Problem or “mystery” in Care and Social Work?

Social professionals’ view of the good life and vulnerability determines what is seen as a problem and how it is tackled. The French philosopher Gabriel Marcel proposes the notion of “mystery” as an alternative to thinking in terms of problems.
Our editors Silke Jacobi and Ivonne Hoen attended a symposium (1) questioning the problem- and solution-oriented approach in social work getting in the way of the social worker’s “knowing”. They regard this a topical issue, in the symposium related to the phenomenological “mystery” notion of Gabriel Marcel (1889-1973).

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CERC 2025 Conference: Care, Aesthetics, and Repair

The third international Care Ethics Research Consortium (CERC) conference explores the intersections of art, aesthetics, and care, examining how the creative and caring practices of artists, practitioners, care workers, scholars, activists, and others shape our worlds and inspire new directions in care ethics and theory. Continue reading CERC 2025 Conference: Care, Aesthetics, and Repair

From cancer one may sometimes die. Yet no one speaks about that anymore

Medical-technical innovations are great, but they often suppress a conversation about pain and suffering says Tessa Roberts-Smorenburg, care ethicist at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital Amsterdam (NL) Continue reading From cancer one may sometimes die. Yet no one speaks about that anymore

A fair balance in health data protection and promotion

In her dissertation A fair balance. Health data protection and the promotion of health data use for clinical and research purposes, Irith Kist discusses the complexity of obtaining consent for the use of health data in health care and scientific research. Continue reading A fair balance in health data protection and promotion