the conditions of their interaction with the addresser. The paper analyzes some transformations of oral genres on the Internet, including public discussions on the role of Orthodox faith in modern life, the functions of the religion in the spiritual and moral education of the contemporary society and its relation to the scientific breakthroughs of the 21st century. The analysis of video materials shows that their main addressee is the youth audience. Thus, it determines the methods of argumentation chosen in public Internet communication. The YouTube program “I Don’t Believe in God: Talking to an Atheist” has guests of all ages and professions: clergy, scientists and popularizers of science, politicians, journalists, interpreters, doctors, artists, movie critics and bloggers. The speakers are obviously oriented toward the predicted audience, complicates philosophical issues are discussed using real-life examples and involving both logical and emotional arguments. The article also focuses on the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the conversation. Notably, a lively exchange of opinion boosts the Internet users’ attention and encourages the multidimensional interpretation of the views. A variety of perspectives sparks the youth interest in the discussed issues, facilitates critical thinking, inspires viewers to search for the truth themselves and to form sound judgments on religious faith and atheism. The results of the research may be used to improve students’ public speaking skills.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Sik Kim

<p>The advent of digital tools and technologies of modern times has provided architectural designers with the ability to create in complexities and volumes of an unprecedented scale. With the myriad of possibilities, the designer has become prone to the Paradox of Choice - the difficulty of making decisions in a field of mass-options. </p> <p>Mass-tailorisation aims to aid the decision-making process of the designer in a world of unprecedented possibilities, limited only by the practicalities of reality. This research develops a theoretical framework for mass-tailorisation systems that aid the designer in the decision-making process by strategically focusing on four stages of the decision-making process. </p> <p>The thesis investigates the theoretical framework of mass-tailorisation through several phases of case studies that critically assess the viability and the implications of the components that constitute the mass-tailorisation system. The need for mass-tailorisation, as well as the establishment of the system and the future potential of mass-tailorisation are addressed through these case studies. Thus, leading to an integrative theoretical framework on the validity of mass-tailorisation. </p> <p>The research also speculates on the possible role of the future designer as they navigate through the near-limitless possibilities of the architectural design process of modern times. Finally, the thesis concludes by discussing the specific importance of the Design-Fabrication-Assembly Digital Continuum and the pursuit for the Move 37 phenomenon in explaining how mass-tailorisation can improve the decision-making process of the designer during the design process.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-21
Author(s):  
Anouschka van Leeuwen ◽  
Carolien A. N. Knoop-van Campen ◽  
Inge Molenaar ◽  
Nikol Rummel

Teacher dashboards are a specific form of analytics in which visual displays provide teachers with information about their students; for example, concerning student progress and performance on tasks during lessons or lectures. In the present paper, we focus on the role of teacher dashboards in the context of teacher decision-making in K–12 education. There is large variation in teacher dashboard use in the classroom, which could be explained by teacher characteristics. Therefore, we investigate the role of teacher characteristics — such as experience, age, gender, and self-efficacy — in how teachers use dashboards. More specifically, we present two case studies to understand how diversity in teacher dashboard use is related to teacher characteristics. Surprisingly, in both case studies, teacher characteristics were not associated with dashboard use. Based on our findings, we propose an initial framework to understand what contributes to diversity of dashboard use. This framework might support future research to attribute diversity in dashboard use. This paper should be seen as a first step in examining the role of teacher characteristics in dashboard use in K–12 education.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rujing Zha ◽  
Peng Li ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
Nan Li ◽  
Meijun Gao ◽  
...  

Abstract A good-based model proposes that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) represents binary choice outcome, i.e., the chosen good. Previous studies have found that the OFC represents the binary choice outcome in decision-making tasks involving commodity type, cost, risk, and delay. Real-life decisions are often complex and involve uncertainty, rewards, and penalties; however, whether the OFC represents binary choice outcomes in a such decision-making situation, e.g., Iowa gambling task (IGT), remains unclear. Here, we propose that the OFC represents binary choice outcome, i.e., advantageous choice versus disadvantageous choice, in the IGT. We propose two hypotheses: first, the activity pattern in the human OFC represents an advantageous choice; and second, choice induces an OFC-related functional network. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and advanced machine learning tools, we found that the OFC represented an advantageous choice in the IGT. The OFC representation of advantageous choice was related to decision-making performance. Choice modulated the functional connectivity between the OFC and the superior medial gyrus. In conclusion, the OFC represents an advantageous choice during the IGT. In the framework of a good-based model, the results extend the role of the OFC to complex decision-making when making a binary choice.


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