The Chilean House of Representatives is discussing the bill on “Dignified death and palliative care”, which regulates the so-called medical assistance in dying or euthanasia. This paper will critically analyze the different aspects of the bill, particularly concerning four main dimensions, namely, the patient's condition at the time of requesting euthanasia; the doctor-patient relationship and respect for the autonomy of both parties; the idea of medicine involved in it; and the possible therapeutic alternatives to euthanasia. This critical analysis raises the need to discuss in more depth a project that has to do with such important decisions about our lives and that implies a radical change in the way of thinking and practicing medicine.

Abstract Environmental ethics is often seen as a branch of applied ethics whose task is to offer solutions to emerging ethical dilemmas in the context of ecology. In this paper, we challenge this assumption, showing how the object of environmental ethics raises questions that go beyond that of applied ethics. We explore how the environmental issues bring up the need to inquire into the ontological status of Nature and the place of human beings in it, raising more general and far-reaching questions that do not get entrapped in the mere application. In this regard, it appears that “dwelling”, in its ontological sense, is at the bottom of these questions, creating a bridge between the ontological and the practical realm. Finally, we review classical environmental ethics’ paradigms highlighting the elements that go beyond applied ethics. And so, taking into account the different environmental ethics paradigms, we have two options: reducing the scope of the discipline and exclude the models that exceed it, or reconsidering it as an environmental philosophy tout court.

Resumen La ética ambiental es usualmente vista como una rama de la ética aplicada cuya tarea es ofrecer soluciones a los dilemas éticos emergentes en el contexto de la ecología. En este artículo cuestionamos esta suposición mostrando cómo el objeto de la ética ambiental suscita preguntas y cuestiones que van más allá de las consideraciones de la ética aplicada. Exploramos cómo las cuestiones ambientales reanudan la necesidad de preguntarse por el estatuto ontológico de la Naturaleza y el lugar de los seres humanos en ella, suscitando así preguntas más generales y de amplio alcance que no quedan atrapadas en la mera aplicación. Respecto a esto, el sentido ontológico del “habitar” aparece en el fondo de estas preguntas, estableciendo un puente entre lo ontológico y lo práctico. Finalmente, revisamos los paradigmas clásicos de la ética ambiental, destacando aquellos elementos que van más allá de las éticas aplicadas. Así, considerando los diferentes paradigmas éticos ambientales, tenemos dos opciones: reducir el alcance de la disciplina y excluir los modelos que la exceden, o bien, reconsiderar la disciplina como una filosofía ambiental tout court.

Recently, the Chilean Senate approved the main ideas of a constitutional reform and a Neuro-rights bill. This bill aims to protect people from the potential abusive use of “neuro-technologies”. Unfortunately, a literal interpretation of this law can produce severe negative effects both in the development of neuroscience research and medical practice in Chile, interfering with current treatments in countless patients suffering from neuropsychiatric diseases. This fear stems from the observation of the negative effects that recent Chilean legislations have produced, which share with the Neuro-Rights Law the attempt to protect vulnerable populations from potential abuse from certain medical interventions. In fact, Law 20,584 promulgated in 2012, instead of protecting the most vulnerable patients “incapacitated to consent”, produced enormous, and even possibly irreversible, damage to research in Chile in pathologies that require urgent attention, such as many neuropsychiatric diseases. This article details the effects that Law 20.584 had on research in Chile, how it relates to the Neuro-Rights Law, and the potential negative effects that the latter could have on research and medical practice, if it is not formulated correcting its errors.

Abstract Rethinking nature nowadays means to face the new perspectives developed by environmental ethics, i.e., the responses to the contemporary ecological crisis. The two main environmental paradigms, biocentrism and anthropocentrism, even before being ethical paradigms, are two anthropological visions developed from a certain idea of the position of human beings in the cosmos. In this sense, the purpose of this article is to highlight the fact the ecology is rooted in anthropology. In order to rethink the idea of nature, then, we have to reformulate our anthropological view, given the failure of the two main environmental paradigms at this theoretic level.

Resumen Repensar la naturaleza en la época actual significa enfrentar las nuevas perspectivas desarrolladas por la ética ambiental, es decir, las respuestas a la crisis ecológica contemporánea. Los dos paradigmas ambientales principales, biocentrismo y antropocentrismo, antes que ser paradigmas éticos son dos visiones antropológicas desarrolladas a partir de una cierta idea del puesto del ser humano en el cosmos. En este sentido, el objeto de este artículo es destacar el hecho de que la ecología es una antropología y, debido a esto, para repensar la naturaleza tenemos que reformular nuestra visión antropológica, dada la insuficiencia a nivel teórico de los principales paradigmas ambientales.

The catastrophic emergency experienced by many countries with the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the importance of bioethics for decision-making, both at the public health (equitable and effective policies) and at the clinical level. At the clinical level, the issues are the fulfillment of medical care demand with adequate health care teams, infrastructure, and supplies, and to cover critical care demands that surpass the available resources. Therefore, ethically correct approaches are required for the allocation of life sustaining resources. There are recommendations for the allocating life support during disasters based on multiple considerations, including ethical ones. However, the ethical criteria of existing guidelines are variable. Ethical principles usually considered are saving the greatest number of lives, saving the greatest number of years of life and the principle of the life cycle or the goal to give each individual equal opportunity to live through the various phases of life. However, the centrality of the human being and the search for the common good should be considered. Knowledge of public perspectives and moral benchmarks on these issues is essential. A successful assignment effort will require everyone's trust and cooperation. Decision making should be planned and discussed in advance, since in-depth deliberation will be extremely complex during the disaster. Our goal is to help the health care teams to wisely allocate resources in shortage periods.

Abstract: This article is an ethical and legal reflection about the current trend of parents to refuse vaccination of their children under a legal regime that establishes mandatory use of certain vaccines. We analyze the main arguments used by parents to refuse obligatory vaccination, i.e., the fear of the negative effects that vaccination may have on the child; the violation of the “right to autonomy”; religious or pseudo-philosophical beliefs; and the resistance to the State intervention in personal or family mat ters. Therefore, this statement implies a necessary ethical analysis of childhood vaccination. Finally, it will be discussed the responsibility of parents and the State -the health authority- in the care of mi nors. Vaccination is a benefit for both the inoculated and the community, the best preventive policy. At the same time, it is considered a complex case that demands a profound debate, whose purpose should be the transition from an apparent conflict between parents and the State, to convergence for the care of minors. In other words, it is emphasized the fact that parents, beyond the fulfillment of a heterogeneous normative duty, must act motivated by voluntary adherence to the best interest of the child and the community.

Resumen: Este artículo se presenta como una reflexión ética y jurídica acerca de la tendencia actual de los pa dres a rechazar la vacunación de sus hijos en un régimen jurídico que establece la obligatoriedad de determinadas vacunas. Se analizan los principales argumentos que los padres usan para rechazar las vacunaciones obligatorias, y, en concreto: el temor a los efectos negativos que la vacunación pueda provocar en el menor; la violación del “derecho a la autonomía”; las creencias religiosas o pseudo- filosóficas; la resistencia a la intervención del Estado en asuntos personales o familiares. De esto, nace un necesario análisis ético sobre la vacunación infantil. Finalmente, se discute la responsabilidad de los padres y del Estado (autoridad sanitaria) en el cuidado de los menores de edad. La vacunación es un beneficio tanto para el inoculado como para la comunidad, la mejor política preventiva. Al mismo tiempo, se configura como un caso complejo que demanda un debate profundo, cuyo fin debe ser el tránsito desde un aparente conflicto entre los padres y el Estado, a una convergencia por el cuidado de los menores de edad. En otros términos, se recalca el hecho de que los padres, más allá del cum plimiento de un deber normativo heterogéneo, deben actuar motivados por la adhesión voluntaria al bien del hijo y de la comunidad.

Resumen Sostenemos que, siendo el acto de comer racional y relacional, también debe ser un tema educativo que tiene que ver con la sociedad y el ambiente, la política y la salud, los gustos y las tendencias, así como los factores genéticos y epigenéticos. Esta hipótesis tiene que ver con una cierta teoría del acto humano y una antropología basada en las especulaciones filosóficas de MacIntyre y Aristóteles. En este sentido, argumentamos que las opciones alimenticias son un “híbrido de libertad”, racionalidad, y elementos inconscientes y ambientales, y se relacionan con las dimensiones espirituales y biológicas de los seres humanos. Finalmente, sugerimos que debemos cambiar los hábitos humanos para transformar la forma humana de actuar, ya que cada acto humano puede cambiar la esencia humana y viceversa.

Abstract We argue that, given that the act of eating is rational and relational, it should also be an educational issue dealing with society and environment, politics and health, tastes and trends, as well as genetic and epigenetic factors. This hypothesis arises from a particular theory of the human act and an anthropological approach based on the philosophical speculations of MacIntyre and Aristotle. We argue that eating choices are “hybrids of freedom,” rationality, and unconscious and environmental elements. Finally, we suggest that people have to change their habits in order to transform the human way of acting, since every human act can change the human essence and vice versa.

Resumo Sostenemos que, siendo el acto de comer racional y relacional, también debe ser un tema educativo que tiene que ver con la sociedad y el ambiente, la política y la salud, los gustos y las tendencias, así como los factores genéticos y epigenéticos. Esta hipótesis tiene que ver con una cierta teoría del acto humano y una antropología basada en las especulaciones filosóficas de MacIntyre y Aristóteles. En este sentido, argumentamos que las opciones alimenticias son un “híbrido de libertad”, racionalidad, y elementos inconscientes y ambientales, y se relacionan con las dimensiones espirituales y biológicas de los seres humanos. Finalmente, sugerimos que debemos cambiar los hábitos humanos para transformar la forma humana de actuar, ya que cada acto humano puede cambiar la esencia humana y viceversa.

Abstract: The ecological issue lies at the heart of many contemporary debates and has recently been embraced within the realm of “religion”, as the current ecological crisis questions our worldviews, obliging us to rethink our “metaphysical position in the cosmos”. Among the other paradigms, Næss's Deep Ecology seems to maintain a privileged position, since it has been able to emphasize with extreme clarity the religious foundations of such a perspective: the Buddhist worldview (the non-duality between the self and the world), the Gandhian Ethics (the principle of non-violence), and an immanent cosmology inspired by the philosophy of Spinoza (Deus sive Natura). For all these reasons, it will be interesting considering it as a “privileged paradigm” in the link between ecology and religion.

Resumen: La cuestión ecológica se encuentra en el centro de muchos debates contemporáneos y, últimamente, ha sido acogida dentro del ámbito de lo “religioso”, ya que la crisis ecológica actual interroga nuestras visiones del mundo, obligando a preguntarnos sobre nuestra “posición metafísica en el cosmos”. Entre los otros paradigmas, la Ecología Profunda de Næss parece mantener una posición privilegiada, ya que ha sabido destacar con extrema claridad cuáles son los fundamentos religiosos de tal perspectiva: la visión del mundo budista (la no-dualidad entre yo y mundo), la ética de Gandhi (el principio de no-violencia), y una cosmología inmanente inspirada en la filosofía de Spinoza (Deus sive Natura). Por todas estas razones, será interesante considerarla como “un paradigma privilegiado” en el vínculo entre ecología y religión.

Abstract: Biodiversity is commonly acknowledged as a universal value in different disciplines. It indicates the heterogeneity of properties that characterizes the biological world. Despite its common use, however, a critical analysis of the philosophical literature shows a difficulty in its conceptualization given by an apparent dichotomy between the normative and the descriptive features of the term itself. In this paper we argue that, in order to overcome such tension, the relational aspect of the biodiversity concept should be acknowledged. That is, any difference in the natural world, which is defined in terms of biodiversity, conceptually and explanatory entails the intrinsic relationship between what is in common and what is specific among entities, to be a value. This makes of biodiversity an explanatory concept in its own right. Through a relational account of biodiversity it is also possible to acknowledge the multi-dimensionality of the notion of biodiversity, which has shown to be really useful in different contexts and better characterized in terms of the "richness" that biodiversity concept entails.

Resumen: La biodiversidad suele reconocerse en diferentes disciplinas como un valor universal. Ésta apunta a la heterogeneidad de las propiedades que caracterizan al mundo biológico. Sin embargo, a pesar de su uso común, el análisis crítico de la literatura filosófica pone en evidencia cierta dificultad a conceptualizar la biodiversidad, dada una aparente dicotomía entre los elementos normativos y descriptivos del término mismo. En este artículo se sostiene que es necesario considerar el aspecto relacional de la biodiversidad con el fin de resolver esta dicotomía. Esto significa que para ser un valor, cualquier diferencia en el mundo natural que sea definida en términos de biodiversidad implicará, a nivel conceptual y explicativo, la relación intrínseca entre lo que tenga en común con las entidades y lo que sea específico de éstas. De esta manera la biodiversidad será un concepto explicativo por sí mismo. Una visión relacional de la biodiversidad también hace reconocer el carácter multidimensional de dicha noción, lo que ha probado ser realmente útil en diferentes contextos, pudiéndose caracterizar propiamente en términos de "riqueza" implicada por el concepto de la biodiversidad.

El objetivo de este texto es evaluar el informe de un caso clínico en el campo de la ginecología, a partir de un paradigma ético que se refiere principalmente a las denominadas "fuentes de la moral" (la estructura objetiva, las circunstancias, el objetivo). Primero se presentan cuatro paradigmas éticos para la evaluación de casos clínicos (utilitarismo de preferencia, principialismo, personalismo fundado ontológicamente y ética objetiva aristotélica/tomista). Después de la introducción de los aspectos principales de estos paradigmas y al señalar que lo que importa en una evaluación ética no es tanto el juicio final, sino más bien el argumento que conduce a ella, se evalúa el informe del caso a la luz del paradigma elegido. Por último, se esboza una posible solución al problema, a partir de la evaluación ética anterior.

The aim of this paper is to assess a case report in the field of gynecology, starting from an ethical paradigm that relates primarily to the so-called "sources of morality" (objective structure, circumstances, aim). In order to do so, we first will present four ethical paradigms for the evaluation of clinical cases (preference utilitarianism, principlism, ontologically-grounded personalism and Aristotelian/Thomist objective ethics). After introducing the main aspects of these paradigms and pointing out that what matters in an ethical evaluation is not so much the final judgement, but rather the argument that leads to it, we will assess the case report in light of the chosen paradigm. Lastly, we will outline a possible solution to the problem, starting from the previous ethical evaluation.

O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar o relatório de um caso clínico no campo da ginecologia a partir de um paradigma ético que se refere principalmente às denominadas "fontes da moral" (a estrutura objetiva, as circunstâncias, o objetivo). Nesse sentido, primeiramente apresentamos quatro paradigmas éticos para a avaliação de casos clínicos (utilitarismo de preferência, principialismo, personalismo fundado ontologicamente e ética objetiva aristotélica/tomista). Após introduzir os aspectos principais desses paradigmas e indicar que o importante numa avaliação ética não é tanto o julgamento final, mas sim o argumento de que conduz a ela, avaliamos o relatório do caso à luz do paradigma escolhido. Por último, esboçamos uma possível solução ao problema a partir da avaliação ética anterior.

The present pilot study aims at analyzing the human activity of playing in the light of an indicator of human ecology (HE). We highlighted the four essential anthropological dimensions (FEAD), starting from the analysis of questionnaires administered to actual gamers. The coherence between theoretical construct and observational data is a remarkable proof-of-concept of the possibility of establishing an experimentally motivated link between a philosophical construct (coming from Huizinga's Homo ludens definition) and actual gamers' motivation pattern. The starting hypothesis is that the activity of playing becomes ecological (and thus not harmful) when it achieves the harmony between the FEAD, thus realizing HE; conversely, it becomes at risk of creating some form of addiction, when destroying FEAD balance. We analyzed the data by means of variable clustering (oblique principal components) so to experimentally verify the existence of the hypothesized dimensions. The subsequent projection of statistical units (gamers) on the orthogonal space spanned by principal components allowed us to generate a meaningful, albeit preliminary, clusterization of gamer profiles.