Ethics, a compass for building the future

 

What should we think about the reasons for our decisions and the ways in which we act in relation to "others"? How can we build a reasoned reflection with a view to acting well? The last symposium "State of the art of teaching and research in ethics", rewarded four authors who offer a "compass" to our questions about migration, work, and research & innovation. 

 

Andividuals can be more aware of the rights of others (in the broadest sense) and act in a way that respects those rights and the good of others. It is through it that we develop our humanity: it allows us to reflect for ourselves, on ourselves, and on the impact of our actions beyond established laws, norms and morals. It is therefore fundamental to building a more coherent and just future.

The Trophies for Teaching and Research in Ethics held on November 10 at the CNAM organized by the Ostad Elahi Foundation - ethics and human solidarityThe conference will be held in parallel with the symposium, which has been recognized as being of public utility. State of the art in ethics teaching and research".« The objectives of the programme are to reward and promote at the national level students, researchers and teachers who, through their activities, work towards ethics, knowledge and respect for the rights of others and the development of human qualities.

In France, many Grandes Ecoles and universities have now become aware of this necessary reference to ethics. Today, ethics is linked to many disciplines through their programmes, chairs, teaching, training and research.

 

The selection of the winners of this 5th edition of the Ethics Teaching and Research Awards was based on the works published by researchers and teachers over the year 2016 and the first six months of 2017.

 

 

Matthieu de Nanteuil works on the place of work and the solidarity economy in social justice theories, as well as on the forms of violence and non-violence that accompany the history of modernity - liberal in particular.

Work is the great forgotten aspect of social justice theories. If there is one place where we experience injustice, it is work. How did we get here? This book investigates and opens perspectives. After reconstructing a history of the relationship between work and values, pointing out the risks of a simple "moralization of capitalism", it proposes to identify four models of justice: ethics of discussion, ethics of compromise, ethics of development, ethics of recognition. How do these models enable us to confront the injustices inherent in professional life? How do they give the actors the means to overcome the dilemmas and value conflicts they face? What do they demand of each of them? More broadly, to what extent do they contribute to the renewal of political - including trade union - action on these issues? Written in a didactic way, this book is addressed to all those who see work as an essential place for forming relationships with others and with oneself, all those who, for this very reason, intend to take up the challenge of a fairer work.

 

Sociologist and philosopher, professor at the University of Louvain, Matthieu de Nanteuil is a member of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Democracy, Institutions, Subjectivity (CriDIS) and of the Chair "Democracy, Cultures and Commitment" at the Institute for the Analysis of Change in History and Contemporary Societies (IACCHOS). He is also an associate member of the Research Group in Contemporary Political Theories at the National University of Colombia.

His last published works: de Nanteuil, M. and Merla, L. (eds), 2017, Work and care as political experiencesLouvain-la-Neuve, Pul; de Nanteuil, M. and Alix, N. (eds), 2014, For an economy of confidence in Europe. La contribution de l'économie sociale et solidaire, Paris, L'Option de Confrontations Europe.

 

 

The philosophers Sophie Pellé and Bernard Reber participated in the reflections on responsible research and innovation initiated by the European Commission. Their book "Ethics in research and responsible innovation" is based on the theme of innovation and responsibility: How can ethical issues be integrated from the design of research projects? What does it mean to involve "societal actors": should we give priority to citizen participation or involve stakeholders?

The scientific and technological upheavals of the twentieth century and the questions and difficulties that accompanied them (climate change, nuclear energy, GMOs, etc.) have increased the need to think about and monitor technoscientific progress and its consequences. However, expert assessments and ethics committees can no longer be the only sources of legitimacy today for understanding the social acceptability and ethical desirability of such progress. Responsibility must be more widely shared, both within society and in the conduct of research and innovation projects.

This book presents the main works on Responsible Innovation and Research (RIR) from the perspective of moral responsibility. It mobilizes no less than ten conceptions of moral responsibility in order to identify those that are positive and to defend an interpretative and combinatorial pluralism.

In that sense, it is morally innovative. It analyzes many cases and proposes perspectives rarely addressed in this emerging field (current ethics assessment practices, concern for integrity in research, participatory technology assessment mechanisms, etc.). It contributes to the promises of RRI, which remains largely undetermined theoretically even as it reconfigures the relationships between science, innovation and society.

 

Sophie Pellé has a doctorate in economic epistemology (Panthéon-Sorbonne University). Since 2010, she has been working on ethics and governance of new technologies (ANR Nano2e project and European GREAT project), as well as on the design and implementation of responsible innovation. Her latest book published is Business, Innovation and Responsibility, 2017, ISTE/Wiley edition.

 

Bernard Reber is a philosopher, director of research at the CNRS, and a member of Sciences Po's Centre for Political Research since 2014. Before that, he was at the Centre de recherches Sens, Ethique, Société (CNRS-Université Paris Descartes).
He has a doctorate in political research (EHESS) and HDR in philosophy (University of Paris Sorbonne), after having followed a complete course of theology (specializing in political theology and interreligious dialogue).
He has produced more than 150 scientific publications. His latest book is entitled Precautionary Principle, Pluralism, Deliberation. Science and EthicsLondon, ISTE-International and New York, Wiley, 2016, 247 pages. Also published in French, The Deliberation of the Best of Worlds. Between precaution and pluralism, 2017, 311 pages. He co-directs the series Responsible innovation (London, ISTE and New York, Wiley) within the collection " Interdisciplinarity, Sciences and Humanities "He is the author of 21 books, published in French and English. At the same publishers he is responsible for the Epistemology (40 works) within the Sciences project.
His work covers topics in moral philosophy (responsibility, pluralism, values, moral theories), politics (deliberative democracy, responsible democracy), at the interface of the social sciences (critical citizenship, moral sociology) or in interaction with the natural and engineering sciences (ethics and climate governance, precautionary principle, digital humanities, participatory technology assessment).

 

 

Immigration poses immense ethical challenges for European democracies. The values of freedom, equality and solidarity that have nourished European histories now seem to have lost their ability to guide us. From the "expat" to the asylum seeker, from family reunification to the free movement of people, the diversity of migratory situations challenges our convictions and questions our citizens' choices. When it comes to determining our migration policy and electing our representatives, the same question arises: how can we approach this mobility and give a new sense of responsibility? The scale of the challenges of migration plunges us into an atmosphere of permanent crisis. How can we find an ethical compass capable of accompanying our choices?

This first Francophone introduction to the ethics of immigration provides the tools needed to define our migration choices in a coherent and responsible manner. Written in an accessible manner by a specialist in migration ethics and law, it offers an overview of current philosophical positions. Situations in the field of asylum, family reunification or immigration for professional purposes will thus be assessed.

Thanks to numerous boxes dealing with concrete ethical challenges, the book allows everyone to clarify their intuitions and refine their own position. Training institutions will find teaching resources that can be easily mobilized. Policy-makers and decision-makers, as well as citizens concerned about providing a coherent response to the migratory challenges of our time, will find it a valuable companion for reflection and decision-making.

 

Johan Rochel is a Swiss philosopher and jurist working at the intersection of research, politics and civic engagement. Doctor of Law and philosopher, he is interested in the ethics of immigration and innovation. After a doctoral thesis on the law and ethics of European migration policy, he is currently engaged in a postdoctoral project on the distribution of innovation through intellectual property with the University of Tokyo and La Sapienza University in Rome.

 

Through his publications and his activities with decision-makers and the general public, Johan Rochel brings the results of these reflections to the heart of the City. He founded and organized the "Ethics Workshop for Migration", a participatory workshop that travels throughout Switzerland on the challenges of migration policy. He will soon launch the project "EthiX: Laboratory of Ethics of Innovation", which aims to provide a space for debate on the societal challenges of innovation. He is a member of the Federal Commission for Children and Youth and keeps a blog "La Suisse en mouvement" for the Swiss newspaper "Le Temps". He regularly publishes papers for the foreign policy think-tank foraus.