Some practical problems in the teaching of ethics to medical students are described. The definition of the objectives of the course remains the central aspect, and is more important than the specific content. The use of student projects, buzz groups, case histories and discussion points is described. There is a need for student assessment or examination at the end of the course. The teachers require a broad background in philosophy, clinical medicine and teaching skills. The learning of the teachers may (...) be as important as that of the students. (shrink)

Quality of life is a difficult concept to define and to measure. An hypothesis is proposed which suggests that the quality of life measures the difference, or the gap, at a particular period of time between the hopes and expectations of the individual and that individual's present experiences. Quality of life can only be described by the individual, and must take into account many aspects of life. The approach is goal-orientated, and one of task analysis. The hypothesis is developed in (...) a diagramatic way, and several methods of testing the hypothesis suggested. (shrink)

Resource allocation is a central part of the decision-making process in any health care system. Resources have always been finite, thus the ethical issues raised are not new. The debate is now more open, and there is greater public awareness of the issues. It is increasingly recognised that it is the technology which determines resources. The ethical issues involved are often conflicting and relate to issues of individual rights and community benefits. One central feature of resource allocation is the basing (...) of decisions on the outcomes of health care and on their subsequent economic evaluation. The knowledge base is therefore of great importance as is the audit of results of clinical treatment. Public involvement is seen as an integral part of this process. For all parts of the process, better methodologies are required. (shrink)

Arapçada izâfet bütünleşik bir yapı arz eden ve ögeleri arasındaki kuvvetli bağ sebebiyle iki isimli bu yapının müfred isim mesabesinde kabul edildiği bir dizilimdir. Bu yapıyı oluşturan kelimelerin diziliminde herhangi bir yer değişimi olmamakla birlikte şiir zarureti gibi oldukça istisna sayılabilecek durumlar dışında bu iki ismin arasına başka bir sözün girmesi de karşılaşılan bir durum değildir. Sözü bu derece kuvvetli bir yapıyla ifade etmenin birtakım anlamsal gerekçeleri bulunmaktadır. Ancak yine anlamın etkili olduğu başka gerekçeler, izâfetle ifadesi mümkün olan bir sözün (...) farklı dizilimlerle dile getirilmesini gerekli kılmaktadır. Bu çalışma Arapçada izâfetle ifadesi mümkün olmakla birlikte farklı yapılarla meydana getirilen dizilimleri tespit edip incelemektedir. Çalışma bir yandan izâfetle ilişkili olup gramerde farklı başlıklar altında yer alan dizilimleri analiz edip değerlendirerek bir arada sunmayı, bir yandan da bu dizilimlerin yapısal farklılıklarını ve farklılığın anlamsal gerekçelerini değerlendirerek konunun öğretimine yönelik veriler oluşturmayı amaçlamaktadır. Konunun yapısal boyutunda bu dizilimlerin izâfetten farkı ve dönüşümün biçimsel boyuta nasıl yansıdığı incelenmektedir. Anlamsal boyutta ise izâfet ve izâfet dışındaki dizilimlerin tercihinde etkili olan anlamsal faktörler incelenmektedir. Her dizilimin biçime yansıyan kendine has oluşturulma gerekçesi olmakla beraber izâfetin tercihinde veciz olmasının, izâfet formunun değişimiyle elde edilen ifadelerde ise çalışmada ayrıntıları izah edilen diğer sebeplerin etkili olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. (shrink)

Yūsuf al-Ardabīlī is one of the Shāfiʿī jurists who lived in Azerbaijan in the 8th century of Hijri. This scholar, whose birth date we couldn’t find any information about, even though it has been searched in both local and foreign literature, died in Ardabīl in the year 799/1397 as bibliographical scholars agreed on. Ardabīlī is a person known by his work al-Anwār li-aʿmāl al-abrār, which he dedicated to Shāfiʿī jurisprudence, and someone with jurisprudential knowledge whom Shāfiʿī jurists benefit from. In (...) his work on jurisprudence (furūʿ al-fiqh), al-Anwār, he discussed the issues without delving deeply into evidences and partially mentioned uṣūl al-fiqh. Yūsuf al-Ardabīlī addressed the topics in his work by classifying them as acts of worship (ʿibādāt), transactions (muʿāmalāt), inheritance (farāʾiḍ), marriage and divorce (munākaḥāt-mufāraqāt), punishments (ʿuqūbāt), the conduct of judges (adab al-qāḍī), and freeing slaves (ʿitq). Moreover, in his work, he provides explanations that shed light on recent studies by addressing the subject of fatwā in detail. By addressing the fatwā institutions, Ardabīlī includes information on topics like the etiquette of istiftāʾ, fatwā with sharīʿah tricks (ḥiyal sharʿiyyah), and exceptions in divorce (ṭalāq). Because no academic studies have been done on his explanations in this field, the subject requires further attention. Additionally, presenting his explanations on the fatwā institution to the scholarly community is greatly important for shedding light on future studies. Islamic jurists recognize fatwā activities as a duty that requires responsibility in terms of religion and worldly life. Therefore, they do not favor the participation of those who lack knowledge and the capability of deducing religious rulings from sharīʿah evidences in fatwā activities.This study aims to contribute to the Islamic jurisprudence literature by addressing the principles of fatwā procedure through Ardabīlī’s perspective in his work, al-Anwār. (shrink)

Haspelmath argues that linguists who conduct comparative research and try to explain patterns that are general across languages can only consider two sources of these patterns: convergent cultural evolution of languages, which provides functional explanations of these phenomena, or innate building blocks for syntactic structure, specified in the human cognitive system. This paper claims that convergent cultural evolution and functional-adaptive explanations are not sufficient to explain the existence of certain crosslinguistic phenomena. The argument is based on comparative evidence of generalizations (...) based on Rizzi and Cinque's theories of cartographic syntax, which imply the existence of finely ordered and complex innate categories. I argue that these patterns cannot be explained in functional-adaptive terms alone. (shrink)

Statʹi, razmyshlenii︠a︡, ocherki -- Pisʹma v redakt︠s︡ii -- Perepiska s chlenami Soi︠u︡za svobodomysli︠a︡shchikh -- Pisʹma k M.I. Barskoĭ -- Perepiska mezhdu K.P. Krizhanovskim i I.G. Khusidom -- Iz materialov dela K.P. Krizhanovskogo.

This paper provides an analysis of the Preface and Chapter 1 of Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. It will be translated into German, and published in a volume edited by Markus Seidel.

The article is devoted to the biography and creativity of the Russian religious existential thinker Lev Shestov. The article reflects the main stages of the philosopher’s philosophical evolution: it analyzes the sources of his work, the circle of the closest to Shestov thinkers and philosophers, it examines the reasons of the transformations of his views that forced philosopher to overcome the ethical and take the path of philosophy of tragedy and immoralism, it traces his creative evolution from populism to Nietzscheanism (...) and religious philosophy of the existential type. The author of the article analyzes the changes of Shestov’s ethical understanding, his vision of philosophy and the idea of humanism and his attitude to the personality and heritage of F. Nietzsche. The article discusses the basic concepts of his teaching: tragedy, the living God, faith, reason, sin, boldness, “vsemstvo”, death, speculation, etc. It traces the connection with European intellectuals and emphasizes Lev Shestov’s contribution to Western culture. (shrink)

Background: Double degrees in nursing and midwifery have evolved in Australia as a proposed solution to possible impending shortages of qualified midwives in the healthcare workforce. The double degree is seen as a more acceptable option in non-metropolitan areas in particular. Concern has been expressed however, about dilution of midwifery philosophy and graduates opportunities in respect of future clinical practice. Aim: This study aimed to provide a better understanding of motivations and intentions of students who undertake the Bachelor of Nursing (...) Science/Bachelor of Midwifery double degree. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was employed at four universities that offered double degrees in nursing and midwifery in three states of Australia. Students enrolled in first and fourth year of a double degree and graduates of a double degree were invited to complete an online survey comprised of Likertscales and items requiring free text responses. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS and thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Findings: Participants indicated a clear preference for midwifery as a career with this preference increasing for each cohort at each stage of study. Discussion: Primary reasons for selecting a double degree were perceived increased opportunity for employment and use of nursing skills to enhance midwifery practice in a population with growing co-morbidities. A strong identification with midwifery philosophy and identity was also demonstrated.Conclusion: An understanding of motivations and career intentions of students undertaking double degree studies can inform future program development and workforce planning. (shrink)

The author of this comment suggests that some of the important points made by Dr Adrian Rogers are vitiated by a tendency to contrast the worst of modern medical practice with an over-idealised view of the past. The state of medical ethics today, the author suggests, is more hopeful than Dr Rogers allows.