...Gone, Baby, Gone Library Assignment: Kant’s Categorical Imperative (Deontology) Movie: Gone, Baby, Gone The categorical imperative is something we are fundamentally required to do irrespective of how we feel about doing it, and even if others around us are telling us to do something completely different. In other words, we must always do this. The categorical imperative is also a priority, which means it will always be and have always been morally good. As such, we have a duty to recognize, and accept, its moral validity and finality. This means that the categorical imperative is not good on the basis of any effects or consequences it might produce, or even because someone or something else tell us it is good to do it. It is simply good in itself. Immanuel Kant developed a set of ethics to guide our decisions and help us judge whether certain actions are morally correct. According to Kant, the morality of every action must be carefully thought out beforehand. Thinking about all aspects of an action, or moral testing, can help to determine if an act should be performed at all. Kant introduced logical, objective methods to serve as a basis for distinguishing between what is right and what is wrong. He holds a common theme throughout his Kantian moral philosophy, that every act should be an accurate representation of a universal maxim. In the main action of the film, Kenzie discovers that Doyle is connected with the Amanda’s kidnapping, and then he goes to Doyle’s house...
Words: 341 - Pages: 2
...Abortion: Where Has Morality Gone? In today’s society, often times many people do not even consider the question of morality before taking certain actions, because the subject of morality has become a gray area in which morality can scarcely be defined. For instance, Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines morality as "the quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct” (Webster Online). However, everyone has a different opinion of right and wrong. There are approximately 46 Million abortions per year worldwide about 1.37 Million abortions here in US (abortionno.org). This difference of opinion on what is moral causes many disputes such as in the topic of abortion. Some people believe it is a woman’s prerogative to choose whether or not to have a child, while still many others believe it is “morally” wrong to have an abortion. On the other hand, there are moderates who disagree with the idea or the morality of abortion, but agree that there are certain circumstances that should give the woman the option. Since abortion is essentially the killing of an unborn child, why are women who abort not convicted as murderers, just as women who kill their children face such charges? Morality should be a standard at all times and abortion should be no exception. In fact, abortion is destroying the life of a child; therefore, it should be considered morally wrong, except when extenuating circumstances leave no other choice for the woman. Abortion...
Words: 1138 - Pages: 5
...the Categorical Imperative. The Categorical Imperative include two different versions, one being the “Universal Law” version. This claims that an act token is morally permissible if and only if, in performing it, the agent acts on a maxim that he can at the same time, will to be a universal law. The second version is the “Mere Means/ Respect for human persons.” This states an act token is morally permissible if and only if, in performing that act, the agent does not treat anyone, even himself, merely as a means, but instead treats people as an end in themselves. Part II: These ethical theories played a role in analyzing the decision making of characters, Patrick (Casey Affleck), and Captain Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman) in the film Gone, Baby Gone. The case of Amanda McCready grew complicated as Patrick discovered that Captain Jack Doyle had kidnapped her, with the help of the uncle, because they felt that Amanda's mother was neglecting her child. It was here that Patrick had to decide whether to let Amanda live this alter life with Captain Jack Doyle, where she would have sleepovers, play dates and grow up in a traditional american home, or to report his findings to the authorities. Ultimately, Patrick reported the kidnapping and Amanda was returned home to live a neglected life under the care of her mother and Captain Jack Doyle was...
Words: 1241 - Pages: 5
...To: Sarah Hamilton From: Arslan Aslam Unit 37 – P1&M1 07/10/14 Introduction Nestle is a Swiss multinational food and beverage company and the head quarter is based in Vevey, Switzerland. It is known to be the largest food company in the world. The types of products that Nestle sell are baby food, breakfast cereals, coffee and tea, ice cream, frozen food, snacks, pet foods, dairy product and bottled water but only 22% of sales are generated by selling hot drinks such as tea, coffee and etc. Nestlé have 29 brands which had an annual sale of CHF 1 Billion (about US1.1 billion) Example of them brands that Nestle specialises in is Nespresso, Kit Kat and Nesquik. Nestle have about 447 factories which are operating in 194 countries mainly in Americas (25% US) which means they are a global organisation. They are known to be a large organisation because they currently have 330,000 employees at Nestle. They are also the main shareholders of L’Oreal, the world’s largest cosmetics company. The annual turnover of Nestle is $92.6 billion and each year they make a profit of 10.02 billion. The founders of Nestle are Henri Nestlé, Charles Page, George Page and it was founded in 1866. Nestlé was registered No. 1 in the Fortune Global 500 in 2011 which meant they were the most profitable company in the world. Nestle main competitors at the moment are PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Unilever and Mars Incorporated. Nestlé’s Corporate Governance statement is “We are committed to making a...
Words: 1479 - Pages: 6
...Patricia Sanchez Philosophy 105 Intro to Ethics Question 2 of 2 Do we have a moral duty to help starving people on the other side of the world, who we will never meet? To aid hungry nations or not, is a complex issue. One that, I myself, have had some trouble even formulating an idea. Initially, when I think of this, I immediately say “Yes, we help!” But after reviewing some of the literature, case studies and political views on the subject, I am not so sure. As human beings, I believe that we have an inherent duty to help others who are in need. I prefer not to mention things I have done to help others, but in this context I believe it to be imperative. If someone is hungry, I have gone out of my way to feed them; the consequences are of no value to me, whether it was financial repercussions on my part or the part of an establishment, made no matter to me. If a person is hungry, you feed them. A family one time, had hit a deer on their way home to Flagstaff, I already had a full lodge and house with guests in town for a wedding; I called and asked my mother to oblige these people, who had a small child and baby. She refused, stating, “She couldn’t manage the extra stress right now.” I was appalled. Eventually a place was offered and the family was provided a place to sleep that night. However, my animosity towards my own Mother grew intensely. This scenario has been repeated over and over in my life. I truly believe that virtues are implanted in us, and if...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
...to carry the pregnancy where the person who impregnated her can freely choose whether or not to deal with the “consequences” of having sex. Many people fail to realize that teenage or unwanted pregnancies can result due to rape. Rape victims have gone through a traumatic experience which may leave them feeling helpless and like they are not in control of their body. Being forced to carry out the pregnancy and have the child causes many issues regarding mental health, physical health, and poverty. There is also a strong potential for there to be a lack of support for the mother by her family depending on their beliefs, and a lack of support for the child due to the absence of a father. The pro-choice side often sees pro-life advocates as concerned only with the life of the unborn and do not consider the lives and opportunities of those children after they are born. Pro-life advocates place more importance on the fetus rather than the well-being of the mother and fail to realize the realities of poverty and hardship. According to a study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, 68% of women who have had abortions in the United States say they cannot afford...
Words: 1421 - Pages: 6
...Is Abortion Moral? (From a Biblical Christian Perspective) Name of Author College Abortion refers to the removal of the pregnancy tissues, which includes the fetus and the placenta from a pregnant woman's womb. The other terms that are similar are termination of pregnancy or elective abortion among others. There have been several arguments on whether abortion is morally right or not. The argument follows the opinions generated from the religious followers who are mostly against abortion. Child abandonment, infanticide, and abortion were allowed under the Roman law during the times of Jesus (Bokenkotter 1990). It is surprising to find that Jesus never addressed the case since for Christians to read. Even if He did, it was never documented. This concern can make a Christian fail to know whether abortion is condemned by God or not. From the Bible, there is no clear evidence on whether abortion is moral or immoral. However, drawing lessons from some of the verses in the bible clearly indicates that the practice of abortion violates the moral obligations. A good example is from the book of Jeremiah in the Bible, in chapter one from verse four to five, which say that before the birth of Jeremiah, the Lord had consecrated him. The Load had already chosen prophet Jeremiah to be a famous prophet to the nations. God Himself new Jeremiah as a human being before birth and considered him to live in order to carry out His mission. God could not have allowed Jeremiah to die. Biblically it is...
Words: 6080 - Pages: 25
...Is Abortion Moral? (From a Biblical Christian Perspective) Name of Author College Abortion refers to the removal of the pregnancy tissues, which includes the fetus and the placenta from a pregnant woman's womb. The other terms that are similar are termination of pregnancy or elective abortion among others. There have been several arguments on whether abortion is morally right or not. The argument follows the opinions generated from the religious followers who are mostly against abortion. Child abandonment, infanticide, and abortion were allowed under the Roman law during the times of Jesus (Bokenkotter 1990). It is surprising to find that Jesus never addressed the case since for Christians to read. Even if He did, it was never documented. This concern can make a Christian fail to know whether abortion is condemned by God or not. From the Bible, there is no clear evidence on whether abortion is moral or immoral. However, drawing lessons from some of the verses in the bible clearly indicates that the practice of abortion violates the moral obligations. A good example is from the book of Jeremiah in the Bible, in chapter one from verse four to five, which say that before the birth of Jeremiah, the Lord had consecrated him. The Load had already chosen prophet Jeremiah to be a famous prophet to the nations. God Himself new Jeremiah as a human being before birth and considered him to live in order to carry out His mission. God could not have allowed Jeremiah to die. Biblically it is...
Words: 6080 - Pages: 25
...Abortion – Moral or Immoral? I would argue that abortion is immoral. Abortion is a debate that continues day in, day out, year in, year out. We have laws that have been set into place, yet the debate continues. The opposing sides in the debate each strongly believe they are right. The pro-choice supporters see a woman's right to choose as central to the debate. The pro-choice advocates see the life of the baby as the most important concern. Very little middle ground exists on the issue of abortion. I. When Does Life Begin? [1] "Development of the embryo begins at Stage 1 when a sperm fertilizes an oocyte and together they form a zygote." — England, Marjorie A. Life Before Birth. 2nd ed. England: Mosby-Wolfe, 1996, p.31 "Human development begins after the union of male and female gametes or germ cells during a process known as fertilization (conception). "Fertilization is a sequence of events that begins with the contact of a sperm (spermatozoon) with a secondary oocyte (ovum) and ends with the fusion of their pronuclei (the haploid nuclei of the sperm and ovum) and the mingling of their chromosomes to form a new cell. This fertilized ovum, known as a zygote, is a large diploid cell that is the beginning, or primordium, of a human being." — Moore, Keith L. Essentials of Human Embryology. Toronto: B.C. Decker Inc, 1988, p.2 [2] The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 6th ed. Keith L. Moore, Ph.D. & T.V.N. Persaud, Md., (Philadelphia: W.B...
Words: 2861 - Pages: 12
...The Death Penalty: Moral or Immoral? The death penalty, otherwise known as capital punishment, has been a topic of heavy debate and discussion since some of the earliest stages of the United States. For a long time, a majority of the general public approved of capital punishment, but within the past century, especially, opponents have made significant moves in trying to prevent its further use. A majority of what makes the death penalty so controversial are the moral and ethical issues involved in taking people’s lives as a punishment. Although morals hold some weight, the most significant reasons for debate consist of the capital punishment’s legal fairness and accuracy. The death penalty is the use of death as a punishment for committing capital crimes such as first-degree murder, rape, and treason. The problem is, why does the United States still use the death penalty? The government uses different ways to put those who have committed capital crimes such as first-degree murder, rape, and treason, into permanent sleep. The different grueling methods used to bring death to the inmates include the uses of the electric chair, the gas chamber, hanging, and the most “civilized” approach, lethal injection.1 Under these judgments, I believe that the death penalty should be abolished. Punishments need to be enforced when a person is guilty of a committing a serious crime such as first degree murder, which is the unlawful killing of another human being with malicious intent.2 Those...
Words: 2037 - Pages: 9
...Defects in Society Are babies evil? During World War II, there were mass killings all over the world at the hands of humans. This lead to the idea that people are destructive because they were born corrupted instead of being born with morality and being taught imorality. William Golding, a officer in the Navy during World War II, wrote the book Lord of the Flies about the end of innocence and the beginnings of primal instinct for some young boys trapped on a island. The boys live in this paradise until human nature takes over and democracy fails turning many into savages and leading to multiple deaths. This depicts defects in society are traced back to defects in individuals. People can be taught to be acceptable, but our nature of hatred is always there and order will not stand. Regardless of the rules in society, deformity and chaos is always led to the decisions of the people inside it. The political system on the island in Lord of the Flies was corrupt. The rules were not the dilemma, it was the individuals in it. At first they had voted a leader, Ralph, had meeting and jobs, and had rules on behavior. Jack even says,“‘We'll have lots of rules!’ he cried...
Words: 906 - Pages: 4
...Abortion: The Wrong Choice Tammy Edwards COM/172 September 15, 2010 Sunny Rowland Abortion: The Wrong Choice Nearly half of all pregnancies among American women are unintended, and four in 10 of these are terminated by abortion (Guttmacher Institute, Incidence of Abortion, May 2010). Abortion should be made illegal, because a fetus is a baby, no person has a right to take another's life, and an unborn baby cannot make the decision to live or die. A Fetus is a Baby While some view abortion as something people should be able to choose, others say abortion is a great evil, which is destroying the moral fabric of society Cline (2010). Many of the arguments turn on the status of the fetus: Is a fetus a person? A fetus is indeed a baby. From the moment of conception, a fetus is alive and growing inside the mother’s womb. For this reason, the fetus is a baby and considered a living, breathing being. If this were not so, then why is there a law in the state of California that if a person murders a pregnant female, that person is then charged with two counts of murder instead of just one Simon (2004)? This is true no matter how far along the mother is, one day or nine months. Therefore, this makes the fetus a real person. No Person Has a Right to Take a Life No person has the right to take another person’s life. Many skeptics say that the Bible does not say anything specifically about abortion. That there are no references to women seeking to end pregnancies, for example, by...
Words: 2607 - Pages: 11
...ETHICAL ANALYSIS Almost since its discovery, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has been a subject of moral controversy, with every stride forward accompanied by opponents determined that it not proceeds. Today some arguments once made against the process have fallen by the wayside, while others remain unchanged. In the article about the first test tube baby – Louise Brown the main agents are Mr. John Brown and Mrs. Lesley Brown they are the couple that is not able to conceive for almost 9 years. They were referred to Dr. Patrick Steptoe, a gynecologist at Oldham General Hospital, and Dr. Robert Edwards, a physiologist at Cambridge University. Over the many centuries since God’s order, children have been born by natural means. However, among the estimated 40 million couples of childbearing age who live in the United States, 8.5% are involuntarily infertile. Obviously, many more infertile couples around the world can be added to this more than 3 million in the United States. For these couples, in vitro fertilization (IVF) offers new promise. The main argument of in vitro fertilization is to help infertile couples to be able to conceive a child of their through science. IVF separates the unitive and the procreative aspects of marriage thus it is not allowed by the Catholic Church. It is a mortal sin to separate the unitive and the procreative aspects of marriage. In addition the sperm donor commits a mortal sin in order to harvest the sperm which is needed for IVF. Although one human...
Words: 2707 - Pages: 11
...End of Life: Assisted Suicide PHI208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning Instructor: Shawn Lorenzen September 29, 2014 Moral and ethical debates attempted to resolves controversial issues but never seem to end with everyone agreeing. Often these ethical and moral debates are complex, involve opinions persuaded by religion or customs, and have legal implications to consider. Physician assisted death is one of these very complex and controversial issues that all people will never agree on. Many questions arise in the debate of physician assisted death such as patients’ rights, physicians controlling the right if someone lives or dies, a patience’s mental state, a family member’s rights, religious beliefs of the parties involved and the law. Philosophers attempt to explain the different theories that people will use to argue their belief systems in terms of logic and reasoning. For example, some people may take the position of a deontologist who would argue that it is our moral duty to support and sustain life therefore assisted suicide should not be allowed. Unfortunately, this very emotional thought provoking debate is not a “black and white issue,” as most ethical arguments are not. In the situation of physician-assisted death, I disagree with the deontologist point of view that it is immoral for a physician to assist a patient in suicide. I believe as some relativist due, that as long as the patient is fully capable of making this decision and the patient is in a constant state...
Words: 2594 - Pages: 11
...Darrell L. Rogers August 31, 2011 UNV-303 University Success Professor Kristen Dicarlo Having children comes as natural as eating; being a good parent comes only with a little work and effort. So many times in our society we see examples of bad parenting. No child is born with a how to manual and this is why the whole family needs to be involved in the child’s life. There use to be an old saying “It takes a community to raise a child”, but to many times it is the community that has became the most dangerous to the child. Doing my research for this paper I have found numerous resources available to parents to help them along the way. This paper will look at good parenting techniques using “The Top Ten Parenting Tips” by DR Kevin Ryan. I will discuss all ten tips from DR. Ryan and either argues for or against each tip. I choose DR Ryan’s ten tips because of all the information out there I found his to be the closet to what I consider to be a good parent, although I do not agree completely with him. “Put parenting first. This is hard to do in a world with so many competing demands. Good parents consciously plan and devote time to parenting. They make developing their children’s character their top priority” (DR Kevin Ryan). I agree with DR Ryan good parents make their kids a priority in their life. I do not agree that it is hard to do. It is very easy if you use DR Ryan’s second step and you truly enjoy spending time with your child, you will find...
Words: 1625 - Pages: 7
