Search Results (501)

In this article, we explain how Kant upends the terms of the debate concerning the relationship between God’s existence and an objective morality by looking at his moral-teleological argument for God’s existence in the third Critique. We explain Kant’s rejection of external sources of moral normativity and his method of grounding moral authority in the normativity of practical reason. We then turn to Kant’s argument justifying a practical belief in God as the moral author of nature. Kant’s claims about how we must conceptualize organisms teleologically and, as a result, how reason seeks an unconditioned end of nature, brings together our moral purpose with a conception of nature as an organized whole. Since our teleological concepts of organisms seem to require that human beings serve as the final, unconditioned end of nature, but morality and nature might be incompatible and divergent, we must also believe in a moral author of nature. This belief guards against demoralization and creates a unified view of the human moral agent and the world she inhabits, which Kant thinks of as indispensable for our practical lives. Kant notoriously blurs the lines between theology and ethics in nonstandard ways. Although he rejects many traditional approaches to grounding ethics in a conception of divine commands or eternal law, he still devotes a considerable amount of time to discussing the role of religion as a bulwark of the moral life. The goal of this paper is to defend Kant’s relevance to a discussion of the relationship between an objective ethics and the existence of God; his contribution deserves our notice precisely for the ways in which it promises to shift the terms of the contemporary debate and complicate possible answers to the question of whether there can be an objective morality without God. In contemporary philosophical literature, Kant’s argument contending that we must hope in God from a practical point of view on pain of irrationality of acting from duty has enjoyed substantial discussion. Here, however, we focus on a lesser-known suite of arguments that in order to so much as cognize ourselves and other species as the sorts of natural beings they are, we must believe in a supersensible moral author of these natures. This set of arguments ultimately dovetail with the more well-known argument for theistic hope and operate in much the same way. But they touch on facets of Kant’s whole philosophical system, such as his account of teleological judgment and the unity and final end of all of nature. Our goal is to explicate these arguments and illuminate their relevance of these Kantian arguments to the debate about the relevance of God to objective morality. We will argue that while an objective ethics is possible without God due to the active role of practical reason in rational agents, belief in God’s existence strengthens the claims of morality, both for psychological reasons but also by providing a more unified conception of moral and natural reality. Full article

The rapid integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence in higher education challenges social work as student adoption outpaces pedagogical guidance. This paper argues that the unguided use of AI fosters cognitive debt: a cumulative deficit in critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and professional judgment that arises from offloading cognitive tasks. To counter this risk, a pedagogical model is proposed, synthesizing experiential learning, andragogy, and critical pedagogies. The framework reframes AI from a passive information tool into an active object of critical inquiry. Through structured assignments across micro, mezzo, and macro practice, the model guides students through cycles of concrete experience with AI, reflective observation of its biases, abstract conceptualization of ethical principles, and active experimentation with responsible professional use. Aligned with professional ethical standards, the model aims to prepare future social workers to scrutinize and shape AI as a tool for social justice. The paper concludes with implications for faculty development, institutional policy, accreditation, and a forward-looking research agenda. Full article

God plays a central role in Spinoza’s philosophy, directly shaping his views of ethics and politics. His theology is examined in light of contemporary perspectives in process philosophy. Analysis of the claim that “The more we understand singular things the more we understand God” (E5p24), shows that Spinoza advances a participatory theology that prioritizes a developmental process that fosters loving-kindness and intellectual generosity. Religion is the virtue enabling our participation in divine power. The key characteristics of participation in divine power are that these powers are (1) non-scarce/open-source/sharable, (2) regenerative, (3) propagate from one context to another, and (4) potentiate novel, unforeseeable discovery and invention. It is through community with other singular beings and via social affects that we understand divinity: by participating in powers that are sharable and continue to intensify and evolve when made openly accessible. His ideas can inspire our current problematic in beneficial ways. Full article

Contemporary discussions of AI are often framed according to generally held assumptions which have largely escaped serious critical analysis. For instance, those who promote AI tout its predictive prowess: powerful algorithms fed massive amounts of data are able to discover knowable patterns that can accurately forecast the behaviors in anything from individual movie preferences to financial markets. Armed with this type of knowledge we can then use AI, the hope goes, to be more objective in our ethical practices. And most seriously, we must extend this to the way we develop AI, not only do we want AI to function ethically, but we caution ourselves that if Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), superintelligence, or anything like the “singularity” is ever developed, it should be positively aligned with human values. Reflecting on these positions from the perspective of classical Daoism gives us reason to pause. While Daoist texts also assume there are patterns in the world which one can successfully go along with, they are not enthusiastic about the rational or knowable nature of these patterns—rather, they encourage us to appreciate them as fundamentally complex and mysterious. In this article, some Daoist attitudes are also concretely applied to ethical considerations, which cannot easily be controlled or known, much less put into code. Inspired by Daoist texts, we might cultivate an attitude less filled with hubris than humility, where we are allowed more space from which we can reflect on how we think about AI. Many of the most pressing issues associated with AI could, in fact, be significantly alleviated simply by shifting the way we think about, use, and develop these technologies. Full article

Calf disbudding is a routine practice in the dairy industry to prevent horn growth and reduce the risk of injury to animals and handlers. However, growing public concern about animal welfare has raised questions about the acceptability of common disbudding methods. This study explored public perceptions of caustic paste and hot-iron disbudding using a mixed methods approach. Quantitative survey analyses captured measurable trends while iterative qualitative analysis explored the underlying reasons behind participant’s attitudes. A convenience sample with a total of 511 Texas resident participants completed a 44-item online survey that included demographic questions, the Animal Attitude Scale (AAS-10), and image-based evaluations of the two techniques. Quantitative analysis using factor analysis and multiple regression revealed that concern for animal welfare and justification for animal use were the most significant predictors (p < 0.001) of method acceptability, with caustic paste generally viewed as more humane. Qualitative responses reinforced these results, identifying themes of animal suffering, ethical concerns, and a widespread lack of public knowledge. While caustic paste was preferred, skepticism toward hot-iron disbudding was more pronounced among low-income participants. Nonetheless, when properly performed with pain control, hot-iron disbudding is often considered a more controlled and welfare-conscious method due to faster healing times and reduced risk of injury to other animals from paste exposure. These findings underscore the need for consumer education and transparent communication from the dairy industry. Full article

This study explores how individual moral philosophies influence accountants’ ethical perceptions of earnings management risk, addressing the broader question of how moral reasoning interacts with the cultural environment in shaping financial reporting decisions. Although accounting standards such as IFRS/IAS aim to harmonize reporting, cultural, and institutional factors can lead professionals to interpret and apply them differently, making ethical perceptions context-dependent. Building on positive accounting theory and Forsyth’s model of personal moral philosophy, we conducted a scenario-based survey among Polish accounting professionals, using an extended set of earnings management scenarios developed by Bruns and Merchant and modified by Jooste. Our results indicate that subjectivists demonstrate greater ethical sensitivity to earnings-altering behavior, while absolutists exhibit the least. We also examined ethical evaluations across different types of earnings management practices, including income-increasing versus income-decreasing, accrual-based versus real earnings management, and multi-year versus single-year manipulations. Understanding how different moral orientations influence the perception of managerial interventions in reported figures can help executives foster an organizational culture that promotes the provision of reliable and accurate information to stakeholders. Study limitations include sample size and scope, suggesting the need for future research incorporating broader demographics and contextual variables. Full article

Cardiac surgery, now a routine medical intervention, was once deemed unthinkable—not merely due to technical limitations, but because of deep-seated cultural, religious, and philosophical prohibitions. This article traces the historical and ethical trajectory of the human heart from a sacred, inviolable symbol of the soul to a surgically accessible organ. Through an interdisciplinary lens that integrates medical history, anthropology, theology, and contemporary bioethics, we examine how shifts in metaphysical belief, technological progress, and moral reasoning gradually legitimized cardiac intervention. From ancient Egyptian funerary rites and classical cardiocentric models to medieval religious taboos and Enlightenment redefinitions of the body, the heart’s transformation reflects broader changes in how humanity conceives life, death, and identity. The emergence of modern cardiac surgery, especially heart transplantation and extracorporeal technologies, raised new ethical dilemmas, challenging the boundaries between tissue and meaning, biology and personhood. This study argues that despite its clinical secularization, the heart retains a unique symbolic gravity that continues to shape public perception and professional responsibility. In the age of precision medicine, cardiac surgery remains not only a technical act but an existential gesture—a transgression that demands both scientific mastery and moral reverence. Full article

The global demographic transition toward an ageing population has necessitated substantive reforms in dental education, particularly within the field of geriatric prosthodontics. Conventional curricula have frequently prioritized technical competencies while insufficiently addressing the integration of biological, psychosocial, and ethical complexities inherent in the care of older adults. This scoping review critically examined these curricular deficiencies by synthesizing evidence from 34 peer-reviewed studies, employing Bloom’s Taxonomy as a conceptual framework to inform a systematic and pedagogically grounded curriculum redesign. The primary aim was to identify existing gaps in undergraduate and postgraduate education, evaluate the efficacy of active and simulation-based learning modalities, assess the utility of reflective practices and standardised assessment tools, and formulate strategic, taxonomy-aligned pedagogical guidelines. Following the PRISMA-ScR methodology, the included studies were thematically analysed and categorized across the six cognitive levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Findings highlighted the effectiveness of integrated educational strategies, including Case-Based Learning, interprofessional education, virtual simulations, and structured assessments such as Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE). Furthermore, reflective models such as “What? So What? Now What?” fostered higher-order cognitive processes, ethical reasoning, and self-directed learning. By aligning cognitive levels—from foundational knowledge recall to innovative creation—ten evidence-based educational guidelines were developed. These guidelines are pedagogically sound, empirically supported, and adaptable to diverse curricular contexts. The proposed framework ensures a deliberate, progressive trajectory from theoretical comprehension to clinical expertise and ethical leadership. Future research should explore longitudinal outcomes and develop scalable, culturally responsive models to support the broader implementation of curricular reform in geriatric dental education. Full article

In the face of environmental degradation, social inequality, and technological change—acknowledged as defining challenges of the 21st century—Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) lead educational innovation, integrate sustainability as a transformative axis, and act as key actors in global responses. This study develops and validates a conceptual model that advances the goals of Society 5.0 through the integration of sustainability-oriented STEAM education and AI ethics as strategic drivers of a human-centered, socially inclusive, and technologically relevant learning ecosystem. The model rests on multidisciplinary and project-based learning and active engagement with society and industry. Its validation followed a Design Science Research approach supported by expert interviews, the Sustainable Classroom implementation, and international benchmarking with higher education cases from Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Uruguay, and the European Union. The combination of the constant comparison method of grounded theory with abductive reasoning ensured theoretical coherence and practical consistency. Triangulation across interviews, classroom implementation, and international cases reinforced robustness, while theoretical saturation, cross-validation, and reflexive safeguards strengthened credibility, controlled bias, and secured data management. Findings confirm that the ethical integration of advanced technologies strengthens citizenship, ecological literacy, and institutional innovation, and establishes a replicable and scalable framework that reorients higher education toward sustainability, ethics, and digital equity, positioning it as a cornerstone of education for Society 5.0 and as a global benchmark for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

This article shows how “reasons of state” can sometimes influence end-of-life care decisions made by top politicians. Drawing on Ivan Illich’s concept of “medical nemesis” and the myth of Tithonus and Eos, it argues that the success of medicine in prolonging life can, paradoxically, increase suffering and raise ethical dilemmas, particularly when medicine is used to ensure the continuity of power. Through the analysis of four historical cases—Franklin D. Roosevelt, Francisco Franco, Josip Broz Tito, and François Mitterrand—the article highlights some issues related to the concealment or deliberate manipulation of information about the health of political leaders, invasive and disproportionate medical interventions, and various conflicts that can arise between clinical goals and political objectives. The article then adopts the doctrine of the “king’s two bodies”, revived in contemporary times by Ernst Kantorowicz, to interpret these dynamics as attempts to merge the leader’s mortal body with an eternal political body, generating a dangerous identification that fuels therapeutic excess. By decoupling the natural body from the political body, the study calls for transparent and ethically grounded frameworks capable of balancing privacy, continuity of government, and limits on the use of medical care. Full article

Today, the impact of information technologies (IT) on humanity in this artificial intelligence (AI) era is vast, transformative, and remarkable, especially on human beliefs, practices, and truth discovery. Modern IT advancements like AI, particularly generative models, offer unprecedented opportunities to influence human thoughts and to challenge our entrenched worldviews. This paper seeks to study the evolving relationship between humans and non-human agents, such as AI systems, and to examine how generative technologies are reshaping the dynamics of knowledge, authority, and societal interaction, particularly in contexts where technology intersects with deeply held social values. In the study, the broader implications for societal practices and ethical questions will be zoomed in for investigation and discussed in the context of moral value as the focus. The paper also seeks to list out the various generative models developed for AI to reason and think logically, reviewed and evaluated for their potential impacts on humanity and social values. Two main research contributions, namely the (1) Virtue Ethics-Based Character Modeling for Artificial Moral Advisor (AMA) and the (2) Direct Preference Optimization (DPO), have been proposed to align contemporary large language models (LLMs) with moral values. The construction approach of the moral dataset that focused on virtue ethics for training the proposed LLM will be presented and discussed. The implementation of the AI moral character representation will be demonstrated in future research work. Full article

This research article explores the integration of Buddhist and philosophical principles into educational methodologies to enhance learning skills. The objectives were to develop a creative educational model, identify key factors influencing learning skills, and assess the approach’s effectiveness. The study targeted students from higher education institutions as the population. A purposive sampling technique was employed, selecting participants who demonstrated an interest in or familiarity with Buddhist teachings and philosophical inquiry. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. Tools included questionnaires/surveys, semi-structured interview questions, and observations, supplemented by focus group discussions and thematic analyses and a suitability and feasibility evaluation form. The analyses were performed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), content analysis, theme analysis, and data saturation. Statistics were in the form of percentages, means, SDs, t-values, and exploratory factor analyses (EFA). The results indicated that integrating Buddhist practices, such as mindfulness and reflective thinking, with philosophical methods, such as critical inquiry and dialogue, significantly improved students’ cognitive, emotional, and ethical development. Key findings highlighted the importance of fostering an environment encouraging open-mindedness, self-reflection, and ethical reasoning. The study’s significance lies in its contribution to educational innovation, providing a framework for integrating spiritual and philosophical dimensions into contemporary education. This approach enhances traditional academic skills and promotes holistic development, preparing students for personal and societal challenges. Full article

This paper explores the integration of Artificial Intelligence and semantic technologies to support the creation of intelligent Heritage Digital Twins, digital constructs capable of representing, interpreting, and reasoning over cultural data. This study focuses on transforming the often fragmented and unstructured documentation produced in cultural heritage into coherent Knowledge Graphs aligned with internationally recognised standards and ontologies. Two complementary AI-assisted workflows are proposed: one for extracting and formalising structured knowledge from heritage science reports and another for enhancing AI models through the integration of curated ontological knowledge. The experiments demonstrate how this synergy facilitates both the retrieval and the reuse of complex information while ensuring interpretability and semantic consistency. Beyond technical efficacy, this paper also addresses the ethical implications of AI use in cultural heritage, with particular attention to transparency, bias mitigation, and meaningful representation of diverse narratives. The results highlight the importance of a reflexive and ethically grounded deployment of AI, where knowledge extraction and machine learning are guided by structured ontologies and human oversight, to ensure conceptual rigour and respect for cultural complexity. Full article

The body–soul relationship serves as a crucial entry point for exploring the intersection of Plato’s dialogues with ancient Greek religious thought, particular Orphic doctrines. In critically inheriting and reconstructing core elements of Orphism, Plato initiates a paradigm shift from mythos to logos—transitioning from mythic narrative to philosophical reasoning. In the context of Greek religious history, Orphism was the first to articulate a dualism between soul and body, depicting the body as a “prison” that confines the divine soul. While Plato frequently references this framework in his dialogues, he simultaneously exposes its inherent contradictions. By distinguishing between the soul’s pure and embodied states, Plato rejects the Orphic notion of bodily impurity. Instead, he reinterprets the body’s negativity not as religious “original sin,” but as the interference of sensory experience and desire in rational life. He affirms that the soul maintains its rational autonomy even in embodiment, with desire and thymos (spirit) emerging naturally from this process, thereby disclosing the soul’s intrinsic structure. In place of a strict dualism, Plato introduces a tripartite model of the soul, positioning thymos as the mediating force between reason and desire. The ambiguity of thymos functions as a self-regulating mechanism that enables the soul to maintain dynamic balance. In this moral psychology, virtue is no longer defined as the soul’s rejection of the body, but as the soul’s harmonious order and natural growth within it. Plato thus adopts a complex and cautious stance toward Orphism, ultimately transcending its passive ethical outlook and transforming a mythical doctrine into a rational philosophical system. Full article

Advances in AI and Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCIs) like Neuralink’s invite constructive Christian ethical responses that capitalize on these increasingly powerful technologies. This paper offers such a response. Its thought experiment partly draws on Immanuel Kant’s work Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason in which he argues that the Son of God is the prototype of the perfectly good person and, as such, serves as the ideal model for anyone seeking to lead a moral life. Working within this Kantian framework, the anticipated capabilities of BCIs and AI could assist humans make moral progress and support their efforts to imitate the Son of God. These two technologies, coupled with a computer science approach to AI ethics known as Conditional Preference Networks, or CP-nets, offer a path forward. A case study in which a medical doctor with access to only one donor kidney must choose between two patients illustrates how BCIs and AI can help. Full article