The mainstream view of the twentieth century suggests that the Scottish philosopher and economist Adam Smith made a tout court defense of individualism and the pure rational calculation of economics. However, we consider this to be a biased interpretation that ignores an integrated reading of his books, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and Wealth of Nations, which hinder a global view of his thinking. In opposition to this dominant view, we propose, as the central objective of this article, the conciliation (...) between Smith’s classical liberalism and his sentimental ethics, based on the notion of human dignity, present in the recognition of the other as an equal. If this hypothesis is confirmed, we will defend the thesis of sympathetic liberalism in Adam Smith’s philosophical system. For this, we will analyze the feeling of Smithian sympathy and its interference in interpersonal relationships, then, the device of moral justification of impartiality as a promoter of fairness behavior. Finally, we will argue that the intertwining of these two elements of Smithian sentimental ethics in public space engenders a notion of human dignity compatible with his liberalism, insofar as it respects individual freedoms while fostering the progress of commercial societies. For such, we will make use of the work Theory of Moral Sentimentalism by Adam Smith and the article Sympathetic Liberalism: Recent Work on Adam Smith by Stephen Darwall. (shrink)

: In today’s political philosophy framework, it is commonplace to associate Adam Smith with akind of theory that ignores human dispositions and considers only the self-interested perspective ofindividuals. Although this view has been widely supported in different fields – viz Philosophy andEconomy, we consider this a biased interpretation. Using the Cambridge School orientation, we explainthe importance of historical background in reading Smith’s work to argue that Smith’s writings should beinterpreted within the Scottish Enlightenment context. From this contextual approach, it is (...) possible tosustain an integrated reading of Smith’s books The Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS) and An Inquiryinto the Nature and Cause of the Wealth of Nations (WN). This reading leads to a more faithfulinterpretation of Smith’s idea that the agent in society is morally engaged in socio-economic relations.Once this hypothesis is confirmed, we will defend a systematic analysis of Smith’s philosophy arguingthat Smith’s philosophy is a holistic system, in what we call a tripartite theory. (shrink)

Background: To place a dependent with severe dementia in a nursing home is a painful and difficult decision to make. In collectivistic oriented societies or families, children tend to be socialised to care for ageing parents and to experience guilt and shame if they violate this principle. Leaving the care to professional caregivers does not conform with the cultural expectations of many ethnic groups and becomes a sign of the family’s moral failure. Research design: Qualitative design with individual in-depth interviews (...) with nurses, family members and dementia care coordinators in Norway, Montenegro, Serbia and South Africa. Braun and Clarke’s six analytic phases were used. Ethical considerations: The project was approved by the Regional Committee for Research, South-Eastern Norway; the Norwegian Centre for Research Data; the Ethics Committee; University of Limpopo, MEDUNSA Campus, South Africa; and by the local heads of the respective nursing homes or home care services. Interviewees were informed orally and in writing and signed an informed consent form. Findings: Healthcare professionals tend to be contacted only when the situation becomes unmanageable. Interviewees talked about feelings of obligation, shame and stigma in their societies regarding dementia, particularly in connection with institutionalisation of family members. Many lacked support during the decision-making process and were in a squeeze between their own needs and the patients’ need of professional care, and the feeling of duty and worry about being stigmatised by their surroundings. This conflict may be a source of pre-decision regret. Conclusion: Family caregivers need help to understand the behaviours of persons with dementia and how to access the formal and informal services available. Thus, they may provide effective support to patients and family carers alike. Supportive interventions for caregivers need to be tailored to meet the individual needs of both the caregiver and the persons with dementia. (shrink)

The article entitled “Post-COVID-19: Education and Thai Society in Digital Era” has two objectives: 1) to study digital technology 2) to study the living life in Thailand in the digital era after COVID-19 pandemics. According to the study, it was found that the new digitized service is a service process on digital platforms such as ordering food, hailing a taxi, and online trading. It is a service called via smartphone. The information is used digitally. Public relations, digital marketing, (...) and living in cyberspace play an increasingly digital role. People have communication skills, use Line, Facebook, social media, have tools to search for knowledge, learn and improve themselves. People in the new era of life have a new way of life therefore there is social life in the cyber world. There should be ethics, attitudes, values, and click-on images that are linked to digital use. For a good time life, It is important to have digital intelligence (Digital Quotient) to live after post-COVID19, the digital era. (shrink)

This chapter asks how moral shame and dread in Theravāda Buddhist philosophy compare with their appropriated use in contemporary Thai society. There has been a received view or an appropriated understanding of these concepts, warning against doing bad deeds. Moral shame and dread imply an irrational fear of doing something morally horrible in this contemporary usage. For example, one has an excessive fear of punishments in purgatory and believes it should be the sole morally appropriate reason for not (...) killing. However, how does this appropriated understanding differ from the original Buddhist understanding? This chapter argues that they differ in their philosophical assumptions: causalism and possibilism. Theravāda philosophy espouses causalism, the view that one should avoid bad deeds because of the doctrine of karma. On the other hand, the appropriated understanding implies possibilism, with a scrupulosity-based assumption that avoiding evil behaviors is motivated by the grip of unreasonable fear that doing them could result in irredeemable errors. I offer a new conception of meditative intentionality's power to solve this implied irrational fear problem. (shrink)

On advancement of science and technology in controversy to occult sciences in Thai society.

In this study, the leadership attributes of the mah who adhered to Buddhist doctrine and adopted the abhidhamma as a core philosophy for the country’s governance during the early Sukhothai era is examined to determine the root causes of major problems afflicting modern Thai society. Many of these social problems are related to strives, disagreements, and disunity, and are a direct consequence of the absence of mindfulness and the dhamma of the leaders. The application of Buddhist doctrine as (...) a solution to these social problems in a secular world today is as relevant as it was during the ancient days. This is manifested in the form of the Sufficiency Economy, promulgated by none other than one of the greatest, if not the greatest practitioners of the dhamma , the present King Rama IX the Great (His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej). Leaders must continue to proactively promote Buddhism and adopt Buddhist doctrines in the administration of the country, and constantly be mindful to encourage the practice of the dhamma. In this study, specific examples of laws and regulations that hinder the practice of Buddhist doctrines, the shortfall of Buddhist infrastructure, and the lack of recognition accorded to the Buddhist monks are examined and the. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Buddhist-Christian Studies 23 (2003) 181-183 [Access article in PDF] Keeping the Faith: Thai Buddhism at the Crossroads. By Sanitsuda Ekachai. Edited by Nick Wilgus. Bangkok: Post Books, 2001. 192 pp. Sanitsuda Ekachai, editorial columnist and features section editor of the Bangkok Post, writes this book in the Menckanian tradition of muckraking journalism. A collection of columns from the past decade, the book has an angry goal—the reform of (...) a corrupt Thai Buddhist sangha. Somehow, however, the author manages to accomplish the task without an angry or bitter tone. One suspects that this is because she has the goods. In thirty-six short features and twenty-one even shorter editorials, Ekachai paints a damning picture of a corrupt Theravada Buddhist sangha that has lost touch with both its religious tradition and its lay constituency.She presents overwhelming evidence of the corruption. She tells several well-publicized stories of sexual scandals involving bhikkhus and mentions a dozen more. She carefully tallies the possessions of rich bhikkhus and richer temples. She makes clear the unrepentant patriarchy of the authoritarian Buddhist hierarchy and reminds us of the un-Buddhist character of a sangha that will not allow the ordination of bhikkhunis. And she argues that the root cause of much of this drifting from Buddhist ideals is a buying into the consumerism that has gripped much of modern Thai culture.This last point—consumerism—is important. If the book has a theme—always a tall order for a collection of articles—it is the economic enslavement of Thai culture and the sangha to capitalistic values. Of course, the West is the culprit here. Since Thailand, strictly speaking, has never been colonialized, the West managed to corrupt Thailand (or Siam as some prefer) simply by being in the area. As one of Ekachai's key informants, Sulak Sivaraksha succinctly put it, "Siam is culturally and intellectually colonized because the country identifies itself closely with the West" (161). [End Page 181]A close second as a theme, however, is patriarchy. Patriarchy, not Buddhism, is the root of the gender imbalance in the sangha. The Buddha embraced (a bit reluctantly to be sure) the order of bhikkhunis and made it clear his reluctance was an upayic or strategic matter, not a question of the spiritual status of women. Women are as able as men when Enlightenment is the question. Patriarchy is also at the root of Thailand's shameful sex industry—one in thirty women in Thailand is a prostitute. The culture is at fault here, a culture that sees women as objects rather than persons.Sivaraksha ties consumerism and patriarchy together when he says, "In a consumer society, the seeking for endless sensory pleasures and possessions has become the ultimate quest while Buddhism teaches about letting go" (75). The combination of testosterone-blocking celibacy and baht- driven greed has been too much for the modern bhikkhus of Thailand.Not all bhikkhus, however. Ekachai's book rises above the level of pure muckraking through the simple expedient of offering hope. She tells a dozen or more stories of enlightened (small "e") bhikkhus who are taking steps at reform. By "ordaining" (and thereby protecting) endangered trees in a forest. By teaching the dhamma instead of occultism. By showing economic restraint in the face of runaway rapaciousness. These are inspiring stories of bhikkhus named Buddhadasa, Dhammapitika, Udompatanakorn, Kutajitto, Supajarawat,Visalo, and Kabilsingh. Hope is personalized in these reformers.Reading between the lines, one can imagine a response to Ekachai's overwhelming case: the traditional Thai sangha is organized to serve rural village folk. Although the traditional village still exists in Thailand, it is becoming an endangered species in the face of the urbanized juggernaut. The sangha simply hasn't discovered the keys to reaching a changed constituency. Reading between the lines, one suspects that the author would wholeheartedly agree with this defense. Only she wouldn't consider it a defense but a reason, and a well-known reason at that. Her rejoinder would be that the current leadership must know it is out of touch, but still refuses any move... (shrink)

The terms ‘menopause’ and ‘mid‐life women’ have become the subjects of both the medical gaze and a billion‐dollar industry built by pharmaceutical companies to manage the ‘problems’ of menopause. Menopause is a discursive construction, a label that has become endowed with a large number of taken‐for‐granted assumptions about physical and psychological symptoms, self‐image and health status. These assumptions are based on the medical interests, social preoccupations, research and subsequent drug‐marketing strategies conducted in western societies. Thai society is structured (...) around a different philosophy, which has created different meanings for the mid‐life woman. This paper explores the Western discourses of menopause and the colonizing effect when the assumptions underpinning these are imposed on Thai women. (shrink)

Collection of articles from a conference on the philosophy of Aristotle in Thai society.

This paper addresses the questions of whether and, if so, how and to what extent the Internet brings about homogenisation of local cultures in the world. It examines a particular case, that of Thai culture, through an investigation and interpretation of a Usenet newsgroup, soc.culture.thai. Two threads of discussion in the newsgroup are selected. One deals with criticisms of the Thai government and political leaders, and the other focuses on whether the Thai language should be a (...) medium, or perhaps the only medium, of communication in the newsgroup. It is found that, instead of erasing local cultural boundaries, creating a worldwide monolithic culture, the Internet reduplicates the existing cultural boundaries. What the Internet does, on the contrary, is to create an umbrella cosmopolitan culture which is necessary for communication among people from disparate cultures. That culture, however, is devoid of ‘thick’ backgrounds, in Michael Walzer's sense. (shrink)

O artigo se propõe a refletir sobre as perspectivas, dimensões e fundamentos do saber musical sensível em escolas de educação básica brasileiras. Parte constituinte de uma pesquisa teórica voltada a pensar a epistemologia da educação musical escolar (Aquino, 2016), tem-se como pressuposto o fato de o saber musical escolar ser um tipo de saber sensível e, como tal, capaz de fomentar modos de operar articuladores de aspectos comumente percebidos como incompatíveis e, por conseguinte, apreendidos e vivenciados de forma dissociadora na (...) contemporaneidade. À medida que são estabelecidas as relações imanentes entre seus fundamentos éticos, cognitivos, emocionais e somáticos, suas dimensões científicas, filosóficas e artísticas, bem como as relações extrínsecas com outros campos do saber, acredita-se contribuir para a construção de alicerces epistemológicos mais claros para a educação musical nas escolas brasileiras de educação básica. (shrink)

O artigo apresenta o pensamento de Dewey sustentando a tese de que formação é crescimento em função de uma efetiva relação com a vida: o humano é exigido pela vida a desenvolver-se, a crescer em direções muito diversas para então ocupar um espaço na sociedade. No intuito de gerar uma reflexão sobre o dilema da formação humana, o texto introduz outro autor, como coadjuvante, pondo em diálogo duas perspectivas implicadas pelo mesmo tema.

A oferta de oficinas literárias para a população prisional, de uma penitenciária situada fora do Brasil, possibilitou identificar pontos sensíveis na execução penal internacional e na política criminal, apontando que a Educação em Direitos é uma demanda que deve ser implementada antes, durante e depois do cumprimento da pena.

Dom Léger-Marie Deschamps élabora un système philosophique profondément subversif et novateur, intitulé : La Vérité, ou Le Vrai Système. Il s'agit d'une philosophie de la totalité, fondée sur une logique des contraires et du contradictoire. La métaphysique de Deschamps annonce l'avènement d'une nouvelle humanité, qui induit nécessairement une nouvelle société, dans lequel l'État, les lois, les idéologies, la religion, la propriété sont abolis, chacun étant égal à tous. Au XVIIIe siècle cette doctrine ne pouvait être diffusée sans risques très graves (...) pour son auteur: l'amitié et la protection du marquis de Voyer d'Argenson évitèrent à Dom Deschamps toute persécution. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Buddhist-Christian Studies 22 (2002) 207-208 [Access article in PDF] Society Cosponsors International Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand Payap University and Payap University's Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture will be sponsoring a week-long International Academic Conference on "Religion and Globalization in Chiang Mai, Thailand" beginning the last week of July 2003. The conference is being cosponsored by the American Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies. Ruben Habito, (...) vice-president of the Society, is serving as a member of the planning committee and as the liaison between Payap University and the Society. Other members of the planning committee include Donald Swearer, Michael von Brueck, David Chappell, Wolfgang Schmidt, Parichart Suwanbubbha, Saeng Chandrangam, and John Butt. It is hoped that a large contingent of members of the American Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies will participate in the conference both by submitting academic papers and by attending.Other cosponsoring organizations include the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, the Museum of World Religions based in Taiwan, the International Buddhist-Christian Theological Encounter, the Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT), and a number of other academic and religious organizations from around the world and within Thailand.The conference will be held on the main Payap University campus beginning with dinner on Sunday evening, July 27. It will end with lunch on Saturday, August 2, 2003. Lodging will be provided at the four-star Amari Rincome Hotel located near the Payap campus. Following the conference, Payap is arranging for several optional post-conference excursions to important religious and historical sites in Thailand and neighboring countries for those wishing to extend their stay in Southeast Asia.The overall theme of the conference is "Religion and Globalization". Plenary speeches, academic papers, discussions, and workshops will be organized around three broad themes:Religious Diversity and Interfaith Relations in a Global Age This section will include topics concerning religious pluralism, missions, religious conflict and reconciliation, and religious dialogue.Religion and a Global Society This section will focus on specific topics related to issues of social and economic justice, such as the relation between religion and human rights, structural violence, gender, tourism, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, the natural environment, media, technology, arts, and culture. [End Page 207]Religious Reform and Reformulation for a Global Age This section will focus on the reformulation of religious teachings and doctrines as well as on reforms of religious rituals, practices, and institutions in relationship to globalization.Several reasons make Thailand an appropriate and attractive site for this conference. Thailand has the largest percentage of Buddhists of any country in the world. It also has significant Islamic, Christian, and Hindu minorities. Animistic beliefs and practices underlie the religious faith of most of the Thai people. Over the past century and especially during the past several decades the country and the region have experienced rapid and profound changes as a result of modernization and globalization. For all these reasons Chiang Mai presents an excellent venue for examining how the Theravada Buddhist tradition and other major religious traditions are affecting and being affected by globalization. In addition, the Chiang Mai area has been an important "crossroads" for various religious and cultural movements since the beginning of the Common Era. For over 2,000 years Thailand has been both a receiver and a sender of religious missions. Thus, Chiang Mai provides a superb locale for critically reexamining religious missions and interfaith relations.The complete cost for the seven-day conference (including all meals, lodging, local transportation, site visits, entertainment, and conference registration) will be $575 (U.S.). International air travel to Chiang Mai will be additional. But based on current fares, travel from the North America to Chiang Mai should be no more than between $800 and $1,200 (U.S.). The exact international travel cost will depend on the carrier and the place of origin. Optional post-conference excursions will involve some additional expense and will vary depending on the destination and length of the excursion.Details regarding procedure for registration and submitting papers, lodgings, the conference schedule, optional post-conference excursions, and travel... (shrink)

Este artigo visa fazer um diálogo a respeito do desejo aflitivo por comida, de um lado dialogando com textos da tradição budista tibetana Geluk, e do outro com pesquisas realizadas na área da saúde, especialmente as voltadas à parte biológica-comportamental da alimentação. Bem como, trazer contribuições para a área da saúde, a respeito do desejo aflitivo, que contribui na problemática crescente do sobrepeso, obesidade e doenças associadas no contexto mundial das sociedades desenvolvidas.

Trata-se de uma investigação acerca dos limites deontológicos presentes no pensamento de Ronald Dworkin e que foram fortemente criticados por Michael Sandel. Através das análises críticas será possível avaliar se Dworkin foi ou não incoerente em sua proposta igualitária. Em outras palavras, será possível averiguar se Dworkin, um deontologista declarado, acaba decaindo em argumentos utilitaristas para sustentar sua própria teoria igualitária. Caso essa afirmação seja verdadeira, avaliaremos quais as consequências filosóficas dessa incoerência. Para tanto, empregaremos, como exemplo paradigmático, o argumento (...) de justiça distributiva dworkiniano, mais especificamente, a questão das ações afirmativas nos Estados Unidos. Nesse sentido, utilizaremos como fios condutores as obras Liberalism and the limits of justice de Michael Sandel e A matter of Principles de Ronald Dworkin. (shrink)

A partir de uma análise crítica do conceito de eudaimonia aristotélica, almeja-se compreender qual é o fim aos quais todas as nossas ações tendem e como podemos alcançá-lo. Para isso, utilizar-se-á como fio condutor desta pesquisa a analise do livro I da obra Ética a Nicômaco de Aristóteles, delineando os elementos que permeiam o problema da ação virtuosa, tais como o conceito de virtude, felicidade e alma.

O objetivo desse artigo é discutir a possibilidade de uma morte feliz, e consequentemente, uma vida feliz a partir da interpretação dos pilares filosóficos de Albert Camus, a saber: o absurdo e a revolta. Enquanto o absurdo diz respeito ao confronto da irracionalidade do mundo com o desejo de clareza e racionalidade que se encontra no homem, a revolta está vinculada ao desejo inconsciente de uma moral que denominamos de moral antiteísta ou moral de atitude por mover-se consciente no âmbito (...) das ações concretas, nascidas do sentimento da absurdidade do mundo frente à morte e o sofrimento. Testaremos, ao final, a viabilidade dessa moral antiteísta promover uma morte feliz para quem sofre e uma vida feliz, apesar de todo sofrimento, para aquele que se depara com a morte do outro. Para isso, utilizaremos como fios condutores as obras de Albert Camus: O Mito de Sísifo e A peste. (shrink)