Nieuwe ontwikkelingen in wetenschap en technologie roepen naast positieve ook negatieve reacties en twijfel op. De reacties worden geuit in debatten. Deze debatten verlopen vaak volgens hetzelfde... Show moreNieuwe ontwikkelingen in wetenschap en technologie roepen naast positieve ook negatieve reacties en twijfel op. De reacties worden geuit in debatten. Deze debatten verlopen vaak volgens hetzelfde stramien: er is een nieuwe ontwikkeling, daarover moet een standpunt worden ingenomen, dit roept vragen op, vragen die vaak gaan over wat 'natuurlijk' is, waar onze grenzen liggen, of alles mag wat kan. Over mogelijke antwoorden bestaan ernstige meningsverschillen. Het debat bloedt dood en er wordt een besluit genomen waarbij aan de (potentiële) rijkheid van de debatten wordt voorbijgegaan. Waarom verlopen debatten op deze manier? Waarom worden deelnemers en argumenten zo vaak gestereotypeerd, uitgesloten of onredelijk genoemd? Dat valt eigenlijk pas goed te begrijpen door te kijken naar wat onder de oppervlakte speelt: de manier waarop we met elkaar in gesprek gaan in publieke discussies. De kwaliteit van debatten kan worden verbeterd. Dat kan door ruimte te creëren voor morele democratisering. Dit vereist een driedubbele verbreding van publieke debatten. Een verbreding van deelnemers, van vragen en argumenten. Hiervoor is redelijkheid, inclusiviteit en moed nodig. Show less
In good hands. Nursing practice in a moral perspective. There is much debate about the moral aspects of nursing and the possibilities for moral professionalization. In this study we contribute to... Show moreIn good hands. Nursing practice in a moral perspective. There is much debate about the moral aspects of nursing and the possibilities for moral professionalization. In this study we contribute to the debate by describing the possibilities nurses see for themselves to handle moral problems in patient care. Regarding ethical issues, nurses consider a specific role for themselves as patients advocates, a specific standpoint being based on a nursing domain which they can contribute to multidisciplinary consultation and an ethic of their own, being ethics of care. Analyzing the application of these positions in three pediatric case-study__s reveals that each position offers nurses insufficient support. Advocacy proves to be at odds with team-nursing, the nursing system that is most common. Successful participation in treatment decision-making turns out not to be based on a nursing domain but on a mutual frame of reference with doctors. Although a care-ethical analysis helps to understand the problems that may arise during care and treatment, important problems can not be solved with the aid of care ethics. Elements of all positions are used to construct a new ethical framework that can serve as a fundament for the moral professional practice of nurses and offer assistance to nurses in handling moral problems in patient care. Show less
This research is a socio-legal study of developments in the profession of notaries. The enactment of a new act in 1999, aimed at enhancing competition and abolishing the guilt-like structure of the... Show moreThis research is a socio-legal study of developments in the profession of notaries. The enactment of a new act in 1999, aimed at enhancing competition and abolishing the guilt-like structure of the profession of notaries, is a first pillar of this research, The study focuses as well on developments in the ethics of notaries and the qualities of their services. Liberalization, through the abolition of fixed fees as well as regulated establishment, would bring about the flux of young notaries, innovation and dynamics in the profession and better prices for the customers. Making up the balance after eight years of enhanced competition in the notaries’profession one must say, that not all of the intentions and goals of the legislator were translated into the practice of notaries. The flux of new firms run by young notaries, lagged behind. Price differentiation entered the stage, but so did higher prices in the consumer’s sector. The guilt-like and old fashioned flavour of the profession is a thing of the past. Scaling up, specialization and innovation enter the stage. Franchises of firms of notaries arise. Ratings of notaries’firms and their tariffs appear on the Internet and the services of notaries become more consumers friendly. While a more entrepreneurial orientation can be traced, one cannot speak of an ethical decay. Liberalisation is rather a catalyst for new thoughts on quality and ethics on firm level. Show less
This study surveys the theory about 'Christendom' developed by the Anglican theologian Oliver O'Donovan. The author defines 'Christendom' as a state of affairs in which the Christian faith in one... Show moreThis study surveys the theory about 'Christendom' developed by the Anglican theologian Oliver O'Donovan. The author defines 'Christendom' as a state of affairs in which the Christian faith in one way or another gives public direction to society and/or politics. The investigation is positioned within the present debate about the role of religion in Dutch society. The Anglo-Saxon Christendom debate illustrates that the discussions about the societal role of religion should not deny the theological dimension to this question. The Christendom debate of our time has been for the most part initiated by two American theologians, John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas. They take a critical view of Christendom. Besides this option there are four other positions in the Christendom debate: the Christian faith as civil religion, the liberal vision, the theocratic approach, and confessional or principled pluralism. A comparison between them and O'Donovan's theory shows out that the latter has the potential to unite what usually only exists in mutual tension and to open up a fruitful continuation of the 'Christendom' debate as well as the discussions about the role of religion in society. Show less
