The main theme of volume 6 of Eco-ethica is "Ethics and Justice" which focuses on the idea of "justice" in a metaphysical, social, and personal sense. Justice is considered as a balance between opposite ambitions in interdependent persons, and as equity in legislation, but not as blind justice. Today it is valuable not only on the national, but also on the cosmopolitan level. Before it became personal justice, the idea of justice was considered metaphysical and social, both in European and Chinese culture. However, in modern times, it is often reduced to a moral duty without meta-ethical responsibility. The last section considers the importance of the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur (1913-2005) for clarifying the idea of justice. (Series: Eco-Ethica, Vol. 6) [Subject: Philosophy, Ethics]

This volume consists of papers and interviews which attempt to shed a strong light on the ethical problems that the death penalty presents, to put a finger on what constitutes the core problem of this punishment, and to show where humanity stands in this respect in the first quarter of the 21 st century. Its contributors are Robert (Renny) Cushing, Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis, Tsakhia Elbegdorj, Gilbert (Gill) Garcetti, Hanne Sophie Greve, Phillip F. Iya, Sylvie Zainabo Kayitesi, Ioanna Kucuradi (ed.), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Joaquin Jos'e Martínez, Federico Mayor, Ibrahim Najjar, Rajiv Narayan, Navanethem (Navi) Pillay, Bill Richardson, Jos'e Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Horacio Verbitsky and Asunta Vivo.

Identity is considered prima facie the most important philosophical principle in traditional logic and metaphysics. The reflexive ability of the subject implies that he or she can relate to himself or herself and to others, thus establishing the basis for the formation of individual and social identity. The present essays, which contains papers held at the conference of the "Institut International de Philosophie" at the University of Zadar, in 2007, present a range of positions and arguments regarding the possibilities of philosophical interpretation of identity.

IBSS is the essential tool for librarians, university departments, research institutions and any public or private institution whose work requires access to up-to-date and comprehensive knowledge of the social sciences.

This book offers a serious take on the social-environmental crisis that our world suffers from today. In the first section the authors look at ethical responsibility in relation to the natural environment, whereas in the second section they examine ethical responsibility in the cultural and social environment. The third part includes papers devoted to the philosophy of Paul Ric (1913-2005), written by Ric scholars. The essays focus on ethics and the natural, social, or cultural enviroment in Ricoeur's thought. Half of the essays are in English; the other half are in French and German. (Series: Eco-Ethica, Vol. 5)[Subject: Religious Studies, Christianity Studies, Philosophy]

Water is a matter of life and death. Advanced technology and engineering enable humans to gain better access to it. Nonetheless, the conditions and effort required to reach this goal remain colossal in many countries. Building a lasting infrastructure for adequate treatment before and after use is costly. Therefore, the author believes that a radical change of thinking among people around the world, from the domestic to the large-scale users, becomes a priority. Even if the United Nations entitles all people to justice for water, more responsible and ethical use of it by all interested parties is more important than the spreading of promises, which, in practice, may turn out to be a sham. Only a better understanding that access to water rests on the efforts of everyone, without exception, will reduce overuse, waste, and pollution of the indispensable resource. This volume, while written from a theological, philosophical, and legal perspective (focusing on John Calvin, John Rawls, and Paul Ricoeur), demonstrates that water cannot be merely understood as a human right, but also has to be dealt with from an economic point of view as well as under the authority of the Golden Rule.

The Data Protection and Medical Research in Europe: PRIVIREAL series represents the results of this EC-funded project examining the implementation of Directive 95/46/EC on data protection in relation to medical research and the role of ethics committees in European countries. The series consists of five separate volumes following the complete development of the PRIVIREAL project. This volume relates to the second stage of this project and is concerned with the setting up and role of research ethics committees. It assesses their legal responsibilities, especially with regard to data protection matters and contains reports from more than 20 European countries on these issues. Focusing on the theoretical role and practical operation of research ethics committees and the impact of relevant international and national instruments, this volume will be an essential resource for all those concerned with data protection issues in medical research.

Ideas play a more crucial role in history than they appear to do at first sight. If not sufficiently scrutinized, they sometimes lead to results far divergent from the initial intentions of those who put them forth as lines of orientation for practice. This seems to be also the case with the idea of "development", which has marked social and political practice in the second half of the 20 th Century. In this volume philosophers from different parts of the world discuss, and attempt to evaluate, from epistemological and ethical points of view, the idea of "development", as the principal objective of national and international policies during the past few decades.