Intrinsic Properties and Abortion Debate Essay Example for Free

Intrinsic Properties and Abortion Debate Essay The philosophy of intrinsic property rights has created many problems for those who can justify abortion but believe that new born infant has to be treated as a human being. The intrinsic property philosophy also makes it difficult to justify killing animals but not humans. This soul searching debate is the subject of this essay. An intrinsic property is a property within the object or organism. Mass of a body is an intrinsic property, while weight of the body would depend on its location and its gravity and is an extrinsic property. The debate regarding protecting moral and legal rights of a living being when applied to fetuses creates a new set of problems for the pro-abortionists. Is a fetus entitled to the same rights and privileges as a new born? Can we regard a fetus with the same rights and privileges as a living human? It is morally and legally wrong to kill innocent human beings. The fetus is capable of developing within itself, meeting its needs with the ability it has within itself to appropriate nourishment and grow. These intrinsic properties qualify the fetuses as living organism and if we consider this living organism as an innocent human being, the conclusion would be that it is morally as wrong to abort (or kill) a fetus as it is morally wrong to kill an infant. The pro-abortionists argue that the fetus cannot be given the same importance as a newly born infant [McNeil, 2000]. Many feminist philosophers argue [Warren, 1973] that this approach to morality is based on abstract rules and conflict of rights and is inappropriate. Some feminist philosophers have declared that the concept of moral right may be inconsistent with the social nature of persons [Wolgast, cited in Warren, 1973] The philosophical views on the right of fetuses have debated various aspects of the morality or otherwise of abortion. The acknowledgment of intrinsic property rights means that an individual has certain moral rights. The presence or absence of a single determining factor of that intrinsic property which entitles an individual to these moral rights has been open to interpretation. This single criterion [Warren, 1973] which distinguishes between those who have intrinsic property rights and those who do not is in itself a dilemma. Accepting the intrinsic property argument makes the right of the woman carrying the fetus as irrelevant as the moral right of the fetus demands that its right be protected and it is allowed to develop as a separate entity. The single criterion and intrinsic property right taken together give a new born baby the same rights as a nearly mature fetus, if we accept this argument than late abortion tantamount to infanticide. [Summer, 1983] argues that sentience (ability to sense) should be used as the criteria for permissible abortion. Summer uses the sentience argument to limit abortion to first trimester. The problem with the intrinsic property and single criterion becomes more complicated when we find that philosophers like Tooley argue that both infants and nearly mature fetuses are incapable of desiring their own existence as they have no concept or experience of being a person. The conclusion drawn by him are rather shocking as he shows that infanticide in past history was not treated at par with other murders. [Warren, 1973] rightly points out that sentience alone, cannot be considered a criterion for comparing moral equality of the fetus and of an infant, as if we were to give equality on the basis of sentience mice and other animals which have much higher recognizable sentience are not treated as such. Sentience argument unlike fetus viability however draws an identifiable boundary as fetus viability can change with time and place. In developing countries with poor medical resources even a nearly mature fetus cannot be kept in an incubator and have the required life support to survive. In developed countries with excellent health care facilities nearly half term fetuses already have a reasonable chance of survival. Treating infants and fetuses at par as necessary under to doctrine of intrinsic property would subject the women undergoing a miscarriage to investigation for murder. [Warren, 1973] cites an actual example when an irresponsible pregnant woman was charged for negligent homicide as she failed to observe the precautions and suffered a miscarriage. It is clear that an infant and an unborn fetus cannot be treated as equal in terms of intrinsic property rights. Warren rightly concludes that birth marks an important point of distinction of rights for the infant, the fetus and for the woman. An infant can have a life of its own, in mothers care or even with foster organization/parents. Even if the infant is still dependent on others for survival the birth marks the beginning of a socially responsible individual or person. Pregnancy whether in advance term or at the beginning does not award the right of parenthood, the birth is the clear difference between the fetus and infant and while fetuses in advance state of development need to be protected as indeed they are, they cannot be considered equal to infants in their rights. In brief Warrens philosophy is to give people the rights of a moral community and have moral rights. She defines personhood as meeting five important criteria; ability to recognize internal and external objects, ability to feel pain, ability to reason, self motivated activity, capacity to communicate and self awareness [McNeil, 2000] Peter Singers is an advocate of utilitarianism. His views, although though provoking cannot be described as mainstream, he appears to believe in sentience theory but without a species distinction. He believes that species-ism is a kind of racism or gender based discrimination. [Singer, 1999] also refuses to acknowledge that human lives are more precious because of humans are more intelligent. He argues that if intelligence were to be the criterion we would permit medical experiment on mentally retarded! He appears to be less concerned about infanticide or abortion and his theory is that of great moral good. Singer presents very thought provoking debates but several of his arguments would create serious social right issues. He considers experimentation on animals as immoral but the possible benefit to millions by the sacrifice of a few is permitted in Singers logic. This type of logic can be used to justify slavery, genocide of a minority and create many more similar dilemmas. Warrens philosophical views on the moral and legal status of abortion on the other hand are a serious and practicable discussion and presents logical views. Singer defends a quality-of-life view in ethics and has little regard for sanctity-of-life view. Bibliography McNeil, M. A. , (2000), The Real Problem with Abortion, [Online] retrieved from Internet on May 05, 2007, http://www. abortionessay. com/files/realproblem. html Singer, P. , (1999), Practical Ethics, Cambridge University Press 2nd Edition, ISBN-10: 052143971X Tooley, M. (1983), Abortion and Infanticide, Oxford: Oxford University Press, Cited in [Warren, 1973] Warren, M. A. , (1973), On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion, The Monist, LaSalle, Illinois, Vol. 53. Also published in James Rachels’, The Right Thing to Do: Basic Readings in Moral Philosophy (2nd Ed. , McGraw-Hill College, 1999)

Mother Daughter Relationships - Learning from Mother in Amy Tans The J

Learning from Mother in The Joy Luck Club      Ã‚   "I have already experienced the worst. After this, there is no worst possible thing" (Amy Tan 121). Throughout The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan tells stories of how mothers use the misfortunes in their lives, to try to teach their daughters about life. Many of the mothers had bad experiences in their pasts and do not want to see their daughters live through the same types of problems. They try to make their daughters' lives as easy and problem free as possible. However, the daughters do not see this as an act of love, but rather as an act of control. In the end, the daughters realize that their mothers tried to use their experiences to teach them not to give up hope, and to look at the good of an experience rather than the bad.    Amy Tan starts The Joy Luck Club with the daughter, Jing-mei, and mother, Suyuan Woo. Suyuan lived through a hard life in Kweilin during the war and teaches her daughter to keep her head up and have faith, even though things may seem hard at the time. When Suyuan lived in Kweilin, she had many things that could depress her, "but to despair was to wish back for something already lost. Or to prolong what was already unbearable" (11). Suyuan's wishful thinking reveals that she did not want to think of all the bad things happening around her. Rather, she wanted to focus on the fact that she "had luxuries few people could afford" (10). The ability to find the good when others see only bad helped Suyuan center her attention on the superior things that she had, such as the Joy Luck Club and her friends. Later, when Jing-mei goes to meet her sisters in China, she becomes "so nervous [she] can't even feel [her] feet"(331). The uneasy emo... ...to keep trying. Although Rose believes that she has "no hope," inside she has a nengkan as powerful as her mothers, which makes her wish her marriage would last, just as her mother wishes Bing would still be alive.    Overall, each mother in The Joy Luck Club went through something emotionally exhausting and saddening in her life. The mothers use their experiences to try to direct the course of their daughters' lives, to make them simpler and more carefree. Initially, however, the daughters only see that their mothers want to make decisions for them, not to help them. Ultimately, the daughters realize their mothers' intentions, but not all accept them. The important thing, however, is that each daughter learns a valuable lesson and comes to peace with her mother.    Work Cited Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Ivy Books, 1989.   

Mothers Without Men, Donor Insemination

I think it's very wrong and exposing that the child doesn't has the opportunity at all to get the child-father relationship which Is very important In life. Caroline Webb actually makes the decision on purpose that the child will have a missing whole in the childhood and trough the raising. That is disturbing. It concludes that she values her needs and ego higher than the baby. Besides, when parents choose to leave their family, it's often not a quite easy situation concerning economics, surplus, safety and mental/social balance.Although it's common It's tough and not very healthy to the family. A single parent could easy suffer under some of the same conditions for example economical problems, while there normally only is one income. I could imagine it also would be ruff to raise a child all by yourself, without a partner to guide or help you. On the other side the parent/Caroline Webb wants the baby really bad, compared to some relationship where the baby happens to be an ;accident . † I could therefore imagine the mother would be more carrying and supportive to the baby, simply because the child is more wanted.Of course It's also Important that the potential parent has the financial and psychic qualities that require raising a child, which Caroline claims to has when her position is Hospital Chef. Caroline Webb also sticks to the fact that â€Å"there'd be no upset in the home and my child would benefit from my happiness. † She's saying that about the comparing to runaway parents. She hasn't thought the situation trough at all. She doesn't mention all the problems and questions the child will be filled up with trough solicitation, when she's minor and through the teenage. The child will soon figure out that everybody except her have two parents.That issue could fast develop to a major problem and maybe hating to Caroline from her daughter. Maybe her happiness and love can't solve all problems although she really wants it to. In the end it's all a bout ethics and morale. It's very different what individuals attitude to this problem are, depending on what kind of personality and opinions you have. Mothers Without Men, Donor Insemination By rollback Men†Amanda Riley-Jones I don't think that donor insemination should be available as soonest has the opportunity at all to get the child-father relationship which is very important in life.Caroline Webb actually makes the decision on purpose that the it's common it's tough and not very healthy to the family. A single parent could easy some relationship where the baby happens to be an â€Å"accident. † I could therefore because the child is more wanted. Of course it's also important that the potential thought the situation trough at all. She doesn't mention all the problems and through the teenage. The child will soon figure out that everybody except her have

Marco Polo, the outsider; Ibn Battuta, the insider Essay

Nowadays the wide array of transportation means and infrastructures at our disposal has made it relatively easy for us to travel from one country to another; even when those countries are thousands of miles away from each other. However, during the 13th and 14th centuries, travelling was not that easy. Yet, two men, the Italian tradesman Marco Polo and the Moroccan Jurist Ibn Battuta became famous for having managed to perform extremely long distance journeys away from their home country. At the end of their long travels, both men shared their experiences with the world via the books, The Travels of Marco Polo and The Travels of Ibn Battuta. An analysis of those two texts reveals two things. On one hand, Marco Polo remained a cultural†¦show more content†¦In 1271, Marco Polo’s father and uncle, both merchants from Europe, were requested to return to China for the second time by the Mongol Emperor, Kublai Khan. The purpose of the request made by the Great Khan (Kublai) was to bring back to the Mongol court some holy oil from Jerusalem and â€Å"a hundred men of learning, thoroughly acquainted with the principles of the Christian religion† (Polo 7) to convince the Mongols to convert to Christianity. Marco Polo joined his father and uncle for this second journey to the East. As part of this journey, Polo traveled throughout regions of the Middle East and Central Asia before reaching the final destination. Further, while working for Kublai Khan in China, he was sent on many inspection tours which allowed him to explore most of the provinces of China. In all the regions that were visited along the way, and more so in the case of the Mongol Empire, there was a distinct disparity in the culture as compared to Polo’s native land. Moreover, Marco Polo’s religious disposition towards Christianity set him apart from the people of the region –the Tartars—who , according to the Kublai Khan, where worshippers of â€Å"evil spirits† (Polo 7). These factors placed Marco Polo in the position of an â€Å"outsider† as defined by Hage, i.e. â€Å"someone who does not experience either socio-cultural or political belonging. It is someone whose mental and bodily dispositions have evolved somewhere else and thus feels culturally ‘out of place’.

What Is a Controlled Experiment

A controlled experiment is one in which everything is held constant except for one variable. Usually, a set of data is taken to be a control group, which is commonly the normal or usual state, and one or more other groups are examined where all conditions are identical to the control group and to each other except for one variable. Sometimes its necessary to change more than one variable, but all of the other experimental conditions will be controlled so that only the variables being examined change. And what is measured is the variables amount or the way in which they change. Controlled Experiment A controlled experiment is simply an experiment in which all factors are held constant except for one: the independent variable.A common type of controlled experiment compares a control group against an experimental group. All variables are identical between the two groups except for the factor being tested.The advantage of a controlled experiment is that it is easier to eliminate uncertainty about the significance of the results. Example of a Controlled Experiment Lets say you want to know if the type of soil affects how long it takes a seed to germinate, and you decide to set up a controlled experiment to answer the question. You might take five identical pots, fill each with a different type of soil, plant identical bean seeds in each pot, place the pots in a sunny window, water them equally, and measure how long it takes for the seeds in each pot to sprout. This is a controlled experiment because your goal is to keep every variable constant except the type of soil you use. You control these features. Why Controlled Experiments Are Important The big advantage of a controlled experiment is that you can eliminate much of the uncertainty about your results. If you couldnt control each variable, you might end up with a confusing outcome. For example, if you planted different types of seeds in each of the pots, trying to determine if soil type affected germination, you might find some types of seeds germinate faster than others. You wouldnt be able to say, with any degree of certainty, that the rate of germination was due to the type of soil. It might as well have been due to the type of seeds. Or, if you had placed some pots in a sunny window and some in the shade or watered some pots more than others, you could get mixed results. The value of a controlled experiment is that it yields a high degree of confidence in the outcome. You know which variable caused or did not cause a change. Are All Experiments Controlled? No, they are not. Its still possible to obtain useful data from uncontrolled experiments, but its harder to draw conclusions based on the data. An example of an area where controlled experiments are difficult is human testing. Say you want to know if a new diet pill helps with weight loss. You can collect a sample of people, give each of them the pill, and measure their weight. You can try to control as many variables as possible, such as how much exercise they get or how many calories they eat. However, you will have several uncontrolled variables, which may include age, gender, genetic predisposition toward a high or low metabolism, how overweight they were before starting the test, whether they inadvertently eat something that interacts with the drug, etc. Scientists try to record as much data as possible when conducting uncontrolled experiments, so they can see additional factors that may be affecting their results. Although it is harder to draw conclusions from uncontrolled experiments, new patterns often emerge that would not have been observable in a controlled experiment. For example, you may notice the diet drug seems to work for female subjects, but not for male subjects, and this may lead to further experimentation and a possible breakthrough. If you had only been able to perform a controlled experiment, perhaps on male clones alone, you would have missed this connection. Sources Box, George E. P., et al.  Statistics for Experimenters: Design, Innovation, and Discovery. Wiley-Interscience, a John Wiley Soncs, Inc., Publication, 2005.  Creswell, John W.  Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research. Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.Pronzato, L. Optimal experimental design and some related control problems. Automatica. 2008.Robbins, H. Some Aspects of the Sequential Design of Experiments. Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society. 1952.

The Issue Of Gun Control - 1384 Words

Coming from where I was raised my whole life, as an young African American my two eyes have witnessed many altercations involving a gun. In this country we have homeless people that’s struggling in poverty. They can t find work, increasing inflation rates, an unstable budget, and more importantly, a problem with guns. Like everyone else living in rough environments, I am cautious about being the victim of a random shooting, but at the same time, I want to be able to protect my family at all costs no matter the situation. Guns affect each and every one of us on a day-to-day base. A gun put fear in ones heart or they make us feel safe and protected at all times. The point that I must try my best to get across is this: guns are a huge problem within our society, but using gun control to diminish them isn t necessarily the best resolution. When I say gun control I am speaking upon the laws that prevent firearms from being on the street by preventing their purchase. I agree that so me form of gun control is well needed by far; but what we really need to focus on is gun licensing and more gun safety. I believe in my constitutional right to keep in bear arms, and I don t feel that legislators should be allowed to take away that right. Gun control can be a good thing, but if it leads to gun prohibition I will take on the whole world to prove a point. Our country was founded on the basis of guns. Throughout history wars was won with guns and guns protected our people.Show MoreRelatedGun Issue And Gun Control1401 Words   |  6 PagesUniversity, Gun Politics has been a course I have aspired to take. While many enroll in such a course looking for an escape from the â€Å"collegiate liberal echo chamber† or as an outlet for their conservative agendas, I saw the class as an â€Å"entrance to the dark side.† My views on guns prior to the class were, I would call, polarized yet uninformed. In most of my discussions, I would cite the Australian 1996 National Firearms Agreement as precedent for how American politicians should approach the gun issueRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control Essay1646 Words   |  7 Pagessomebody who wants to inflict harm on other people to get his or her hands on a gun.† (Simple Minded Gun Control). Gun control is a controversial issue worldwide. The reason why this has attracted so much atte ntion is because not everyone is in favor of gun control and each side brings up excellent points about the issue. Research related to this issue strongly supports the claim that there SHOULD be more gun control laws. Three arguments that prove this position are (1) Incidents like Sandy HookRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1489 Words   |  6 Pagessplit on the issue of gun control. We have seen many violent shootings and innocent people dying because of gun violence. Some Americans believe we need strict gun laws to protect our children and ourselves from these horrific tragedies. Other Americans believes it is our rights as Americans to posses’ guns and we are entitled to that right in our constitution. There are also some Americans that are stuck in the middle and can see both sides but recent events have definitely caused this issue to be inRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1031 Words   |  5 Pagesintegrate them in a way that will trigger a new viewpoint on the subject . Gun control is something that should be enforced across the world in order to save lives. In the United States there is a ratio of 88.8 guns per one hundred persons (GunPolicy.org). Those numbers award us with the highest total per capita number in the world. With that amount of firepower there needs to be an efficient way to regulate who exactly can purchase a gun. Since 1791 when the second amendment was ratified there have beenRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1705 Words   |  7 Pagesaway without preface or reason. All someone needs to do is pull the trigger. In today’s world, guns are far too accessible to the people of society. We hear in the news, stories of mass shootings, homicides, and suicides; most of which are caused by the activation of a gun. A hot-button issue, gun control is one of the most debated topics in American politics. Should we, or should we not, be able to own guns? Although it infringes on the Second Amendment that provides the right to bear arm s, this amendmentRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control951 Words   |  4 PagesGun control has been a big topic for the past decade in the united states. These debates will rise and fall time in and time out after something horrific happens in the state. Anti-Gun supporters do not realize that it is extremely difficult to regulate something in the states that is a big portion of our economy.Would stricter gun laws change anything? So far statistically It has been proven otherwise one must consider how a citizen would defend themselves when they are faced with terror. How willRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control929 Words   |  4 PagesGun Control Getting arrested yesterday was not the highlight of my week. I was hungry; so I went to Wal-Mart get some charcoal, lighter fluid, and steak. I put the charcoal in the grill and the lighter fluid on the coals. I got a little lighter fluid on my arm, but I didn’t pay it much attention. I lit the match and threw it on the coals. I looked down and my sleeve was on fire. I was waving my arm in the air, trying to put it out. Then here they come the police pulled in and tackled me to theRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1552 Words   |  7 PagesThe issue of gun is always controversial. Firearm can be used as defending or an assaulting weapon. In United States, firearm increase the rate of homicide, suicide and gun violence, which can harm and murder people. Moreover, taking away people’s gun will not work effectively because the murder and criminal will find another ways to get guns. Also, the black market will appear for the people who cannot get guns from regulated market s. In addition, if regulated guns are banned, murderers may useRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1678 Words   |  7 PagesJanuary 2014 The 2nd Amendment Over the past few years, the issue of gun control has been widely discussed. You surely have heard the phrase, â€Å"Guns don’t kill people, people kill people† uttered and i wholeheartedly support this statement. It is important to treat guns responsibly so they do not end up in the wrong hands. I believe gun control violates our inalienable rights. Another piece of our liberty will surely be taken away if guns are banned, and socialism and totalitarianism will be rightRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1208 Words   |  5 PagesWill Christopherson Traverson English 2 1 March 2017 Gun Control The United States has 88.8 guns per 100 people, or about 270,000,000 guns, which is the highest total and per capita number across the globe. The current public gun control debate in the United States seems to be placed on standby until it is sparked up by a major mass shooting. There were at least 126 mass shootings between January 2000 and July 2014.(pro). Opponents of more gun laws accuse supporters of using a horrific event to further

Personhood Chart - Click Here to Get Instant Solution

Question: Draw Personhood Chart. Answer: Christianity Materialism Personal View Relational United States is having majority of Christianity followers. It helps people to know about gods plans and purpose regarding their life. Materialism followers are people who think god is not controlling their life Bourassa Laing (2014). Rules and regulation re very important for living a proper life. Multidimensional Christianity followers should be aware of all cultural aspects Wilkinson (2009). They should also know about the spirit, tradition of their religion. Materialism followers spend their life as per their own beliefs, thoughts, views and others. Cultural and religion aspects play important role in individuals life. Sexual Regarding sexual life Christianity is having different rules and regulation, which is to be followed by every Christianity follower. Materialism followers do not follow any predefined rules by any religion. They perform sexual activities as per their own beliefs, views. Every religion defines rules and regulation for sexual activities, which should be followed by everyone. Moral Christianity moral explains their ethics, theories, philosophies and beliefs. Every Christianity follower has to live their life as per these only. Materialism moral are different for every individual. Every materialism follower has their own beliefs and thoughts for life. Ethics and code of conduct are very important for living happy and prosperous life. Mortal Mortal in Christianity explains their mortal sins. It helps people to know what wrong acts according to Christianity are. It explains people list of wrong and correct acts. Every individual should avoid wrong acts in their life. Destined for Eternal Life Eternal life is life after death. Christianity explains if people performs wrong act they will be sent to hell. If they perform good acts in their life, they will go to heaven and meet god. They believe after death eternal life depends on peoples own activities. After death life depends on individuals act and decided by God References Bourassa, L., Laing, R. (2014) Materialism. [Iowa City]: PhotoStatic. Wilkinson, P. (2009). Christianity. New York: DK Pub.