This paper examines the implications of ethics as key to sound professionalism in Nigerian journalism. The paper sets out to assess how ethics affect the standard of journalism practice in the country, using media pra...This paper examines the implications of ethics as key to sound professionalism in Nigerian journalism. The paper sets out to assess how ethics affect the standard of journalism practice in the country, using media practitioners in Rivers State, Nigeria as case study. The population of study consisted of the 300 registered journalists in Rivers State of Nigeria, including the editors and managers. The survey research method was used while the questionnaire was used as the primary instrument for data gathering. It was revealed that despite the importance of ethics to journalism practice, journalists＇ adherences to the ethical codes were low. The study also revealed that journalists most times go against the ethics of the profession due to sycophancy, security reasons, desperation, greed, ethical dilemmas, and ignorance of the code of ethics. Based on the timings of the study, it was recommended that media establishments should liaise with the Nigerian Union of Journalist （NUJ） to ensure that only trained journalists are employed to work as journalists. Again the NUJ, it should institute standing disciplinary committee to discipline erring journalists both at the State and National levels. The Ethics Committee of the Nigeria Union of Journalists should regularly review the ethical conducts of journalists and encourage them to adhere to their code of practice展开更多
One of cinematic science fiction＇s most popular plot lines is to imagine an invasion of earth by an advanced alien species. James Cameron＇s Avatar turns the tables on that premise. Humans attack a peaceful, less tec...One of cinematic science fiction＇s most popular plot lines is to imagine an invasion of earth by an advanced alien species. James Cameron＇s Avatar turns the tables on that premise. Humans attack a peaceful, less technologically sophisticated race in order to exploit their natural resources. Driving the assault is a mining company hell-bent on improving its bottom line. The villain of Avatar is not a person, but those people who seek profit. To put it starkly, business is evil. But why has the entertainment business cast business as a heavy？ Hollywood has now made Immanuel Kant as the director of moral sentiment. Not, of course, directly, but rather the ghostwriter of Hollywood＇s ideas about morality. The works of Kant are not discussed or debated in the public arena, but their principles have influenced the way people think about what is just and good. The ideas of Kant have filtered into the contemporary discourse and are one of the key ingredients in the national dialogue over what it means to be moral. The categorical imperative holds that an action is moral only if it is free from calculation of reward or gain. To be truly, moral people must abandon all practical considerations of need or desire; they must be directed by pure good will alone. Business people can never measure up to Kant＇s standard. They always make choices based on cost and benefit. Their businesses would quickly go bankrupt, if they made decisions on good will rather than interest. Kant＇s principles have raised the moral standard so high that even the common inclination to seek one＇s own benefit is looked on with some mistrust. In Kantian-influenced movies, business people have come to play the evil antagonist; they seek gain instead of the good. How would Adam Smith, the father of economic rationality, respond to popularized Kantian morality？展开更多
Strengthening moral learning may become available to us by bringing phronesis and transformative learning in a common theoretical space. For both Aristotle and Mezirow, the exercise of morality, or rising to the stand...Strengthening moral learning may become available to us by bringing phronesis and transformative learning in a common theoretical space. For both Aristotle and Mezirow, the exercise of morality, or rising to the standard of moral choice, decision, and action, is not the result of an intuitive achievement or a sudden understanding of a morally demanding situation but a lifelong affair. Our strategy here addresses three aims： Firstly, to invoke and reclaim the endemic bond between education in the broader sense of paideia and the significant role that reeds to be re-ascribed to moral education. This allows a turn towards qualitative features and makes room for an inclusion of moral education, or values education, within education. Secondly, to portray the exercise of autonomy, choice, and judgment as a result of paideutic development; both theories share the assumption that moral learning rests on constant reflection upon past experiences and the zetesis of future goals. Thirdly, to focus on the way one reclaims the right to exercise judgment, whenever this is required. A joint study of the two theories may enlighten the content of this lifelong reflective procedure.展开更多
Georgian historiography being an attempt to create a shared and self-congratulatory impression of the past serves as verbal equivalent of a national monument. Ann Radcliffe＇s Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne was writte...Georgian historiography being an attempt to create a shared and self-congratulatory impression of the past serves as verbal equivalent of a national monument. Ann Radcliffe＇s Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne was written during the acme of popularity of gothified histories. This makes the novel a high drama of murder and revenge, usurpation and restoration, love and abduction, cruelty and virtue upholding common people＇s vow of joining hands to fight for ethical cause of avenging oppression against the backdrop of the Scottish highlands. On the one hand, the novel helps in perpetuating nationalist identity among English citizens by acclaiming virtuous, just, and moral act of the rightful feudal Chief Osbert and declaiming in contrast the avarice, oppression and lust of the usurper Malcolm. On the other hand, the self-devastating pride and calm resignation of the highborn women such as Mary and Louisa portrayed in the novel conform and thereby contribute to the notion of the ＂Angel in the House＂. The paper, thus, will examine the role of prevalent sense of honour and values imbibed in the major characters of the novel in bringing justice to the oppressed characters.展开更多
Breaking with Aristotle＇s theory of tragedy in which the grand magnitude of the spirit of the tragic hero somehow trapped and misguided by a certain tragic flaw arouses the audiences＇ emotional intensity of pity and...Breaking with Aristotle＇s theory of tragedy in which the grand magnitude of the spirit of the tragic hero somehow trapped and misguided by a certain tragic flaw arouses the audiences＇ emotional intensity of pity and fear for the functioning of catharsis, Hegel analyzes the structure of tragedy in terms of the social conflict, in the case of Sophocles＇ Antigone, between the ruler Creon and the rebel Antigone, the patriarchal state and the individual woman, the civil codes and the divine law. Rejecting Creon＇s dictatorship and performing civil disobedience, Antigone intentionally buries the dead body of her brother Polyneices at the cost of being sentenced to death. Through this sacrifice, Antigone exposes the structural fissure of the civil society embedded in decaying morality for realizing the higher ideal of divine law and ethics. Through Antigone＇s sacrifice, the paradox of self-denial and self-elevation manifests the inner principle of dialectic through which the very opposite forces of contradiction engender the dynamic facets of the formation of modern civil society. As Hegelian dialectic is driven by its inner principle of negativity or negation of negation, through self-denial, Antigone transcends the moral codes of the mundane world for reaching the higher divine will. Yet, this dialectical ascending does not indicate a transcendent hero beyond the human world; instead, through the means of self-denying sacrifice, Antigone accomplishes the purpose of the divine will and conveys the divine spirit incarnated in the human flesh. For Hegelian tragic hero, the external and internal conflicts lead to the realization of self-consciousness and the ultimate consummation of heroic identity. Instead of being conditioned by Aristotelian tragic flaw and unconquerable fate, for Hegel, Antigone explicates the modern rebellious spirit of free will, and this martyrdom, not in the sense of scapegoat as the passive substitute for the sin of collective human community, presents a modern sense of tragic hero, an incarnated flesh invested with politically radical spirit. The flesh figure of heroine Antigone exemplifies the immanent power of ethical substance and dialectically transforms the divine will into the earthly spirit. Thus, this paper aims to investigate into the shift from Aristotle＇s concept of tragic hero to Hegelian dialectic tragedy and further examines how Hegelian tragic hero engenders the historical move into Western modernity through negative dialectic and accomplishes the self-other positioning of ethical substance presented in Sophocles＇ Antigone.展开更多
For much of its history, the criminal law of England, and hence of its colonies, counselled husbands to control and correct their wives. The ability to exercise effective domestic authority was an important index of m...For much of its history, the criminal law of England, and hence of its colonies, counselled husbands to control and correct their wives. The ability to exercise effective domestic authority was an important index of manliness. So too was the willingness to use measured force in order to secure sexual relations with an unwilling wife. Criminal law thus immunised husbands from the crime of rape. The great political theorist John Stuart Mill condemned these extensive powers of the husband and called the patriarchal family a ＇nursery of the vices＇. The leading Victorian criminal law jurist James Fitzjames Stephen took the opposite view. The manly man should take control of his little kingdom of the family and criminal law should cede him his sex rights, as it did. Modern criminal law has modemised men and curtailed these rights to women. The husband＇s immunity from rape prosecution has been abolished. What was once endorsed in a manly man is now officially condemned. And yet the discipline of criminal law, as a whole, has not been reconsidered or reconceived. There has been remarkably little reflection about its gendered history and what is has meant for the past and present moral education of men.展开更多
文摘This paper examines the implications of ethics as key to sound professionalism in Nigerian journalism. The paper sets out to assess how ethics affect the standard of journalism practice in the country, using media practitioners in Rivers State, Nigeria as case study. The population of study consisted of the 300 registered journalists in Rivers State of Nigeria, including the editors and managers. The survey research method was used while the questionnaire was used as the primary instrument for data gathering. It was revealed that despite the importance of ethics to journalism practice, journalists＇ adherences to the ethical codes were low. The study also revealed that journalists most times go against the ethics of the profession due to sycophancy, security reasons, desperation, greed, ethical dilemmas, and ignorance of the code of ethics. Based on the timings of the study, it was recommended that media establishments should liaise with the Nigerian Union of Journalist （NUJ） to ensure that only trained journalists are employed to work as journalists. Again the NUJ, it should institute standing disciplinary committee to discipline erring journalists both at the State and National levels. The Ethics Committee of the Nigeria Union of Journalists should regularly review the ethical conducts of journalists and encourage them to adhere to their code of practice
文摘One of cinematic science fiction＇s most popular plot lines is to imagine an invasion of earth by an advanced alien species. James Cameron＇s Avatar turns the tables on that premise. Humans attack a peaceful, less technologically sophisticated race in order to exploit their natural resources. Driving the assault is a mining company hell-bent on improving its bottom line. The villain of Avatar is not a person, but those people who seek profit. To put it starkly, business is evil. But why has the entertainment business cast business as a heavy？ Hollywood has now made Immanuel Kant as the director of moral sentiment. Not, of course, directly, but rather the ghostwriter of Hollywood＇s ideas about morality. The works of Kant are not discussed or debated in the public arena, but their principles have influenced the way people think about what is just and good. The ideas of Kant have filtered into the contemporary discourse and are one of the key ingredients in the national dialogue over what it means to be moral. The categorical imperative holds that an action is moral only if it is free from calculation of reward or gain. To be truly, moral people must abandon all practical considerations of need or desire; they must be directed by pure good will alone. Business people can never measure up to Kant＇s standard. They always make choices based on cost and benefit. Their businesses would quickly go bankrupt, if they made decisions on good will rather than interest. Kant＇s principles have raised the moral standard so high that even the common inclination to seek one＇s own benefit is looked on with some mistrust. In Kantian-influenced movies, business people have come to play the evil antagonist; they seek gain instead of the good. How would Adam Smith, the father of economic rationality, respond to popularized Kantian morality？
文摘Strengthening moral learning may become available to us by bringing phronesis and transformative learning in a common theoretical space. For both Aristotle and Mezirow, the exercise of morality, or rising to the standard of moral choice, decision, and action, is not the result of an intuitive achievement or a sudden understanding of a morally demanding situation but a lifelong affair. Our strategy here addresses three aims： Firstly, to invoke and reclaim the endemic bond between education in the broader sense of paideia and the significant role that reeds to be re-ascribed to moral education. This allows a turn towards qualitative features and makes room for an inclusion of moral education, or values education, within education. Secondly, to portray the exercise of autonomy, choice, and judgment as a result of paideutic development; both theories share the assumption that moral learning rests on constant reflection upon past experiences and the zetesis of future goals. Thirdly, to focus on the way one reclaims the right to exercise judgment, whenever this is required. A joint study of the two theories may enlighten the content of this lifelong reflective procedure.
文摘Georgian historiography being an attempt to create a shared and self-congratulatory impression of the past serves as verbal equivalent of a national monument. Ann Radcliffe＇s Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne was written during the acme of popularity of gothified histories. This makes the novel a high drama of murder and revenge, usurpation and restoration, love and abduction, cruelty and virtue upholding common people＇s vow of joining hands to fight for ethical cause of avenging oppression against the backdrop of the Scottish highlands. On the one hand, the novel helps in perpetuating nationalist identity among English citizens by acclaiming virtuous, just, and moral act of the rightful feudal Chief Osbert and declaiming in contrast the avarice, oppression and lust of the usurper Malcolm. On the other hand, the self-devastating pride and calm resignation of the highborn women such as Mary and Louisa portrayed in the novel conform and thereby contribute to the notion of the ＂Angel in the House＂. The paper, thus, will examine the role of prevalent sense of honour and values imbibed in the major characters of the novel in bringing justice to the oppressed characters.
文摘Breaking with Aristotle＇s theory of tragedy in which the grand magnitude of the spirit of the tragic hero somehow trapped and misguided by a certain tragic flaw arouses the audiences＇ emotional intensity of pity and fear for the functioning of catharsis, Hegel analyzes the structure of tragedy in terms of the social conflict, in the case of Sophocles＇ Antigone, between the ruler Creon and the rebel Antigone, the patriarchal state and the individual woman, the civil codes and the divine law. Rejecting Creon＇s dictatorship and performing civil disobedience, Antigone intentionally buries the dead body of her brother Polyneices at the cost of being sentenced to death. Through this sacrifice, Antigone exposes the structural fissure of the civil society embedded in decaying morality for realizing the higher ideal of divine law and ethics. Through Antigone＇s sacrifice, the paradox of self-denial and self-elevation manifests the inner principle of dialectic through which the very opposite forces of contradiction engender the dynamic facets of the formation of modern civil society. As Hegelian dialectic is driven by its inner principle of negativity or negation of negation, through self-denial, Antigone transcends the moral codes of the mundane world for reaching the higher divine will. Yet, this dialectical ascending does not indicate a transcendent hero beyond the human world; instead, through the means of self-denying sacrifice, Antigone accomplishes the purpose of the divine will and conveys the divine spirit incarnated in the human flesh. For Hegelian tragic hero, the external and internal conflicts lead to the realization of self-consciousness and the ultimate consummation of heroic identity. Instead of being conditioned by Aristotelian tragic flaw and unconquerable fate, for Hegel, Antigone explicates the modern rebellious spirit of free will, and this martyrdom, not in the sense of scapegoat as the passive substitute for the sin of collective human community, presents a modern sense of tragic hero, an incarnated flesh invested with politically radical spirit. The flesh figure of heroine Antigone exemplifies the immanent power of ethical substance and dialectically transforms the divine will into the earthly spirit. Thus, this paper aims to investigate into the shift from Aristotle＇s concept of tragic hero to Hegelian dialectic tragedy and further examines how Hegelian tragic hero engenders the historical move into Western modernity through negative dialectic and accomplishes the self-other positioning of ethical substance presented in Sophocles＇ Antigone.
文摘For much of its history, the criminal law of England, and hence of its colonies, counselled husbands to control and correct their wives. The ability to exercise effective domestic authority was an important index of manliness. So too was the willingness to use measured force in order to secure sexual relations with an unwilling wife. Criminal law thus immunised husbands from the crime of rape. The great political theorist John Stuart Mill condemned these extensive powers of the husband and called the patriarchal family a ＇nursery of the vices＇. The leading Victorian criminal law jurist James Fitzjames Stephen took the opposite view. The manly man should take control of his little kingdom of the family and criminal law should cede him his sex rights, as it did. Modern criminal law has modemised men and curtailed these rights to women. The husband＇s immunity from rape prosecution has been abolished. What was once endorsed in a manly man is now officially condemned. And yet the discipline of criminal law, as a whole, has not been reconsidered or reconceived. There has been remarkably little reflection about its gendered history and what is has meant for the past and present moral education of men.
