Neo‐Aristotelian ethical naturalism purports to show that moral evaluation of human action and character is an evaluation of natural goodness—a kind of evaluation that applies to living things in virtue of their nature and based on their form of life. The standard neo‐Aristotelian view defines natural goodness by way of generic statements describing the natural history, or the ‘characteristic’ life, of a species. In this paper, I argue that this conception of natural goodness commits the neo‐Aristotelian view to a problematic (...) anti‐individualism that results in the wrong assessment of individuals with uniquely adaptive adjustments. I then offer an alternative account of natural goodness that avoids this problem. Instead of relying on generic statements about a species, my account defines natural goodness based on counterfactual conditionals describing the modal properties of a single individual. I argue that this modal‐explanatory account gives a conception of natural goodness that is more intuitively plausible and better suited to capture the diversity and plasticity distinctive of life. (shrink)

This paper addresses a question about the moral status of Artificial Intelligence (AI): will AIs ever become moral patients? I argue that, while it is in principle possible for an intelligent machine to be a moral patient, there is no good reason to believe this will in fact happen. I start from the plausible assumption that traditional artifacts do not meet a minimal necessary condition of moral patiency: having a good of one's own. I then argue that intelligent machines are (...) no different from traditional artifacts in this respect. To make this argument, I examine the feature of AIs that enables them to improve their intelligence, i.e., machine learning. I argue that there is no reason to believe that future advances in machine learning will take AIs closer to having a good of their own. I thus argue that concerns about the moral status of future AIs are unwarranted. Nothing about the nature of intelligent machines makes them a better candidate for acquiring moral patiency than the traditional artifacts whose moral status does not concern us. (shrink)

In the debate over the moral status of nonsentient organisms, biocentrists argue that all living things, including nonsentient ones, have interests of their own. They often defend this claim by arguing that living organisms are goal-directed, functionally organized systems. This argument for ascribing interests has faced a serious challenge that is sometimes called the Problem of Scope. Critics have argued that ascribing interests on the basis of functional organization would have implausible implications regarding the scope of the argument, such as (...) ascribing interests to inanimate artifacts and machines. In this paper, I argue that much of the recent discussion on the Problem of Scope is based on an uncharitable interpretation of the argument for ascribing interests, which presupposes a reductionist account of functions. I assess this version of the argument, and explain why it cannot succeed. I then consider an alternative interpretation of the argument, which appeals to a non-reductionist account of functions. I argue that this version of the argument avoids the Problem of Scope, while acknowledging that it has limitations of its own. (shrink)

Neo-Aristotelian naturalism purports to explain morality in terms of human nature, while maintaining that the relevant aspects of human nature cannot be known scientifically. This has led some to conclude that neo-Aristotelian naturalism is not a form of ethical naturalism in the standard, metaphysical sense. In this paper, I argue that neo-Aristotelian naturalism is in fact a standard form of ethical naturalism that is committed to metaphysical naturalism about moral truths and presents a distinctive and underappreciated argument for it. I (...) reconstruct the neo-Aristotelian argument for ethical naturalism in terms of a continuity between the ethical domain and the natural domain of life. I argue that clarifying the meta-ethical import of neo-Aristotelian naturalism not only helps to situate it among other positions in meta-ethics, but also facilitates better critical engagement with the view. (shrink)

Neo-Aristotelian ethical naturalism aims to place moral virtue in the natural world by showing that moral goodness is an instance of natural goodness—a kind of goodness supposedly also found in the biological realm of plants and non-human animals. One of the central issues facing neo-Aristotelian naturalists concerns their commitment to a kind of function ascription based on the concept of the flourishing of an organism that seems to have no place in modern biology. In this paper, I offer a novel (...) defense of this functional commitment by appealing to the organizational account of biological function. I argue that the flourishing-based concept of function that forms the basis of the neo-Aristotelian account of natural goodness is explanatorily indispensable to biology, and therefore essential to the understanding of living things. (shrink)

Neo-Aristotelian metaethical naturalism is a modern attempt at naturalizing ethics using ideas from Aristotle’s teleological metaphysics. Proponents of this view argue that moral virtue in human beings is an instance of natural goodness, a kind of goodness supposedly also found in the realm of non-human living things. Many critics question whether neo-Aristotelian naturalism is tenable in light of modern evolutionary biology. Two influential lines of objection have appealed to an evolutionary understanding of human nature and natural teleology to argue against (...) this view. In this paper, I offer a reconstruction of these two seemingly different lines of objection as raising instances of the same dilemma, giving neo-Aristotelians a choice between contradicting our considered moral judgment and abandoning metaethical naturalism. I argue that resolving the dilemma requires showing a particular kind of continuity between the norms of moral virtue and norms that are necessary for understanding non-human living things. I also argue that in order to show such a continuity, neo-Aristotelians need to revise the relationship they adopt with empirical science and acknowledge that the latter is relevant to assessing their central commitments regarding living things. Finally, I argue that to move this debate forward, both neo-Aristotelians and their critics should pay attention to recent work on the concept of organism in evolutionary and developmental biology. (shrink)

According to neo-Aristotelian ethical naturalism, moral goodness is an instance of natural goodness, a kind of normativity supposedly already present in nature in the biological realm of non-human living things. Proponents of this view appeal to Michael Thompson’s conception of a life-form--the form of a living organism--to give an account of natural goodness. However, although neo-Aristotelians call themselves naturalists, they hardly ever consult the science of biology to defend their commitments regarding biological organisms. This has led many critics to argue (...) that the neo-Aristotelian account of natural normativity is out of touch with the findings of modern evolutionary biology. One line of response to this objection, presented by John Hacker-Wright and Micah Lott, claims that the neo-Aristotelian concept of a living organism has to be presupposed in evolutionary biology as long as organisms are the subjects of evolutionary explanation. In this paper, I examine this response by tracing the concept of organism in modern evolutionary biology. I first argue that the Modern Synthesis theory of evolution, which understands evolution as change in gene frequencies within a population, does not presuppose the relevant concept of organism. I then explore an alternative view of evolution that has emerged in the past twenty years from advances in evolutionary developmental biology. I argue that this so called ‘evo-devo’ approach makes room for an explanatory concept of organism that can be reconciled with the neo-Aristotelian view. Moreover, I argue that although the explanatory role of the concept of organism in evolutionary biology is still contentious, the well-established role of this concept in developmental biology can be used to defend the biological commitments of neo-Aristotelian naturalism. (shrink)

Neo-Aristotelian metaethical naturalism aims to naturalize ethical normativity by showing that it is continuous with natural normativity, a kind of normativity already present in nature among plants and animals. Opponents of this view argue that evolutionary biology rejects the neo-Aristotelian notion of natural normativity, while its proponents argue that the opponents’ appeal to evolutionary biology is misguided and misses the point of the metaethical project. In this paper, I first argue that evolutionary biology is in fact relevant for assessing the (...) naturalistic credentials of neo-Aristotelian naturalism, which raises the question what biology tells us about this view. I then argue that far from being obvious that evolutionary biology rejects this view, there is an understanding of evolution within philosophy of biology, which is congenial to the neo-Aristotelian notion of natural normativity. (shrink)

The ambiguity of August Strindberg’s approach to women has engendered varying interpretations, including accusations of misogyny. Among his allegedly misogynistic plays is the 1887 naturalistic masterpiece, The Father. Chronologically coinciding with the rise of the women’s movement in Sweden, The Father, rather than endorsing a misogynistic culture, allows for an alternative reading that contributes to the destabilisation of gender binaries and an understanding of gender identities as relational and performative. In its portrayal of a fierce struggle between a seemingly diabolic (...) wife and a supposedly tyrannical husband, the play delves deeply into the dynamics of gender and the subversion of normatively established orders. This article analyses Strindberg’s play in relation to Slavoj Žižek’s conception of the ‘femme fatale’ and Judith Butler’s account of gender performativity to illustrate how the play’s central characters performatively subvert the hegemonic norms by which they are constituted. (shrink)

Organ donation is a life-saving process for patients suffering from an advanced organ failure. A disparity between donated organs and required organs for transplantation is one of the major problems in Iran. Since personal attitudes about organ donation is a main factor influencing willingness to donate organ, the present study sought to provide a deeper understanding of the attitudes of university students in Iran regarding organ donation. This qualitative study was conducted in 2016. Semi-structured interviews were held for collecting data (...) from eighty five students from various universities in Hamadan city, Iran. Using a purposive sampling method, the students were selected based on the maximum variation. The content analysis method was used for data analysis by the research team and criteria for the study’s rigor was considered. Overall, the students had positive attitudes toward organ donation by brain-dead patients. Nevertheless, not of them stated that they would become an organ donor. During the data analysis, 376 primary codes, 13 categories, and 6 themes were developed. Themes were “cognitive readiness”, “mediators of decision making”, “beliefs and motivations”, “interactions with the health system”, “dependency”, and “integrity of the body”. Also, thirteen sub-themes were developed. Many factors influence the students’ attitudes toward organ donation. Identification and explanation of these factors can help healthcare managers and policymakers for planning and improving the organ donation culture in the society. (shrink)

The present study, using a qualitative approach and interpretive phenomenological method, was conducted to examine the co-authorship experiences of faculty members as a visible aspect of scientific collaboration. Using purposive sampling and considering the theoretical saturation of the data, 15 faculty members participated in the present study. The required data were collected using a semi-structured interview and analyzed using Smith and Osborne’s method and MAXQDA 2020 software. The experiences of faculty members were interpreted in the form of two encouraging and (...) inhibiting factors in co-authorship. The encouraging factor, resulting from pleasant experiences of faculty members, was categorized as the theme of creating a scientific community and the inhibiting factor resulting from unpleasant experiences of co-authorship was categorized as the theme of reduced quality of research. The results of the study showed that co-authorship could develop the university and promote the level of social capital in the university. On the other hand, it was found that the level of co-authorships could be affected by the performance and feedback of the university which may weaken or strengthen it. The present study suggests that in order to promote co-authorship, cooperation in the university should be developed and the quality criteria in the research should be considered. (shrink)

ABSTRACTDistraction can reduce adults’ memory for emotion-eliciting information, whereas reappraisal can preserve or enhance it. Yet, when given instructions to use specific emotion regulation...

The Holocaust serves as a foundational critical resource in postwar philosophy. Interventions into the logic of its exemplarity tend to treat exemplarity as a matter of archival selection that ignores earlier histories of genocide and slavery. A recent example is Alexander Weheliye’s critique of Giorgio Agamben, which seeks to restitute racial slavery as a theoretically significant moment of biological precarity. In a continuation of this logic, this essay introduces the history of Indian Ocean slavery, which precedes transatlantic slavery but is (...) comparatively lesser known. In doing so, I suggest that complaints against archival selection do not go far enough, for they do not address the problem of a kind of event whose very nature is to destroy its own archive. Reading Jean-François Lyotard’s differend as a critique of the modern genre-supremacy of historiography, I argue that the very ground of historical examples demonstrates the regressive nature of exemplarity itself. (shrink)

Kant’s Cosmopolitan and apriori approach has influenced the formation of government and universal peace theories and international organizations such as the United Nations which have an important place in the establishment of peace and international rule of law. His views about universal peace are rooted in his epistemology and critiques. According to Kant, among human beings, the transformation from the natural state of war to the state of peace takes place in stages. At the international approach, law is legitimized by (...) free governments, and true civilization is possible only by abandoning the idea of war. Therefore, the rule of law caused to international peace and security and protecting human rights. He said about Preliminary and Definitive Articles for Perpetual Peace among States. This paper, with the focus on Kant's thought, examined the concept of peace along with its background, conditions and how to achieve it through the international rule of law and the obstacles in this way. (shrink)

To deliver effective medical services and establish trust and psychological security in patients, care providers must prioritize ethical principles. Developing a comprehensive clinical education program for learners, along with specific ethical guidelines, and implementing managerial and executive interventions necessitates a thorough understanding of the ethical challenges within this field. This qualitative study aimed to elucidate the ethical issues faced by otolaryngologists. Sixteen otolaryngologists participated in the study, selected through purposive sampling. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, and the analysis, conducted (...) through conventional content analysis, revealed eight main categories and 38 subcategories encapsulating the identified ethical issues.The primary categories encompassed ethical issues faced by otolaryngologists concerning patients and companions, education, communication with the treatment team, physicians' rights, medical tourism, medical advertising, cultural considerations, and managerial challenges. resources and treatment approaches in alignment with Iranian cultural norms, address conflicts between treatment and education, and implement sound management plans to uphold rights of the treatment team. Additionally, the study suggests the necessity of ethical advertising programs and the strategic promotion of therapeutic tourism. (shrink)

Considering the importance of respecting and observing patients’ rights, this study aimed to assess the level of observance of hospitalized patients’ rights from both patients’ and health-care workers' (HCWs) perspectives. This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study reports the responses of 486 patients and 887 HCWs in a public referral university hospital. The study illustrates that patients and HCWs think patients’ rights are respected at a medium level; however, HCWs reported lower levels of respect for patients’ rights than patients, and senior HCWs reported (...) even lower levels than their younger colleagues. Older patients and those hospitalized in internal medicine wards reported lower respect for autonomy and responsiveness, and patients’ companions reported lower levels of respect for patients’ rights than the patients themselves. (shrink)

Similar to its old history, Japan has a rich traditional and ethical Architecture. Based on these tenets and ethics, different concepts and spaces are formed through the time, as now Japan's ethical and traditional design ideas has its standard principles. Linking the present and the past has always been a momentous criterion in the countries with an old rich Architecture. This fact is indeed important in Japan due to the blend of ethics and religions with peoples` life. Through this idea, (...) three Japanese Architects, Kenzo Tange, Fumihiko Maki and Tadao Ando-who are the only Japanese pritzker prize winners-have well, noticed the need for linking the country's traditional and ethical Architecture criteria with the contemporary Architecture. So, analyzing such projects of these architects prepares a good basis to find out the quality of how traditional and ethical design ideas crystallize in the works of contemporary Japanese architects. The research method for this article is a comparative analysis between the architects` particular projects and Japan's ethical and traditional design ideas, formed through the history of architecture in this country. The contents of this article rely heavily on three bases: 1) study of the historical documents concerning the ethical and traditional design concepts in Japan. 2) The consultancy of leading experts on Asian traditional constructions and ethical architecture specialists from Azad Universities in Tehran. 3) Comparative analysis between the ethical concepts applied in different contemporary works. The results show that the contemporary architects have had good bases for presenting the traditional design concepts as standard principles are all formed in the architecture of Japan today. Meanwhile, it seems that Maki and Ando are more likely to have a conceptual look at Japan's traditions while Tange has a more formal viewpoint. Chronological analysis of the architects` projects shows that despite, all the three architects were impressed by the works of le Corbusier, they were successful to keep contacts with Japan's traditional design concepts. (shrink)

Given the fundamental role of emotional intelligence in learning, especially in virtual learning contexts where individuals experience more stress and anxiety, the need to understand and recognize one's own feelings and the mutual feelings of peers has gained more importance. Flow as the ultimate state in harnessing emotions in the service of performance and learning has been introduced as the main reason for one's willingness to perform activities which are connected to no external motivation. In this regard, the present study (...) was conducted to first introduce a new educational program to enhance the EI level in the English as a foreign language online education environment and next to investigate the possibility of raising EFL learners' perceived flow. To achieve these goals, the study recruited a sample of 67 EFL learners who were next divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the EI intervention over 10 weeks and the control group received the ordinary online EFL instruction. Data were collected through EI and flow questionnaires and semi-structured interviews which focused on learners' perception of the EI intervention and signs of enhanced flow. Statistical analysis of the data showed a positive effect of the program on the learners' EI and their perceived flow. The study emphasizes the role of applying positive emotions in making language learners more engaged in online classroom tasks. (shrink)

BackgroundAcrophobia is a specific phobia characterized by a severe fear of heights. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of two therapies that may ameliorate symptoms of acrophobia and anxiety sensitivity, i.e., virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy with a Waiting List Control Condition (WLCC).MethodsWe applied a three-armed randomized controlled pre-post-test design with 45 female adolescent students. Students who met DSM-5 criteria for acrophobia were randomly assigned to either VRET (...) (N = 15;Mage = 17.26; SD = 1.32), EMDR (N = 15;Mage = 17.15; SD = 1.57), or a WLCC (N = 15;Mage = 17.50; SD = 1.26). The study groups were evaluated one week before the intervention and one week after the last intervention session regarding symptoms of acrophobia (Severity Measure for Acrophobia) and anxiety sensitivity (Anxiety Sensitivity Index).ResultsThe data showed that both the application of VRET and EMDR therapy were associated with significantly reduced symptoms of acrophobia (d = 1.03 for VRET and d = 1.08 for EMDR) and anxiety sensitivity (d = 1.15 for VRET and d = 1.13 for EMDR) in comparison to the Waiting List.LimitationsThe sample consisted only of adolescent women. Due to the recognizable differences between the two interventions, the therapists and the participants were not blind to the conditions.ConclusionThe results suggest that both VRET and EMDR are interventions that can significantly improve symptoms of acrophobia and anxiety sensitivity in female adolescents.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.irct.ir/trial/57391, identifier: IRCT20210213050343N1. (shrink)

This article examines the use of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ in the context of international legal obligations under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 1984 (CAT) and the domestic implementation of the international prohibition of torture into United States (US) law under 18 United States Code Sections 2340-2340A. The legal basis for the interrogation programme was a series of contentious legal memoranda written by Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel lawyers.1 This article examines (...) whether the memo drafters ought to be investigated for incurring criminal liability for the consequences of their memoranda, namely under CAT and Sections 2340-2340A and what has unfolded under President Obama’s administration. (shrink)

Background and Objectives: Love failure can cause intense emotional damage in a person. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and strengthen the factors that improve the experience of an individual with love failure. With this background in mind, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of spiritual-religious psychotherapy on love trauma syndrome and acceptance of the problem in female students with love failure. Methods: This experimental pretest-posttest study was performed on 30 female undergraduate students with an experience of love (...) failure in Bandar Abbas, Iran, in 2019, using a control group design. The study population was selected through snowball sampling method, and then assigned randomly into two groups of intervention and control. The participants of the intervention group received spiritual-religious psychotherapy, and the final analysis was performed on 27 subjects. Data collection tools entailed Love Trauma Inventory, in addition to Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II. All data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance using SPSS software. Results: The findings showed that spiritual-religious psychotherapy had a significant effect on love trauma syndrome and love failure acceptance. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, spiritual-religious psychotherapy can be suggested as an effective approach in improving love trauma syndrome and love failure acceptance in girls. The findings of this study might have various practical implications. (shrink)

In this article, we argue that although Bohr's version of the Copenhagen interpretation is in line with several key elements of logical positivism, pragmatism is the closest approximation to a classification of the Copenhagen interpretation, whether or not pragmatists directly influenced the key figures of the interpretation. Pragmatism already encompasses important elements of operationalism and logical positivism, especially the liberalized Carnapian reading of logical positivism. We suggest that some elements of the Copenhagen interpretation, which are in line with logical positivism, (...) are also supported by pragmatism. Some of these elements are empirical realism, fallibilism, holism, and instrumentalism. However, pragmatism goes beyond logical positivism in espousing some other key elements of the Copenhagen interpretation, though imperfectly, such as the correspondence principle, complementarity, and indeterminism. (shrink)

Purpose: This paper is a multidisciplinary review that combines the knowledge of midwifery and philosophy perspective to develop an original outlook on the metaphysics of midwifery. Method: This is a review study. The research was conducted using keywords in the databases between 1995 and 2022. Considering the lack of records related to the exact phrases of “metaphysics of midwifery,” we attempted to categorize the metaphysics into three fundamental keywords, including “midwifery and ethics,” “midwifery and moral responsibility,” and “midwifery and spiritual (...) care.” Results: Among the retrieved full-text publications, fewer than ten articles discussed spiritual care and ethics in the midwifery field based on their titles and abstracts. Also, a doctoral thesis addressed the metaphysics of love as moral responsibility in nursing and midwifery. Based on our original opinion, the metaphysics of midwifery can be classified into three categories: spiritual and mental health support, moral responsibility, and ethical responsibilities. Conclusion: We aimed to prove metaphysics exists in midwifery and integrate it into midwifery education programs to increase satisfaction of care in pregnant women. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the findings of this initial review will stimulate further qualitative and quantitative research on midwifery metaphysics, which has remained largely unknown throughout practice and education. (shrink)

There has been a renewed interest in reading Saint Paul from different aspects by contemporary political theology and philosophy. However, being encountered with the sickness of contemporary philosophy and regarding it as sophistry, Badiou turns to Paul as an anti-philosopher, model, and someone who answers the question of ‘conditions of universal singularity’. In this article, the underlying reasons for the importance of Paul for Badiou will be discussed. By reflecting on the intricacies of Badiou’s reading( reactivation of Paul), his approach (...) to problems and goals of event philosophy will be revealed. Therefore, paying attention to Paul’s interpretation as a part of Badiou’s event philosophy project will pave the way for the understanding of Badiou’s thought. On the other hand, by studying this exemplification of Christian history, a light will be shed on how Badiou relates politics to truth and recreates the political figure of the event. In the end, the criticism of his reading of Saint Paul mostly by theologians will be examined and responded. (shrink)

This article, focusing on the inclusion- in- notion principle in the philosophy of Leibniz and its reading by Gilles Deleuze, claims that Deleuzian approach in the philosophical critique of the philosophy of Leibniz leads to recreation of the concept of the fold and the subject of fold in Leibnizian thought. To achieve this goal, we initially provide an in-depth study of this principle and its related principles in his philosophy and place emphasis upon their ontological aspect. Then we organize Deleuze’s (...) reading of Leibniz’s philosophy around the inclusion-in-notion principle and picture the world of foldings as the outcome of such reading. We make an effort to clarify how the reading of this principle by Deleuze creates new possibilities in the philosophy of Leibniz and gives birth to the Leibnizian- Deleuzian subject of the fold. Therefore, in the last step, we study this Leibnizian- Deleuzian subject and its characteristics, which is the result of the inclusion- in- notion principle. (shrink)

Strategies used in requestive speech act and their effects on compliance have been the focus of a number of studies. Previous research, however, has dealt mainly with perceptive data elicited from one of the interlocutors involved in the use of mitigation. A sociolinguistic study could explore the perception of both the requestor and the requestee with respect to using such strategies. This article aims to study the possible correlation between request compliance and the use of mitigation devices. The question is (...) what observable effects using mitigators have both on the requestor’s judgment of compliance and on prohibiting the requestee from rejecting the request. Four role-play interactions followed by stimulated recall procedures were used to collect the required data. The results obtained from the analysis of data revealed that, in similar situations, American requestors are comparably more certain than Iranians that the addressee would comply with their requests using fewer mitigation devices; while, as far as the requestees are concerned, Americans are more influenced by the use of mitigation devices on the part of requestors than Iranians. (shrink)

Critiquing the ontology of essence, Gilles Deleuze, in the Logic of Sense, provides an “ontology of sense” in which the notion of ‘sense’ as its central point is developed to establish a connection between thought and existence. Employing Stoic logic and concepts such as lekta, event, effect, expression, etc., and also applying Leibniz’s concepts of convergence and divergence relation between series of singularities- events, he presents his new ontology. This paper, aims to examine the notion of ‘sense’ in Deleuze’s Logic (...) of Sense and provide an account for his conception of ‘Ontology of Sense’. So, after a glimpse at the ground which it grows and departs from, we go further to determine the topology of sense in Deleuze’s thought and get closer to understanding his ontology of sense, by making its connections with other concepts and ideas. Finally, we hope these steps could illuminate the relation between language and existence in Deleuzian philosophy. (shrink)

In this book, the author presents an ontological discussion of whether our comprehension of what constitutes language use and language, should be based on what the speakers say or think, they do. T...

Given ‘Allamah Majlesi’s religious approach to address the nature of revelation, the principles and foundations of his method in this regard are also conforming to this approach and resulting from Quranic verses and traditions, which he asserted or extracted from his own descriptions of the nature of revelation. Some of these principles are epistemological and some others are ontological. These principles are: materiality of angel, the origin of prophecy of prophets, centrality of transmitted sciences by adopting intellectual-transmitted method, authenticity of (...) outward meanings, contenting with undifferentiated mood of divine sciences, real science in the Book and traditions, infallibility of prophets, the proof of Prophet Righteousness, and the effects of Holy Spirit on prophets. The present paper seeks to study these principles. (shrink)

Maintaining dignity and respect is among patients’ most fundamental rights. The importance of patient dignity, the status quo, patients’ needs, and a shortage of survey studies in this area were the underlying incentives for conducting this study. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study in which data were collected through Patient Dignity Inventory. The questionnaire was completed by 280 inpatients in 2012 to determine their perspectives on their personal state of human dignity. In this study, the mean score of patients’ dignity (...) was 1.89 out of 5. Results indicated a significant relationship between type of hospital and the distress caused by disease symptoms, peace of mind, and social support. There were also relationship between type of ward and dependency, type of disease and dependency, gender and social support, household size and peace of mind. The person’s satisfaction with household income showed significant relationship with symptom distress, dependency and existential distress. Results showed a significant inverse correlation between age and patient dignity. However, the relationship between employment status, health insurance, education level and the above factors were insignificant. Studies indicate that there is a relationship between patients’ dignity and mental distress, and therefore policy makers and health services officials should establish and implement plans to maintain and enhance patients’ dignity in hospitals. Educating the health team, particularly the nurses can be very effective in maintaining patients’ dignity and respect. (shrink)

Researchers should strictly consider the participants’ rights. They are required to document such protections as an ethical approval of the study proposal, the obtaining “informed consent”, the authors’ “conflict of interests”, and the source of “financial support” in the published articles. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of reporting ethical issues in human subject articles published in Iranian medical journals during 2009–2013. In this cross-sectional study, we randomly reviewed 1460 human subject articles published in Iranian medical (...) journals during 2009–2013 in two Persian and English language groups. Data collection was carried out by assessing articles, focusing on the documentation “ethics committee approval”, patients’ “informed consent”, “financial support”, “confidentiality”, and “conflict of interest”. Of 1460 evaluated articles, 443 reported “ethics committee approval”, 686 reported “informed consent”, 594 reported “financial support”, and 341 reported “conflict of interest”. 13% of the articles referred to patients’ confidentiality in their text. There was a significant association between these ethical documentations and the year of publication. Articles published in English language journals reported “ethics committee approval”, “financial support”, and “conflict of interest” significantly more than Persian language journals, but the frequency of “informed consent” was similar. Ethical documentation rate in Iranian medical journals is not up to the expected standards of reputable journals which might be related to a lack of awareness and the education of the authors and the journal’s editors. Precise reporting of ethical considerations in medical articles by authors are recommended. It is suggested journals and policymakers pay more attention to reporting this issue while providing standard guidelines in this regard. (shrink)

Background and Objectives: Achieving spiritual health is an aspect of human development and there are differences in the spiritual health of children with adults. Despite the importance of the issue of children’s spiritual health, there are very few studies in this field. Therefore, this review study was conducted to review the knowledge about children’s spiritual health in the sources. Methods: This scoping review study was performed using the JBI checklist. The electronic databases of PubMed, Scopus, Ambis, Web of Science, Google (...) Scholar, the database of Iranian journals and magazines, and the database of the Jihad Daneshgahi Scientific Information Center were searched for information. Results: Spiritual health in children means awareness, inner experience of wonders, curiosity, and belief in a strong force. The spiritual health in children are classified into three dimensions: emotional, relational, and existential. Important factors affecting children’s spiritual health were the child’s socio-cultural context, children’s own experiences, their relationship with others, parental and media behaviors, and spiritual health outcomes, including a wide range of positive outcomes. Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed that the concept of spiritual health and its dimensions in children are as ambiguous as adults and also less attention has been paied to this issue. On the other hand, based on the findings of the present study, most studies in this field have been done in recent years, which could be a sign of increased sensitivity in this area. Therefore, considering the important role and impact of the cultural context of each country, it is necessary to conduct studies to explain the spiritual health of children and its indicators. (shrink)

Background and Objectives: Chronic diseases, such as cancer, are among the factors seriously affecting health and marital satisfaction. Regarding this, the present study was conducted with the aim of modeling marital satisfaction among women with breast cancer in Kermanshah province, Iran. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 250 females with breast cancer referring to the hospitals of Kermanshah in 2017-2018. The study population was selected through convenience sampling technique. The data were collected using the World Health Organization Quality of (...) Life Questionnaire, Religious Orientation Scale by Allport, ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale, and Sense of Humor Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed by means of ANOVA and ANCOVA. Results: According to the results, sense of humor, quality of life, and religious orientation affected marital satisfaction both directly and indirectly. These variables could account for 78% of marital satisfaction variance. Conclusion: As the findings of this study indicated, in addition to physical problems, women suffering from breast cancer deal with psychological issues. Regarding this, the psychologists and therapists working in the field of family affairs are recommended to reduce the stress and anxiety in these patients by the establishment of an environment boosting sense of humor, improving quality of life, and forming a proper religious orientation among the patients with the collaboration of the their family. (shrink)

Observance of patients' rights is a significant indicator in evaluating the quality of healthcare services. The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global crisis and affected the interactions between healthcare providers and patients. This study examined the COVID-19 patients’ viewpoint about the observance of their rights by physicians and nurses. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional work of research conducted on the COVID-19 patients in Zanjan Province, Iran, in September 2020. The subjects were selected through convenience sampling, and data was collected (...) using a two-section questionnaire consisting of a demographic characteristics survey and a Likert-type scale for evaluating patients' rights observance. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were found to be acceptable, and the collected data was analyzed in SPSS v.26 using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and ANOVA test. The mean score of observance of patients' rights was 69.60±7.36, representing a moderate level. The highest and lowest scores for the observance of patients' rights were related to the dimensions of courteous communication and responsibility, respectively. A significant relationship was found between the observance of patients’ rights and their marital status, health insurance, and education level. This study showed that the observance of the COVID-19 patients' rights has not been affected by the social agitation caused by this disease. (shrink)

One important part of a nurse’s job is to create and help maintain a safe work environment. Evidence shows that negative behaviors such as incivility are not uncommon in the nursing profession. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the prevalence of incivility toward nurses. For this purpose, all observational studies that primarily investigated the rate of incivility toward nurses were selected. The electronic databases PubMed, Embase, Web of Sciences, Magiran, IranDoc, and Scopus were searched for studies published during (...) the period of January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2019. The quality of studies was assessed using Hoy’s Critical Assessment Checklist. The study was undertaken using the random effects model, and data were analyzed using STATA14. Data on 60 articles, including data on 30801 individuals, published between 1997 and 2019, entered the study. The findings showed the prevalence of incivility to be 55.10%. Due to the high prevalence of uncivil behavior, especially of the verbal type, nursing managers should identify risk factors in the workplace. Planners should develop programs to increase workplace safety, especially in centers that are most exposed to these behaviors. It is also recommended that future studies focus on implementation of effective evidence-based interventions based on organizational culture. (shrink)

Source: Author: Mohammad Sabahi Bidgoli, Ali Kebriaei, Sayed Gholamabas Moosavi Background and Aim: Patients' viewpoints are commonly used to assess quality of care in diverse healthcare organizations. This permits managerial decisions to be made based on knowledge rather than conjecture. The purpose of the current study is to investigate quality gap of family health care through measuring differences between clients’ perceptions and expectations at Kashan city health centers in Iran.Methodology: A cross-sectional design was applied in 2013. The study sample (...) was composed of 384 women clients of family health services randomly selected from Kashan city health centers. The SERVQUAL questionnaire was used for data collection. Service quality gap was measured by computing the difference between the rating respondents assign to expectations and perceptions statements. For pair wise comparison of the expectations and perceptions the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was used. Internal consistency of the scale was confirmed with Cronbach's Alpha coefficients.Findings: In all dimensions of the services a significant (P ]]>. (shrink)

Background Providing care to children with cancer is one of the most challenging areas of ethical care for nurses. Few studies have addressed nurses’ perception of the barriers to giving ethical care in oncology departments. Thus, it is essential that the ethical challenges in caregiving as perceived by oncology nurses be investigated. Objective The present study was conducted to investigate the ethical challenges as perceived by nurses in pediatric oncology units in the south of Iran. Research design The present study (...) is a qualitative work of research with a conventional content analysis design. Data were collected via individual semi-structured interviews. The collected data were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method. Participants and research context The participants were 21 nurses from pediatric oncology units in state hospitals who were selected by purposeful sampling. Sampling continued until the data were saturated. The study lasted from April to October 2022. Findings Three main themes, promoting psychological safety in the children, respect for the dignity of the children, and expansion of support for families, and nine subthemes were extracted from the data. Ethical considerations The study’s protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Medical Sciences and ethical principles were followed throughout the study. Discussion and conclusion From the nurses’ perspective, the major ethical challenges in providing ethical care in pediatric oncology units were reducing tension toward promoting the patients’ psychological safety, showing respect for the identity and dignity of the children with cancer, and expanding support of the patients’ families. By creating the right cultural and professional context and establishing proper protocols, healthcare policymakers and administrators can take effective steps toward eliminating the barriers to providing ethical care. (shrink)

Immersive virtual environments can produce a state of behaviour referred to as ‘presence’, during which the individual responds to the virtual environment as if it were real. Presence can be arranged to scientifically evaluate and affect our consciousness within a controlled virtual environment. This phenomenon makes the use of virtual environments amenable to existing and in-development forms of therapy for various conditions. Delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU) is one such condition for which virtual reality (VR) technology has not (...) been evaluated to date. We are currently assessing the feasibility and utility of a delirium prevention and treatment system, which implements VR to improve quality of sleep, reduce pain, lower usage of sedatives, and stimulate cognition. The proposed system will consist of 3-axis wearable accelerometers, 6-DOF position trackers, a VR system and apps designed to promote sleep quality and mindfulness. Our a priori hypothesis is that our VR therapy system would lower the occurrence of delirium in patients admitted to ICUs. (shrink)

Background: Freezing of gait is a common symptom in Parkinson’s disease and can be difficult to treat with dopaminergic medications or with deep brain stimulation. Novel stimulation paradigms have been proposed to address suboptimal responses to conventional DBS programming methods. Burst-cycling deep brain stimulation delivers current in various frequencies of bursts, while maintaining an intra-burst frequency identical to conventional DBS.Objective: To evaluate the safety and tolerability of BCDBS in PD patients with FOG.Methods: Ten PD subjects with STN or GPi DBS (...) and complaints of FOG were recruited for this single center, single blinded within-subject crossover study. For each subject, we compared 4, 10, and 15 Hz BCDBS to conventional DBS during the PD medication-OFF state.Results: There were no serious adverse events with BCDBS. It was feasible and straightforward to program BCDBS in the clinic setting. The benefit was comparable to conventional DBS in measures of FOG, functional mobility and in PD motor symptoms. BCDBS had lower battery consumption when compared to conventional DBS.Conclusions: BCDBS was feasible, safe and well tolerated and it has potential to be a viable future DBS programming strategy. (shrink)