If artificial agents can behave empathically, could this contribute to the development of more ethical AI systems? This question becomes especially important and timely with the speed of development and increasing use-cases in AI, has been raising concerns about their ethical use. In this chapter, I tried to give a nuanced exploration of different components of computational empathy, and the opportunities and challenges they present on different stages of the moral decision-making process. Rather than offering a simple “yes” or “no” answer, it suggests that the integration of empathy into AI systems depends on which components are employed and when. The chapter reviews existing research on empathy’s connection to moral and ethical behavior in humans, followed by a critical examination of how these insights could be applied to artificial agents.

The aim of this paper is to reassess a major issue related to Plato’s theory of the immortality of the soul, namely whether for a soul being immortal has to meant in the sense of ‘personal immortality’ (i.e., a person’s soul remains this person’s soul after that person’s death), ‘individual immortality’ (i.e., there is a plurality of individual immortal souls), or ‘cosmic immortality’ (i.e., only a cosmic psychic principle is immortal). More specifically, the paper shows that the first option is untenable from both philosophical and textual perspectives and that the second one is not only the most supported by textual evidence but also the most profitable from a philosophical point of view, whereas the first is introduced for pedagogical purposes, that is, as a noble lie.

The Introduction to Centrone’s Pseudopythagorica Ethica is a milestone in the scholarship. The framework outlined in this work, ranging from philosophical outlook to style, from ideological aspects to theoretical tenets, provides the reader with a very rich and authoritative portrait of what Pythagorean pseudepigrapha are. This applies to a number of levels: it offers a substantial philosophical analysis of the pseudo-Pythagorean corpus as a whole; it carefully analyzes the language (a complex artificial Doric dialect), style, and vocabulary of these writings; it enlightens the major philosophical tenets of the corpus, with a special focus on ethics; and more specifically it detects a complex interaction of a Platonic core with Aristotelian, Stoic, and Pythagorean elements, an interaction that shapes the philosophical outlook of the corpus.

This introduction explains the intellectual project underlying the volume and the reasons for gathering this selection of papers by Bruno Centrone in English.

Towards the end of the Laws (965d) the Athenian sets the problem of the unity of virtue in terms of an alternative between a hen, a holon, and a hen-holon. These options match with the thesis puts forward in the Protagoras (329d): the different virtues as nothing but names of a single entity, or virtue as something constituted by parts, which are alike to the parts of gold or to the parts of face. The paper shows that the analogy of the face is the option favored by Plato: the unity of virtue has to be conceived of in terms of an organic and unitary totality that does not simply consist in their sum or juxtaposition. Furthermore, this conclusion can effectively explain why and in what sense virtues are at the same time unitary and different from each other, but also why philosophical virtues have co-implication as their intrinsic feature.

This chapter, devoted to the pseudo-Platonic Anterastai, is characterized by a complex approach to the claim of inauthenticity for a dialogue. On the one hand, it is advocated that the dialogue advances a new argument against the authenticity based on the dramatic representation of Socrates’ profession of ignorance. On the other hand, the method applied in the chapter contrasts with a widespread attitude, according to which inauthenticity is evaluated concerning the contents of a dialogue. What is remarkable is that the appeal to the dramatic form to state the inauthenticity of the dialogue allows us to maintain that the Anterastai is spurious and that the philosophical perspective of the dialogue can be genuinely Platonic. Indeed, contrary to what is usually believed, the Anterastai are animated by a genuinely Platonic spirit, since they do not reject the engagement in dialectic or sciences, but rather recognize their value – provided that they are correctly practiced. Indeed, against the Aristotelian distinction of forms of rulership, the author of the Anterastai pursues the goal of restoring the Platonic thesis of their unity.

The final chapter situates addiction neuroscience within a broader societal and policy context. It examines how scientific evidence intersects with drug regulation, stigma, and health equity. The chapter argues for public health–oriented, evidence-based policies and highlights the ethical responsibilities of neuroscience in shaping societal responses to addiction. Future directions for research, policy, and education are discussed.

In Chapter 5, the development of industrial power and its influence on government reveals the strong impact of technological determinism, which favors the protection of industry as an inapt proxy for human well-being.

This section offers a wide variety of commonly encountered ethical challenges in intensive care, with some role-play options so candidates can practice difficult situations.

Chapter 10 focuses on the nurse through a discussion of issues of professional self-respect, with a special focus on reporting mistakes and clinical incidents, but also in a consideration of the place of self-forgiveness after making a mistake. It looks at factors that influence nurses’ decisions about reporting, and explains the importance of dealing effectively and ethically with clinical errors and incidents – for the sake of both patients and nurses. Admitting to mistakes has a number of important moral and practical effects for nurses, including restoring their self-respect and putting the patient back at the centre of care. The chapter also explains the open disclosure process for dealing with mistakes in a way that restores trust and justice to the clinical relationship.Finding the courage and the words to admit mistakes can be facilitated in the workplace by employing specific approaches. This chapter discusses an approach developed in the United States, and adopted worldwide, known as ‘Giving Voice to Values’. This is a structured practical approach that helps individuals to develop the skills they need to speak out when they know they should.

This book has been written specifically for nurses training and practising within Australia, to assist and encourage them to develop a strong and well-defined sense of professional and moral identity. It endeavours to provide an integrated, practical framework for understanding the ethical and legal dimensions of nursing practice in Australia by referencing Australian law and reflecting the Australian clinical context and cultural norms.

Chapter 6 takes a detailed look at the concept of negligence as it applies to health care, and how it is tied to the nurse’s duty of care towards their patients. It explains how a failure to meet that duty of care can lead to a legal finding of negligence against a nurse. It describes how a nurse’s required standard of care is determined in law, and how negligence is proven (or defended). It also explains a nurse’s legal liability and professional indemnity, as well as the employer’s vicarious liability for the actions of nurses. Finally, it discusses the role of apology and when an apology to a patient is appropriate. It also introduces the related concept of a ‘statutory duty of candour’, recently introduced into law in Victoria.

Why do individuals embedded in organizations act corruptly? Functionalist and economic approaches to corruption have had limited success in explaining why individuals choose corruption where there are strong institutional constraints, including monitoring systems, high costs, and strong punishments. The persistence of corruption despite such constraints has prompted researchers to consider more seriously the individual psychological drivers of corruption. This chapter reviews evidence on the psychology of corruption, finding that power, ethical leadership, personal gain and self-control, loss aversion and risk acceptance, rationalization, moral ambiguity and disengagement, learning, and emotion all influence an individual’s propensity to act corruptly within an organization. Anti-corruption measures that constrain these drivers include transparency, participation, and accountability measures that reduce incentives and opportunities for corruption. Organizations can also implement ethical measures like codes of conduct, anti-corruption training, attend to cultural dynamics, and use nudging interventions to incentivize clean behavior.

Chapter 7 looks at the cultural and ethical considerations that are relevant to nursing people from diverse cultures, with a focus on nursing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and describes nursing practice that is culturally safe. It is important to remember that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are diverse groups who live a variety of lifestyles, from highly traditional to highly modern, on tropical islands, in remote deserts and in cities. Indigenous culture encompasses elements from ancient practices to contemporary technology. Appreciating the complexity of Indigenous Australian culture and its historical context is fundamental to providing ethical and therapeutic care.

Chapter 9 takes up the issues of trust and hope in the care provided by nurses – including trust in machines and colleagues – and revisits themes of power, autonomy and advocacy in decision-making about care. Trust is central to negotiating treatment in the nurse–patient relationship because the patient does not choose to enter into a relationship with the nurse. In considering the nature and scope of trust, and the extent to which nurses can be expected to accommodate patients’ wishes, the chapter also discusses the importance of hope and of avoiding both unrealistic hope and hopelessness.