Jahr – European Journal of Bioethics

Zapažanja o bolestima glave

Franjo Mijatović — 2024-09-17

Translation of Kant's work / Prijevod Kantovog djela

Obavijest liječnicima

Hrvoje Jurić — 2024-09-17

Translation of Kant's work / Prijevod Kantovog djela

22nd Lošinj Days of Bioethics

Dominica Firšt — 2024-09-17

Scientific meeting review

The 26th Rijeka Days of Bioethics: The Contribution of Immanuel Kant to the Historical Development and Identity of (Bio)medical Sciences

Franjo Mijatović — 2024-09-17

Scientific meeting review

Guest Editorial

Josip Guć — 2024-09-17

Guest Editorial

Between Beautiful and Moral Action

Jan Defrančeski — 2024-09-17

https://doi.org/10.21860/j.15.1.6

In this paper, the author reflects on Immanuel Kant’s distinction between beautiful and moral action, and its influence on Arne Næss’s ecological thought. By referring to Næss’s interpretation of Kant’s moral philosophy, and especially his lesser-known writing An Attempt at Some Reflections on Optimism (German: Versuch einiger Betrachtungen über den Optimismus, 1759), the author presents the thesis that Kant – although it does not seem so at first glance – plays an important role in Næss’s environmental philosophy (i.e., Ecosophy T) and that his moral philosophy represents solid foundations for articulating one’s own ecosophies. This prompted the author to ponder about (I) the depth of Kant’s influence on Næss, (II) Kantian roots of deep ecology, and (III) Kantian contributions to deep-ecological thinking. In doing
so, the author also outlined a Kantian ecosophy – by using some of the most important concepts of Kant’s moral philosophy (e.g., duty, intrinsic value, categorical imperative, moral law, moral autonomy, moral development, and humanity as an end in itself). Finally, as a result of this discussion, the author concluded that Kant’s and Næss’s philosophical theories and worldviews – regardless of their differences – agree at least on one point: human beings
could and should make a difference by acting morally and/or beautifully.

How Demands Shape Morality

Josip Guć — 2024-09-17

https://doi.org/10.21860/j.15.1.7

Although Kant’s ethics excludes non-human animals from direct moral concern, animal ethics can still benefit from it. Some of Kant’s statements provide incentives for developing moral obligations towards non-human animals, rather than simply concerning them. These incentives are primarily found in two of his statements. Firstly, Kant defines duty as “the
necessity of an action from respect for law,” but also as “moral constraint [Nötigung] by [another] subject’s will.” Therefore, the duty can be understood as a demand. In the Kantian framework, this demand can only come from another person, not non-human animals. However, Kant also acknowledges that man’s “reason certainly has a commission from the side of his sensibility which it cannot refuse.” Suppose this demand, arising from sensibility, can be interpreted as a demand of our animality in its own right. In that case, there should be no obstacles to rejecting the moral consideration of demands presented to us from the standpoint of a non-human being’s animality. The paper categorizes demands as either articulated or silent and as either moral or related to self-realization. It argues that non-human animals can indirectly shape moral demands by expressing their silent demands for self-realization. They do so indirectly because moral demands can only be articulated in our practical reason.

Kant i Zdravlje

Vuk Trnavac — 2024-09-17

https://doi.org/10.21860/j.15.1.8

Autor nastoji iz vlastite metodoontološke perspektive raskriti osnovne potke Kantova razumijevanja Zdravlja u kontekstu njegova idejnog projekta o Zdravlju drugih. Osnovna ideja istraživanja jest da se osvijetle najvažniji momenti kada je u pitanju konstituiranje pojma Zdravlja kod filozofa koji je omogućio cjelokupan njemački klasični idealizam – Immanuela
Kanta (1724. – 1804.). U radu će biti pokazano kako je Kant razdvajao konstitutivne i normativne principe za Zdravlje kao što su stoički univerzalni lijek – Dijetetika, od onih regulativnih, poput ljekarne i kirurgije, jer Kant ne samo da je bio pobornik Platonove ideje jedinstva duhovnog, duševnog i fizičkog Zdravlja, nego je u susretu s rađanjem medicine kao
moderne znanosti vješto branio čuvenu krilaticu da je bolje spriječiti nego liječiti. Pokazat će se i da je za realizaciju ovakvog projekta bilo neophodno držati se prije svega principa uma – filozofije kao Drugog, ali i očuvati mogućnost sagledavanja tog, kao i drugih moralno praktičkih problema, ali i svrha iz različitih perspektiva i time omogućiti da se (i) Zdravlju pristupi propućivanjem interdisciplinarnog – par exellence metodoontološkog puta.

Jahrovi argumenti za zaštitu biljnog života i kantijanski utjecaj u njegovoj bioetici

Marko Kos — 2024-09-17

https://doi.org/10.21860/j.15.1.9

U radu se analizira doprinos Fritza Jahra utemeljenju bioetike s naglaskom na njegovu zaštitu biljnog života i kantijanski utjecaj. Jahr u raspravu uvodi pojam „bioetički imperativ“, koncept koji je inspiriran Kantovim kategoričkim imperativom i petom biblijskom zapovijedi „Ne ubij!“ – odnosno, Jahrov imperativ poziva na poštovanje svih oblika života, uključujući biljke, proširujući moralni obzir izvan ljudske vrste. Jahr argumentira svoju poziciju o moralnom obziru koristeći znanstvene, religijske, filozofske i pjesničke perspektive. Tekst prikazuje kako Jahrova „filozofija morala“ uključuje elemente suosjećanja, ljubavi i solidarnosti sa svim živim bićima, prikazujući autore koji služe kao relevantna mjesta za znanstvene i
izvanznanstvene perspektive. Jahr se poziva na radove poznatih suvremenika, znanstvenika i filozofa, uključujući Wilhelma Wundta, Gustava Theodora Fechnera i Immanuela Kanta, kako bi podržao svoje teze. Kroz analizu Jahrovih članaka i ideja rad pokazuje kako njegova bioetika nadilazi povijesne okvire i ima relevantnost za današnje etičke izazove u zaštiti okoliša
i života uopće.

Editorial

Igor Eterović — 2024-09-17

Editorial

The Impact of Family Communication on Adolescent Satisfaction with Family Life Across Different Family Structures

Helena Križan — 2024-09-17

https://doi.org/10.21860/j.15.1.1

The Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems is one of the most widely used approaches in family studies. This model assumes that family communication is an important element in achieving positive family functioning because it allows family members to alter their levels of flexibility and cohesion. While this theoretical approach has been widely used and tested there are still some gaps in the empirical evidence on the universality of its assumptions. Considering that adolescents today live in a wide variety of families, that are very diverse according to their structures, it is important from an ethical standpoint to test the universality of any theoretical framework that is used in family interventions. This study therefore sought to investigate whether there are differences in satisfaction with family life and family communication in families with different structures and whether family communication is an important correlate of satisfaction with family life in all types of families, using data from a study of adolescents from Zagreb, Croatia (N = 4 821). Linear regression was used to evaluate the association of family satisfaction (dependent variable) with family communication and parental marital status (predictor variables) with the additional inclusion of interaction effects between family communication and parental marital status. The results of this study have shown that adolescents are generally satisfied with their family life and that there are differences in perceived family satisfaction and family communication between adolescents regarding the marital status of their parents. The results presented in this paper support the main hypothesis that in families with adolescents, family communication is strongly associated with family satisfaction, independently of parental marital status. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving family communication skills in adolescent families could benefit all families with adolescents.

Spremnost zdravstvenih ustanova Republike Hrvatske za uključivanje volontiranja

Gordana Šimunković — 2024-09-17

https://doi.org/10.21860/j.15.1.2

Volontiranje ima svoj prepoznati doprinos u široj zajednici, ali i u područjima kao što je zdravstveni sustav. Taj doprinos prepoznaje se na razini pacijenta i na razini zdravstvene ustanove, no usprkos tome, zdravstvene ustanove u Republici Hrvatskoj prepoznaju se kao zatvorene za volontiranje iako se ne razmatraju detaljnije razlozi takvog stanja. Uz polaznu ideju da je zatvorenost poticana niskom razinom spremnosti na uključivanje volontiranja, provedeno je istraživanje s ciljem procjene razine spremnosti zdravstvenih ustanova za uključivanje volontiranja i kreiranja smjernica za pomak spremnosti na višu razinu. Primijenio se mješoviti istraživački pristup kroz dvije faze: prikupljanje kvantitativnih podataka online anketom i prikupljanje kvalitativnih podataka intervjuima. Istraživanje se temeljilo na modelu spremnosti zajednice prema kojem je prilagođena skala procjene za provedbu online ankete. Anketa je obuhvatila 28,85% javnih zdravstvenih ustanova (N=45). Intervjuima je obuhvaćeno tri skupine sudionika (N=27): vodstvo, djelatnici i volonter iz 15 zdravstvenih ustanova koje uključuju volontiranje. Prema dobivenim rezultatima, zdravstveni sustav, nalazi se na trećoj o devet razina spremnosti tj. nalazi se na razini slabe svijesti o pojavi s najnižom razinom spremnosti na dimenziji resursa. Tematskom analizom praćen je okvir od četiri teme u skladu s dimenzijama modela: odnos menadžmenta prema volontiranju, klima u zdravstvenoj ustanovi, znanje je moć i postavljanje temelja za razvoj volonterskog programa. Kao glavni smjer za pomak na višu razinu spremnosti, pokazalo se preuzimanje odgovornosti da se volontiranje kao resurs uključi u pojedinu zdravstvenu ustanovu. Cilj koji je potrebno pri tome imati pred sobom, je podizanje svijesti da zdravstvene ustanove mogu uključivati volontiranje.

‘The Trio-Model’

Nithin Varghese — 2024-09-17

https://doi.org/10.21860/j.15.1.3

In light of the United Nations’ aim to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and recognizing that the international community is nowhere near to achieving this aim, this paper argues for a change in practice and perspective regarding animals used for food, particularly those animals used in the industrial animal agriculture industry, and consequently calls for a transformative change in human-animal relationships. Using the global practice of factory farming as a case study, the paper aims to show that the interests of humans, nonhumans, and the environment overlap considerably and that the current anthropocentric stance, that provides the ethical framework for the SDGs, undermines itself in its attempt to meet the needs of present and future human beings whilst considering human interests only as of direct moral concern. Drawing on the concepts of “one health” and “doughnut economics”, the paper concludes with an urgent call for a more inclusive biocentric approach to global environmental problems, health, and disease. Such an approach should recognize the good of other than human beings in and of itself, and be guided by relevant anti-speciesist egalitarian principles and practices. This framework of biocentrism, doughnut economics, and one health the authors term the ‘trio-model’, for short.

Global Health, Climate Change, and Migration

Ioannis Ladas — 2024-09-17

https://doi.org/10.21860/j.15.1.4

This article examines the relationship between global health, climate change, and migration. It explores migration of both humans and animals, and its inverse. Many researchers directly link seasonal droughts, heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and floods to human health, observing, among other things, that these conditions increase contact with wildlife. As a result, there are serious concerns about the risk of future pandemics and epidemics. These issues primarily have a moral dimension because they relate to human well-being and test the fair distribution of healthcare resources. In this context, the development of a new ethic for a truly sustainable environment is deemed necessary, as the protection of the environment and global public health is a global moral responsibility and obligation. Moreover, there is a duty to protect all those displaced by a health crisis due to climate change, and the concept of a type of health asylum could be proposed, as we might soon talk about health refugees and migrants in combination with environmental ones.

Pojam i analiza implementacije koncepta aktivnog starenja u međunarodnopravnom i hrvatskom pravnom sustavu

Nevia Balog — 2024-09-17

https://doi.org/10.21860/j.15.1.5

Uslijed višegodišnjeg i aktualnog trenda demografskog starenja stanovništva pitanje ljudskih prava i socijalne uključenosti starijih osoba sve više dobiva na značaju. Starije osobe povijesno su smatrane ranjivom skupinom u društvu zbog ovisnosti o drugima, što zbog bolesti, slabosti ili trajnog invaliditeta. Upravo stoga je ova kategorija ranjivih osoba često izložena višestrukim diskriminacijama. U posljednja dva desetljeća sve je aktualniji „koncept aktivnog starenja“ kao suvremeni odgovor na potrebe starijih osoba, uključujući starije osobe s invaliditetom. Koncept aktivnog starenja predstavlja smjer politika, strategija i akcijskih mjera koje su usmjerene na poboljšanje kvalitete života starijih osoba s ciljem produljenja životnog vijeka i što dulji ostanak u obitelji i zajednici. Ono uključuje zaštitu prava na zdravstvenu zaštitu, socijalnu uključenost, doprinos životu zajednice, kao i ravnopravno sudjelovanje u kulturnom i društvenom životu zajednice. U radu se analiziraju implementacija i zastupljenosti koncepta aktivnog starenja u politikama i strategijama te pozitivnopravnim hrvatskim i međunarodnim propisima. Ujedno se postavlja pitanje usklađenosti hrvatskih politika i propisa s međunarodnim standardima u području prava starijih osoba i koncepta aktivnog starenja.