Suchergebnisse

Sustainable development requires consideration of the quality of life that future generations will be able to enjoy, and as the adjustment to sustainable lifestyles gathers momentum, the rights of future generations and our responsibility for their wellbeing is becoming a central issue. In this, the first book to address this emerging area of international law, leading experts examine the legal and theoretical frameworks for representing and safeguarding the interests of future generations in current international treaties. This unique volume will be required reading for academics and students.

The defence of the weak members of society from the socio-political and economic forces which, in one way or another, have threatened their fundamental human rights, has been at the centre of the church's social teaching. The body of "social wisdom" on socio-economic, political, cultural and environmental matters which has developed in a rich fashion especially during the last one hundred years or so spells out the church's deep concern for "the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties, of . those who are poor or in any way oppressed." Christian social ethics is by no means a static collection of doctrinal social statements. Rather, it is a collection of social values and principles which are proactively applicable to the new challenges of the day. One may conclude that modern Christian social thought is characterised by three distinct perspectives. During the pre-conciliar era, the main concern of the church was how to resolve the conflict between advantaged and disadvantaged individuals or classes. Many workers and their families became poor, vulnerable and powerless as a result of the socio-economic and political structures created by the industrial revolution. Both Liberalism and Collectivism, as expressed in selfish capitalism and manifested in the theory of socialism, were vehemently criticized because they were an obstacle to the full and authentic development of the worker. [excerpt] ; peer-reviewed

This article will first explore the basic tool, namely the doctrine of cooperation in evil that Catholic moral theology offers to handle situations where the moral view of politicians or judges conflicts with the legal or political exigencies. This will be followed by a particular case study involving cooperation in a contentious issue which emerged during my experience as a member of the European Group of Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE), which is a pluralistic, interdisciplinary and independent advisory body to the European Commission. Finally, three specific case studies involving cooperation in controversial issues of marriage-related legislation, faced recently by Maltese politicians, will be discussed in the light of the practical wisdom, new insights and boarder horizon acquired through the author's EGE experience. ; peer-reviewed

The main contribution of this paper is to prove that in EU Directives and Recommendations, human dignity is not an elusive concept but rather a regulatory restraint in European public policies on biotechnology, particularly through the influence of the European Group of Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE). ; peer-reviewed

A glance at history shows that the progressive development of human rights has been considerably conditioned by the evolution of social relations, and the forms in which these relations were institutionalized. It was not in abstract that newly recognised human rights came to be defined, but in the context of the modern state and that of an industrial and technological civilization; in the context of the bitter experience of two World Wars and the social and political evolution after 1945. This evolution has been characterized by a process of decolonialisation, by a growing sense of solidarity among mankind, and by a widespread awareness of the delicate ecological balance of our one and only Earth which is limited in its natural resources. The remarkable thing about the evolution of human rights is that it appears to have followed in a given direction. In fact, we notice the widening of the concept of human rights which had originated in the eighteenth century. Throughout the whole development of human rights, a certain quality has come gradually in evidence, due to a progression in which continuity is much more marked than discontinuity. This can be seen in the conceptual evolution of the subject of human rights. In what follows, I intend to show that throughout the last two centuries, particularly since the beginning of this century, there has been a continuity in the progressive widening of the subject of human rights from the individual to a collectivity and now to mankind as a whole. As we shall see, this conceptual evolution has been the result of different historical currents during which the antecedent achievements in the field of human rights have been reinterpreted in the light of new ethical demands. ; N/A

Sustainable development requires consideration of the quality of life that future generations will be able to enjoy, and as the adjustment to sustainable lifestyles gathers momentum, the rights of future generations and our responsibility for their wellbeing is becoming a central issue. In this, the first book to address this emerging area of international law, leading experts examine the legal and theoretical frameworks for representing and safeguarding the interests of future generations in current international treaties. This unique volume will be required reading for academics and students

In contemporary ethical discussion widespread concern about the potential risks of genetic engineering is raising new and fundamental questions about our responsibilities towards unborn generations. Newly acquired knowledge in genetic engineering techniques has brought about not only potential benefits but also immense risks for the well-being of both present and future generations. This book raises a number of ethical issues concerning the impact of genetic engineering on generations yet to be born. The four topical areas that constitute the focus of the volume, namely (1) from laboratory to germ-line therapy, (2) the concept of human nature: theological and secular perspectives, (3) genetic intervention and the common heritage view, and (4) social responsibilities of geneticists towards future generations, raise intriguing ethical and legal questions, as well as important policy issues. As much as any set of issues, they reflect the hopes and fears, prejudices and uncertainties that people associate with germ-line intervention and the future of human kind

Food security, energy security, sustainability and globalisation have become core issues in the current political debate worldwide. This debate is enriched by other issues, including climate change, global trade, fluctuations in food and energy prices and the future need for additional energy sources, the revision of the EU common agricultural policy (CAP) and the link between the CAP and the EU economic strategy (the 'Lisbon agenda'). In order to address the new challenges and opportunities which lie ahead for EU agriculture, President Barroso asked the EGE to prepare an opinion on the ethical implications of modern developments in agricultural technologies. These should include primary agricultural production, bearing in mind the relationship between agriculture and the natural environment, the UN millennium development goals, such as the fight against world hunger, and the impact of changing agricultural methods on rural and urban communities. The EGE accepted this complex task, aware that any such opinion, while addressing agricultural technologies, cannot avoid referring to a plethora of interrelated issues, such as the competition for arable land between food, feed, fibres, feedstock or fuel. Because of these considerations, and out of pragmatism, the EGE therefore decided to address the technologies that could be conducive to the priorities supported by the group, namely: (1) food security; (2) sustainable use of resources and fair trade at world level in agricultural products; and (3) ethically sound design of sustainable EU agricultural policies. Food security and sustainability are therefore the main subjects of this opinion, which will refer mainly to primary production of food of plant origin, and not to other areas of the EU agricultural policy such as fisheries, livestock farming, food processing and green biotechnology for pharmaceutical uses. These, together with other issues that play a role in the global discussion on the CAP (such as fisheries, forestry, climate change and energy), will not be covered 'specifically' in this opinion, although they are all recognised by the group as being of fundamental importance in a global discussion on ethics in EU agriculture. However, the group also intends to formulate, in this opinion, an ethical frame for agriculture within which further EGE opinions addressing some of the abovementioned issues may be conceived in the future, respecting the group's remit (2). This EGE opinion is also conceived as a contribution to a global ethical debate on sustainable agriculture, in which international organisations (3) and European institutions (4) will work closely together to implement the UN millennium development goals and design sustainable and responsible agricultural policies. ; peer-reviewed

The publicity given to the first successful human fertilisation raised widespread public discussions, particularly on the local media, on the complex ethical, social and legal issues related to artificial human procreation. Shortly after this breakthrough in local medical history, a parliamentary question urged the National Bioethics Consultative Committee to issue ethical guidelines and called for a legal framework. Though this event caught the attention of the general public, artificial insemination has been taking place in Malta, as elsewhere, for a long time. An article published in one of the leading daily papers announced that the number of Maltese married couples who are having children using donated ova or sperm is increasing. ; N/A

Few diseases have raised as many ethical questions as AIDS and HIV infection. One of these questions concerns the use of blood tests to identify individuals infected with HIV. Because there is no known cure for AIDS, most efforts today aim at reducing the number of cases through prevention of transmission. This fact sparked the debate over identifying HIV carriers. Fear of transmission throughout much of the population has led many to call for a universal routine screening to identify people who are seropositive for HIV and who therefore could transmit the virus to others. In this short presentation, the ethical issue concerning systematic screening of an entire population is purposely ignored because such a screening programme is hardly feasible and the costs of the operation are very high. I think that it is more appropriate to focus on the following two main issues: (a) an explanation of the set of general ethical guidelines that serve as a basis for all screening programmes, whether voluntary or mandatory; and (b) the application of these ethical principles to the issue of routine universal screening to specific groups in a hospital setting. ; peer-reviewed

On 28 June 2011 the Council reached a political agreement on a Commission proposal for a nuclear research and training programme for 2012–13. Although the Council's discussion has been successfully concluded, some Member States felt that a broad discourse on ethical issues and sustainable energy mix in Europe should take place and indicated the need of having an Opinion of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) on this topic. On 19 December 2011, the President of the European Commission requested the EGE to 'contribute to the debate on a sustainable energy mix in Europe by studying the ethical impact of research on different energy sources on human well-being.' The EGE has accepted this request and decided to focus on the ethical aspects of the use of different energy sources in Europe, as foreseen in the EGE remit (74). The group recognises the need to consider issues such as security of supply, storage of energy where necessary due to the nature of electricity generation particularly where intermittent sources are utilised, competition for water and food in the case of biofuels, waste treatment and/or storage and pollution. The Group decided: to address the ethical issues arising from energy use within the EU energy agenda, mix of energy, consequences for the future, energy policy and regulation (including environmental considerations), precautionary principle, and intergenerational justice; to identify the ethical criteria on the manner in which decisions concerning research on sources of energy (in view of the Council's decision) are to be taken on an informed basis and the implications arising from the use of energy different areas; to propose an integrated ethics framework for the purpose of addressing the ethical issues related to the production, use, storage and distribution of energy; to identify the ethically relevant areas of energy research. ; peer-reviewed

Discussions on robotics in the social media and literature often take an utilitarian and instrumental approach. Intelligent and learning machines are perceived as a means of making our lives easier and more comfortable, minimising the costs of production and labour, improving healthcare system, transportation and military defence, and substituting humans in child and elderly care. Moreover, robotics designers, engineers and programmers tend to focus on technical challenges and advances without any reflection on the pressing philosophical, ethical and religious questions. The moral quandaries raised by robotics are too important and complex to be left to technical experts! In a democratic society all stakeholders, including faith communities, have the right to enter into an open and transparent debate on these emerging technological breakthroughs that are blurring the lines between the human and machine. Humanity fails to ask pertinent philosophical, ethical and religious questions if Christians and concerned citizens remain bystanders as cognitive machines develop and become commonplace. Public debate on robotics must cross multiple scholarly and professional disciplines, including theology. The initial reaction of many theologians and religious people to the very idea that faith has nothing to contribute in the debate on robotics is no longer tenable. Theologians are able to broaden people's horizon on robotics by asking the right questions that place life, science and technology in a different light. ; peer-reviewed