A moral vision: human dignity in the eyes of the founders of sociology

The case argued in this paper is not that the concerns of the founders of sociology are uniformly and in every particular still our own (Runciman, 2008), but that the concepts and methods used to address just one of their concerns were both ground breaking and of enduring value (Shilling and Mellor, 2001, 2011, for example, make a similar claim). Such a concern focused on the kind of morality grounded in a capitalist social order and, by implication, how it might be theorized. This generated in the process the uniquely sociological operationalization of what had seemed hitherto a philosophical concept: human dignity, along with the freedom and autonomy that attend it. Certainly, the priorities differed in each of the contributions to this endeavour but, in coming at the problem from different standpoints, the concept of dignity came to appear more rounded, more substantive and more relevant to the human condition in all its historical specificity. Quite crucially, there is also in these sources from the classical period of sociology an intimation of method: both the way in which human dignity is to be ‘perceived’ within an inter‐personal dialectic at a micro‐level and, at a macro‐level, how we can discern that dignity transcends artificial confinement by any one aspect of life (be it economic, political or cultural).¹     

浅谈鲁迅“遭难”的宿命

纵观古今中外文学史上的作家,没有哪一个像鲁迅那样生前死后都遭到命运的磨难。作为划时代的文化伟人,反却遭到如此劫难,这真是文学史上罕见而奇怪的现象,似乎也是鲁迅的宿命。应该以正常的文学批评、学术研究与学理论辩走进鲁迅、认知鲁迅和评价鲁迅。     

“Good Manner of Dying” as a Normative Concept: “Autocide,”“Granny Dumping” and Discussions on Euthanasia/Death with Dignity in Japan

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the two characteristics of the way the issue of euthanasia/death with dignity has been discussed in Japan, compared with the situation in Europe and the USA. The two characteristics are: (i) that the concept of “euthanasia” is sharply distinguished from that of “death with dignity” in Japan in that the former only refers to the killing of a patient by administration of a lethal drug while the latter refers to letting a patient die by withholding or withdrawing life‐prolonging medical treatments; and (ii) that the view that it is sinful to commit suicide is not as common in Japan as it is in the West. In order to clarify these characteristics, I examine the nature of suicide and murder in relation to the issue of euthanasia and death with dignity while briefly reviewing the history of the debates in Japan in order to see how the characteristic understanding of “death with dignity” has generated. I also clarify, by giving examples, the structure of those narratives with regards to the “good manner of dying,” which excludes from society the elderly and people with incurable diseases and ones with motor and intellectual disabilities. In the end, I describe how biopolitics functions in the current Japanese situation.     

Dignity and ethics in research photography

The aim of this paper is to provide new conceptual and practical insights about the issues associated with ethics and dignity when undertaking research involving the collection of photographic data. Case studies of photographs taken as part of a research project in Chennai, India, are employed to illuminate the significance of dignity. The case studies reveal that dignity-in-context provides a useful conceptual tool that encapsulates the range of ethical issues that might be encountered. This concept has two dimensions. The first, dignity-in-outcome, assists deciding what and whether to photograph by drawing attention to the need for those being researched to benefit from the research, to present an authentic view of the situation and to ensure that participants are not demeaned or reduced. The second is dignity-in-process that helps researchers decide why and how to photograph in terms of involving those being researched in the way an image is captured, choosing the right angle for the image and the impression the image will give if and when it is published.     

回归传统精神与恪守人格理想的生命悲歌——“文革”期间作家自杀现象的文化思考

作家以自杀的方式结束生命 ,构成了“文革”期间引人注目的特殊现象。历史地看 ,自杀一是因“活不下去”而以非常方式获得生存痛苦的解脱 ,一是以“不活下去”为最后手段来维护自身神圣的精神价值观念。“文革”期间作家的自杀 ,一方面是由于特定的社会条件将他们置于“活不下去”的境遇 ,另一方面也是他们为恪守人格理想而对传统精神的自觉回归。他们的自杀无疑是对丧失理性的社会的一种强烈抗议 ,但较之屈原的沉江自殉 ,却又少了几分壮烈而多了几分悲哀。然而 ,在特定的历史境遇中 ,这种选择却构成了中国作家良知未泯的确证。     

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF THE MOTHER-CHILD RELATIONSHIP ON SEX WORKERS’ DECISION TO ENTER AND LEAVE THE STREETS – LESSONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE

This paper focuses on ‘streetwalkers’ and ‘street sex workers’ who are unlicensed sex workers not belonging to a brothel and subject to criminalization. They often face great stigmatization and are usually considered victims by service providers. Five Singaporean ex-streetwalkers (n = 5), who had left the streets for at least six months and were currently receiving or had previously received skills training at a social service agency, participated in this study. Using an agentic framework and social relational theory principles, this qualitative study explored the impact of streetwalkers’ relationship with their children on their decision to enter and leave the streets and reasons for their successful help-seeking experiences. Findings revealed them to be agents who actively used strategies to meet their goals and to sustain close relationships with their children. The mother–child relationship context was a key influence on their decision to enter and/or leave the streets. Social work practice implications include tailoring service delivery to tap into their agentic capacities and identity as mothers; research and training in provision of proactive social services in a non-judgmental manner to preserve the dignity of these women while meeting both their own and their children’s needs.     

建设维护生命尊严的光辉世纪

现今的世界上,有许多人由于内战、贫困与饥饿、环境破坏等威胁,迫使他们的生命及尊严处于危险状态,也有大批人仍然饱受着人权侵害、种族歧视的痛苦。为和平、人权、人道的奋斗,绝不是低层爬到高山的顶峰就可以达到终点那样。重要的是要创建一股一代接一代、谁也阻挡不了的滔滔洪流,并日积月累地把它发展和扩大。这就是我们为了建设一个和平未来的不断挑战。     

我国智障群体尊严问题及尊严保护——基于生命伦理学视角的研究

在当今社会,智障者已成为一个庞大的社会群体。与此同时,侵犯智障者尊严的事件时有发生。因而我们应该高度重视对智障者的尊严保护工作,通过健全法律法规以及在生命伦理学的普及教育之下,改善智障者的生存环境,更好地维护其尊严。     

人格尊严保障与宪法正当性的判断

人格尊严的规范被誉为现代宪法的核心价值,保障人格尊严既是“规范宪法”的必然要求,也是判断宪法正当性的重要基石。规范宪法要求涉及人格尊严的宪法规范必须完备、充分,并积极吸收国际条约中的人格尊严条款;宪法的正当性可以通过人格尊严保障的主体广泛性、标准复合性以及方式多样性等途径得以体现和证明。     

论马克思的人性尊严理论

研究马克思的人性尊严理论，对全面理解、丰富马克思主义的价值理论，有一定意义。马克思认为，人性在本质上是自由自觉的、和谐的、道德的，是社会关系的最高价值尺度。人性尊严以一切人的经济、社会地位的平等为基础，以人类自由自觉尊严本性的回归和人的全面发展为内容。当然，结合社会主义市场经济，我们还必须辩证看待人性尊严的私人特性和寻求积极自由与消极自由、结果平等与机会平等的均衡配置，实现个人自由与类的整合的价值目标。