The Ethics and the Meaning of Life among College Students

The concern of the ethics and the meaning of life in young adults became universal and are present in all contexts of human life. Such universality is due to the development of modern rationality, to establish a relationship between the intrinsic theoretical dimensions (scientific) and practical dimensions (ethical), originated that are present in the own array of knowledge. This descriptive cross-sectional study, aims to identify the values of the ethical dimension and meaning of life defended by the college students of the Universities of Madeira, Portugal and Fortaleza, Brazil. The sample consists of 605 University students (Madeira = 225 and Fortaleza = 380), with an average age of 21 years and a standard deviation of 2. We used the questionnaire on values (adapted from the European Values Survey). Most of the young people referred to have a religion (60% wood and 78.4% stronghold), being the most Catholic, however, present in your frequency disinterest and, yet, in Brazil there is a greater diversity of religions. Supporting the intervention of religious institutions in situations of everyday life is accepted mostly by Brazilians, with the exception of politics (35.5%). On the other hand, the university students of the University of Madeira understand that Religious Institutions should only give their opinion on racial discrimination (76.6%). Believe in God (90.8% and 55.1% Stronghold) and Soul (80.3% and 66.4% Stronghold) are beliefs more referred to by college students. These results are intended to contribute in the field of research on ethical values and meaning of life in young people. This study contributes to future comparative research among university students and to developing strategic programs in education and health, increasing the success and excellence in the formation of a full citizenship, preventing the fanaticisms and the social discrimination that today devastate the collective globally.

A study of the relationship between professional values and ethical climate and nurses'professional quality of life in Iran

Objective:To explore the relationship between nursing professional values and ethical climate and nurses'professional quality of life.Methods:The present study is a descriptive,cross-sectional work in which 400 nurses from various wards of hospitals in the south-east of Iran were studied.Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of four sections:demographics,Nurses'Professional Values Scale-Revised(NPVS-R),the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey(HECS),and the Professional Quality of Life Scale(ProQOL).Results:The total mean scores for professional values were 105.29±15.60.The total mean score for the ethical climate was 100.09±17.11.The mean scores for the indexes of compassion satisfaction,burnout,and secondary traumatic stress were 45.29±8.93,34.38±6.84,and 32.15±7.02 respectively.The relationships between professional values and the indexes of compassion satisfaction(r=0.56),burnout(r=0.26),and secondary traumatic stress(r=0.18)were found to be positive and significant(P<0.001).Also,the relationships between ethical climate and the items of compassion satisfaction(r=0.60,P<0.001),burnout(r=0.15,P=0.002)were found to be positive and significant.Conclusion:An understanding of nurses'perception of professional values and improving the ethical climate at work can help nursing administrators identify more effective strategies toward increasing compassion satisfaction and lessening bumout and work-related stress.

The importance of public engagement in clinical xenotransplantation

Over the past several decades,significant scientific progress in xenotransplantation has brought the field to the threshold of clinical trials.In the past 3 years in the United States,experimental pig kidney and heart xenotransplantation have been performed on human subjects recently declared dead by neurological criteria(decedents).In addition,two pig heart transplants have been carried out in living patients under the United States Food and Drug Administration's expanded access guidelines.However,though there has been a flurry of activity there remain unanswered questions regarding how the public views xenotransplantation,what concerns may exist,and how to address these concerns in a meaningful way.This paper aims to underscore the importance of public engagement in xenotransplantation,emphasizing the ongoing need for studies to assess public opinions.The current evidence on public engagement studies is reviewed and gaps in our understanding are identified.We propose practical steps to advance this field.Additional studies to determine the extent of racial/ethnic differences in attitudes to xenotransplantation should be conducted.Empirical and descriptive analysis of certain religious viewpoints—especially minority faiths—would be valuable.As public engagement is an important aspect of public acceptance of novel research that is accompanied by risk,we suggest that xenotransplantation biotechnology companies might consider leading the way in funding this research.

The Right to Life, Voluntary Euthanasia, and Termination of Life on Request

In this article, the logical implications of a right to life are examined. It is first argued that the prohibition of Termination of life on request confers an inalienable right to life. A fight is inalienable if it cannot legitimately be waived or transferred. Since voluntary euthanasia entails waiver of the right to life, the inalienability yields that it cannot be justified. Therefore, any ethical position that is in favor of voluntary euthanasia has to argue that the right to life is an inalienable right and accept the conclusion that killing on request is justified.

The Ontopoietic Approach of Human Positioning in the Web of Life

Developed by Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka,phenomenology of life focuses on the thesis of“ontopoiesis”that unfolds an insightful vision upon the human positioning within the great plan of life.The complex and dynamic ontopoietic view enlightens the creative human condition to be understood in terms of metaphysics,ontology,epistemology,anthropology,cosmology,aesthetics,as well as ethics and environmental philosophy.Among many original thematisations,we find an idea of utmost importance for the ethical conduct of man/woman,namely,to be“Custodian of everything-there-is-alive”.It designates a peculiar status of human being within the web of life in its wholeness,which challenges us to deeply reflect,to value and structure our attitudes,deeds,and behaviours activating their moral potential in our relationship with the natural environment.The purpose of this paper is to emphasize some coordinates of Tymienieckan phenomenology in the horizon of environmental ethics,disclosing the significance of the unique situation man/woman has to be aware of,to assume and continuously manifest as the responsible moral agent concerned with a constructive,fulfilling,ordering in flux experience of life,within the unity and differentiation of human-nature harmony.

Impact of endoscopy-based research on quality of life in healthy volunteers

AIM:To study the impact of an endoscopy-based long-term study on the quality of life in healthy volunteers(HV).METHODS:Ten HV were included into a long-term prospective endoscopy-based placebo-controlled trial with 15 endoscopic examinations per person in 5 different drug phases.Participants completed short form-36(SF-36) and visual analog scale-based questionnaires(VAS) for different abdominal symptoms at days 0,7 and 14 of each drug phase.Analyses wereperformed according to short-and long-term changes and compared to the control group.RESULTS:All HV completed the study with duration of more than 6 mo.Initial quality of life score was comparable to a general population.Analyses of the SF-36 questionnaires showed no significant changes in physical,mental and total scores,either in a short-term perspective due to different medications,or to potentially endoscopic procedure-associated long-term cumulative changes.Analogous to SF-36,VAS revealed no significant changes in total scores for pathological abdominal symptoms and remained unchanged over the time course and when compared to the control population.CONCLUSION:This study demonstrates that quality of life in HV is not significantly affected by a longterm endoscopy-based study with multiple endoscopic procedures.

Max Weber on Religious Ethics and Life Conduct

The purpose of this paper is not to provide an overview of the contributions of Weber＇s sociology of religion, but to discuss an issue that guides his comparative studies of religions, which is to say the influence of religious beliefs on the life conduct. The principal aim is to highlight how the images of the world produced by world religions are responsible, in part, by the variability of economical conducts. In this sense, the paper discusses the explanation of Weber to the fact the capitalist system has been a singularity of the West, although in other civilizations, there has been some of the necessary conditions for its development. In the conclusion, it is said that the emphasis on the practical effects of religious beliefs, as well as the recognition of religion as a form of rationalization of the world, are the central dimensions of Weber＇s thought about religious phenomena.

The Impact of Health Care Reform Initiatives on Ethical Conflict and Opportunities for Nurses to Improve Quality of Care While Enhancing Their Work Environments

Background: After more than a decade of the nursing profession contending that healthcare reform based almost exclusively on cost cutting was creating an array of serious ethical issues for nurses, healthcare organizations and other providers are now facing increasing demands primarily from payers to demonstrate improvement in both quality of care and patient experience along with continued cost reduction. Research Question: Have efforts by healthcare organizations to comply with these recently imposed requirements influenced the ethical environment faced by nurses and nurse leaders and if so, how? Materials and Methods: Data for assessing the current ethical environment was gathered with a close-ended survey mailed in October 2012 to a random sample of 3000 members of the American Organization of Nurse Executives. Results and Discussion: Statistical analysis of the data and comparison with the findings of a similar study conducted in 2000 indicated that along with five highly rated issues in the earlier study attributed largely to economic constraints imposed by healthcare organizations, the top-10 key ethical issues today included five issues primarily attributable to interprofessional conflict. Conclusion: Given the success of many ongoing efforts aimed at weakening these key sources of ethical conflict that have blocked many proposals to improve the quality of care, opportunities should arise for the nursing profession to more fully achieve its goals of improving the quality of care, safety and patient satisfaction and enhancing nurses’ work environments essential to that effort.

Euthanasia in a Welfare State:Experiences from the Review Procedure in the Netherlands

This paper is based on an ethical analysis of 1,200 reports submitted to one of the five Regional Review Committees on Euthanasia in the Netherlands in the years 2005-09. Despite legal and professional safeguards with regard to euthanasia, and despite the overall high quality of care, the Dutch euthanasia practice is still not unproblematic. This paper identifies some important ethical issues： the sometimes obscure meaning of ＂patient autonomy＂; inferior quality of care or refusal to accept care, which aggravates a patient＇s suffering; insufficient spiritual, social, and psychological care; fears for a terrible death on the basis of outdated experiences in the past; and undue pressure from the side of relatives. Despite these concerns, and despite the fact that euthanasia remains a morally problematic death, however, the Dutch euthanasia practice can be described as morally solid.

新时代民众精神富有“坐标系”的构建与形塑

中国特色社会主义进入新时代,人们的物质生活更为丰裕,解答人的精神困惑、提升人的精神境界、促进人的精神富有,成为新的时代命题。作为实现精神富有的主体力量,人的精神生活内容和精神(生活)动力,构成了精神富有的坐标系。从人的主体性出发,消费性、建设性、创造性的精神生活,作为人对自身精神生活内容的获取、追求与创造,构成精神富有坐标系的横向内容维度。现实性、发展性、价值性的精神动力,作为满足基本的个人现实需要、指引正确的群体发展方向、助力强国建设和民族复兴的重要驱动力,构成精神富有坐标系的纵向动力维度。和而不同、永无止境是精神富有的未来样态。不断丰富人民精神世界,增强人民精神力量,使人民精神生活内容充沛,实现精神富有动力充足,有助于形成共同致力于中华民族伟大复兴的强大力量。

生活治理的伦理路径与组织逻辑——以鹤峰县“最美评选”为例

农民生活秩序失调和国家权力下沉推动了乡村治理的生活治理转向。以湖北省鹤峰县“最美评选”活动为例可以发现,“最美评选”具有鲜明的日常生活取向,并在政治引领和社会嵌入两个环节的支撑下推动了日常生活的伦理化,开辟了生活治理的伦理路径,重构了国家与农民的关系模式。政治引领包含了科层体制统合与乡村伦理调控两个维度,以组织逻辑贯通“党风-政风-民风”链条,在嵌入家庭动力和村庄动力的条件下再造了村庄日常生活的价值基础。可见,回应农民的美好生活需要,须超越片面的经济思维,通过国家的价值引导抑制市场化的负面效应,培育具有主体性、公共性和伦理性的生活秩序。

缓和医疗中的伦理学问题

随着医疗理念的更新,缓和医疗已成为生命终末期患者照护的重要组成部分,与此同时,其所涉及的伦理学问题日益凸显。本文通过综述国内外缓和医疗伦理学相关研究,旨在梳理缓和医疗中5个关键的伦理学问题,包括讲真话、预立照护计划、维生干预的使用、缓和镇静、安乐死和协助死亡与缓和医疗的关系,为缓和医疗实践提供了伦理学视角,以期帮助从事缓和医疗的专业人员加深认知,更好地为患者及其家属提供高质量照护,同时为相关法律法规和政策的制定提供参考。

生命共同体视野下人与自然关系的伦理考量

西方伦理文化从古希腊开始就隐含着人与自然主客对立的思维模式,经过“现代性”的建构,确立了“控制自然”的西方伦理话语,预制出人类中心主义与自然中心主义之间无法统一的生态伦理困境。我国是“后发现代性”国家,缺少一些实际的治理现代化经验;但在解决生态危机这一问题上,拥有丰富的伦理文化传统资源,经过“现代性”的自主重构,创造性地提出了“生命共同体”理念,对人与自然之间的关系进行伦理考量,形成符合中国伦理文化特征的生态伦理观念、原则和实践方式。在“生命共同体”的中国伦理文化语境视野下,生态伦理不再是处于割裂状态的两难选择,而是融入社会生活中的有机整体,遵守生态道德规范,遵循生态正义,养成生态德性,达到尊重自然与完善人自身的内在统一,为文明的顺利转型和生态文明建设提供充分的理论支持和伦理考量。

论食品安全权的权利伦理基质及其价值

在当代权利伦理学和人权伦理学的价值谱系中,食品安全权因其与生命权、发展权以及健康权、怯弱权等的密切关系而有其既基础、本源又核心、根本的价值意义。作为一种集法律权利和道德权利于一体的基本人权,食品安全权既是一种源自人最内在、最常见和最基本的人权,也是人之为人最基本的价值诉求和社会所需要的最基本最核心的价值关怀。生而为人必然具有对生命的珍重、对健康的珍惜,此则构成人最为内在亦最为强烈的生命权和健康权,而生命本身和健康的脆弱性又使人产生了与生命权和健康权相契合的怯弱权。生命权、健康权、怯弱权内在地要求食品安全权。尊重和保护公民的食品安全权既是生命权的价值诉求,也是怯弱权和健康权的集中表现。食品安全权因其特有的基础性、本原性权利诉求和价值追求必然成为当代权利伦理学和人权伦理学以及人本主义伦理学、人道主义伦理学和生命伦理学价值大厦的“拱心石”和“顶梁柱”。

体育伦理的基础理论问题探讨

体育的伦理问题在体育实践中涌现,但解决体育伦理问题的认知视域、知识基础、根本原理和基本方法蕴含在“体育”之中,而“体育”的依据源于人的两次“出生”。首先,分析physical education、sport与“體育”的内涵,揭明求“乐”乃属后起义,自然发育或养育只是其生存语义,“体育”的本义是生、生育。继之分析体育伦理的存在论根源、生存论动力和实践论方向:首先,体育既发生于人“两脚走路,两手做事”,又成为推动人从脚向手进化的基本方式。因为两脚与两手界限分明的功能构筑起文明的永恒张力,这一张力落实于体育,就是它始终成为如何将自然人类学的身体培育成为文化人类学的身体的事业。其次,生之本性规定人的身体生命化,生命化的身体活动始终呈具身性质,身体的具身性要求以“生”为本质规定的体育必须具身化。体育的具身化就是按照生命本性的方式培育身体,激活身体对心智(心商、情商、智商)的统摄潜能,释放身心协调的生生张力。再次,体育的实践论方向就是卫生身心,即顺纳时变,节制利欲,完全人格和健全精神,强健新生地无疾病存在和健康生活。

关于医学伦理学的基本原则

医学伦理学与生命伦理学既有相同之处也有诸多差异,它的基本原则和生命伦理学应有所不同。将病人利益置于首位、自主、不伤害、公正、友善五原则可视为医学伦理学的基本原则。病人利益主要是指病人生命和健康利益,是由医生根据医学科学允许度、医生的经验和病人实情决定的;将病人利益置于首位原则的落实,首先需要医生和医院对此有真切的认识,同时也需要有制度的保障和国家的财政支持;将目前实际上已经被倒置的医患利益关系纠正过来,是既艰难又十分迫切的,需要做多方面的工作。假以时日,这一目标是应当而且能够实现的。

论工程伦理与生态文明建设

中国式现代化是人与自然和谐共生的现代化。工程科技创新必须以相应的工程伦理规范及核心原则作为价值指引。所有国家工程职业领域伦理规范核心原则都包含对生态环境保护等方面的要求。人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化,要求工程科技创新绿色发展,同时促进生态文明建设并助力中华民族共同体永续发展。人类命运共同体和人与自然生命共同体层面的广义工程共同体,应在跨文化、跨地域生态文明建设中达成和践行工程生态文明责任的工程伦理行动。

历史唯物主义视域下美好生活的伦理意蕴

美好生活是新时代中国共产党人对历史唯物主义的中国表达,既契合了人们对于社会和生活方式的衡量标准,又体现了历史唯物主义对主体生存的核心关切,是中国特色社会主义现代化建设中对人的时代书写,它关系到每个人的现实生活,个人道德的完善以及社会公平与秩序的实现,最终目标是实现人的自由而全面的发展。美好生活的伦理向度主要表现为在人的现实需要中刻画美好生活的伦理现实性,在社会有机体中描绘美好生活的伦理整体性,在历史演变中凸显美好生活的伦理具体性。

论中国传统德育视角下高校师德师风长效机制的建设--基于对儒家道德的分析

儒家的“道德”概念具有特殊内涵。道是德的客观依据和根源,德则是对道的认识、体悟并内化于人的思想认识和精神倾向。道本原于天,实质是指天地的创生本性和法则,此道统体万物,但有不同层级的体现。儒家的道德教育实质即是关于道的教育,是以传道为目的,其实践宗旨在于追求万物的生生。这种教育在现实性上主要体现为三个层次:宇宙生态层次上的生命教育;社会层次上的“亲民”教育;个体层次上的“爱人”教育。这种教育立足于“道心”的培育,在方法上侧重心性修养与礼法规则相结合。通过把传道教育事业内在化为切己的生命实践活动,儒家亦建立起师德师风的长效机制,这对当今高校师德师风建设具有重要启发。

生命哲学视域下和谐医患关系构建的伦理思考

柏格森作为生命哲学的代表,其所倡导的生成式生命观,为个体生命社会价值的实现提供了有力支撑,其所构建的生活观,对个体生命的利益共联赋予极大的关怀和爱,其所宣称的直觉体验生死观,为个体重新理解和领会自我生命开辟了伦理学独特视角。在生命观、生活观、生死观视域下,认为生命哲学体现了医患关系本质的价值延伸,其生命观在于唤醒生命意识,是实现医患社会价值的有力支撑,其生活观在于培养生存能力,指向医患间利益共联的独特属性,其生死观在于激发内在动力,找到重新理解和感悟生命的伦理秘钥。同时,借鉴天津某医院处理医患矛盾的实践经验,提出构建未来和谐医患关系的几重思路:加强医患沟通共情,精准服务医疗实践;辩证客观对待医学,做好患者期望值管理;注重人文素养培育,助推医学人文的落地;健全医疗体制机制,强化利益共同体建设。