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Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), an Italian Dominican friar and Catholic priest, is one of the most influential theologians in the Christian tradition. Scholarship on Aquinas is flourishing, with studies of natural law theory, action theory, the morality of the passions, feminism, political theory, etc. Yet despite the contemporary renewal of virtue ethics, to date no full-length treatment of Aquinas' theory of virtue exists. Aquinas on Virtues offers a new and comprehensive interpretation of how Aquinas uses the four causes--formal, material, final, and efficient--to understand virtue in general, and how these causes underlie his treatment of specific virtues that make up the bulk of his ethics. In the final part of the book Austin applies the causal approach to four contested issues in contemporary virtue theory: practical wisdom; virtue and the passions; the teleology (or ultimate end) of virtue; and infused moral virtues, exploring the relation between grace and virtue.

The notion of "human rights" is widely used in political and moral debates. The core idea, that all human beings have some inalienable basic rights, is appealing and has an important practical function: It allows moral criticism of various wrongs and calls for action in order to prevent them. The articles in this collection take up a tension between the wide political use of human rights claims and some intellectual skepticism about them. In particular, three major issues call for clarification: the questions of how to justify human rights, how to determine their scope and the corresponding obligations, and how to overcome the tension between universal normative claims and particular moralities.

Over the past years global justice has established itself as one of the new and most promising frontiers of political theory. Sovereign Justice collects valuable contributions from scholars of both continental and analytic tradition, and aims to investigate into the relationship between global justice and the nation state. It deals with the moral relevance of national boundaries and cosmopolitanism, and takes into account the most influential traditions that shape current approaches to the subject, especially those descending from Rawls and Kant.

The idea that there is such a thing as a human right to health has become pervasive. It has not only been acknowledged by a variety of international law documents and thus entered the political realm but is also defended in academic circles. Yet, despite its prominence the human right to health remains something of a mystery— especially with respect to its philosophical underpinnings. Addressing this unfortunate and intellectually dangerous insufficiency, this book critically assesses the stipulation that health is a human right which— as international law holds— derives from the inherent dignity of the human person. Scrutinising the concepts underlying this stipulation (health, rights, dignity), it shall conclude that such right cannot be upheld from a philosophical perspective.

Ethics is a vigorously contested field. There are many competing moral frameworks, and different views about how normative considerations should inform the art and craft of governmental policy making. What is not in dispute, however, is that ethics matters. The ethical framework adopted by policy analysts and decision makers not only shapes how policy problems are defined, framed and analysed, but also influences which ethical principles and values are taken into account and their weighting. As a result, ethics can have a profound impact, both on the character of the policy process and the choices made by decision makers. Public Policy – Why Ethics Matters brings together original contributions from leading scholars and practitioners with expertise in various academic disciplines, including economics, philosophy, physics, political science, public policy and theology. The volume addresses three main issues: fist, the ethical considerations that should inform the conduct of public officials and the task of policy analysis; second, the ethics of climate change; and third, ethics and economic policy. While the contributors have varying views on these important issues, they share a common conviction that the ethical dimensions of public policy need to be better understood and given proper attention in the policy-making process.

Political violence does not end with the last death. A common feature of mass murder has been the attempt at destroying any memory of victims, with the aim of eliminating them from history. Perpetrators seek not only to eliminate a perceived threat, but also to eradicate any possibility of alternate, competing social and national histories. In his timely and important book, Unchopping a Tree, Ernesto Verdeja develops a critical justification for why transitional justice works. He asks, "What is the balance between punishment and forgiveness? And, "What are the stakes in reconciling?" Employing a normative theory of reconciliation that differs from prevailing approaches, Verdeja outlines a concept that emphasizes the importance of shared notions of moral respect and tolerance among adversaries in transitional societies. Drawing heavily from cases such as reconciliation efforts in Latin America and Africa—and interviews with people involved in such efforts—Verdeja debates how best to envision reconciliation while remaining realistic about the very significant practical obstacles such efforts face. Unchopping a Tree addresses the core concept of respect across four different social levels—political, institutional, civil society, and interpersonal—to explain the promise and challenges to securing reconciliation and broader social regeneration.

Despite the increasing concern for the issue of respect for persons displayed over the last decades by political philosophers, human-right thinkers, social and ethical theorists, a comprehensive treatment of the problem from a historical-philosophical perspective is conspicuously absent. The present collection of essays aims to contribute to the fulfillment of this gap by offering a reconstruction of the seminal passages in the history of philosophy which testify to the evolution of the idea of respect for persons and the rich array of conceptual specifications that such an idea acquires across the centuries.By analysis of pivotal texts of ancient and modern contemporary philosophy, the volume will try to offer an articulated account of respect which, starting from its primeval connection with the search for esteem and the pursuit of human excellence, gradually evolves towards the recognition of the political status of each citizen and culminates into a true politics of human rights.

At the start of the twenty-first century, warnings have been raised in some quarters about how – by intent or by mishap – advances in biotechnology and related fields could aid the spread of disease. Science academics, medical organisations, governments, security analysts, and others are among those that have sought to raise concern. Education and Ethics in the Life Sciences examines a variety of attempts to bring greater awareness to security concerns associated with the life sciences. It identifies lessons from practical initiatives across a wide range of national contexts as well as more general reflections about education and ethics. The eighteen contributors bring together perspectives from a diverse range of fields – including politics, virology, sociology, ethics, security studies, microbiology, and medicine – as well as their experiences in universities, think tanks and government. In offering their assessment about what must be done and by whom, each chapter addresses a host of challenging practical and conceptual questions. Education and Ethics in the Life Sciences will be of interest to those planning and undertaking training activities in other areas. In asking how education and ethics are being made to matter in an emerging area of social unease, it will also be of interest to those with more general concerns about professional conduct.

Regional Perspectives in Bioethics" illustrates the ways in which the national and international political landscape encompasses persons from diverse and often fragmented moral communities with widely varying moral intuitions, premises, evaluations and commitments.

This fascinating new book examines diversity in moral judgements, drawing on recent work in social, personality, and evolutionary psychology, reviewing the factors that influence the moral judgments people make.Why do reasonable people so often disagree when drawing distinctions between what is morally right and wrong? Even when individuals agree in their moral pronouncements, they may employ different standards, different comparative processes, or entirely disparate criteria in their judgments. Examining the sources of this variety, the author expertly explores morality using ethics position theory, alongside other theoretical perspectives in moral psychology, and shows how it can relate to contemporary social issues from abortion to premarital sex to human rights. Also featuring a chapter on applied contexts, using the theory of ethics positions to gain insights into the moral choices and actions of individuals, groups, and organizations in educational, research, political, medical, and business settings, the book offers answers that apply across individuals, communities, and cultures.Investigating the relationship between people's personal moral philosophies and their ethical thoughts, emotions, and actions, this is fascinating reading for students and academics from psychology and philosophy and anyone interested in morality and ethics.

The philosopher Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) strongly challenged the political theory of the 20th century by positing a momentous conceptual distinction. In her books The Human Condition, On Revolution, and On Violence, she developed the thesis that power and violence are two political phenomena with opposite causes and effects and therefore have to be distinguished radically. Arendt re- reads the political history of the present time in light of the contrast between power and violence, and establishes a new understanding of revolution and de- mocracy, economic rationality, and total domination. Her conviction that the freedom--related dimension of politics is measured by its ability to avoid and transform violence in its diverse facets serves as a starting point for her political philosophy. The present work analyzes Arendt's political philosophy by placing its focus on her descriptive and normative distinction between power and violence. The contrast between both concepts offers a key to understanding important as- pects of Arendt's political thinking that are not fully developed neither by Ar- endt herself nor in the literature on Arendt. One the one hand, this calls for a more detailed definition of both the concept of power, understood as the power to enable as well as the power to enforce, and the distinction between the con- cept of power and the concept of violence. On the other hand, Arendt's em- phatic notion of power, understood as a practice of beginning, sharing, and participating, is to be critically examined with respect to its limitations and ex- clusions in order to demonstrate where in Arendt's own theory of power violence is implicitly inscribed and how power and violence might interact on a political level. The book offers a detailed reconstruction of Arendt's understand- ing of power and violence and discusses its actual relevance for a political the- ory of democratic practices.

Of the many challenges in public sector management, few are as complex as the management of whistleblowing. Because it can lead to the discovery and rectification of wrongdoing, public interest whistleblowing is widely acknowledged as being positive for organisations and for society at large. However, the conflicts and reprisal risks often associated with whistleblowing also support a widespread belief that every whistleblower is destined to suffer, and nothing can be done to protect them from reprisals. Even if they did it once, sensible employees are often seen as unlikely to ever blow the whistle a second time around. The extensive research in this book reveals a more complex and, fortunately, more positive picture. The product of one of the world's most comprehensive research projects on whistleblowing, evidence from over 8,000 public servants in over 100 federal, state and local government agencies shows that whistleblowers can and do survive, and that often their role is highly valued. Public sector managers face significant challenges in better managing and protecting whistleblowers. There is great variation between the many public agencies making the effort, and the many agencies where the outcomes — for managers and whistleblowers alike — are still likely to be grim. This book is compulsory reading for all public sector managers who wish to turn this negative trend around, and for anyone interested in public accountability generally.

Judith Butler und Michel Foucault haben der katholischen Theologie wesentliche Einsichten zu vermitteln, denn sie betonen - mit je eigener Schwerpunktsetzung - die Notwendigkeit einer genauen Machtanalyse. Dabei wird dem Gender und damit dem Körper, insbesondere auch in der sprachlosen Performativität, ein angemessener Raum gegeben. So kann Freiheit als Grundlage kreativen und kritischen menschlichen Handelns gedacht und fur die Theologie umgesetzt werden. Die Problematiken dieser Themen innerhalb des katholischen Diskursraumes sind einerseits aktuell, andererseits haben sie eine Entstehungs- wie Rezeptionsgeschichte. Die Theologin und Dogmatikerin Gunda Werner erkundet, wie die Genderdiskurse zur Prägung des Subjektes Judith Butlers und Michel Foucaults Diskurskonzept der Parrhesia, des Wahrsprechens, für eine Theologie der Freiheit fruchtbar gemacht werden können. In mehreren Casestudies zeigt sie, wie die Trias Freiheit - Gender (Körper) - Macht (Kritik) die Kategorien und Strukturelemente einer Theologie der Freiheit bilden kann.

Der von Gustav Adolf Lehmann herausgegebene Band enthält eine vollständige Übersetzung und Kommentierung der Euböischen Rede des Dion von Prusa. Eine Reihe von Essays erschließt den literarischen, archäologischen, politisch-ethischen und politisch-sozialen Inhalt des Werkes und macht erstmals eine umfassende Würdigung dieser Schrift möglich.

Human tissue and biobank research is of increasing importance for understanding the causes of widespread diseases and developing effective therapies. However, while the success of biobank research depends on the availability of a large number of samples and the consolidation of collections across country borders is very desirable from the perspective of researchers, the legal and ethical requirements for the procurement, storage and use of human tissue samples are rather heterogeneous across different countries. Moreover, the lack of comprehensive supranational regulation on human tissue and biobanking can be seen as posing a serious threat to transnational biomedical research. Against this background, it was one of the aims of the EU-funded Tiss.EU project ("Evaluation of Legislation and Related Guidelines on the Procurement, Storage and Transfer of Human Tissues and Cells in the European Union – an Evidence-Based Impact Analysis") to analyse the ethical and legal regulation of human tissue and biobank research across the 27 European Member States plus Switzerland. The results of nine international workshops and three conferences are gathered in this volume. While the country reports evaluate the implementation of ethical and legal guidelines at a national level, point out their strengths and deficits, and, where required, create an evidence base for the revision of said legislation, the conference reports address more general ethical and legal issues in this field. The volume is completed by a final presentation of project's results.