...of cells (pluri-potency). The main goal of HESC Research is to identify which mechanism governs cell differentiation, and then turn the HESC into the specific cells types which may be used to treat various illnesses. The restorative benefits of HESC are strong factors in favor of the research. Despite the promise of HESC Research, many still oppose it because harvesting of HESC ultimately leads to the destruction of the human embryo. For many this constitutes a destruction of a potential human which is in conflict with religious and moral views in our society (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2008). The crux of the matter is thus; if viewed only in terms of consequences, one could argue that it is almost certain the potential health benefits of HESC outweigh the loss of embryos. However those in opposition of the research argue that it is morally impermissible to intentionally kill innocent human beings. The premise of their argument against destruction of the embryos is that embryos are human beings; but there is much debate about when human life actually begins. Utilitarianism and science are uniquely suited to each other in that the ‘greatest happiness’ principle of utilitarianism is similar to some scientific views for the benefits far outweighing the consequences of scientific research and breakthroughs. Utilitarianism’s Greatest Happiness Principle may be defined as the greatest good – happiness or pleasure - for the greatest number of people, or as stated...
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...Evaluation of Singer Peter Singer questions our conception of equality as it relates to the human species and other animal species. He fundamentally argues that, “The principle of the equality of human beings is not a description of an alleged actual equality among humans: it is a prescription of how we should treat humans.” The statement, revealing Singer’s essential argument, also comprises two approaches we might take towards establishing equality among living things. Let’s trace Singer’s claims surrounding these two approaches and finally consider his fundamental, philosophical assumption. One approach to equality stems from philosophers, who determine a base-line set of attributes or functions that constitute human beings. Typical treatises attribute humans with rational, linguistic, or emotional capacities that differentiate them from “brutes.” However, Singer culls evidence from the medical field, not research but simple observations of medical disabilities, where a human with born defects actually functions at a lower level than certain animal species. For example, someone with severe cognitive paralysis may be less rational or “able” than a normal-functioning dolphin. Thus, Singer points out that if we wish to establish equality based upon attributes, we have a hard time excluding many species of non-humans. As a corollary, the standard of equality by a typical set of characteristics must be set lower and lower to encompass all humans when we consider those with severe...
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...It’s also states that vaccine-prevented diseases have not disappeared so vaccinations are still necessary and that in Pharmaceutical production, vaccines provide economic benefits for society. Those against the immunization of our youth argue that vaccines can cause serious and sometimes fatal side effects, contain harmful ingredients, and are considered immoral or deemed religiously wrong. They also state that the government should not intervene in personal medical choices and that mandatory vaccines effect our constitutionally protected freedoms. The fight between ‘Pros’ and ‘Cons’ is an obvious argument of Morals versus Ethical beliefs and reflect upon the minds of those who have been effected compared to those who have affected others in either a lifesaving or life threatening...
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...The Vietnam War was a time of complete and utter madness for the United States. It was the 1960s-the United States was fighting Communist views, the Civil Rights Movement was in full force, and all the hippies wanted world peace. In Tim O’Brien’s work of fiction, “On The Rainy River,” he uses rhetorical devices such as a confessional tone, the theme of embarrassment as motivation, metaphor, and rhetorical question to help explore the utter conflict one can have when being shamed into fighting a war one does not believe in. Unfortunately, Tim O’Brien was in a huge moral dilemma-the question of avoiding the draft or fighting for a war he did not believe in. A lot of people were faced with the same moral issue, when the United States decided...
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...Rodriguez v. Attorney general of B.C, many controversial philosophical and moral issues were challenged. Sue Rodriguez was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), a condition affecting motor neurons of brain and spinal cord. Her prognosis was a short life expectancy that had the prospect of a slow and painful death, and eventual complete paralysis, while remaining mentally competent throughout the process. Therefore, Sue requested the right to participate in voluntary euthanasia to have the option to end her own life with dignity. The law in Canada prohibits physician assisted suicide, so she challenged the law in court. However, the British Columbian court ruled in majority against Rodriguez. Rodriguez then appealed the court’s decision to the Supreme Court of British Columbia but the court had dismissed her appeal to participate in voluntary euthanasia with one dissenting judge and forwarded it to the parliament. The final decision made by the parliament was brought before the supreme court of Canada, which resulted in a 5-4 majority decision in favor of the current law that criminalized physician assisted suicide. Sue Rodriguez case embodies a serious ethical dilemma. It raised many philosophical and moral issues; this essay will analyze the various issues that justify the Supreme Court of Canada’s majority decision verses the dissenting judges. The key arguments that Rodriguez made in court were section 241(b) of the criminal code of...
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...Critical Thinking Chapter 1 * Learn how to THINK * Logic—distinguish correct and incorrect arguments (analytical skills) * Gathering Evidence, Evaluating, Plan of actions * CT gives tools to identify and resolve daily life issue * Opinions—Personal feelings or belief * Provide logical support for your belief * Uninformed opinions—lead to make poor decisions; negatively impact society. Cognitive Development 1. Dualism * View something as either RIGHT or WRONG (Dualistic) * Most obvious when confront a conflict * Confirmation bias—seeking evidence that supports or contradicts your view * Higher stage of C.D when your thinking is being challenge by other views * Sophomoritis—disorientation and doubting all answers 2. Relativism * Reject dualistic world view * Believe all truth is relative/ an opinion * Believe stating your opinion is proper mode of expression * View others opinion as “judgmental” and disrespectful * Expect professor to support his/her opinion * No right/wrong answers 3. Commitment * Make decisions on the basis of reason and best evidence * Not all thinking is valid Characteristics of a Good Critical Thinker * Analytical thinker—important to recognizing + evaluate others argument * Effective communication—listening, speaking, writing skills (own c. style) * Research + Inquiry skills—to understand + resolving issues * Flexibility + Tolerance...
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...an overview of the articles about stem cell and human cloning researches that discuss business research ethics and involves ethical and unethical issues. A stem cell is a type of cell found into the body of all human beings, has the capability to reproduce them, and to produce other types of cells such as brain cells, muscle cells, and others. In the New York Times’ article is very clear that the ongoing battle to make this research valid is relentless. This research can be the potential that holds for the future generation and scientists affirms; “stem cells may be used to replace or repair damaged cells, and have the potential to drastically change the treatment of conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and even paralysis.” (Harris, 2012) However, opponents of embryonic stem cell want the research to be restricted or prohibited entire as inhumane because most researches are done by creating embryonic stem cell from fertilized cells. When the approach is human cloning there is no difference, opponents to the research claim that it is immoral and unethical. In human cloning, women's eggs were procured, genetic material removed and the DNA from someone else is inserted. The resulting cloned embryos manufactured as genetic replication is the ending result of innumerous experiments with failure. These embryos quickly died. The research on human cloning brings two issues and discussion: the reproductive cloning which is described by creating cloned...
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... Euthanasia The purpose of this research paper is to prove that the process of euthanasia is wrong, it is against the natural and moral end of human’s life , and the most of all , it is unethical. Euthanasia from Greek: “good death” or “mercy killing”, is the practice of ending of life intentionally to relieve intractable problem of suffering. There are plenty of ethical issues to discuss, regarding this one. Proponents of euthanasia consider that death filled with suffering is wrongful and bad death. That is why these people are for legalization of euthanasia. On the other hand, opponents( including my person) of euthanasia would say that any deliberate effort to cause death is wrong and against eternal law ( God’s law). Ethics and morality, basically state the same to many people and they mean exactly one. For Instance, morality refers to personal character, belief and behavior, ethics is the reflection on morality with that person’s actions and his /her professionalism. When we say an ethical person or a moral person, that is the same meaning. Very often, in or common life we can hear both terms like medical ethics or bioethics, they both describe the same and have the same meaning. These are the guidelines that we expect medical professionals with moral unity to display. Over the centuries, ethics has developed a “code of conduct” and this mostly for professionals ( doctors, lawyers, teachers, and other professions)...
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...Right now, a unlucky puppy, is stuffed in a small crowded cage with multiple other dogs. Today he gets out but not to go on a run, play or frolic like he should be doing. He is taken out of his cage by a scientist, taken to a small room and immobillized. Without being giving any numbing medication, a hole is cut in his throat. A tube is inserted and he is pumped full of leathal amounts of toxic substances. He starts convulsing, having uncontrollable direiah, breathing heavy, and bleeding from multiple body parts. He continues to be injected with substances and remains in excrusiating pain! This lasts for two weeks until sadly his body gives out and he dies. Gandi said "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." If this is true, the perceived greatness of America is nothing but a error. Animal experimentation should be abolished, because of its uneithical to destory an innocent animals life. Vivisection, surgery on a living organism for experimenetal purposes, wass first documented in the the writing of the Greeks in the third and forth centery BC. Aristotle was one of the first to do experiments of living animals. It is safe to say this is an ancient practice. Mondernly, animals are used in testing everything from soap to cancer and aid treatments. A common misconception people have about animal testing is that only rats or small rodents are being tested on; this however is false. While a large percentage of animal testing...
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...Voluntary Euthanasia According to the Philosopher Helga Kuhse, she writes that 'Euthanasia' is a compound of two Greek words - eu and Thanatos. These words literally mean “a good death”. Today, 'euthanasia' is generally understood to mean the bringing about of a good death - 'mercy killing,' where one person, A, ends the life of another person, B, for the sake of B." Euthanasia is putting to death of a very sick person's life in order to alleviate them from their agony. A person that usually request for euthanasia services has an untreatable condition but there are special cases where some people want their life to end. In many situation, it is implemented when the patient ask for it but there are occasions when the patients is too ill and cannot make the decision themselves but the requests is made by relatives, medics or, in some instances, the courts. The country of United Kingdom’s law is against the practice of euthanasia and it is illegal to help anyone kill him or herself. The punishment of euthanasia can lead to detention of up to 14 years. This issue has been at the centre of very intense debates for many years and is surrounded by religious, ethical and practical considerations. Euthanasia have different categorize which include voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is lawful in some countries such as United States Of America and Canadian Provinces. Non-voluntary euthanasia is banned in all countries because it is considered a murder...
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...fatalities (Weintraub). The situation actually happened to an American woman when she had “stem cells from her nose implanted into her spine at a clinical trial in Portugal. The therapy failed, and eight years later, the woman had a tumor-like mass of nasal tissue surgically removed from the implant site,” (Weintraub). History indicates there is only a low rate of success while doing this research, and at the same time demonstrates that many lives are being wasted, including embryos and human lives. Seeing this consequence, one might seek answers for these questions: How can a loss of a life save a life? How can a majority of people support killing embryos for the vague promises that might not even result from the process? Despite the arguments brought to the surface, stem cell research...
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...The Use of Human Dignity in Death Penalty Cases: An International perspective An examination of cases from several jurisdictions that address the legality of the death penalty reveals various uses of the notion of human dignity. In 1972, in Furman v. Georgia, the United States Supreme Court declared all existing death penalty statutes at the time unconstitutional as a violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibiting "cruel and unusual punishment". There was no majority opinion, and each of the five majority members wrote a separate opinion. While three of them based their decision on the arbitrary and discriminatory application of the death penalty in the U.S., Justices Brennan and Marshall based their opinions on the per-se unconstitutionality of capital punishment. Justice Brennan argued that although human dignity is not explicitly guaranteed by the United States Constitution, it is the fundamental concept underlying the Eighth Amendment. In his opinion: "The State, even as it punishes, must treat its members with respect for their intrinsic worth as human beings. A punishment is "cruel and unusual, therefore, "if it does not comport with human dignity". He declared that the severity of capital punishment is degrading to the dignity of a man, and since even the vilest criminals share an inherent dignity, the punishment is unconstitutional. Though in Brennan words human dignity functions as a justification for the Eight Amendment, they seem to illustrate the psychological approach...
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...One of William Shakespeare’s great advantages as a writer was that, as a dramatist working in the public theater, he was afforded a degree of autonomy from the cultural dominance of the court, his age’s most powerful institution. All over Europe, even if belatedly in England, the courts of the Renaissance nation-states conducted an intense campaign to use the arts to further their power. The theater, despite its partial dependency on court favor, achieved through its material products (the script and the performance) a relative autonomy in comparison with the central court arts of poetry, prose fiction, and the propagandistic masque. When Shakespeare briefly turned to Ovidian romance in the 1590’s and, belatedly, probably also in the 1590’s, to the fashion for sonnets, he moved closer to the cultural and literary dominance of the court’s taste—to the fashionable modes of Ovid, Petrarch, and Neoplatonism—and to the need for patronage. Although the power of the sonnets goes far beyond their sociocultural roots, Shakespeare nevertheless adopts the culturally inferior role of the petitioner for favor, and there is an undercurrent of social and economic powerlessness in the sonnets, especially when a rival poet seems likely to supplant the poet. In short, Shakespeare’s nondramatic poems grow out of and articulate the strains of the 1590’s, when, like many ambitious writers and intellectuals on the fringe of the court, Shakespeare clearly needed to find a language in which to speak—and...
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...The Limits on Genetic Testing There are many arguments out there that need have the concerns of many Americans including the one that will be presented today. The biggest one in the world of science and technology is possibly genetic testing. Genetic testing has so many possibilities in the today’s society that there are legal, social, and ethical problems that allow it to stay at bay. There is fine line that should be drawn when it comes to genetic testing especially when it comes to healthcare and when it leads to vanity. Genetic testing examines a person's genetic code by using a sample of blood or other body fluids/tissues, for health or medical identification purposes; it’s also a type of medical test that identifies changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins (Genetic Testing). The Human Genome Project, human cloning and stem cell research are all part of this group. Genetic cloning is the reproduction of a new organism that is, at all stages of development, genetically virtually identical to a currently existing, or previously existing, being (Clone). Stem cell is an unspecialized cell that gives rise to a specific specialized cell, such as a blood cell, and they have the ability to divide for indefinite periods in culture and to give rise to specialized cells (Stem Cell). The Human Genome Project was an international research effort to determine the sequence of the human genome and identify the genes that it contains. The Human Genome Project formally began in 1990...
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...BUSINESS ETHICS AND STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS Kenneth E. Goodpaster Abstract: Much has been written about stakeholder analysis as a process by which to introduce ethical values into management decision-making. This paper takes a critical look at the assumptions behind this idea, in an effort to understand better the meaning of ethica] management decisions. A distinction is made between stakeholder analysis and stakeholder synthesis. The two most natural kinds of stakeholder synthesis are then defined and discussed: strategic and multi-fiduciary. Paradoxically, the former appears to yield business without ethics and the latter appears to yield ethics without business. The paper concludes by suggesting that a third approach to stakeholder thinking needs to be developed, one that avoids the paradox just men* tioned and that clarifies for managers (and directors) the legitimate role of ethical considerations in decision-making. So we must think through what management should be accountable for; and how and through whom its accountability can be discharged. The stockholders' interest, both short- and long-term, is one of the areas. But it is only one. Peter Dnicker, 1988 Harvard Business Review W HAT is ethically responsible management? How can a corporation, given its economic mission, be managed with appropriate attention to ethical concerns? These are central questions in the field of business ethics. One approach to answering such questions that has become popular during...
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