Radu Simion

This article investigates how hypernudging, a dynamic mode of algorithmic influence, transforms the preconditions of moral agency in digital environments. By continuously adapting to behavioural and emotional cues, hypernudging subtly reshapes perception, attention, and choice, promoting behavioural alignment over critical reflection. I argue that this process redefines autonomy as a form of optimized responsiveness rather than reflective self-determination, diminishing the space for normative tension and ethical divergence. In response, I advance a framework for infrastructural ethics that foregrounds deliberative resistance, informational asymmetry, and the structural possibility of contestation. Drawing on insights from human machine interaction and value sensitive design, the article positions technological environments as formative spaces where moral capacities are either constrained or cultivated. Upholding moral agency in the context of predictive systems requires a reimagining of ethics as a shared and situated process, sustained through relational engagement and the preservation of moral complexity.

Ten years after the publication of The Ethics of Geoengineering: Perspectives from Romania, I revisit the ethical and epistemological questions surrounding climate intervention technologies. In the meantime, geoengineering has moved from being a speculative concept to becoming a central element in climate policy discussions. I argue that this shift has not been driven by transparent public debate or broad scientific consensus. Rather, it results from a deeper process of normalization that increasingly portrays techniques like Solar Radiation Management as rational and even necessary responses to the climate crisis. This framing is rooted in a technocratic worldview that prioritizes control, modeling, and predictive planning, often at the expense of ethical inquiry, democratic engagement, and respect for ecological complexity. I believe that the dominant assumptions shaping geoengineering foster a vision of governance where preparedness is mistaken for legitimacy, and responsibility is reduced to procedural compliance. As a result, critical questions about authority, knowledge systems, and the future we choose to pursue are frequently marginalized or deferred. In response, I advocate for a different ethical framework, one that emphasizes epistemic humility, justice across generations, inclusive co-design, and recognition of multiple ways of understanding the world. Geoengineering, in my view, is not a neutral technological fix but a manifestation of modernity’s drive to impose order in response to planetary uncertainty. An adequate ethical approach must go beyond measurements and institutional procedures to question the kind of planetary future we are creating, whose voices are included, and which values guide our decisions in times of crisis.

În această lucrare îmi propun să prezint tema eco-pedagogiei morale, o viziune holistă, integrativă și multidisciplinară asupra eticii mediului considerată într-un orizont practic al educației morale pentru sustenabilitate, încredere și grijă, exersată atât în relație cu agenții morali dar mai ales în relație cu mediul natural și pacienții morali care îl populează. Îmi doresc ca acest efort să reprezinte un bun punct de plecare și un element de sprijin în ceea ce privește gestionarea crizei ecologice de către membrii comunității antropice, eventuale ramificări teoretice și adăugiri ulterioare fiind necesare, ajutând la îmbogățirea peisajul discursiv legat de relația omului cu natura.

In the domain of pedagogical theory, the cultivation of authenticity and the facilitation of autonomy represent fundamental objectives. Achieving these aims requires a robust foundation rooted in empirical research, which serves to cultivate a commitment to ongoing enhancement in teaching efficacy. This scholarly endeavor serves as a cornerstone in the pursuit of pedagogical advancement, infusing the educator-student dynamic with qualities of courage, perseverance, and mutual respect. Core to this framework is the recognition that effective pedagogy transcends mere dissemination of information; rather, it entails the integration of students' intrinsic curiosity and enthusiasm for learning with a genuine relational closeness fostered by the educator. This relational aspect is not confined to the orchestration of learning environments; rather, it underscores the educator's multifaceted role, characterized by a rich spectrum of affective dispositions, cognitive frameworks, and attitudinal orientations

“Seriozitatea jocului. O abordare multidisciplinară a ludicului” (The seriousness of playing. A multidisciplinary approach to playfulness), coordinated by Diana Mărgărit and Ciprian Jeler, was published in 2021 at the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University Publishing House, introducing the topic of game, as seen from the perspective of ten original contributions of researchers and authors dedicated to this vast topic. Playing, an activity that does not seem to raise major epistemic issues, comes out unfolding its multiple dimensions such as semantic, aesthetic, historical, social, anthropological or ontological relevance. As a philosopher interested in topics that encompass a wide range of extended applicability disciplines, the subject of play seems to me as much fascinating and spectacular as it is peculiar, mysterious, enticing. I found myself delighted to encounter in contemporary philosophy a paper work that gathers in its content such a vast repertoire of meanings, approaches and tensions related to the proposed topic.

Migration is a central concern in today’s global discourse, demanding responses that reflect moral maturity, ecological awareness, and a commitment to fundamental human rights. Within this complex landscape, social work professionals play a pivotal role in transforming challenges into ethically grounded, context-sensitive solutions accessible to vulnerable populations. This article proposes a conceptual bridge between migration and Environmental Virtue Ethics (EVE), offering an integrative framework that addresses both immediate humanitarian needs and the ecological systems within which these needs unfold. Grounded in Romania’s dual experience as both a country of emigration and emerging immigration, and drawing on case studies from local and diasporic contexts, the paper explores the ethical and practical dimensions of inclusion. Focusing on the relational interplay between human mobility, ecological knowledge, and social care, the article highlights the potential of migrants as carriers of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), contributing to the resilience of host communities through sustainability-oriented practices. It also emphasizes the central role of social workers as facilitators of biocultural renewal, particularly when supported by interdisciplinary tools such as Education for Sustainability (EfS) and moral eco-pedagogy. Within these frameworks, virtues such as prudence, humility, and temperance become active components in designing inclusive, future-oriented models of ecological and social integration. Ultimately, the article reframes migration not as a threat to cohesion but as an opportunity to cultivate shared resilience, intercultural dialogue, and adaptive sustainability. By embedding ethical reflection into policy and practice, it advocates for relational, justice-oriented approaches to integration – approaches that affirm both human dignity and environmental responsibility in an increasingly interconnected world.

This article delves into the dynamic landscape of contemporary ecological discourse, focusing on the intersection between anthropos and the environment—a complex interplay shaping their relationship. Within this context, non-places emerge as seemingly unnoticeable spaces, deserving comprehensive investigation in the evolving ecological rhetoric. Non-places, often overlooked in conventional analyses, play a profound role in shaping our interconnected existence with the environment. In response to this imperative, the present study endeavors to delve into the intricate layers of these non-places, employing the conceptual lens provided by Timothy Morton's hyperobject and ecological thought theories. By adopting Morton's theoretical framework, the investigation seeks to unravel the multifaceted dimensions of non-places, shedding light on their profound implications for the ongoing evolution of ecological consciousness. It advocates for a comprehensive and responsible perspective that transcends the boundaries of conventional approaches. In this way, the contents that delineate the complex field of ecology can be reduced to simpler meanings, which, although not organically leading to more optimistic perspectives, can however, revitalize and guide the spectrum of contemporary ecological discourse toward real possibilities for achieving sustainability goals and a genuine connection to what paradoxically has always been closest to us—namely, the biotic community and its constituent elements.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the main features of the technology-mediated communication concerning online love affrairs. The thesis I will support is that emotional connections via internet are framed into a new discourse on personal identity and alterity, creating a new perspective on the culture of intimate relationships, with specific attitudes, behaviours and values, drawing new guidelines of emotivity, methaphors and concepts we use to express our feelings and thoughts. Thus, I will briefly investigate the phenomenon of online love datings as part of a media entartainmentculture, the problem of intercorporeality and the paradox of choosing partners on the internet, together with their implications on the ethics of care, intimacy and togetherness. Away from giving verdicts or announcing the end of authentic communication, I will develop a conceptual framework to aid in exploring theoretical traits, combining interdisciplinary approaches in order to reflect them in onlinelove-dating interactions. In the conclusion section, I will enlight on how we can succesfully develop a strong and reliable connection with a romantic partner, using the elements mentioned below, focusing on combining online and offline practices in orderto nurture a mature and meaningfull relationship in the age of shifting communication paradigms.

In this article I would like to highlight the topic of environmental vices which have a tendency to manifest in relation with the natural world, trying to bring to surface, to describe and to place them in the bigger landscape of alienation towards natural environment. The subject of vices is just a small component in the image of discouraging behaviour shown in relation to non-human persons and ecosystems as a whole. My will is to stage the fundamental features of human uprooting from the natural world and to have a significant contribution in identifying with accuracy the dysfunctional resorts of human character, with the goal of healing this moral pathology. Needless to say, I would try to establish the main reasons which led to this rupture between human and the living world, and to describe the features of the character vices which endanger the consistency of connections inside the biosphere. As a conclusion, I will summarize the above-mentioned topics, with a strong emphasis on a better understanding of the relationship between the individuals and the natural environment.

The aim of this paper is to present a qualitative study using a focus-group method applied to a group of educators in a private nature-oriented school in Romania (Green School Romania), with the purpose of identifying ecological friendly behavioral models, values and virtues shown by children in relation to the natural environment. The importance of this interdisciplinary study is related to the pedagogical philosophy of the above mentioned Romanian school, which is experiential environment-oriented education, a holistic approach to environmental ethics, considered as a moral education for sustainability, trust and care for life and nature.

The aim of this paper is to present a theme situated within applied ethics studies, the ethics of geoengineering. Research on this subject has gained a boost in the last few years, when the inevitable debates concerning global warming have created a practical scenario, applicable in the future, a daring and provocative scenario: climate engineering through two types of technologies (solar radiation management and carbon dioxide removal). The objective of this article is to briefly point out the main and problematic paradigms in geoengineering. I will offer certain recommendations concerning the passage from social opportunity to morality in geoengineering, based on these. First, I will offer a working definition of geoengineering, as well as a short approach of the two types of climate manipulation, to familiarize the reader with the specificity of this research domain. I will then illustrate the research paradigms (reductionism and scientific instrumentalism) which caracterise the process of laboratory development and practical implementation, trying to refer in the end to the inconsistencies and the moral principles that may be broken as a result of the introduction of such technologies in the natural world.

The innovative aspirations and territorial expansion ambitions of Homo technologicus have transformed it into a powerful entity capable of altering anthropic spaces and the surrounding environment in unprecedented ways. The consequences of advanced technologies and AI development can be vast, with asymmetric impacts and profound implications. Therefore, it is essential to examine potential concerns, vulnerabilities, threats, and promising advantages with transparency following the ethical values guiding the scientific community. In light of the rapid proliferation of new technologies, this article aims to examine the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in waste management, focusing on its potential to enhance sustainable living and support biodiversity. To mitigate associated risks, the article proposes a holistic framework emphasizing relational ethics, ensuring transparency, accountability, and genuine ethical commitments in AI deployment. Additionally, the concept of humanwashing, where AI-enabled machines are anthropomorphized to foster acceptance and trust, raises concerns about misleading perceptions regarding AI capabilities. To effectively navigate these ethical challenges, the article advocates for a multidisciplinary approach involving researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society. Emphasizing relational ethics requires a shift from a traditional ethical framework to one that recognizes all actors' interconnectedness and cumulative impact. Ultimately, the article underscores the necessity of a rigorous ethical framework for integrating AI into waste management. This framework ensures that artificial intelligence technologies contribute positively to sustainable living, preserve biodiversity, and encourage a balanced interplay between people and technological advancements.

In this article, I do not intend to make a review on the work of the American transcendentalist but, rather, to capture different aspects of the subjective self through which a moral and ecological core is formed. The practical importance of my work is obvious, since nowadays there is no environmental ethics article in which there can’t be found, at least once, references to the exacerbation of the Anthropocene era, to nature deficit disorder (a term invented by Richard Louv in his brilliant book, Last Child in the Woods), nature knowledge deficit, alienation, a culture of control and the will of domination. The lifestyle proposed by David Thoreau can be taken into consideration as a model for what we call a good and flourishing life, a virtuous life connected to natural surroundings. In fact, Walden, or Life in the Woods is about the love for nature seen as a sign of self-love. Having assumed his madness, a brave plunge into a space of beauty and uncertainties, of purity and honesty, Thoreau dares to dream big, to explore a world of removal from a mechanical society, to enter a space of lucidity and personal development. Next, I will explain in detail my view on the multiple meanings that Thoreau catches during his residence in the cabin from the shore of the Walden Lake near Concord, Massachusetts. For the beginning, I propose an imaginative drift, in which we could transpose ourselves, even if only for a few minutes, in a natural universe similar with the one Thoreau describes in his book. Otherwise, the incursion in the moral space of the ethics of care that dominates Thoreau’s experience will be a simple, empty theoretical construct, lacking in colour and flavour.

Environmental-embodied Education: Virtues for Social Hygiene and Self-enjoyment. The contemporary debates concerning environmental education and ethics are continuously growing, developing new ways of perceiving the self in relation to the biotic community and to nature as a whole. Sustainability virtue ethics is a field that can provide a theoretical and practical structure for what it means to live a good and pleasant life, building attitudes characterized by caring, awareness, awe and responsibility. The aim of this paper is to draw a map of how to generate a context that facilitates a real transformation in the way individuals relate to nature, an education for empathy, with a sense of belonging and a maximum of adaptability. Based on my experience as an educator in a green school (Green School Romania) and as a researcher in the field of moral eco-pedagogy, I intent to talk about how environmental experiential education is an Archimedean point for what it means to develop a sensuous enjoyment and self-enjoyment in the biotic community, moving away from defensiveness and unjustified fears. In the context of risk management and long-term strategies for protecting and preserving the delicate equilibrium of life on Earth, environmental virtue ethics represents a necessary and helpful tool, based on interaction and on a focus on the process, discovering the miracle of being aligned with the rhythms of nature. This paper is designed to stand up against the instrumentalism and the dominant egoistic attitude of being above nature, trying to replace them with the attitude of fitting into nature with curiosity, simplicity and serenity. Using the model of moral eco-pedagogy (experiential learning about, for and from the environment) and non-violent communication, I will show that the individual begins to become that self that one truly is, a process of self- realization and engagement with an impact on how he relates to the moral patients and the natural world.

The evolving dynamics of the marketplace, coupled with concerns regarding the finite capacity to meet increasing demands, have led to the emergence of new phenomena and practices. These developments, while heralding significant changes in the perception and selection of products and services, also elicit substantial concerns. Greenwashing is defined as the strategic practice by which corporations create a misleading impression of their environmental initiatives. This paper examines the theoretical foundations and multifaceted nature of greenwashing, identifying key deceptive strategies such as hidden trade-offs, lack of verifiable evidence, vagueness, irrelevance, and false labels. It explores the motivations behind greenwashing, which often stem from the pressure to appear environmentally responsible without incurring the costs associated with genuine sustainability. The analysis underscores the broader implications of greenwashing, including its impact on consumer trust, corporate governance, and environmental policy. Additionally, the paper addresses the emerging issue of "machinewashing," wherein companies make exaggerated claims about the ethical aspects of their AI technologies. Furthermore, the concept of environmental vices is explored, illustrating how greenwashing perpetuates unethical behaviors and undermines authentic sustainability efforts. To address these practices, the study advocates for a comprehensive approach that includes stricter regulations, increased transparency, and greater engagement from civil society. By promoting genuine sustainability and holding corporations accountable, it is possible to restore consumer trust and support authentic environmental initiatives, thereby fostering a more sustainable and ethical commerce.

In the perspective of biocultural homogenization and the increasingly prominent use of technology, environmental ethics faces new challenges. Development policies, governance, and economic factors impose new ways of understanding and managing coexistence. Phenomena such as pandemics, global warming, migratory phenomena, the expansion of urban and rural areas, and the development of large-scale monocultures show us that human agency, resources, the environment, and surroundings are increasingly intertwined, both physically and metaphysically, in an increasingly encompassing organism where the dissociation between the local and the global becomes difficult to achieve. With a wide range of actions and relationships, environmental psychology and ethics have the task of rethinking the relationship between cultural elements and the biosphere, in order to achieve a balance between sensibility, responsibility, and responsivity. In this article, I aim to illustrate that a biocultural ethical framework emphasizing socio-environmental justice, applied to geoengineering, not only promotes global socio-environmental sustainability but also recognizes the crucial significance of local ecosystems in climate regulation and biodiversity conservation. To do so, I will briefly present some theoretical elements related to the importance of environmental psychology in understanding the connection between individuals and the surrounding environment. Then, I will succinctly present the concept of the ”3Hs” and its implication on biocultural ethics, and subsequently integrate specific elements of biocultural ethics into the analysis of geoengineering ethics to illustrate the need for a perspective that takes this into account. Through this endeavor, I intend to emphasize the vital role of a holistic, multidimensional perspective that guides individual values and community policies towards sustainable practices, ensuring social cohesion and dialogue, respecting the coexistence of life forms, and protecting their habitats.