On Restoring the Centrality of Prudentia (Phronēsis) for Living Well: Pathways and Contemporary Relevance

The aftermath of the Second World War saw some radical rethinking in both theology and philosophy on what it is to live well as a human being. In philosophy two of the key thinkers were Elizabeth Anscombe and Philippa Foot. In theology two key thinkers were Thomas Deman, a French Dominican, and somewhat later an English Dominican, Herbert McCabe. A key feature in all four thinkers was a recovery of the work of Aristotle and Aquinas, in particular the concept of phronēsis (prudentia). The paper’s close analysis of the virtue of prudentia demonstrates the insufficiency of modern moral philosophies that are committed to portraying morality as a moral code. A correlative argument is made within theology: the virtue of prudentia fortified by the gift of counsel is central for good Christian living.

South African traditional values and beliefs regarding informed consent and limitations of the principle of respect for autonomy in African communities: a cross-cultural qualitative study

Background The Western-European concept of libertarian rights-based autonomy, which advocates respect for individual rights, may conflict with African cultural values and norms. African communitarian ethics focuses on the interests of the collective whole or community, rather than rugged individualism. Hence collective decision-making processes take precedence over individual autonomy or consent. This apparent conflict may impact informed consent practice during biomedical research in African communities and may hinder ethical principlism in African bioethics. This study explored African biomedical researchers' perspectives regarding informed consent and potential limitations to the principle of respect for autonomy in African communities. Methods We conducted a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 12 biomedical researchers, five females and seven males aged 34 to 74 years, currently working at an African university. Interviews lasted 35–40 min each and involved semi-structured open-ended interviews, which allowed participants to offer information about their perceptions and feelings regarding respect for autonomy and informed consent as practised in Africa. Empirical data from the interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic content analysis, together with an interrogation of relevant scientific literature about African communitarian ethics, making evaluations and drawing inferences consistent with the empirical bioethics approach. Results Based on these interviews and analysis of relevant literature, we found that informed consent is difficult to apply in an African context because it derives from a Western conception of libertarian rights-based autonomy. Most respondents pointed out that it was challenging to implement informed consent in the African setting. Furthermore, communalism, customary beliefs, spirituality, and relational autonomy are predominant in most African communities, as exemplified by the African moral philosophies of Ubuntu/Botho and Ukama, which emphasize communitarianism over individual rights. We also found that language, education, poverty, and cultural beliefs are barriers to obtaining proper informed consent in African communities. Conclusions We conclude that there are limitations to applying the principle of respect for autonomy and informed consent in African communities, especially in the context of human biomedical research. We recommend using a more relational approach, such as Ross’s prima facie duties, to implement informed consent in African communities.

The Challenge of Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry Within Leadership-As-Practice

Herein, I clarify my concern regarding Raelin’s Leadership-as-Practice (L-A-P) and argue that inconsistent moral philosophies undermine the veracity of leadership theory, especially more recent democratic, shared, collective, and practice oriented theories; that this problem seems to be proliferating in the social sciences, and that this is especially concerning in socio-psychologically oriented theories. I contend that the moral foundations of L-A-P remain philosophically disquieting, unless it is understood as excluding moral agents other than those of a genealogical tradition, and that such exclusionary consequences in practice may lead to moral disengagement, which might then lead to cognitive dissonance and even self-harm.

Conceptualising Feminism

This chapter traces the origins, evolution, and debate on both the concept and term feminism. It establishes that feminism comprises a number of social, cultural, and political movements; theories; and moral philosophies concerned with gender inequalities and equal rights for women. The chapter establishes that feminism is a generalised, wide-ranging system of ideas about social life and human experience developed from a woman-centred perspective. It focuses on the inequalities between men and women and the efforts to advance the social role of women. Feminism is believed to have passed through stages: the first wave, the second wave, and the third wave. The subsequent waves of feminism came as a response to the perceived weaknesses and failures of their predecessors. This introductory chapter gives an overview of both the concept and the term feminism. The chapter ends with a discussion on scientific research into feminist issues.

Non-Violence, Asceticism, and the Problem of Buddhist Nationalism

Contemporary Buddhist violence against minority Muslims in Myanmar is rightfully surprising: a religion with its particular moral philosophies of non-violence and asceticism and with its functional polytheism in practice should not generate genocidal nationalist violence. Yet, there are resources within the Buddhist canon that people can draw from to justify violence in defense of the religion and of a Buddhist-based polity. When those resources are exploited in the context of particular Theravāda Buddhist practices and the history of Buddhism and Buddhist identity in Burma from ancient times through its colonial and contemporary periods, it perpetuates an ongoing tragedy that is less about religion than about ethno-nationalism.

The effect of agency relationship and individual ethical ideology on decision duplication with regard to questionable accounting policy choice. An experimental study

Recent studies confirm that the principal-agent relationship adversely affects managers’ decisions. This study experimentally investigates willingness to copy a decision that is ethically suspect in both high and low adverse selection criteria. It revealed that when the agency problem was observed, the respondents were less eager to misuse accounting discretion within foreign currency. It showed that without adverse selection criteria, respondents behave unreflectively, duplicating a choice to the detriment of financial reporting. The findings were also compared with Forsyth’s taxonomy of personal moral philosophies, which show that most respondents represent the situationist and absolutist orientation, while situationists and exceptionists are less prone to misbehave. It suggests that individual moral orientation has an unex-pectedly small impact, whereas witnessing the agency relationship tends to make subjects duplicate the choice described in the scenario to a lesser degree. Idealists are more severe in ethical evaluation com-pared to relativists, although the majority of respondents, who did not observe adverse selection condi-tions, showed a high propensity to would duplicate the misconduct. The most important variable is the existence of adverse selection criteria, indicating that decision-making and the choice of professionals lie at the heart of accounting policy choice, and that further research should be considered.

A Rapprochement between Feminist Ethics of Care and Contemporary Theology

Ethics of care is a relatively new approach to morality, first developed as a feminist ethical theory in the 1980s by Carol Gilligan, Sara Ruddick, and Nel Noddings. It is based on the experience and responsibility of providing care and is distinct from other popular moral philosophies including Kantian moral theory, utilitarianism, or virtue ethics, although it has some similarities to virtue ethics. Founded on a relational ontology, it offers a deeply incisive critique of liberal individualism through ethical reflection. It is also committed to a particularism which recognises the importance of addressing moral problems in the context of lived experience. In this article, after an analysis of the foundational perspectives of care ethics, it will be contended that its central tenets tie in with contemporary approaches in theology, particularly those expressed in the writings of St John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Furthermore, it will be suggested that the anthropological and moral insights of these theologians can offer the ethics of care a deeper ontological and epistemological grounding, hence strengthening its viability and existential appeal.