Centre for Ethics

The members of the team have experience in Normative Ethics, Moral Sciences and Applied Ethics. As a team we are interested in the interrelation between theoretical and practical aspects of ethics (1). Hereby we carry out empirical research in a interdisciplinary context (2). Ethical theories demonstrate their practical relevance in all kind of cases wherein persons justify their acts. We question these situations against the background of cultural determinants such as secularization, scientification, multiculturalism and mediatisation. Herewith we pay attention to autonomy and the well-being of persons, to social responsibility and just institutions. We analyse the deontological and juridical frame of some practices. We research 3 domains of practices: a. Health care and experimental research on human beings: moral aspects of health care for EU immigrants, persons with a disability, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, human embryonic stem cell research, the commodification of human material, euthanasia and end-of-life decisions in the case of non-competent persons. b. New digital media: the moral aspects of 'social virtual worlds' and their meaning for reality perception and identity, social interaction, marketing and societal expectations. c. Gender, sexuality and the multicultural society: the moral aspects of feminism, the social integration of migrants, the headscarf debate and violence in sexual relations. For the interdisciplinary and empirical research (qualitative) we collaborate with the following research centers: Study of the Enlightenment and Contemporary Humanism (VERL). Studies on Media, Information and Telecommunication (SMIT). Gender and Diversity (RHEA). Law, Science, Technology and Society (LSTS) Department of Embryology and Genetics (EMGE) End-of-life care Research group (ZRL) S. Kierkegaard Research Centre Kopenhagen University for Humanistics Utrecht (UvH) Bioethics Institute Ghent (BIG)