Neurorights in question: rethinking the concept of mental integrity.

The idea of a 'right to mental integrity', sometimes referred to as a 'right against mental interference,' is a relatively new concept in bioethics, making its way into debates about neurotechnological advances and the establishment of 'neurorights.' In this paper, we interrogate the idea of a right to mental integrity. First, we argue that some experts define the right to mental integrity so broadly that rights violations become ubiquitous, thereby trivialising some of the very harms the concept is meant to address. Second, rights-based framing results in an overemphasis on the normative importance of consent, implying that neurointerventions are permissible in cases where people consent to have their mental states influenced or read off, a confidence in consent that we argue is misguided. Third, the concept often collapses the ethics of brain inputs and brain outputs, potentially resulting in a loss of important conceptual nuance. Finally, we argue that the concept of a right to mental integrity is superfluous-what is wrong with most violations of mental integrity can be explained by existing concepts such as autonomy, manipulation, privacy, bodily rights, surveillance, harm and exploitation of vulnerabilities. We conclude that bioethicists and policy-makers ought to either make use of these concepts rather than arguing for the existence of a new right, or they need to avoid making rights violations ubiquitous by settling on a narrower and more rigorous definition of the right.

Pregnancy, pain and pathology: a reply to Smajdor and Räsänen.

In their recent paper 'Is pregnancy a disease?', Anna Smajdor and Joona Räsänen argue in the affirmative, highlighting features shared by both pregnancy and paradigmatic diseases. In particular, they point to the harmful symptoms and side effects of pregnancy, and the provision of medical treatment to both pregnant patients and those aiming to avoid pregnancy. They consider both subjectivist and objectivist approaches taken by philosophers of health in defining disease, and point out that neither approach convincingly excludes pregnancy. Finally, they present a normative case for treating pregnancy as a disease, suggesting that this attitude could promote preventive provision of contraception and abortion, and encourage respect for (and better treatment of) patients' suffering during pregnancy. In this response, I challenge various parts of Smajdor and Räsänen's argument, and cast doubt on the normative benefits of their approach.

The social and environmental responsibility of informal artisanal and small-scale mining in Ghana: An Akan philosophical perspective.

Informal artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) continues to grow globally, raising both challenges and opportunities in terms of economic, social, and environmental impacts. The ASM literature explores the formalization and transfer of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices from larger firms as the pathway to minimize negative impacts and maximize benefits. But we know very little about environmental and social responsibilities of informal mining operations (and informal economy actors in general, who are often portrayed as devoid of these responsibilities). This paper aims to theorize and empirically explore principles and practices of social and environmental responsibility in informal mining. We combine elements of relational stakeholder theory with Ghana's Akan philosophy to develop our theoretical framework. Through a qualitative research process involving thematic analysis - of field notes from field observations and 81 interviews with ASM miners, community leaders/residents and executive members of Small-Scale Mining Association-Prestea Branch in Ghana - and pattern-matching technique, we find that: a) informal ASM is culturally and relationally motivated to be socially and environmentally responsible, b) there is a model of informal social and environmental responsibility (ISER) that is characterized by commonality, solidarity, tradition, and human-nature interdependencies, and c) social and environmental responsibilities are interpreted in a distinctive, non-Western way and comply with two main informal norms: gifting for social responsibilities and taboos for environmental responsibility. We conclude by suggesting that governments should collaborate with traditional authorities to promote ISER practices as cultural norms.

BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH SENECA'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY IN MIND.

This paper regards Seneca's practical philosophy as ancestor to psychoanalytically informed psychotherapy and as a progenitor of ongoing contemporary praxis in applied ideas of mind. Facing forward into the Anthropocene, as psychoanalysis encounters Artificial Intelligence, the convergence with contemporary psychoanalytic psychotherapy of value concepts developed from Antiquity is discussed. Drawn from Seneca's Letters on Ethics, constellations of significant ideas present in ancient practical philosophy resonate with similar configurations developed two millennia later, and central to the practice of contemporary psychotherapy.

A concept in flux and starved of the metaphysical: desecularizing emotion.

Despite being of undisputed importance, there is no consensus on what emotions are, with the majority of research that constructs ideas about them being colored by a particular worldview. This conceptual article examines the case for conducting an Islamic analysis of emotion. It might seem a peculiar area to examine; what would be the need to analyze such a universal psychological concept through the lens of a particular religion? Three points are used to argue for this endeavor. To begin with, this article highlights the relative instability of the term; there is yet no universally agreed upon definition of what emotions are, and which human processes they contribute to. As the concept is still being defined, there is merit in engaging with the discussion, particularly given the relative absence of metaphysics from the debate. Secondly, specificities relating to emotions and how they have conceptualized are considered. This section delves into the way in which variable factors, such as culture, language, and worldview, influence how emotions manifest. The overarching point argued for here is that how emotions are experienced, and even which emotions are experienced, are shaped by factors that are not consistent across time and space. Accordingly, different worldviews will formulate different "emotional palates" and "emotional ideologies"; different groups of people will understand and engage with emotions differently. Thirdly, a broader discussion ensues pertaining to the nature of science, psychology, and their relationship with secularity. This discussion includes critique of the idea that forces such as secularism and scientific materialism have been "discovered" and are therefore value-neutral. Accordingly, understandings of emotions to have emerged from the Academy, and contemporary psychology, are value-laden. This section also looks at the origins of science in order to determine whether it is inherently atheistic or areligious, and therefore antagonistic to a religious worldview. The section also challenges the apparent secularity of psychology and key psychologists. A range of other facets pertaining to how the emotions have been conceptualized, such as their relational core, their interaction with moral faculties, and their enmeshment with what is important to individuals and groups, are also considered.

Beatrice Dorothy Wade: Philosopher, Administrator, and Advocate.

Occupational therapist, Beatrice D. Wade, contributed to occupational therapy through her interest in the philosophy of professional autonomy, in educational program administration and curriculum design, in mental health advocacy and in service to the profession as an office holder during her occupational therapy career spanning the years 1925-1971. The purpose of this article is to document her life, work, and contributions and to summarize her impact on current professional autonomy, and philosophy of education and practice.

Defining equity, its determinants, and the foundations of equity science.

Advancing equity as a priority is increasingly declared in response to decades of evidence showing the association between poorer health outcomes and the unfair distribution of resources, power, and wealth across all levels of society. Quandries present, however, through incongruence, vagueness and disparate interpretations of the meaning of equity dilute and fragment efforts across research, policy and practice. Progress on reducing health inequities is, in this context, unsurprisingly irresolute. In this article, we make a case for equity science that reimagines the ways in which we (as researchers, as systems leaders, as teachers and mentors, and as citizens in society) engage in this work. We offer a definition of equity, its determinants, and the paradigmatic foundations of equity science, including the assumptions, values, and processes., and methods of this science. We argue for an equity science that can more meaningfully promote coherent alignment between intention, knowledge and action within and beyond the health sciences to spark a more equitable future.

Doctoral graduates' attitudes toward scholarly work and Institutional Review Board and Quality Improvement Committee education and submission processes: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Educators are challenged to find better ways to prepare doctoral nursing students to conduct scholarly work involving human subjects. PURPOSE: To better understand doctoral nursing students' attitudes toward programmatic scholarly work and Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Quality Improvement Committee (QIC) education and submission processes. METHODS: Recent Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Philosophy of Nursing (PhD) graduates were recruited using convenience sampling techniques to participate in this cross-sectional, descriptive, mixed-methods pilot study. Data were collected using two researcher-developed instruments. DISCUSSION: Nineteen doctoral nursing students participated in this study. Students most often used a quantitative approach with health care providers to complete their scholarly work requirements. Both PhD and DNP participants were overall satisfied with the IRB/QIC content in the curricula and the submission process. Four themes were identified: (a) Efficiency, (b) Collaboration, (c) Faculty Mentorship, and (d) Areas for Improvement. CONCLUSION: Findings from this pilot study may be used to enhance IRB/QIC processes through revision of administrative processes and student education.

Standing together at the helm - how employees experience employee-driven innovation in primary care.

Primary care needs to find strategies to deal with today's societal challenges and continue to deliver efficient and high-quality care. Employee-driven innovation is increasingly gaining ground as an accessible pathway to developing successful and sustainable organisations. This type of innovation is characterised by employees being engaged in the innovation process, based on a bottom-up approach. This qualitative study explores employees' experiences of employee-driven innovation at a primary care centre in Sweden. Data are collected by focus group interviews and analysed by inductive qualitative content analysis. The result is presented with the overarching theme "Standing together at the helm" followed by three categories: "Motivating factors for practising employee-driven innovation", "Challenges in practising employee-driven innovation" and "Benefits of employee-driven innovation", including nine subcategories. The study found that employee-driven innovation fosters organisational innovation, empowers employees, and enhances adaptability at personal and organisational levels. This enables individual and collective learning, and facilitates the shaping, development, and adaptation of working methods to meet internal and external requirements. However, new employees encountered difficulty grasping the concept of employee-driven innovation and recognising its long-term advantages. Additionally, the demanding and task-focused environment within primary care posed challenges in sustaining efforts in innovation work. The employees also experienced a lack of external support to drive and implement some innovative ideas.

How supervisors affect students' academic gains and research ability: An investigation through a qualitative study.

A supervisory system is an essential part of higher education and plays a vital role in cultivating the high-level talents needed for high-quality national development and social progress. This study aims to determine how supervisors affect students' academic gains and research ability. This study used a qualitative research method to select 10 postgraduate students and their 7 supervisors for in-depth interviews from May to July 2022. This study aims to address the following questions: 1. What are the modes of supervisor-student communication? 2. What impact do these modes have on students? 3. What factors affect these modes? Three discoveries were made in this study. When supervisors and students communicate only regarding the academic content and students tend to fully follow supervisors' instructions, students obtain more academic output in the short term but lack autonomy. When supervisors and students discuss academic issues and life trifles equally, it helps in promoting students' comprehensive quality. When students do not have much contact with their supervisors and they get along like strangers, it is beneficial to cultivate students' intellectual independence, but students grow slowly. The factors influencing the communication modes include the supervisors' educational philosophy, postgraduate learning attitude, and supervisory system. In conclusion, the three communication modes can coexist together in a group of students led by the same supervisor. Whether a communication mode can promote the growth of students depends on the awakening of the students' self-awareness, and the supervisory system is the most implicit factor underlying communication.

Philosophy of cognitive science in the age of deep learning.

Deep learning has enabled major advances across most areas of artificial intelligence research. This remarkable progress extends beyond mere engineering achievements and holds significant relevance for the philosophy of cognitive science. Deep neural networks have made significant strides in overcoming the limitations of older connectionist models that once occupied the center stage of philosophical debates about cognition. This development is directly relevant to long-standing theoretical debates in the philosophy of cognitive science. Furthermore, ongoing methodological challenges related to the comparative evaluation of deep neural networks stand to benefit greatly from interdisciplinary collaboration with philosophy and cognitive science. The time is ripe for philosophers to explore foundational issues related to deep learning and cognition; this perspective paper surveys key areas where their contributions can be especially fruitful. This article is categorized under: Philosophy > Artificial Intelligence Computer Science and Robotics > Machine Learning.

Failing to deliver: why pregnancy is not a disease.

In their article 'Is Pregnancy a Disease? A Normative Approach', Anna Smajdor and Joona Räsänen contend that, on several of the most prominent accounts of disease, pregnancy should be considered a disease. More specifically, of the five accounts they discuss, each renders pregnancy a disease or suffers serious conceptual problems otherwise. They take issue specifically with the dysfunction account of disease and argue that it suffers several theoretical difficulties. In this response, we focus on defending the dysfunction account against their main objections and show why a version of the dysfunction account is viable on account of the indispensability of normativity in biology and medicine. After disarming their main objections to the dysfunction account, we briefly respond to their treatment of the normality of pregnancy and then draw a distinction between adverse symptoms and underlying causes to show why even though pregnancy may have 'disease-like' features, it is not a disease.

Epistemic injustice, healthcare disparities and the missing pipeline: reflections on the exclusion of disabled scholars from health research.

People with disabilities are subject to multiple forms of health-related and wider social disparities; carefully focused research is required to inform more inclusive, safe and effective healthcare practice and policy. Through lived experience, disabled people are well positioned to identify and persistently pursue problems and opportunities within existing health provisions that may be overlooked by a largely non-disabled research community. Thus, the academy can play an important role in shining a light on the perspectives and insights from within the disability community, and combined with policy decisions, these perspectives and insights have a better opportunity to become integrated into the fabric of public life, within healthcare and beyond. However, despite the potential benefits that could be yielded by greater inclusivity, in this paper we describe barriers within the UK academy confronting disabled people who wish to embark on health research. We do this by drawing on published findings, and via the lived experience of the first author, who has struggled for over 3 years to find an accessible PhD programme as a person with energy limiting conditions who is largely confined to the home in the UK. First, we situate the discussion in the wider perspective of epistemic injustice in health research. Second, we consider evidence of epistemic injustice among disabled researchers, focusing primarily on what philosophers Kidd and Carel (2017, p 184) describe as 'strategies of exclusion'. Third, we offer recommendations for overcoming these barriers to improve the pipeline of researchers with disabilities in the academy.

Exploring undiscovered public knowledge in neuroscience.

In this essay, I argue that the combination of research synthesis and philosophical methods can fill an important methodological gap in neuroscience. While experimental research and formal modelling have seen their methods progressively increase in rigour and sophistication over the years, the task of analysing and synthesizing the vast literature reporting new results and models has lagged behind. The problem is aggravated because neuroscience has grown and expanded into a vast mosaic of related but partially independent subfields, each with their own literatures. This fragmentation not only makes it difficult to see the full picture emerging from neuroscience research but also limits progress in individual subfields. The current neuroscience literature has the perfect conditions to create what the information scientist Don Swanson called "undiscovered public knowledge"-knowledge that exists in the mutual implications of different published pieces of information but that is nonetheless undiscovered because those pieces have not been explicitly connected. Current methods for rigorous research synthesis, such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses, mostly focus on combining similar studies and are not suited for exploring undiscovered public knowledge. To that aim, they need to be adapted and supplemented. I argue that successful exploration of the hidden implications in the neuroscience literature will require the combination of these adapted research synthesis methods with philosophical methods for rigorous (and creative) analysis and synthesis.

The "plant neurobiology" revolution.

The 21st-century "plant neurobiology" movement is an amalgam of scholars interested in how "neural processes", broadly defined, lead to changes in plant behavior. Integral to the movement (now called plant behavioral biology) is a triad of historically marginalized subdisciplines, namely plant ethology, whole plant electrophysiology and plant comparative psychology, that set plant neurobiology apart from the mainstream. A central tenet held by these "triad disciplines" is that plants are exquisitely sensitive to environmental perturbations and that destructive experimental manipulations rapidly and profoundly affect plant function. Since destructive measurements have been the norm in plant physiology, much of our "textbook knowledge" concerning plant physiology is unrelated to normal plant function. As such, scientists in the triad disciplines favor a more natural and holistic approach toward understanding plant function. By examining the history, philosophy, sociology and psychology of the triad disciplines, this paper refutes in eight ways the criticism that plant neurobiology presents nothing new, and that the topics of plant neurobiology fall squarely under the purview of mainstream plant physiology. It is argued that although the triad disciplines and mainstream plant physiology share the common goal of understanding plant function, they are distinct in having their own intellectual histories and epistemologies.

Making things specific: towards an anthropology of everyday ethics in healthcare.

This paper is the English translation and adaptation of my inaugural lecture in Amsterdam for the Chair Anthropology of Everyday Ethics in Health Care. I argue that the challenges in health care may look daunting and unsolvable in their scale and complexity, but that it helps to consider these problems in their specificity, while accepting that some problems may not be solved but have become chronic. The paper provides reflections on how to develop a scientific approach that does not aim to eradicate bad things but explores ways in which to live with them. Crucial in this quest is the attention to how we conceptualize problems, and whether this is specific enough for addressing present day concerns. I propose an anthropology of everyday ethics as a way to study people's everyday ways of handling a variety of goods in practice. I draw specific attention to exploring aesthetic values in everyday life amongst these, values that are used abundantly to qualify events in everyday life but rarely theorized in philosophy or social science.

Navigating the uncommon: challenges in applying evidence-based medicine to rare diseases and the prospects of artificial intelligence solutions.

The study of rare diseases has long been an area of challenge for medical researchers, with agonizingly slow movement towards improved understanding of pathophysiology and treatments compared with more common illnesses. The push towards evidence-based medicine (EBM), which prioritizes certain types of evidence over others, poses a particular issue when mapped onto rare diseases, which may not be feasibly investigated using the methodologies endorsed by EBM, due to a number of constraints. While other trial designs have been suggested to overcome these limitations (with varying success), perhaps the most recent and enthusiastically adopted is the application of artificial intelligence to rare disease data. This paper critically examines the pitfalls of EBM (and its trial design offshoots) as it pertains to rare diseases, exploring the current landscape of AI as a potential solution to these challenges. This discussion is also taken a step further, providing philosophical commentary on the weaknesses and dangers of AI algorithms applied to rare disease research. While not proposing a singular solution, this article does provide a thoughtful reminder that no 'one-size-fits-all' approach exists in the complex world of rare diseases. We must balance cautious optimism with critical evaluation of new research paradigms and technology, while at the same time not neglecting the ever-important aspect of patient values and preferences, which may be challenging to incorporate into computer-driven models.

Do we have (in)compatibilist intuitions? Surveying experimental research.

This article critically examines the experimental philosophy of free will, particularly the interplay between ordinary individuals' compatibilist and incompatibilist intuitions. It explores key insights from research studies that propose "natural compatibilism" and "natural incompatibilism". These studies reveal a complex landscape of folk intuitions, where participants appear to exhibit both types of intuitions. Here, we examine error theories, which purport to explain the coexistence of apparently contradictory intuitions: the Affective Performance Error hypothesis, the "Free Will No Matter What" hypothesis, the Bypassing hypothesis, and the Intrusion hypothesis, and the article explores the cognitive errors that could shape individuals' inconsistent perceptions of free will. We then explore three possibilities regarding folk intuitions: most individuals may hold either compatibilist or incompatibilist intuitions, both simultaneously, or neither. Our aim is to deepen the understanding of the complex dynamics of intuitions about free will, and we close with suggestions for future studies in experimental philosophy.

Philosophy of psychiatry: theoretical advances and clinical implications.

Work at the intersection of philosophy and psychiatry has an extensive and influential history, and has received increased attention recently, with the emergence of professional associations and a growing literature. In this paper, we review key advances in work on philosophy and psychiatry, and their related clinical implications. First, in understanding and categorizing mental disorder, both naturalist and normativist considerations are now viewed as important - psychiatric constructs necessitate a consideration of both facts and values. At a conceptual level, this integrative view encourages moving away from strict scientism to soft naturalism, while in clinical practice this facilitates both evidence-based and values-based mental health care. Second, in considering the nature of psychiatric science, there is now increasing emphasis on a pluralist approach, including ontological, explanatory and value pluralism. Conceptually, a pluralist approach acknowledges the multi-level causal interactions that give rise to psychopathology, while clinically it emphasizes the importance of a broad range of "difference-makers", as well as a consideration of "lived experience" in both research and practice. Third, in considering a range of questions about the brain-mind, and how both somatic and psychic factors contribute to the development and maintenance of mental disorders, conceptual and empirical work on embodied cognition provides an increasingly valuable approach. Viewing the brain-mind as embodied, embedded and enactive offers a conceptual approach to the mind-body problem that facilitates the clinical integration of advances in both cognitive-affective neuroscience and phenomenological psychopathology.

The missing hydrogen ion, Part-3: Science and the human flaws that compromise it.

The purpose of this research was to use a historical method and core principles from scientific philosophy to explain why mistakes were made in the development of the lactic acidosis construct. On a broader scope, this research explains what science is, why some scientists despite good intention, often get it wrong, and why it takes so long (decades) to correct these errors. Science is a human behaviour that consists of the identification of a problem based on the correct application of prior knowledge, the development of a method to best resolve or test the problem, completion of these methods to acquire results, and then a correct interpretation of the results. If these steps are done correctly there is an increased probability (no guarantee) that the outcome is likely to be correct. Thomas Kuhn proposed that you can understand what science is from how it has been performed, and from his essays he revealed a very dysfunctional form of science that he called 'normal' (due the preponderance of its presence) science. Conversely, Karl Popper was adamant that the practice of 'normal' science revealed numerous flaws that deviate from fundamental principles that makes science, science. Collectively, the evidence reveals that within the sports medicine and health sciences, as with all disciplines, errors in science are more frequent than you might expect. There is an urgent need to improve how we educate and train scientists to prevent the pursuit of 'normal' science and the harm it imparts on humanity.