Catholic Anthropology from an Ecological Perspective: Pastoral Study in the Light of the Encyclical Laudato si’

One of the important causes of the ecological crisis is the egoistic mentality of contemporary people and the lack of respect for the natural order and immanent purpose of the creation. In order to shape a new pro-ecological consciousness a new concept of man and his relations with the environment is needed. One of the proposals is Catholic anthropology, whose ecological foundations were indicated by Pope Francis in his Encyclical Laudato si’. It is a proposal to describe man applying religious concepts, but also including the up-to-date knowledge about man and the environment. It is a concept open to dialogue, the aim of which should be the development of a pro-ecological lifestyle for contemporary people. Catholic anthropology postulates to combine “external” ecology with “moral” ecology, which can help modern man not only to have control over nature, but also to become its defender through small, everyday activities. In ecologically oriented anthropology, the created world is treated as a common home, and Pope Francis calls it our sister, with whom we share existence, and a beautiful mother, who takes us in her arms.

The Concept of Moral Ecology in Media Sociology Research

This project provides an explication of moral ecology, tracing its roots from 19th-century scientific approaches to its 20th-century critical-cultural focus, and introducing its latest moral-psychology incarnation for future media research. While the rich media ecology scholarship has focused primarily on the realm of effects, emerging applications of the moral ecology concept are shifting that focus onto the sociological processes and organizational structures involved in the formation of moral dispositions and standards. This project promotes an argument for why moral ecology should be considered an essential focus of media sociology research in general and media ethics scholarship in particular. Such a focus spotlights the organizational-level factors that serve to help or hinder the ability of media workers to act virtuously and uphold professional norms.

Moral Ecology in Nursing: A Pluralistic Approach

Moral dilemmas are present in all settings in which nurses work. Nurses are moral agents who must make moral decisions and take moral action in very complex social systems. Nurses are accountable for their actions, and it is therefore imperative that they have a solid foundation in ethics. There are multiple ethical frameworks nurses can utilize to justify their actions. A theory of moral ecology is presented here as a way to conceptualize the relationships between these frameworks. The first two steps of moral action, moral sensitivity and moral judgment, are explored in a pluralistic context. Specifically, multiple ethical frameworks that inform the practice of nursing are presented using an ecological model. Nurses work in a variety of practice environments, with different populations, across a spectrum of situations. An ecological model acknowledges that nurses are influenced by the complex social, and ethical, systems in which they find themselves taking moral action. When faced with ethical issues in practice, a nurse's moral sensitivity and moral judgment may be guided by ethical systems most proximal to the situation. Nurses bring individual moral beliefs to work and are influenced by the ethical directives of employers, the discipline's code of ethics, principles of bioethics, and various approaches to normative ethics (virtue, consequential, deontological, and care). Any of the frameworks presented may justifiably be applied in various nursing circumstances. I propose that the multiple ethical frameworks nurses utilize exist in a relationally nested manner and a model of moral ecology in nursing is provided.