Hao Jiang

The ground of human dignity constitutes a core problem in metaethics. Traditional conceptions of dignity—whether religious, rational, recognition-based, or capability-based—all depend on moral attribute presuppositions, and each exhibits explanatory fractures in marginal cases. This paper proposes an entirely new theory of dignity grounded in a foundational postulate of ethics and objective facts: Pre-structural dignity. The argument proceeds from a disciplinary postulate and indisputable objective facts—that the advancement of civilization (generating increments rather than maintaining the status quo) depends on a small number of decisive breakthrough contributors; that such contributors cannot be identified in advance at birth; that the process of civilizational advancement must therefore maintain a pool of possibility covering all who are born; that every newborn is structurally incorporated into this pool, objectively functions as a possibility-bearer for becoming such a contributor; and that birth is an irreversible physical fact—to derive the conclusion that each individual, by virtue of functioning as a possibility-bearer in the operation of the civilizational advancement system, possesses a corresponding structural value. This structural value, which cannot be objectively revoked, while can only be subjectively denied, is precisely the ground of human dignity. Pre-structural dignity requires no moral presuppositions, religious beliefs, or social recognition, and possesses four attributes: innateness, universality, stability, and finitude. It is capable of explaining the marginal ethical cases that traditional theories cannot cover, thereby providing a more solid philosophical foundation for modern human rights and judicial ethics.

Our research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of auditory, visual, and audiovisual warning signals for capturing the attention of the pilot, and how stimulus onset asynchronies in audiovisual stimuli affect pilots perceiving the bimodal warning signals under different perceptual load conditions. In experiment 1 of the low perceptual load condition, participants discriminated the location of visual targets preceded by five different types of warning signals. In experiment 2 of high perceptual load, participants completed the location task identical to a low load condition and a digit detection task in a rapid serial visual presentation stream. The main effect of warning signals in two experiments showed that visual and auditory cues presented simultaneously could effectively and efficiently arouse the attention of the pilots in high and low load conditions. Specifically, auditory, AV, and visual preceding auditory stimulus by 100 ms increased the spatial orientation to a valid position in low load conditions. With the increase in visual perceptual load, auditory preceding the visual stimulus by 100 ms and A warning signals had stronger spatial orientation. The results are expected to theoretically support the optimization design of the cockpit display interface, contributing to immediate flight crew awareness.

The integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into academia presents profound ethical challenges to research integrity. Disciplinary norms likely shape engagement with this technology, yet a comparative analysis between medical and non-medical research cultures is lacking. This study examines how this critical divide influences the adoption of GenAI, the development of ethically sensitive behaviors, and perceptions of oversight in Chinese universities. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to 5,731 active researchers (including postdoctoral fellows and doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate students) from 48 universities, categorized as medical (n = 1,935) or non-medical researchers (n = 3,796). The instrument measured the frequency of GenAI adoption, integrity awareness, self-reported behaviors (including data fabrication/falsification), and ethical attitudes. Analyses used the chi-square test and independent-samples t-tests. Non-medical researchers reported higher GenAI adoption (57.0% vs. 45.6%, p

Contemporary contract theories fail to escape their bondage to 19th century liberal philosophers. Some are based on utility or preference satisfaction, but they disregard justice. Others try to extract conclusions for general concepts such as liberty or autonomy, but they cannot do so without first smuggling their conclusions in the definitions of these concepts. These problems can be resolved by looking in a different direction: to the Aristotelian idea of contract as voluntary commutive justice on which contract theory was grounded before the 19th century. In the Aristotelian tradition, a contract of exchange was defined in terms of its purpose: to enable each party to obtain what he valued more in return for what he valued less without enriching the other party at his own expense. It united a concern for concept of a contract, the purposes of the parties, and the justice of their transaction rather than splitting them apart.