摘要:

ABSTRACTThere are three kinds of bonds between human beings: biological and natural; legal and artificial; social and voluntary. Marriage can be seen as an artificial and legal means of shifting the loose bonding of the third category of relationship into the deep and inescapable bonding of the first. The desire to create bonds of this type is widespread, but non‐bonding, too, has been recommended either as good in itself—a way of achieving peace of mind or personal emancipation through wider relationships—or as necessary self‐denial for some higher cause. In the latter case, the bonds of family are seen as a positive good, a view shared, though for different reasons, by religious and political conservatives and by revisionist feminists.In contrast to this, three philosophical conceptions which would favour unbonding, or detachment from emotional ties, are categorised here as (a) the Stoic, (b) the Existentialist and (c) the Feminist. Within the Feminist ideal, it is radical, rather than liberal or socialist feminism that has most in common with Stoic or Existentialist ideals. These ideals are considered, together with various alternatives to marriage, and are judged not to override the need for deep personal bonds between human beings. These personal bonds of love and commitment are compared with the alternative bonds of religion and politics and it is concluded that, whatever forms they take, personal bonds have fundamental moral priority in the lives of human

ISSN:0264-3758    

DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5930.1988.tb00224.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTThe period of government‐sponsored research and development, involving military and industrial intervention in academic life, especially in the USA, was brief and yet its characteristics were declared universal by two historians of science there, Derek J. de Solla Price and Thomas S. Kuhn, who justified coercion and boredom in research work organized hierarchically. The reform of work movement is now attempting to introduce ideas in the opposite direction. Clearly, the institutions of big science should be interested in the improvement of the quality of research done on their premises and in the changes in world situation which might greatly change the agenda of research. To that end research into the general character of big science is very advisable and may be instigated either by large research institutions or by some of their umbrella organizations which may create incentives and alter the character of big science radically to everybody's advantag

ISSN:0264-3758    

DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5930.1988.tb00225.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTIn recent decades poverty has been defined as a relative rather than absolute notion. Those in poverty have been seen as poor relative to a level of income, or social condition, accepted as average or normal for a society. Poverty has been redefined as ‘relative deprivation’. This paper argues, first, that the redefinition of poverty as relative to social norms is a radical departure from the traditional notion of poverty. Secondly, it considers whether such a redefinition gives support to the view that the claims of those in poverty (relative) may be considered as morally equivalent to the claims of those in poverty (absolute). The paper concludes by arguing that the notion of relative poverty is advanced to give support to social and economic policies whose primary aim is equality rather than the relief of pove

ISSN:0264-3758    

DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5930.1988.tb00226.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTThis paper deals with a conflict between our sense of social justice and the need to protect the environment. It is argued that original populations do not own the land and other relevant aspects of their environment. However, immigrant newcomers will work on them and claim them for their own. The original populations are an integral part of the environment. When the newcomers realize that they must protect the vanishing natural environment, they must also control the lives of the original populations. The problem is that the newcomers have brought about the problems which will harm the others, too. In order to analyse this situation I distinguish between different types of rights, the value of nature and our alienation from it. The basic dilemma is described in normative terms and it is suggested that the rights claims of the original populations are quite strong. At the same time it is clear that it is impossible to return to any ‘original position’. Some piecemeal solutions are sugges

ISSN:0264-3758    

DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5930.1988.tb00227.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTWhen is it right to enforce medical treatment on a patient who is refusing that treatment? English law recognises two ethical principles as of paramount importance: the autonomy of the patient; and the consequences of not treating compared with treating. The law, by and large, operates these principles in succession. Thus, in the case of a patient refusing treatment, the law asks first, is the patient competent? Only if the answer is no, are the consequences considered.We criticise the position taken by English law and argue, first, that competence is a graded and not a binary concept, and secondly, that the two ethical principles should be applied not sequentially but at the same time. These two ideas form what we have called the balance model.This model could be used for an empirical study of individuals’ ethical beliefs, and in particular to test the hypothesis that the ethical beliefs of most individuals conform to the balance model rather than to the position taken by English la

ISSN:0264-3758    

DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5930.1988.tb00228.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTThe assumptions underlying the traditional biomedical model of health and illness and criticisms of it are described. An examination of the historical development of ideas concerning cot (crib) deaths shows how early explanations, which were congruent with this model, came to be discredited. Because subsequent explanations have also been considered unsatisfactory, cot deaths have come to be regarded as medically problematic. The relationship of models of health and illness to cot deaths has therefore been exposed to an unusual degree of scrutiny. Two possible contending models, social epidemiological and socio‐economic are identified, and their status vis‐à‐vis the biomedical model is considered. The choice as to which of these models is applied to cot deaths is shown to be not only of theoretical interest but also to have ethical implications for health care policy and medical pr

ISSN:0264-3758    

DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5930.1988.tb00229.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTTypically, philosophers have taken an external approach to the problem of defining ‘dispositional coercion’. However, a description of the surrounding circumstances of an allegedly coercive action is not the correct approach. What is required is an account of ‘dispositional coercion’ primarily in terms of personal motivation. ‘Dispositional coercion’ involves an agent threatening someone with a sanction if the latter fails to act as the agent requests. In order to define ‘dispositional coercion,’ I believe, the intentions of both the coercer and the victim need elucidation. In this essay, I defend the following set of necessary and sufficient conditions for defining this concept (whereXis the coercer,Yis the victim andAis the action thatYis coerced into performing).(1)XthreatensY, that is,Xintentionally attempts to create the belief inYthatXwill be responsible for harm coming toYshouldYfail to doA. X'smotive for attempting to create this belief is his desire to bring about a state of affairs in whichY's recognition of this possible harm to himself influencesYto doA.(2)Xsuccessfully creates the belief inYthatYmay be harmed if he fails to doA, that is,Xis successful in causingYto recognise that harm may come to him should he fail to doA.(3)Yintends to doA, andY's motive for intending to doAisY's desire to avoid harm to hi

ISSN:0264-3758    

DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5930.1988.tb00230.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTIn his bookSexual Desire, Roger Scruton wrongly maintains that human sexual experience is essentially intentional. His thesis depends on his highly revisionary definitions of ‘sexual arousal’ and ‘sexual desire’, the artificial nature of which I expose and criticise.He admits that homosexual desire is capable of the same kind of intentionality as heterosexual desire, and is therefore not intrinsically obscene or perverted, but he advances reasons why homosexuality is morally different from heterosexuality and is therefore an object of disapproval. His arguments presuppose ‘an impassable moral divide’ between the sexes and are, on his own admission, not very cogent.Since he allows that homosexual desire is a natural and spontaneous phenomenon and also proposes that moral education should guide us towards a state in which our sexuality is entirely integrated within a life of personal affection and responsibility, consistency requires that he adopt a sexual ideology which does not discriminate against homosexuality. For homosexuals are unlikely to achieve the ‘sexual integrity’ which Scruton advocates (and which I endorse) if they are constantly encouraged to disparage their own sexual nature and if social institutions make no positive pro

ISSN:0264-3758    

DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5930.1988.tb00231.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTR. M. Hare argues that moral reasoning about the environment requires the setting out of the various interests at stake and adjudication between them, strength for strength. Though there are possible objections to some aspects of his programme, it is clearly intended to be fair. However, it is not clear that in his concluding discussion, of the building of new roads, the interests at stake are set out with total impartiality. Some further relevant interests are listed, in an attempt to redress the balance.

ISSN:0264-3758    

DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5930.1988.tb00232.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0264-3758    

DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5930.1988.tb00233.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1988

数据来源: WILEY