The Philosophy Thematic Issue (2022): Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice has put out a Call for Papers for a special section on the topic of ‘Respect and Shame in Healthcare and Bioethics.’
The role of philosophy in discussions of clinical practice was once regarded by many as restricted to a very limited version of ‘medical ethics’. But in recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the philosophy of medicine and healthcare as an intellectually serious and practically significant enterprise. Controversies about evidence, value, clinical knowledge, judgment, integrity and ethics have required practitioners and policymakers to confront the epistemic and moral basis of practice, while philosophers have found in these debates ways to invigorate and reframe the investigation of long-standing philosophical problems, about the nature of reasoning, science, knowledge and practice, and the relationships between epistemology and ethics, morals and politics.
The Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice is an international health sciences journal (Impact Factor 2.431) that focuses on the evaluation and development of clinical practice in medicine, nursing and the allied health professions. It has a large and diverse readership including practitioners and academics from a vast range of areas, and over a twenty-year tradition of publishing papers raising epistemological, metaphysical and ethical issues underlying clinical policy and practice. April 2010 saw the publication of the first thematic issue of the Journal devoted entirely to philosophical issues, and these ‘philosophy thematics’ have now become an established annual feature of the JECP.
In the 2022 philosophy thematic edition, we are including a special section on the topic of Respect and Shame in Healthcare and Bioethics Conceptual understanding of the moral concept of ‘respect for persons’ in the context of healthcare and bioethics has gained significance in recent times. While the dominant understanding of ‘respect’ in the context of bioethics has focused on ‘autonomy’, this conception has been critically questioned. However, the moral concept of respect for persons remains unanalysed from a philosophical and phenomenological understanding, and this analysis requires a critical understanding of the nature of respect and disrespect. Across cultures and institutions, the moral code to respect another individual applies while deliberating, negotiating, and interacting with them. One should avoid, or lessen, disrespectful treatment which can lead to experiences such as humiliation, shame and a loss of recognition. Leading bioethical arguments suggest the principle of recognition is significant with regard to understanding the moral concept of ‘respect for persons’ and also in actualizing respect within interactions in various situations. While acknowledging the problematic translation of bioethics, both in theory and practice, between Global North and South, in this edition we are keen to receive articles which reassess the conceptual and methodological framework of bioethics and healthcare debates while engaging with the key moral concepts like respect, shame and humiliation.
In this special issue we are particularly keen to publish articles which critically engage with these moral concepts from multidisciplinary perspectives and frameworks in order to enhance our understanding of both respect and shame, along with their significance for a more optimal delivery of healthcare. We strongly encourage submissions from early career scholars. Papers can be qualitative inquiry, normative and philosophical analysis which provide deeper conceptual and phenomenological understandings of (dis)respect, shame and humiliation, and help improve the practice of medicine.
Original papers are usually no more than 5000 words in length (though an extension of word count may be requested), and detailed author guidelines are available.
Manuscripts can be submitted online and please mark the submissions clearly with the words “Philosophy Thematic Issue 2022”. The deadline for submission of all manuscripts is 22nd April 2022. For any questions about possible submissions please e-mail Supriya Subramani or Professor Luna Dolezal.
