Sociology

What should we do? What should we not do? What is good conduct? What is the right thing to do? Thanks to our freedom and in our human dignity, such moral and ethical questions arise and challenge us. Ethics as a science that reflects on and examines morality strives to contribute to the clarification of these and similar questions and to offer ethical guidance. The series of publications entitled ‘Ethik – Ethics’ offers a forum for this ethical discourse. It focuses on the ethics of digital transformation and the ethics of so-called ‘artificial intelligence’ or data-based systems, on business, financial and corporate ethics as well as on the ethics of human rights. ‘Ethik – Ethics’ is characterised by the interplay of theologically ethical and philosophically ethical investigations, which can also go beyond these focal points. This series is characterised by excellent studies that identify new and innovative questions, develop approaches to address them and deal with fundamental ethical as well as specialised ethical topics.

This series presents new findings of research on Japan and its place, connections, and interactions within East Asia. Politically, people often perceive Japan as part of the “West”, whereas culturally the nation appears to many still as “the (essential) Other”. Instead of localizing Japan in such a simplistic way – be it as part of “the West” or as part of the “East” – it is assumed here that a historical configuration exists in East Asia which distinguishes interactions in the region. The present situation of East Asia should be understood against the background of Japan’s role in modern and contemporary history. In addition, Japan will be analyzed also as a pioneer when it comes to integrating East Asian countries into international institutions and scholarly exchange. Methodologically, the contributions to the series are not limited to one single approach. However, it will be mandatory to use primary sources in Japanese and other East Asian languages and to refer to research results of Japanese scholars in order to fulfil a truly international standard of research. An internationally composed advisory board guarantees the scholarly quality of each volume. Contributions to this series are of interest for scholars and students in History, Political Science, Intellectual History, Sociology and, of course, in area studies of East Asia.