Report of a seminar on Ethical & Spiritual Dimensions of Social Progress organized by the Secretariat of the U.N. in the context of the preparation of the World Summit for Social Development, or Social Summit, Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995. Participants came from different regions, walks of life, cultures & beliefs. Extracts from contributions by participants include aspects of the spirit of the time; notes on the spirit of humankind; human dignity & human rights; sectoral perspectives; market & social darwinism; universal value of love; individualism in modern science; human dignity as a central value; & elements for a new discourse.
This book discloses the spiritual dimension in business ethics and sustainability management. Spirituality is understood as a multiform search for meaning which connects people with all living beings and God or Ultimate Reality. In this sense, spirituality is a vital source in social and economic life. The volume examines the spiritual orientations to nature and business in different cultural traditions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sufism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. It studies how spirituality and ecology can contribute to transforming contemporary management theory and praxis. It discusses new leadership roles and business models that emerge for sustainability in business and shows how entrepreneurship can be inspired by nature and spirituality in a meaningful way.
The concept of sustainable development was accepted by the world leaders in Rio de Janerio in 1992. The concept was vague and this is natural when an international consensus has to be achieved. It was also based implicitly on the dominant Western paradigm with its stress on science and technology, its stress on management of technology and the meshing of economics and ecology as the answer to the environmental crisis. Value systems were not included in the concept of sustainable development. The book studies the Eastern paradigm base on the concepts and values of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam and suggests that for a truly global ethic the Western and Eastern paradigms need to be integrated. This can be done through the mediation of modern science easily for the best of the properity.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to appear in everything from writing, social media, and business to wartime or intelligence strategy. With so many applications in our everyday lives and in the systems that run them, many are demanding that ethical implications are considered before any one application of AI goes too far and causes irreparable damage to the personal data or operations of individuals, governments, and organizations. For instance, AI that is fed data sets that are influenced by human data collection method biases may be perpetuating societal biases with implicit bias that can create serious consequences. Applications of AI with implicit bias on recidivism prediction models as well as medical algorithms have shown biases against certain racial or ethnic groups, leading to actual discrimination in treatment by the legal system and the medical systems. Regulatory groups may identify the bias in AI but not the source of the bias, making it difficult to determine who to hold accountable. Lack of dataset and programming transparency can be problematic when AI systems are used to make significant decisions, and as AI systems become more advanced, questions arise regarding responsibility for the results of their implementation and the regulation thereof. Research on how these applications of AI are affecting interpersonal and societal relationships is important for informing much-needed regulatory policies. Investigating the Impact of AI on Ethics and Spirituality focuses on the spiritual implications of AI and its increasing presence in society. As AI technology advances, it raises fundamental questions about our spiritual relationship with technology. This study emphasizes the need to examine the ethical considerations of AI through a spiritual lens and to consider how spiritual principles can inform its development and use. This book covers topics such as data collection, ethical issues, and AI and is ideal for educators, teacher trainees, policymakers, academicians, researchers, curriculum developers, higher-level students, social activists, and government officials.
Many of the people served by social workers draw upon spirituality, by whatever names they call it, to help them thrive, to succeed at challenges, and to infuse their resources and relationships with meaning beyond mere survival value. This revised and expanded edition of a classic provides a comprehensive framework of values, knowledge, skills, and evidence for spiritually sensitive practice with diverse clients. Weaving together interdisciplinary theory and research, as well as the results from a national survey of practitioners, the authors describe a spiritually oriented model for practice that places clients' challenges and goals within the context of their deepest meanings and highest aspirations. Using richly detailed case examples and thought-provoking activities, this highly accessible text illustrates the professional values and ethical principles that guide spiritually sensitive practice. It presents definitions and conceptual models of spirituality and religion; draws connections between spiritual diversity and cultural, gender, and sexual orientation diversity; and offers insights from Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Indigenous religions, Islam, Judaism, Existentialism, and Transpersonal theory. Eminently practical, it guides professionals in understanding and assessing spiritual development and related mental health issues and outlines techniques that support transformation and resilience, such as meditation, mindfulness, ritual, forgiveness, and engagement of individual and community-based spiritual support systems. For social workers and other professional helpers committed to supporting the spiritual care of individuals, families, and communities, this definitive guide offers state-of-the-art interdisciplinary and international insights as well as practical tools that students and practitioners alike can put to immediate use.
Fear of Persecution offers an absorbing and necessary overview of the plight of internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees. James D. White and Anthony J. Marsella bring together essays that address issues emerging from the current relationship of international law, human rights, and refugee health and well-being.
In today’s pluralistic world, many cultures feel a shift in the relationship of people with religious traditions. A corresponding movement is a resurgence of interest in human spirituality. This Handbook presents the views of education scholars who engage these concepts every day, in a collection of essays reflecting the international state of the discipline. Out of these rises a vision for the emergence of a just and peaceful world.
Drawing on successful practice, and relating such practice to theoretical insights, this comprehensive treatment of the challenge of educating children spiritually, morally, socially, and culturally offers enlightenment for individual teachers' classroom practice as well as for whole-school approaches.
