... Human rights or human wrongs? (Marks 5) A factory owner in the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia, Mr. Carter, was severely criticized by an international human rights organization, Human Rights Watch out (HRW). After undertaking a summer research project involving scores of college interns from Europe and the US, HRW wrote a report claiming that Mr. Carter was exploiting his workers, relying on young children of a minority ethnic group to work long hours at substandard wages. The report is published in the national newspaper, the Malaysia News Press. The very next day Mr. Carter submits his own views—of the Human Rights Watch out organization. It is also published in the News-Press. Mr. Carter’s article points out that the HRW organization itself is hardly equitable: the organization consists almost solely of one ethnic group, white Europeans and Americans; the young, previously unemployed workers often toil 60-hour work weeks to file their reports; HRW provides no job security or benefits, and offers salaries—especially to interns—at pathetically low wages relative to their peers. Some are paid hardly at all. ROLE PLAY: The Malaysia Times-Press invites HRW to respond. You are part of the HRW public relations team. What are the main points that you would like to present in your counter to Mr. Carter’ article? Answer: Human Rights Watch (HRW) is a non-profit international organization. It works for the welfare of human in health...
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...is a foodservice manager at a casual dining restaurant. Bob is responsible for supervising and managing all employees in the back of the house. Employees working in the back of the house range in age from 16 years old to 55 years old. In addition, the employees come from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. For many, English is not their primary language. Bob is Serve Safe certified and tries his best to keep up with food safety issues in the kitchen but he admits it’s not easy. Employees receive “on the job training” about food safety basics (for example, appropriate hygiene and handwashing, time/temperature, and cleaning and sanitizing). But with high turnover of employees, training is often rushed and some new employees are put right into the job without training if it is a busy day. Eventually, most employees get some kind of food safety training. The owners of the restaurant are supportive of Bob in his food safety efforts because they know if a food safety outbreak were ever linked to their restaurant; it would likely put them out of business. Still, the owners note there are additional costs for training and making sure food is handled safely. One day Bob comes to work and is rather upset even before he steps into the restaurant. Things haven’t been going well at home and he was lucky to rummage through some of the dirty laundry and...
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...To take a human life may not always be right, although certain circumstances may lead to the act to be more beneficial than detrimental to a community’s survival. Ethical subjectivism holds the argument that the morals applied to taking a human life is only in the opinion of the individual. This means that the feelings behind taking a human life are determined by the individual judging whether it is correct or not. In contrast to this, Utilitarianism holds the opinion that if something is deemed ‘correct’ it will lead to the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people as a result. This train of thought does not have the individuals’ sense of morals included only the majorities sense of ‘happiness’. “Utilitarianism is a modern nineteenth...
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...Duty-based ethics teaches that some acts are right or wrong because of the sorts of things they are, and people have a duty to act accordingly, regardless of the good or bad consequences that may be produced. Some kinds of action are wrong or right in themselves, regardless of the consequences. Deontologists live in a universe of moral rules, such as: It is wrong to kill innocent people It is wrong to steal It is wrong to tell lies It is right to keep promises Someone who follows Duty-based ethics should do the right thing, even if that produces more harm (or less good) than doing the wrong thing: People have a duty to do the right thing, even if it produces a bad result. So, for example, the philosopher Kant thought that it would be wrong to tell a lie in order to save a friend from a murderer. If we compare Deontologists with Consequentialists we can see that Consequentialists begin by considering what things are good, and identify 'right' actions as the ones that produce the maximum of those good things. Deontologists appear to do it the other way around; they first consider what actions are 'right' and proceed from there. (Actually this is what they do in practice, but it isn't really the starting point of deontological thinking.) So a person is doing something good if they are doing a morally right action. Top Good and bad points Good points of duty-based ethics emphasises the value of every human being Duty-based ethical systems tend...
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...whether it is morally right or wrong. Abortion is a unique subject in that it involves not only morality but also a large amount of theology, emotion, and law. It is also unique because it forces people to choose one side or the other, there is a very small gray area when it comes to this debate, and the side that I will fall on in this essay is the pro-choice side. In this essay I will attempt prove that abortion is not murdering an innocent fetus and that the arguments for pro-choice are stronger than the ones for pro-life. The main point of disagreement between the two sides is what constitutes life, when does human life actually begin? I believe to construct a sound argument this issue must be examined first. I will then go on to cover other various pro-choice points such as a women’s right to choose, the quality of life for the potential child, and the extreme circumstances that will disprove the notion that abortion is morally wrong. As stated in my opening paragraph, the key issue in the case of abortion is determining the status of the fetus in the sense of its humanity. It is my belief that a fetus does not qualify as a human. I agree with Warren when she states that “human being” is a term that is not often distinguished, she suggests that there are two distinct classifications in the sense of the term “human being.” One being the moral sense in which is defined as “a full-fledged member of the moral community, who is also a member of the human species,” (Warren) and...
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...purposive, rational, and knowable to other persons. Transcendent means that God is distinct form the universe. He is able and willing to interact with the creation, but His existence is not bound by or limited to the universe. Everything that exists is contingent upon God’s creative act. God is both creator and sustainer of all things. God maintains access to the created order and involves Himself with it as he chooses. God designed the universe in such a way that nature follows a recognizable patter. Because God acts with purpose, reality is inherently meaningful. What is a human being? Human nature is both biological and spiritual. Humans are the unique creation of a personal God, and shares His likeness as personal being. Therefore, they have intrinsic worth as human beings. They were created to enjoy and external relationship with our Maker. Our lives have objective meaning and purpose. Because human nature is a composite of external spirit and mortal flesh, the death of the body is not the end of personal existence. They live externally, either in conscious communion with God or under His righteous judgment. What happens to a person at death? Death is either the gate to life with God or to external separation from Him. The destination is dependent upon the response they give to God’s provision for our sinfulness. How can they know anything at all? Reason and experience can be...
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...The human rights activists are against this type of punishment I believe in second chances. The Disadvantages of Death Penalty * Though there are scientific methods available to investigate the crime, nothing is guaranteed. You cannot remove the chances of punishing innocents completely. * The cost involved on the death penalty prosecution is greater than the expenses occurred in the life imprisonment of the accused. The appeals against such capital punishments take too long to decide, and often it takes years to decide the fate of the death penalty. All these things make the death penalty an expensive option for the governments who spend millions of the dollars of the taxpayer money on death penalty prosecutions. * It is reported that some of the jury members are not completely impartial as they decide the penalty on racial or religious basis. * Some of the accused are mentally ill, and it is ethically wrong to put mentally ill patients to the death. * In most cases people who can afford to hire the expensive lawyers often survived from such kind of capital punishment. People who are poor, and cannot afford to get a quality legal assistance becomes the victim of this penalty. * Some of the experts believe that life prison is a more effective punishment to control crimes as compared to the death penalty. The countries where the death penalty is banned have less capital crime rate as compared to those countries where the death penalty is practiced. ...
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...on the view that only a full human person is deserving of moral rights, with reference to the topic you have investigated The term personhood is often used to describe the point when life becomes an individual human that is entitled to rights. A person is a being that has certain qualities or abilities establishing personhood, which is otherwise defined by different authors in different scriptures and by different cultures. For a person to have rights means that they have a voice. Abortion is a controversial subject and to this day is still argued on whether or not it’s morally right to terminate pregnancy. Some people believe that abortion is right if the mother’s life is at risk or if there is a range of circumstance like the foetus becoming handicapped and others claim that it isn’t morally right no matter the situation because the bible forbids murder ‘Thou shalt not kill’ (10 commandments). Majority of people strongly agree that it is wrong to kill a person which is usually called a murder/homicide. Though others that oppose abortion generally try to argue that the foetus/embryo is in fact a human person. But how can one decide if human life is the same as a human person or in fact a human at all? Well a human is thought to be a man, woman, or child of the species Homo sapiens, distinguished from other animals by superior mental development, power of coherent speech, and upright posture. A person is an individual with a personality. Human life is simply a sperm and egg...
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...a) Explain the variety of attitudes within on major religion to the issue of animal’s right. (30 marks) There are many different attitudes towards issues of animal rights. Some believe that exploiting animals for uses such as, medical, cosmetics and domestic testing there is also a growing concern about the abuse and use of animals in some such as blood sports and zoos. Although, there is animal rights in place, animals till get exploited and abused Within this essay I will outline how traditional Christians view animals and how modern day christens view animals and how both views conflict; I will also outline philosopher’s views of animal rights. The traditional Christians view is that animals should be preyed on and eaten but others, this is known as ‘nature red in tooth and claw’. Traditional Christian’s downgraded animals in three ways, god created animals for the use of human beings so, therefore, believe that humans could do as they pleased with animals, Also, they thought that animals were worth little moral consideration as animals don’t have souls or reason, whereas, humans do, However, they also thought that animals were in relation to humans but not on the same terms. Although, not all traditional Christian’s believed that not all animals were regarded with little worth some saints demonstrated that Christian’s should treat animals with respect and kindly. Stt Anton of Padua preached to fish’s and St Francis of Assisi preached to the birds and became a popular...
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...concerning the nature of value in matters of human conduct.While virtually all people are concerned with making ethical judgments and decisions, philosophers in particular are concerned to a) explicate the nature of such judgments in general and b) provide criteria for determining what is ethically right or wrong, and c) analyze the grounds or reasons we have for holding them to be correct.Those concerned exclusively with telling us what is right or wrong, good or bad, in matters of human conduct may be termed "moralists." While philosophers have sometimes been moralists, as philosophers their primary concern is not so much to provide moral prescriptions as it is to explain why what we consider to be "right" or "good" is right or good. To do so, philosophers engaged with such questions have generally sought to formulate and justify "ethical theories" which are intended to explain the fundamental nature of that which is "good," why it is "good," and why the ethical principles which are most commonly used to evaluate human conduct follow (or do not follow) from this theory of that which is good.While there are of course many words in English (as well as most languages) which refer to positive andnegative values, we may simplify our vocabulary by taking the words "good" and "bad" to refer to positive and negative values respectively in judgments with respect to people and things, and "right" or "wrong" to refer to positive and negative values respectively...
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...Contents Introduction A modern controversy: the case of George Tiller (BBC) p. 3 Definitions and technical language p. 6 Methods used p. 7 Family Planning Association fact sheet p. 8 Religion and the Sanctity of Life The Sanctity of Life p. 12 A critique of the Sanctity of Life: Jonathan Glover p. 14 Christian perspectives: Methodists and Catholics p. 16 ‘Ensoulment’, soul, and the sacredness of life p. 18 Religious views in conflict: liberalism and conservatism p. 19 Philosophical Problems in Abortion An argument against abortion p. 20 Personhood p. 21 A ‘person’ as rational and self-conscious: Peter Singer p. 24 Moral rights: the foetus and the mother p. 26 A woman’s right to an abortion: Judith Jarvis Thomson p. 28 ‘Why abortion is immoral’: Don Marquis p. 29 Anthology of Texts Unit 2 model answers: ethics (Edexcel) ‘Why abortion challenges us all’: Rowan Williams ‘Contraception and abortion within Protestant Christianity’: Gloria Albrecht ‘Virtue theory and abortion’: Rosalind Hursthouse Appendix: sample exam questions and level descriptors Notes Pages A Modern Controversy: the Case of George Tiller Profile: George Tiller (2009) To some anti-abortionists George Tiller, who was shot dead on Sunday, was a mass murderer known as "Tiller the Killer". To his patients and many pro-choice supporters, he was a hero committed to women in need of help. ...
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...Introduction to ethics. I. II. To what extent is reasoning possible in ethics? One assumption: ethics is subjective A. If subjective then no disagree: Paul I like my coffee sweetened, Helen unsweetened: no disagreement B. If Paul “drs should sometimes assist their patient’s death, Helen: No (then real disagreement) C. There is a point here about disagreement A characteristic of ethics and ethical argumentation consistency: A. It is always wrong to kill a human being B. Abortion is not always wrong C. I am committed to holding that abortion isn’t always the killing of a human being a. This sets a limit on the subjectivity of ethics b. Another such limit: factual accuracy c. One can enjoy a taste without knowing what it is d. In ethics we have to understand the facts of the matter: patient’s prognosis, wishes etc in regards to resuscitation (2) Ethical relativism A. Similarity to subjectivism: B. Ethics depends upon a group, a culture etc. a. Darius: eat or burn one’s dead b. Herodotus each culture ...
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...have the rights as humans do. There are animals being used in labs, in poor conditions on farms for mast productions, and animals being mistreated. Should any animal have the right to life? Should they have the right to be pain free? Have right to food? Animals cannot not speak for themselves, so people are having to speak up for them. Animals do have rights that are the same as humans. Whether or not proving if animals should have the right could change how they are treated and the usage of animals. "What we conclude about animal rights will have consequences for the food we eat and the clothes we wear, and it will have direct bearing on the kinds of science we think morally justifiable"(Cohen, 1986). The argument here other than animal rights is that humans think they are in control of their own rights or wrong ideas as long as society or culture goes along with them. When asking the question, “what are our moral obligations to animals,” the argument is that we do not have any obligations toward animals, due to them being species, not taking part of political contract or of determining what right or wrong is. Humans have laws in place that we have created, therefore, non-humans are expose to the rules we created. Being morally good, legal, fitting or proper is defined as having “rights.” As earlier mentioned morals which means rights do not have to be granted to whom are not defined “humans” which that means animals will not be in this category. It is our right for animals...
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...Human Wrongs, Human Rights Foreword The third edition of Human Wrongs, Human Rights, published jointly by British Irish RIGHTS WATCH and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, is very welcome. This completely updated guide will help NGOs, lawyers and individuals to find their way around the various human rights mechanisms of the United Nations. The mechanisms can seem complex to those who are not familiar with them but, as this guide shows, they are in fact accessible and simple to use. Although primarily aimed at readers in Britain and Ireland, much of the information and the insights contained in the guide will be useful to people in many countries around the world. I congratulate British Irish RIGHTS WATCH and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission for continuing to publish this useful guide and I encourage anyone whose human rights have been violated, or who is helping victims of such violations, to make imaginative use of the mechanisms the United Nations offers. Mary Robinson High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations Geneva September 2001 Acknowledgements Special thanks to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, for contributing a foreword to this guide, and to Mel James for her contribution towards the chapter on resolutions. Thanks also to the following staff at the United Nations: Affaf Abbass, Daniel Atchebro, Martine Anstett, Jean-Nicolas Beuze, Fiona Blyth-Kubota, Alessio Bruni, Jane Connors, Mac Darrow...
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...On the issue of animal rights, Carl Cohen takes on the perspective of a reformist. This means that he accepts animal experimentation and meat eating, but believes that these institutions need to be improved upon. Cohen approaches the issue of animal rights using the ideas of obligations and rights, with not only the reformist perspective, but with the speciesist perspective. The conclusion he draws is that animals do not necessarily have rights just because humans have moral obligations to animals. Cohen comes to this conclusion through an analytical series of rights and obligations. His main argument is the following: (1) Humans do have obligations to animals, (this sets him apart from abolitionists) (2) not every obligation arises from a right, (3) so animals do not necessarily have rights just because humans have obligations to them. Since Cohen first mentions obligations, we will look at his analytical approach towards obligations. He admits that rights do in fact entail obligations, but states that obligations do not entail rights. “Obligations arise from commitments freely made,” (Cohen 350) is the simplest way he words it. He then uses the example of how a host will have the obligation to be courteous and cordial to their guests, but the guest absolutely does not hold the right to demand the host courteousness or cordiality. To then wrap up Cohen’s summary of his ideals of obligations, he states that it is false to believe that every obligation trickles down...
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