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European Ethics Network: A Forum for Ethics
in Europe
'Without ethical leadership even the best
designed institutions and strategies will fail'
A CHALLENGE
The many urgent ethical problems of our time, including
the quest for a meaningful life, cannot be solved by the brilliance
of science and technology alone. In a world dominated by the power
of knowledge, professional experts and business administrators exercise
a crucial influence on the quality of life of millions of European
citizens. Under the impulse of new technological, bio-medical and
managerial developments the influence and responsibilities of experts
will further expand. More than ever, professionals such as politicians,
lawyers, scientists, economists, doctors, engineers and journalists
need an education in which specialised knowledge and skill is complemented
by the ability to deal with the fundamental questions of life and
a capacity to discern the values which are at stake.
'The least of things with meaning is worth
more in life than the greatest of things without it'
A RESPONSE FROM THE EUROPEAN ETHICS NETWORK
The necessity for a substantial improvement in
research and education in professional ethics coupled with a desire
for greater interaction and cooperation among ethicists inspired
the creation of the European Ethics Network (EEN). The EEN is not
merely an academic club, rather it is a forum with a concrete purpose,.
which is primarily to develop a practical ethics for, and as far
as possible in dialogue with, professionals and to stimulate discussion
between fundamental ethics and the specific areas of specialisation.
At the core of all the EEN's activities is a commitment to developing
a critical 'ethical sense' within professionals and ethicists alike
whereby they acquire the capacity to make adequate ethical judgements
which take into account the social context of decision making and
the broader frameworks of interpretation. |
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