Ethic@ , uma publicação do Núcleo de Ética e Filosofia Política da UFSC , tem como objetivo principal publicar trabalhos (artigos, resenhas, entrevistas, etc.) de excelência e vanguarda na área de Filosofia Moral Moderna e Contemporânea. Com periodicidade semestral (junho e dezembro), a revista ficará disponível gratuitamente na versão eletrônica a cada número no endereço www.cfh.ufsc.br/ethic@ e, posteriormente, será editada no formato tradicional ou em CD-ROM para usos pessoais ou consultas em bibliotecas. ethic@ não possui orientação ideológica e publica artigos de quaisquer tradições ou linhas de pesquisa filosófica que satisfaçam os requisitos de excelência acadêmica. Os trabalhos podem versar tanto sobre questões meta-éticas quanto normativas e de ética aplicada. Neste último caso, a discussão deve ser claramente feita a partir de um ponto de vista filosófico.

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The Globethics library contains articles of ethic@ as of vol. 1(2002) to current.

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  • Health care priorities: the â youngâ and the â oldâ

    Machado, Mario Filho; Davies, Ben (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    Some philosophers and segments of the public think age is relevant to healthcare priority-setting. One argument for this is based in equity: â Oldâ patients have had either more of a relevant good than â youngâ patients or enough of that good and so have weaker claims to treatment. This article first notes that some discussions of age-based priority that focus in this way on old and young patients exhibit an ambiguity between two claims: that patients classified as old should have a low priority, and that patients classified as young should have high priority. The author next argues, drawing on a problem raised by Christine Overall, that equity cannot justify giving â oldâ patients low priority, since there is wide variety in the total lifetime experiences of older people, partly influenced by gender, race, class, and disability injustice. Finally, the author suggests that there might be a limited role for age-based prioritization in the context of infant and childhood death, since those who die in childhood are always and uncontroversially among the worst-off.  
  • Human challenge trials: identifying and weighting risks and benefits

    Costa de Oliveira, Lucas (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    Human challenge trials are characterized by the intentional infection of volunteers, in an environment in which risks are controlled and minimized, for the purpose of studying and analyzing diseases, as well as developing and testing medicines and vaccines, on a small number of participants who accept, in a free and informed way, to take part in the research. Although the practice has existed, with variations, for centuries, the Covid-19 pandemic has made the debate around the subject more evident, especially given the urgent need to develop vaccines. On the one hand, human challenge tests allow the understanding of the disease and the production of vaccines at a faster speed, generating benefits for public health and the community. On the other hand, they raise several ethical questions, mainly in relation to the intentional causing of harm to participants, which seems to violate the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence, in addition to referring to traumatic experiences. From this context, this paper seeks to present the premises for the ethical debate regarding human challenge trials. Using the bibliographic review method, through content analysis, this paper initially seeks to historically situate the practice, in connection with its recent applications. Furthermore, the main benefits and risks of using controlled human infection are presented and critically analyzed. In the end, the hypothesis is confirmed: human challenge studies can be carried out ethically, as long as they comply with strict regulatory standards, based on ethical-normative parameters.
  • Kant and the experimental vaccine test on human beings

    de Lourdes Borges, Maria (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    In this article I will analyze Kantian position on vaccination of smallpox and discuss the moral issues regarding the testing of vaccines in human beings. The vaccination of smallpox at the time of Kant was a new way to fight the disease that killed thousands of people in Europe. Since its safety was not definitive proved, one can consider it an experimental vaccine. Kant asks himself if one should take the vaccine or not.  Kant does not give a definite answer to the question but refers to it in the Metaphysical of Morals (MS, AA 6:424) From Kant´s example I will try to formulate the moral questions involved in testing experimental vaccines in human beings. I will try to answer the questions: When an experimental vaccine should be tested in human beings? And the last- but not least-question: is it moral to pay people to be submitted to vaccine research? I will try to give an answer to these questions from a Kant moral point of view.
  • Scarcity, harm, and the circumstances of justice: when does triage truly become problematic?

    Azevedo, Marco (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    Triages are not ordinarily problematic. They are only problematic when the decision involves an unequal distribution of resources with significant harm to someone; Under normal circumstances, triage simply ensures better efficiency in resource management without causing significant harm to anyone. However, there are critical and dramatic situations in which it is not possible to provide the same service to everyone at the same time without leaving someone in a harmful situation. In ordinary situations, it is necessary to establish priorities that guarantee efficient prioritization (maximum effectiveness at the lowest cost) in a fair way. In these circumstances, there is no â triage problemâ because even if someone is at a disadvantage relative to another, the disadvantage is not significant or impossible to compensate for. A triage problem arises when it is necessary to ration the resource, creating a significant burden for some party that cannot be compensated. In the case of decisions about the priorities for using ICU resources in the recent pandemic, the decisions seemed to imply accepting that someone could receive worse treatment, with a serious risk of death or harm, due to the omission of the best treatment available only to some. In this article, I intend to investigate whether the consequentialist approach that supposedly appears to underlie proposals for the problem of triage in the distribution of mechanical ventilators to patients seriously affected by COVID-19 can be evaluated in light of a better interpretation of the so-called harm principle. But why do we think it is right to allocate scarce vital resources to increase the chance of saving more people in some circumstances, but are reluctant to accept it as right to follow this same principle in other situations? For example, would it be correct to redistribute vital resources already allocated to guarantee the consequentialist principle of the best aggregate result of more lives saved? I intend to evaluate why it is right to give an ICU bed to someone who is more likely to survive before allocation, but wrong to apply this same principle to remove someone from that bed after the allocation has been made. The study will allow us to develop a concept of harm that is capable of reflectively balancing the intuitions and principles at play.
  • Apresentação

    Dall'Agnol, Darlei; Bonella, Alcino Eduardo (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    Sem
  • Allocation of scarce life-saving medical resources: why does age matter?

    Tonetto, Milene Consenso; Dossena , Luiz Felipe (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    In this paper, we address the moral justification problem concerning the use of age as a criterion for the allocation of scarce life-saving medical resources. We present and discuss four justifications that stand out in philosophical literature: efficiency, sufficiency, egalitarian, and prioritarian. We aim to demonstrate that all these justifications are unsatisfactory since they entail counterintuitive implications in cases involving fetuses and newborns. We then suggest another justification for the relevance of age based on the Time-Relative Interest Account of the harm of death. Finally, we evaluate an objection that could limit the scope of the defended justification, leading us to draw a distinction between justification of harm and strict justification of harm.
  • Discrimination against disabilities and protocols for the allocation of scarce resources in the COVID-19 pandemic

    Silva, Fernando Maurício da (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    The possible relationship between discrimination against disabled people and protocols for allocating scarce resources in the COVID-19 pandemic will be investigated. The specific problem concerns the accusation of discrimination against people with disabilities in the use of ECOG in the AMIB protocol. The starting point is a brief phenomenological description of the limits of ECOG in comparison to other assessment methods. Next, the biomedical conception of disability and the difficulties this implies for models of justice are discussed. Then the problems in the concepts of functionality and resources themselves stand out, in addition to the relationship between functionality and fragility. From this it becomes possible to consider the relationship between justified statistical discrimination and formal equality of opportunities. This will involve analyzing the relationship between relational and distributive justice, on how the disabled person is understood as a bad user ex ante of health resources. It concludes by clarifying how epistemic injustice is a central issue.
  • Ageism and the allocation of health resources during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

    Dall'Agnol, Darlei; Machado Filho, Mario (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    This article analysis the problem of ageism in the allocation of scarce resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the distinction between primary and secondary discrimination, we seek to show that age cannot be taken as an isolate variable, for example, in the allocation of ICUs when there no place for all patients. From this, some resolutions and protocol proposals are scrutinized examining how the issue of age was addressed. Finally, we argue that there is no consensus on the topic and that more public debate on this topic is needed.
  • Balancing self-interest and public interest: Virtues and the pandemic context

    Barbosa, Evandro; Alves Costa, Thaís (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    This article explores how the external conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic have affected individualsâ moral psychology. We will argue that challenging contexts like the pandemic are external conditions that shape human moral behavior. Supported by Adam Smithâ s theory of virtues, it is argued that individuals can balance self-interest with concern for others, even in challenging circumstances, through the virtues of justice, benevolence, prudence, and, most importantly, self-control. We will conclude by stating that, even in challenging contexts, individuals need to balance private and public interests to develop appropriate moral action.
  • The procedural justice and allocation of resources for health in Norman Daniels

    Tavares Chaves, Igor; Werle, Denilson Luís (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    The aim of this article is to present and discuss the model of procedural justice proposed by Norman Daniels and James Sabin called "Accountability by Reasonableness Panel". The model proposes four conditions for resource allocation procedures to be considered fair: the publicity condition, the relevance condition, the review and appeal condition and the regulation condition. The aim is to analyze whether they are necessary and sufficient to justify decision-making processes involving the allocation of scarce resources. Some criticisms of the model's legitimacy in a just democratic society will be presented: its lack of participation; the risk of technocratic decisions, the lack of transparency or adequate means to interfere and suggest changes in the process, as well as the lack of moral agreement, especially for those issues that involve risk to life. We argue that the procedural justice model, with the necessary adjustments, is an attractive possibility for problems of allocative justice in democratic societies.
  • Pandemic and ethics: a review of 'Bioethics, Biolaw & Biopolitics' in the context of COVID-19

    Hellmann, Fernando (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    This review explores the book "Bioethics, Biolaw & Biopolitics," by Darlei Dallâ Agnol, which delves into the ethical and (necro)political complexities raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. The author presents a set of reflections centered on the pandemic and its implications for humanity. The book stands out for addressing topics such as therapeutic decisions, vaccine nationalism, neuroethics, and distributive justice in times of global crisis. Through a analysis of each of the ten chapters, the review highlights the author's approach, grounded in practical cognitivism, emphasizing respectful care and the importance of considering the impact of current decisions on future generations. Dallâ Agnol's work is recognized for its essential contribution to the current bioethical debate, documenting the failures and missteps in the pandemic response by the Brazilian Federal Government and the Federal and Regional Medical Councils. His work provides profound and valuable insights, preparing future generations to deal with pandemics and similar crises more effectively and ethically.
  • Disability discrimination in emergencies: The return of Taurek?

    Davies, Ben (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2024-03-11)
    John Taurek famously advocates an unpopular view in ethics: when deciding whom to rescue, the numbers donâ t count. We should instead give everyone the same chance of surviving by choosing at random. Surprisingly little engagement has taken place between the detailed and rich literature on whether the numbers count in rescue cases, and the practical question of whether certain facts about patients are eligible for consideration in real-world prioritisation, e.g., in emergency triage during a pandemic. I suggest that a position close to Taurekâ s maps on to real-world arguments by groups representing disabled individuals. Whereas Taurek is focused on equalising survival chances, some disability rights activists and scholars appear to argue in favour of equalising selection chances. I construct an argument in favour of this position by appealing to the idea of â opacity respectâ . I then consider the implications of this approach for broader principles of affirmative action in healthcare.
  • Immanuel Kant’s idea of radical evil as a systematic and terminological problem

    Szyrwinska-Hörig, Anna (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2023-12-13)
    The paper investigates the systematic connection between Kantian concept of radical evil and radical indeterministic idea of freedom. According to the presented thesis the systematically relevant interpretation of the radical evil concept requires considering not only philosophical ideas Kant`s but also the historic background in which they were formulated. Particularly the specific situation of German philosophic terminology in the 17th and early 18th Century will be acknowledged as one of the most significant factors influencing the development of the radical evil concept. For the sake of methodological precision of the presented analysis, the differentiation between thick and thin concept of evil will be introduced.
  • Augustine on freedom and sin: de libero arbitrio, I and III

    Di Silva, Maurizio Filippo (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2023-12-13)
    The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between freedom and sin as it appears in books I and III of the De libero arbitrio to clarify why, for Augustine, the cause of sin is the misuse of free will and why our actions would be neither good nor bad if they were not free. To this end, in the first phase of this study, we will analyze the Augustinian reflection on the nature and cause of bad actions. Then, that is, in the second moment, we will examine why sin is a voluntary movement. Afterwards, in the third phase of this study, we will analyze the relationship between divine foreknowledge and human freedom. Then, in the fourth moment, we will examine the Augustinian reflection on the cause of the will. Finally, in the conclusions, we will clarify why the relationship between freedom and sin outlined by Augustine is a consequence of his idea of divine justice.                                                                                                    
  • Taking economic liberties seriously: a liberal argument for limiting economic inequality

    Alì, Nunzio (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2023-12-13)
    In this article, I refute the assumption that a thick conception of economic liberties, including the basic rights to productive property, necessarily entails a weakening commitment to distributive requirements. The aim of the article is precisely to defend the opposite thesis. If, on the one hand, we have valid arguments to endorse a thick conception of economic freedom that is necessary for the adequate development and exercise of the “moral powers” of democratic citizenship, on the other hand, the same reason compels us to condemn excessive economic inequalities, in order to guarantee the fair value of political as well as economic liberties.
  • Self-determination as oppression: freedom and spontaneous order in F. A. Hayek

    Fleck, Amaro de Oliveira (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2023-12-13)
    The modern or negative conception of freedom is usually seen as one of the defining characteristics of the liberal tradition. In this paper, I intend to contrast Benjamin Constant's modern conception of freedom against Isaiah Berlin's and Friedrich Hayek's conceptions of negative freedom. I defend the thesis that not only is there no continuity between them, there is also a reversal on a crucial point: if for Constant modern freedom lacks civic participation in a self-determining community, for Hayek such a possibility of self-determination is the very source of the risk of oppression, so that there is no necessary or possible link between freedom and representative government. In doing so, I argue that Hayek offers two distinct conceptions of freedom, one negative (freedom as the absence of coercion) and one anti-positive (freedom as the absence of self-determination).
  • Freedoms and responsibilities in Nietzsche

    Paschoal, Antonio Edmilson (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2023-12-13)
    The purpose of this article is to indicate some contributions of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy to the debate on “concepts and conceptions of freedom” in the fields of law and politics. The content to be presented will have as its starting point the philosopher's critique of morality and will explore, from this critique, the ways in which he expands the concept of freedom and reframes the concept of responsibility. The basic material to be used for this investigation will be, in particular, the second section of the second dissertation of the Genealogy of Morals and the aphorism 188 of Beyond Good and Evil.
  • Under rule of others: republican domination and social hierarchies

    Petroni, Lucas (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2023-12-13)
    Der Artikel analysiert das neorepublikanische Konzept der Herrschaft als mögliche Antwort auf die Frage, was in Beziehungen, in denen wir unter der Macht anderer Menschen leben, moralisch verwerflich ist. Ziel der Analyse ist es, den Begriff der republikanischen Herrschaft, wie er von neorepublikanischen Freiheitstheorien (Skinner, Pettit und Lovett) konzipiert wird, mit dem zu vergleichen, was egalitäre Gerechtigkeitstheorien als das Problem der sozialen Unterordnung (Neuhouser, Kolodny und Anderson) bezeichnet haben. In dem Artikel wird versucht, die Vorteile hervorzuheben, die eine Betonung der ungerechten Formen sozialer Unterordnung für das Verständnis von Fällen bringen würde, in denen wir unter der Macht anderer Menschen leben. Schließlich wird argumentiert, dass egalitäre Gerechtigkeitstheorien die Vielfalt der Gründe anerkennen müssen, aus denen die freie Ausübung der persönlichen Handlungsfähigkeit wertvoll ist, während sie gleichzeitig restriktive eindimensionale Theorien der Freiheit vermeiden sollten.
  • Freedom, recognition and social criticism: on the 'loss of ethical life' in Hegel

    Lima, Erick (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2023-12-13)
    The present paper has the broader objective of sustaining the idea that Hegel's notion of reciprocal recognition constitutes the mediation between his theory of freedom and the potential of his philosophy for social criticism. In the first part, I would like to reconstruct dimensions of the recent debate that seeks to recover the notion of recognition in the context of the Philosophy of Right. The main intention here is to develop the idea that there is in Hegel a transformation of the notion of autonomy into the model of reciprocal recognition, as well as to highlight some of the most fruitful consequences of this modification (1). Then, resuming the main stages of Honneth's theoretical path, I try to emphasize, based on Die Armut unserer Freiheit (2020), the hermeneutical advantages of a concentration on the notion of 'objective freedom' in Hegel, also exploring the differences between Honneth and Brandom's 'expressivism' (2). Based on considerations about the 'objective' dimension of freedom, I then propose a discussion that seek to clarify §§ 21-24 of the Philosophy of Right from an explanation of the normative consequences of the model of recognition, undertaken by Hegel in the Phenomenology (3). Finally, after connecting the normative implications of recognition to the 'loss of ethical life', I conclude with a discussion on Hegel's diagnosis of modern society (4).
  • Thomas Hobbes: thinker of liberty? Studies on the art of rhetoric and civil liberty

    Nakayama, Patricia (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 2023-12-13)
    This study seeks to present some elements on the understanding of the rhetorical art, especially with regard to the issue of freedom in the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. Firstly, we will make an introductory presentation to the fundamental elements of the rhetorical art, in order to understand how the inventio, and its relationship with force, are necessary requirements for the maintenance of civil liberty in the civil state, as well as the role of this art in Hobbesian philosophy. In a second moment, our exposition will deal with the apparatus of rhetoric, civil liberty and its compatibilities, a discussion that will ground the equation between absolute sovereignty and social liberties or rights.

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