This diploma thesis deals with the Aristotelian virtue ethics and its renaissance in the twentieth century. Ethics is first defined generally as a separate science which belongs to the practical sciences. Subsequently, the emphasis on virtue ethics as one of the directions of normative ethics. A key part of the thesis deals with the ethics of virtue in Aristotle and interpretation corresponding more or less to the interpretation of the work of Nicomachean Ethics. The emphasis is on concepts of virtue, bliss and goodness. The development of u virtue ethics from the time of Aristotle until the twentieth century is also mentioned. The last part deals with the form of virtue ethics in the twentieth century, including the process how the ethics of virtue acquired its present form. It is also compared to the interpretation of virtue ethics in Aristotle and in the works of modern moral philosophers, particularly the work of Alasdair MacIntyre After Virtue is emphasized.

The thesis deals with the reflection of human practice of the comunnity worker´s profession in socially excluded areas, which is represented by good practise and experience of community workers from two socially excluded areas, in a more profound philosophical ethical context. The human being the community worker is the most important factor in community work. Their inner maturity, cultivating inner qualities and entrenched values are besides the knowledge of community work methodology what community workers together identify as a necessary prerequisite for the success. The thesis is divided in three chapters all of which follow the line of setting a theoretical historically philosophical view in the particular practice of a community worker in a socially excluded area. In the first chapter there is an insight into the theory of virtue ethics from the ancient times to the present days, along with the virtue definition, the deconstruction of cardinal and theological virtues and it also discusses how we acquire virtues. The second chapter deals with value ethics. The author tries to answer a question what is the core of values, which one stands above all, what is the way to the meaning of values and, by extension, of a human - being, what is the value definition. It also reflects the values formed by social exclusion. In the third chapter the author tried to take a look into the ethical practice of the community worker in a socially excluded area especially by means of dilemma which was presented and analyzed there.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T20:48:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 53589.pdf.jpg: 16130 bytes, checksum: 560dbb0481e89198849ed721c3ba20c3 (MD5) 53589.pdf.txt: 401196 bytes, checksum: bb1a62e1ac5c7b12faaa8117bd9282ce (MD5) 53589.pdf: 1869853 bytes, checksum: 214d0c985e913f3e72b875353bdc5404 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004-10-04T00:00:00Z / Este trabalho aborda os conceitos de Ética nos Negócios e Ética Pessoal, usando como base a Ética das Virtudes de Robert Solomon, oriunda da abordagem Aristotélica. Discorre sobre conceitos como Valores, Atitudes e Comportamentos, bem como Dissonância Cognitiva e Tomada de Decisão. A coerência da Ética nos Negócios e da Ética Pessoal leva à integridade, a maior das virtudes. Com base no referencial teórico, foi realizada uma pesquisa que tinha por objetivo verificar a coerência entre os comportamentos de executivos na vida pessoal e na vida profissional. Os resultados desta pesquisa indicaram que não existe convergência total entre os comportamentos dos executivos na vida pessoal e na vida profissional. / The coherence between business and personal ethics leads to integrity, which builds the character and is the greatest virtue on any business or personal environment. This survey explores general concepts on Business Ethics and Personal Ethics and is based on Robert C. Solomon’s Virtue Ethics, which was developed from the Aristotelian approach. Concepts such as human values, attitudes and behavior as well as cognitive dissonance and decision-making are explained. A research intended to assess the coherence between the executive’s behavior in the enterprise when exposed to a professional situation and the executive’s behavior in this same situation in his personal life. The results of how an executive reacts in his business environment in contrast to how he responds in his private life, revealed two different paths, which do not totally converge.

Virtue can be seen as a core construct of pastoral theology when it is understood as a relational dynamic which includes the experience of suffering and the pastoral response of compassion. This thesis probes the philosophical theology of Jonathan Edwards, who proposed that virtue is a form of beauty defined as "consent to being." Edwards' construct of virtue is examined from its inception in his pastoral work at Northampton parish. Although it was offered in the context of the 18th century debates in moral philosophy, it is argued that Edwards' idea of virtue is a unique theological contribution to our understanding of the nature of virtue. The implications of this conception of virtue are weighed against current discussions in ethics and moral philosophy on the theme of virtue. Edwards' idea of "consent to being" is expanded from a pastoral theological perspective to include the notion of compassion as an integrative motif. The structure of experience and how we speak about our experiences are explored in relation to this aesthetic understanding of virtue as a form of beauty. This leads to the notion of compassion as ontological consent. Since language is the vehicle by which our experiences are conveyed, the thesis probes the issue of how moral vision is expressed in "experience-near" language through parable, poem, and lament. Moral vision is articulated most adequately through such language, the formulation of which takes the form of a necessary quest. The thesis concludes with a constructive proposal concerning a mature pastoral theology of virtue. This may be seen as an expansion of Edwards' concept of "consent to being" from the vantage point of pastoral theology. It is argued that a dynamic vision of virtue requires some connection between the experience of suffering and the inward striving toward the greatest good. The essence of virtue can be best understood, from a pastoral theological perspective, as the relational dynamic of "suffering with" another human being. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Practical Theology)

Contemporary debates in ethics are characterised by opposing views that appear to be irreconcilable. Rational debates seem to be making no headway due to the fact that the incompatibilities of the different views seem to lie within the very premises of the different arguments. These debates acquire an interminable character, because representatives of the different standpoints refuse to accept each others’ premises. MacIntyre attributes this state of affairs to the failure of the Enlightenment project. In their attempt to create a universally valid moral system the Enlightenment philosophers discredited the ethical traditions and emphasized reason as the only authority on these matters. The supposedly “universal” rational arguments are built on premises the Enlightenment thinkers inherited from the exact same ethical traditions whose authority they consciously undermined. The irony of the Enlightenment project is therefore that it caused its own failure. MacIntyre believes that the Enlightenment thinkers were mistaken in undermining the authority of all the ethical traditions. He argues that the authority of the critical traditions is legitimate. A critical tradition is a moral tradition where some form of rational enquiry is embodied in the tradition itself. MacIntyre defends the authority of the Aristotelian tradition as the critical tradition per se. In my own enquiry I defend the authority of the Stoic tradition. I attempt to point out the flaws in MacIntyre’s understanding of the Stoics and argue that in some respects the Stoic tradition is a better alternative to the Aristotelian one. After having justified the authority of the Stoic tradition I take a closer look at what their ethics entail. The Stoics have what Cottingham refers to as a “synoptic” conception of philosophy. This means that they tried to integrate all the aspects of human understanding into a single system. Therefore, if one wishes to give a comprehensive picture of their ethics it is necessary to explain their philosophical work on physics and logic as well. I do so by comparing their understanding of physics to the contemporary understanding thereof. The Stoics believed that philosophy is not an abstract theoretical discipline, but rather a way of life. Theoretical arguments play an important role in so far as it helps us to comprehend the nature of the good, but ultimately philosophy is about helping us to live a good life. In light of this understanding I argue that they conceived of ethics as the art of living. The Stoics also believed that one could practice ethics as a form of therapy for our emotions. They believed that emotions such as anger and depression are caused by misguided ways of thinking and that ultimately the good life would cultivate our spirit and enable us to become more resistant to these types of emotions. Simultaneously it will enable us to experience more rational emotions such as joy. The ultimate aim of my research project is to highlight the important contributions the Stoics can make to the crisis we are currently experiencing in ethical discourse. / Dissertation (MA (Philosophy))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Philosophy / unrestricted

According to Skolverket, the Swedish school has two missions: conveying knowledge and teaching values. These values are taught through the common principles (värdegrund) and instruct students about democratic values and human rights. However, Skolverket also reports that students lack such knowledge. Therefore, this essay aims to create a module with the main purpose of formulating and teaching the common principles, by using Phaswane Mpe's Welcome to Our Hillbrow, a text with the ability of presenting ethical issues whilst also making the reader respond to them. To achieve this, the values of the common principles will be extracted with the help of virtue ethics, which creates a conjunction with the book, where three topics are selected: sexism, gender identity and societal transformation. Virtue ethics, representing the common principles, together with Adichie’s definition of African feminism inform the analysis of sexism and gender inequality in the book and show how they are prevalent and extensive. Societal transformation is conceptualised and investigated through the use of narratology. Sexism and gender inequality are located in the horizontal plane of an arena, where the vertical expansion of narrative levels creates the urge for societal transformation. Such an expansion is made possible by an implied author, which provides the effect needed for reader inclusion. As such, Welcome to Our Hillbrow is described to entail an ethical challenge, that forces a responsible reader to emerge. Issues of sexism and gender inequality are then used together with the arena of societal transformation to construct a module in English 7, where students may themselves become reasonable readers through a process of critical self-reflection, a vital part of virtue ethics. This is done by employing Socratic and deliberative dialogue and an affective-humanistic approach, which together promote democratic values and human rights.

Moderskap är ett brett och universellt ämne som bör utforskas utifrån olika perspektiv. Trots omfattande forskning som har genomförts är moderskap ännu inte fullt utforskat från ett teologiskt perspektiv. Denna undersökning syftar till att utforska och analysera moderskapet inom den kristna traditionen genom att granska tolkningarna av två kristna teologer. Arbetet kommer att jämföra och kontrastera deras perspektiv.Två böcker har valts ut för att fördjupa förståelsen om moderskap ur ett kristet perspektiv och utgör kärnan i arbetet. Valet av materialet ur ett kristet perspektiv har en praktisk koppling som ligger i att Sverige är ett kristet, om än sekulärt land, där detta kan bidra till att skapa en utgångspunkt till att bättre förstå de sociala och normativa kopplingarna i samhället. Då arbetet innefattar jämförelse och analys av texter författade av två teologer krävs en undersökningsmetod som möjliggör kritisk granskning av innehållet, därför har innehållslig idéanalys som vetenskaplig metod tillämpats. Arbetet grundar sig i en etisk teori, då etik beskrivs som en gren inom filosofin som ägnar sig åt att vetenskapligt granska och analysera moralen. Inom kristendomen finns kopplingar till olika etiska teorier som exempelvis dygdetik och pliktetik som är detta arbetes huvudsakliga teoretiska perspektiv.Analysen av arbetet visar att de studerade teologerna delar likhet i sin syn på moderskap i relation till etiska och moraliska krav och betonar att moderskapet är ett komplext fenomen. Teologerna belyser dock olika frågor vilket visar varierande perspektiv på moderskapet.Det främsta fyndet i denna studie ligger kring moderskapets roll och förändringsstadiet från den traditionella uppfattningen till den moderna, feministiska och individualistiska synen. Arbetet visar att dessa syner inte är oförenliga, utan att det finns gemensamma beröringspunkter. Forskning, analys och diskussion kring detta öppnar upp den teologiska didaktiken och uppmuntrar till en diskurs som ifrågasätter och bjuder in till samtal om sociala roller och normer. / Motherhood is a broad and universal topic that should be explored from different perspectives. Despite extensive research that has been conducted, motherhood is not yet fully explored from a theological perspective. This study aims to explore and analyze motherhood within the Christian tradition by examining the interpretations of two Christian theologians. The work will compare and contrast their perspectives.Two books have been selected to deepen the understanding of motherhood from a Christian perspective and form the core of the work. The choice of the material from a Christian perspective has a practical connection that lies in the fact that Sweden is a Christian, albeit secular country, where this can contribute to creating a starting point to better understand the social and normative connections in society. Since the work includes comparison and analysis of texts written by two theologians, a research method is required that enables critical examination of the content, therefore substantive idea analysis as a scientific method has been applied. The work is based on an ethical theory, as ethics is described as a branch of philosophy that is dedicated to scientifically examining and analyzing morality. Within Christianity there are connections to various ethical theories such as virtue ethics and duty ethics, which are the main theoretical perspectives of this work.The analysis of the work shows that the studied theologians share similarity in their view of motherhood in relation to ethical and moral requirements and emphasize that motherhood is a complex phenomenon. However, the theologians shed light on different issues, which shows varying perspectives on motherhood.The main finding of this study is around the role of motherhood and the stage of change from the traditional view to the modern, feminist and individualistic view. The work shows that these views are not incompatible, but that there are common points of contact. Research, analysis and discussion around this opens up the theological didactics and encourages a discourse that questions and invites conversation about social roles and norms.

Recent years have seen an influx of medical technologies capable of remotely monitoring the health and behaviours of individuals to detect, manage and prevent health problems. Known collectively as personal health monitoring (PHM), these systems are intended to supplement medical care with health monitoring outside traditional care environments such as hospitals, ranging in complexity from mobile devices to complex networks of sensors measuring physiological parameters and behaviours. This research project assesses the potential ethical implications of PHM as an emerging medical technology, amenable to anticipatory action intended to prevent or mitigate problematic ethical issues in the future. PHM fundamentally changes how medical care can be delivered: patients can be monitored and consulted at a distance, eliminating opportunities for face-to-face actions and potentially undermining the importance of social, emotional and psychological aspects of medical care. The norms evident in this movement may clash with existing standards of 'good' medical practice from the perspective of patients, clinicians and institutions. By relating utilitarianism, virtue ethics and theories of surveillance to Habermas' concept of colonisation of the lifeworld, a conceptual framework is created which can explain how PHM may be allowed to change medicine as a practice in an ethically problematic way. The framework relates the inhibition of virtuous behaviour among practitioners of medicine, understood as a moral practice, to the movement in medicine towards remote monitoring. To assess the explanatory power of the conceptual framework and expand its borders, a qualitative interview empirical study with potential users of PHM in England is carried out. Recognising that the inherent uncertainty of the future undermines the validity of empirical research, a novel epistemological framework based in Habermas' discourse ethics is created to justify the empirical study. By developing Habermas' concept of translation into a procedure for assessing the credibility of uncertain normative claims about the future, a novel methodology for empirical ethical assessment of emerging technologies is created and tested. Various methods of analysis are employed, including review of academic discourses, empirical and theoretical analyses of the moral potential of PHM. Recommendations are made concerning ethical issues in the deployment and design of PHM systems, analysis and application of PHM data, and the shortcomings of existing research and protection mechanisms in responding to potential ethical implications of the technology.

Growing issues such as climate crises, social injustice and neglection of basic human rights have created a new type of consumption, namely ethical consumption. Ethical consumption was initially mainly concerned for environmental issues but has in later years starting to include a variety of pressing issues. Ethical consumption was also initially mainly connected to groups of extremists, but with the increasing availability of ethical products in mainstream outlets, ethical consumption has shifted to be a mainstream consumer game. Mainstream ethical consumption has largely been neglected in previous research where the field is lacking knowledge in form of qualitative behavioral data. Departing from the gap, this study will mainly focus on exploring the motives for ethical consumption in the mainstream consumer segment. We will examine several driving forces in form of altruistic-based motives, egoistic-based motives, and non-value-based motives. However, in order to give this an additional dimension we also want to examine the level of morality of ethical consumption by using five ethical theories. This approach has been overlooked in previous ethical consumption research and it will question the basic assumption that ethical consumption is the morally correct thing to do. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the motivational factors for ethical consumption and through the lens of ethical theories examine the level of morality of this behavior. In order to fulfill this purpose we have conducted a qualitative study within the context of organic groceries in the Swedish market. Organic groceries is a branch of ethical consumption that few studies has examined before, and that applies especially to the Swedish market. 14 mainstream consumers have been interviewed were all of these were frequent buyers of organic groceries. The interviews were conducted in a semi-structured fashion which was then analyzed by the use of thematic analysis. Furthermore, the study was guided by an exploratory inductive approach where subjectivity played a significant part. The results show that ethical consumption is driven by altruistic-based motives in form of social justice, where consumer want their consumption to benefit other. However, it is far from the only motive because ethical consumers are equally driven by egoistic motives. The result show that consumers are driven strongly by the sense of self- satisfaction created by the force of social norms, health and wellbeing, and product quality. This duality of motives creates a paradoxical tension in form of a win-win situation where the consumers strive for both the benefit of self as well as the benefit of others. Furthermore, ethical consumption is driven by habitual behavior where the consumers rely much on mental shortcuts in their purchases. Consumers are also not well- informed about ethical products and labels and therefore rely heavily on mythical benefits. In addition, when examining the level of morality of ethical consumption we can conclude that it is on level between mediocre to high. From a consequentialist and a non- consequentialist perspective the level of morality is fairly high, but from a character-based perspective the morality stumbles.

The emphasis of the inquiry is on the domain of education and the relationship present between the teacher and student more specifically. Essentially, the first part of the thesis outlines how the larger social-political system impacts the domain of public education, with the predominant issues of adversity becoming manifest at the level of the relationship that exists between teacher and student. The second part of the work utilizes the problems discovered and their impact on human experience to propose a virtue/care based method for approaching the relationship with the student in a way that both aligns more closely with the movement of experience, while also functioning to assist the student in shaping their own moral character. Essentially, the method being proposed is something that is meant to assist the teacher in her attempts to communicate with the student in a more personal sort of way, thus allowing for a higher degree of understanding of the unique personality of each student, with this understanding leading the teacher to form a more flexible approach that takes into account the various personalities of the students. In so doing the teacher is working to bring the experience of the student into the educative process, which should thereby increase student performance through their feeling more involved in the education being received.