Background: Situations where patients resist necessary help can be professionally and ethically challenging for health professionals, and the risk of paternalism, abuse and coercion are present. Research question: The purpose of this study was to examine ethical challenges in situations where the patient resists healthcare. Research design: The method used was clinical application research. Academic staff and clinical co-researchers collaborated in a hermeneutical process to shed light on situations and create a basis for new action. Participants and research context: Four (...) research groups were established. Each group consisted of six to eight clinical co-researchers, all employees with different health profession backgrounds and from different parts of the municipal healthcare services, and two scientific researchers. Ethical considerations: The study was conducted in compliance with ethical guidelines and principles. Participants were informed that participation was voluntary and that confidentiality would be maintained. They signed a consent form. Findings: The findings showed that the situations where patients opposed help related to personal hygiene, detention in an institution and medication associated with dental treatment. The situations were perceived as demanding and emotionally stressful for the clinicians. Discussion: The situations can be described as everyday ethics and are more characterised by moral uncertainty and moral distress than by being classic ethical dilemmas. Conclusion: Norwegian legislation governing the use of force seems to provide decision guidance with the potential to reduce uncertainty and moral stress if the clinicians’ legal competence had been greater. (shrink)

Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions offers an insightful and engaging theory of science that speaks to scholars across many disciplines. Though initially widely misunderstood, it had a profound impact on the way intellectuals and educated laypeople thought about science. K. Brad Wray traces the influences on Kuhn as he wrote Structure, including his ‘Aristotle epiphany’, his interactions, and his studies of the history of chemistry. Wray then considers the impact of Structure on the social sciences, on the history (...) of science, and on the philosophy of science, where the problem of theory change has set the terms of contemporary realism/anti-realism debates. He examines Kuhn’s frustrations with the Strong Programme sociologists’ appropriations of his views, and debunks several popular claims about what influenced Kuhn as he wrote Structure. His book is a rich and comprehensive assessment of one of the most influential works in the modern sciences. (shrink)

Purpose: To show the convergences between Josef Mitterer's non-dualizing way of speaking and actor-network theory. Method: Comparative analysis of Mitterer's non-dualizing philosophy and actor-network philosophy. Findings: Profound convergences between the two accounts may lead to a unified account that could redefine traditional philosophical problems. Benefits: The paper extends the range of Mitterer's non-dualizing philosophy and actor-network theory enabling both to face new problems. Among them, extended non-dualizing philosophy may undergo empirical investigations.

In a world of fragmented approach and the loss of a holistic vision, an integrated view is called for to save the human community and at large the universe from many perils. One such integrated outlook germinates in Raimon Panikkar’s understanding of the most cherished Indian philosophical concept of advaita. The altogether different outlook he passes into the understanding of advaita – which is the main elaboration in this paper – takes the lead to various ramifications to see the reality (...) in diversified manner and still with an undifferentiated unity. He highlights that the entities should be seen in their polarities and not in-themselves. This perspective leaps into the felt need for a cross-cultural journey which is an indispensable one at the current scenario of a pluralistic phenomenon and the availability of many options. Still, elaborating on the cross-cultural odyssey is not the objective here and therefore such an exposition does not have space here. The emphasis lies on the drive that pushes us for an interest into cross-cultural approach giving awareness that we can no more be isolated within an enclosure. (shrink)

The cultural modernity neoplasm, which may be called ‘open cultural and educational space‘, is described. The characteristics of this phenomenon, their importance in modern pedagogy in the mainstream open the immanent education. The comparison is made with the selected criteria of commune collecting as brightest phenomenon of practice pedagogy of general care by I. P. Ivanov. The conclusions are made not only full compliance but also a significant expansion of selected characteristics subjectivity to the side of nurturing personality.