Is Christ a Kantian?
(My name is: Sim Yong Kiat. My email address is [email protected]. This work is on Kantian Ethics for university students.) Is Christ a Kantian? A Kantian must believe that happiness needs to be deserved, yet Christ says, "Ask and you will be given," not "Do and you shall deserve." Is the moral man really one who merely does moral acts? Remember Christ also says, wash the inside of the dishes and the outside will also be clean. Thus, Christ does distinguish between a moral man and one who merely acts morally. A moral man must do what Kantian Ethics says, for Kantian Ethics is indeed the correct description of ethics, though a man who obeys Kantian Ethics every time need not be a moral man at all. What I want to say is that, Kantian Ethics is only a description of ethics, rather than an explanation, for ethics is also about the man, not only about the act. Kantian Ethics can only be half-completed in answering the question, What is a moral act? The other half i.e. the question on, Who is a moral man? (or Why be moral?) is still unanswered. For as a human being, one needs not only to know, but also to be inspired. If the task of describing ethics is more important than the inspiring of man to be moral, Christ would have chosen to be a philosopher. And that is why Kant's contribution to ethical philosophy is as great as the contribution of Newton in Natural
Modern life-prolonging technologies have sharpened some ancient dilemmas on the value of life.
Modern life-prolonging technologies have sharpened some ancient dilemmas on the value of life. Our ability to sustain vital signs virtually as long as we wish pointedly raises the question whether we value life for its electrical efflorescence or for qualities that might be enjoyed by the person whose life is in jeopardy. In fact, it raises the question what the life is that we value. Is it biology or biography? Our legal norms and moral intuitions evolved before we had techniques to separate vital signs from interesting personality, before we could hold the dying in a living death and perpetuate a hopeless limbo of darkness and electricity. They developed during the long pre-technological age in medicine when the cessation of breath and pulse always coincided with the cessation of brain function and consciousness. But these no longer coincide. Nearly every hospital in the country has the equipment, and occasionally the incentive, to preserve heartbeat and respiration in bodies not brain dead but subject to a permanent and total loss of higher brain function. Because many states have not accepted brain death as their legal definition of death, it also happens that hospitals occasionally have the incentive to prolong vital signs in bodies past the point of brain death. This was physically impossible until the past three decades. Our medical cleverness has increased much
The Ethical Debate Concerning Cloning.
The Ethical Debate Concerning Cloning In the year that has elapsed since the announcement of Dolly's birth, there has been much discussion of the ethical implications of cloning humans. Although the simple use of the word "clone" may have negative connotations, many people have resigned themselves to the idea of cloning cows that produce more milk or using a cloned mouse for use in controlled experimentation. However, the idea of cloning humans is a highly charged topic. Several authors have attempted to outline some of the ethical objections to cloning while at the same time minimizing the role religion plays in this debate. The objections posed by Leon Kass and James Q. Wilson provide basic arguments that deserve consideration. Kass outlines the possibility of clones through the idea that cloning is neither inherently good nor bad in its process but that can be used to produce both good and bad results. Kass outlines three general contexts in which cloning is discussed. First he looks at the outcome of cloning on the child. One main objection to cloning is that it will naturally force parents to treat their new child differently than they would one that is born through sexual union. Technically the process of reproduction would have been different, but Kass sees no reason why parents would follow this process for producing a child unless they truly wanted it.
Describe the main strengths and weaknesses of the cosmological argument for the existence of God.
a.) Describe the main strengths and weaknesses of the cosmological argument for the existence of God (14) The term cosmological comes from the Greek cosmos, 'world' or 'universe'. The cosmological argument is based on facts about the world. Cosmology refers to the study of the universe.1 Unlike the Ontological Argument, the Cosmological Argument proceeds a posteriori. It begins with a very general claim about the physical universe that is meant to be supported by observation - e.g., the claim that some events have causes - and then proceeds to the conclusion that there must be a supernatural agent that somehow causes or explains this fact of experience.2 Aquinas' argument arrives at 'That which is necessary to explain the universe' or that which is necessary to explain causation or contingency. We do not know what God is, but whatever God is, God is whatever is necessary to explain the universe's existence. It is important to recognise that God is de re necessary (factually necessary) - necessary in and out of himself and cause of himself.3 An example of de re necessary being... 'all bears are brown' - this is a synthetic statement, statements which are true because of the evidence. They may or may not be true.4 St Thomas Aquinas, in the thirteenth century, formulated the famous 'five ways' by which God's existence can be demonstrated philosophically, I will be
Business Ethics
Business ethics is the study of business situations, activities, and decisions where issues of right and wrong are addressed. It is worth that stressing that by 'right' and 'wrong' we mean morally right and wrong. For example commercially, strategically, or financially right or wrong. Moreover, by business ethics, we do not mean only commercial business, but also government organization, pressure groups, not-for-profit businesses, charities and other organization. Business ethics has been claim as an Oxymoron. By an oxymoron, it mean that bringing together of two apparently contradictory concepts, such as in 'a cheerful pessimist' to say that business ethics is an oxymoron suggests that there are not or cannot be ethics in business which state that business is some way unethical such as business that is inherently bad, or that it is at best amoral which are such as outside of our normal moral considerations. Examples are such as in the latter case, Albert Carr (1968) notoriously argued in the article 'is business bluffing ethical' that the game of business was not subject to the same moral standards as the rest of society, but should be regarded as analogous to a game of poker where deception and lying were perfectly permissible. Business ethics is currently a very prominent business topic, and the debates and dilemmas surrounding business ethics have tended to attract an
Plato and Nietzsche on Authority
Compare, contrast and evaluate Plato and Nietzsche on authority. Nietzsche and Plato have many similarities in their discussion of political philosophy. Both dislike and hold contempt for democracy, and both favour a meritocratically chosen elite holding authority. There are even many similarities between the characteristics that they require in the group. However, there are differences too. Nietzsche doesn't outline a strict theory of authority, as Plato does. His governmental 'system', although it hardly is, could be interpreted, and has been, in many different ways. And, although both of them think that they have justified their authority, there have been several discussions on to whether they are, and in what society they would be relevant. These discussions are perhaps at the core of finding the key differences and usable elements of their philosophies. The notion of authority can be discussed in two main senses. For one, it can be used to discuss a person or group's right to rule. The other is when you talk of someone being an authority on a topic. Both of these involve the subordination of personal judgement to that of another and most political theorists would consider this subordination to be binding. One of the main problems is if you should surrender your own personal judgement independent of the content of the authority's ideas - both Nietzsche and Plato would
Examine and comment on Christian beliefs about homosexuality
Examine and comment on Christian beliefs about homosexuality. "If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn't worship that God." Archbishop Desmond Tutu- BBC Radio 4 Broadcast 18th November 20071 Homosexual- a homosexual is a person who is sexually attracted to someone of the same sex. (The Oxford study dictionary 1991) It is only common sense to recognize that if every citizen of the earth were homosexual then that would result in the end of mankind. When we examine various pieces of religious text it is easy to assume religious beliefs have remained the same through the ages, as a brief look would suggest religious texts are timeless and will not change through the different societies and situations caused by the societies. As soon as you start to examine the texts further you can become more aware of how various followers of different dominations interpret evidence between one age and the next. (The Bible, The Church and Homosexuality, Nicholas Coulton, 2005) Society did not always accept homosexuality; in the early 20th century UK law stated that if you acted within homosexual acts, you were committing a crime, and homosexuality was seen as a mental illness. (Sexuality Issues, Craig Donnellan, 2001) In medieval times homosexuals were burnt at the stake. 2 In the 1950s, the Church of England's moral welfare council was one of the major influences that led to the
Ethical Criticism of McDonalds
Ethical Criticism of McDonalds Arguably the most important aspect of an organization is its emphasis on ethical behavior. The key premise was that by 'doing the right thing' internally and externally, businesses created a good working atmosphere, while also benefiting society and the environment. The problem is that many ethical issues are subjective and based on one's values and beliefs. As a result, they are often difficult to enforce and easy to neglect. The result of this is that 'when the costs are added up, the social balance sheet contains enormous debts to society' (McEwan, 2001). It is the notion of an organization's 'debts to society', which led to the branch of ethics known as 'corporate social responsibility'. This refers to 'the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic expectations placed on organizations by society at a given point in time' (Carroll and Buchholtz, 2000). This theory of responsibility to society is based around two headings, stated by Wells (1998). Social Responsibility deals with 'the purposes for which companies should act' (Wells, 1998), and Corporate Responsibility is the 'liability attached to a company for actions done in its name' (Wells, 1998). Corporate Social Responsibility has increased in importance over the last 15 years, as globalization has led to increased pressure to meet society's ethical demands and expectations. This
Business Ethics
LONDON SCHOOL OF COMMERCE UNIVERSITY OF WALES INSTITUTE CARDIFF MASTER FOUNDATION PROGRAM FEB 2006 ASSIGNMENT IN BUSINESS ETHICS ALI OZAN PEKINER 74JCJCWCF06 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ) Business Ethics a) Motives of Business Ethics b) Business Ethics Criteria c) Approaches for Implementing Business Ethics 2) Whistle Blowing a) Methods of Whistle Blowing b) Case Studies Conclusion References Bibliography 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 8 9 0 Introduction 30 years ago, Milton Friedman, Nobel price winner for economics, argued that "there is only one social responsibility of business, which is to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits"1. Last 20 years have been marked by the increased globalisation of markets, and intensification of competition2. The collapse of the communism and the rise of pacific economies have enlarged the international trade. The development of new information and communication technologies has resulted not only in an international relocation of the production, but also changed supply chains for products and services. The consumers all around the world became more sensitive and aware of different products. These changes have forced companies to increase their effectiveness, by maximising the quality of their products. On the other hand, on local, regional, or global levels, different unions and
A Critical Analysis of Lao Tzu's Tao Teh Ching - Chineses philosophy.
A Critical Analysis of Lao Tzu's Tao Teh Ching Understanding Non-Western Philosophy Joni Mäkivirta Teoreettisen filosofian proseminaarityö Esitetään 4 elokuuta 1999 Helsingin yliopisto Contents . Introduction 2 2. The Nature of Chinese Philosophy 4 3. The Argument of Tao Teh Ching Criticised 6 4. Conclusion 8 BIBLIOGRAPHY NOTES "It lies in the nature of Grand Virtue to follow the Tao and the Tao alone. Now what is the Tao? It is Something elusive and evasive ... And yet it contains within Itself a Substance. Shadowy and Dim! And yet It contains within Itself a Core of Vitality. The Core of Vitality is very real, It contains within Itself an unfailing Sincerity. Throughout the ages Its Name has been preserved. In order to recall the Beginning of all things. How do I know the ways of all things at the Beginning. By what is within me."1 . Introduction In recent years there has been an increasing interest in non-western philosophy. The rigid position of regarding philosophy as a purely Western activity has been challenged partly because philosophers have come to realise the limits of Western rationalism and the impossibility of building wholly coherent logical systems.2 These consideration have led some philosophers like Feyerabend to conclude that all systems of knowledge are ultimately incommensurable; i.e understanding can only take
