Attending to the context of the enduring Protestant Ethic, Romanticism, & modern capitalism's consumption requirements, the chapter considers the manner & degree to which modern consumer conduct could be regarded as engaging morality & ethics. Questioned in the process is the traditional view that production is virtuous & consumption venal. Insofar as these comments engage "the market," this is presented as a social context in which individuals assume the part of consumers. K. Coddon
The question of whether "average war criminals," defined as everyday citizens who were raised in cultures that expressed hatred for members of other cultures or ethnic groups & committed various war crimes, should be held accountable for war crimes committed by their states is addressed. The ability of Aristotle's typology of evil -- moral weakness, wickedness, & brutishness -- to account for average war criminals' behavior is examined; it is argued that average war criminals are either preferentially or perversely wicked. However, an analysis of cognitive & noncognitive understandings of wickedness revealed that perverse wickedness ultimately functions as a form of preferential wickedness. Even though average war criminals, particularly those who were involved in ethnic cleansing in the Balkans & Kosovo, had no choice in being born into cultures that espouse hatred toward certain racial & ethnic groups, it is maintained that these individuals are morally responsible for war crimes since they preferred to participate in ethnic cleansing. It is concluded that the international community has a moral obligation to at least censure average war criminals. J. W. Parker
Investigates the political & ethical significance of the recent rise in cultures of disembodiment in Western society, especially as this process impacts assessments of computer-mediated environments. It is shown that conventional descriptions of virtual communities stress their capacities for creating thicker connections between individuals. However, these descriptions ignore the nature of interactions in virtual space, which tend toward one-dimensional transactions that detach users from political or social responsibilities. This thinning of community is demonstrated in a discussion of the work of other community theorists, eg, Jean-Luc Nancy (1991). It is suggested that theorists of both physical & technological communities have ironically removed the possibility of a fully embodied community. In turn, this removal has eroded the responsibility that individuals have for others. Thus, while virtual communities may, in some sense, inspire communication & creative imagination, in others, they distance individuals from their embodied selves & from their political & ethical obligations to others. 20 References. D. Ryfe
The relationship between the notion of collective responsibility & Thomas Nagel's (1979) concept of moral luck is explored to determine how these concepts can contribute to the realization of reconciliation in cases of collective wrongdoing. After demonstrating the existence of collective responsibility that is not reducible to individual culpability within contemporary thought, Nagel's notion of moral luck is discussed, emphasizing its applicability to determining accountability for wartime atrocities. It is asserted that the highly irrational nature of moral luck ultimately vindicates collective responsibility's capacity to hold all individuals responsible without necessarily placing direct blame on any single person. The extent to which collective responsibility can genuinely resolve relations between offending & victimized groups is then contemplated. Rather than seek punishment against every member of the offending group, it is stated that collective responsibility demands a reconciliatory act (eg, an apology or plea for forgiveness) from the criminal group. It is concluded that acknowledging collective responsibility & remorse for war crimes provides a moral approach to achieving reconciliation. J. W. Parker
Theories on assessing ethical codes & implementation mechanisms are discussed, & a model of a code of ethics compliance mechanism is sketched. Codes of ethics often fail to improve ethical standards within an organization because they are poorly formulated, developed within weak ethical cultures, or inadequately institutionalized. A well-formed code should have properties similar to laws & serve similar functions. Fuller's (1969) eight criteria (desiderata) for well-formed codes are described, but these do not provide adequate grounds on which to base trust in a code. Codes must also include specifications on due process, procedural justice, & substantive morality & justice; they must be general, address real issues, & be implementable within an organization. Effective compliance requires a compliance mechanism & effective enforcement, depending on adequate levels of detection of code violators & credible levels of punishment for violations. Engendering ethics within organizations in order to obviate enforcement & coercion is discussed. 1 Figure. M. Pflum
Theories on assessing ethical codes & implementation mechanisms are discussed, & a model of a code of ethics compliance mechanism is sketched. Codes of ethics often fail to improve ethical standards within an organization because they are poorly formulated, developed within weak ethical cultures, or inadequately institutionalized. A well-formed code should have properties similar to laws & serve similar functions. Fuller's (1969) eight criteria (desiderata) for well-formed codes are described, but these do not provide adequate grounds on which to base trust in a code. Codes must also include specifications on due process, procedural justice, & substantive morality & justice; they must be general, address real issues, & be implementable within an organization. Effective compliance requires a compliance mechanism & effective enforcement, depending on adequate levels of detection of code violators & credible levels of punishment for violations. Engendering ethics within organizations in order to obviate enforcement & coercion is discussed. 1 Figure. M. Pflum
Identifies four elements in the ethical sensibility outlined in the work of Michel Foucault, drawing on an analysis of his writings & interviews: (1) a genealogical method that is intended to disturb the ontological necessity of the present; (2) a cultivation of the capacity to subdue resentment against the absence of necessity in what one is & the ambiguity of life; (3) a generous sensibility that informs who & what one is & infuses one's relations with others; & (4) an exploration of new possibilities in social relations that are revealed through the genealogical method. These elements are taken to embody the political spirituality of Foucault's work, which is rooted in the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, who first set out the view of the self as a cultivated work of art. It is concluded that the ethic of care developed by these thinkers will always bear a tense relationship to a politics of engagement & insurgency because its respect for the contingency of the world conflicts with more totalistic definitions implied by aggressive political action. D. Ryfe
Germany's future contribution to European and allied security depends on the Bundeswehr's ability to harness emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs) such as artificial intelligence, 5G/6G cellular network technology, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity, and quantum communications and computation. Even amidst Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, Germany continues to be mired in siloed conceptual, institutional, and ethical thinking that results in disconnections between the military and the technology sector, and even between Germany and its allies. The Zeitenwende should catalyze not only a defense budgetary increase but a reconciliation between ethics and military requirements regarding EDTs if Germany is to look beyond immediate needs and ensure the Bundeswehr's future operational readiness.