"Ethical theories are of no help when discussing matters of sex and relationships." Discuss

Carolyn Deane Mr Waterfield 24/09/2005 "Ethical theories are of no help when discussing matters of sex and relationships." Discuss Sexuality is one of the most influential aspects of our lives as human beings. Sex is a primal instinct for procreation and continuation of the species. Yet why is there such a distinction between sexual instincts and other primeval instincts such as eating, drinking, sleeping and breathing? All are natural bodily functions! Sexuality directs our behaviour whether we are aware of it or not. If the desire for sexual pleasure is similar to the desire for food, should sexual behaviour be hindered by moral principles? Can we use the same moral codes of behaviour when discussing sex? Sexual attraction can be one of the main reasons for a couple forming a relationship. The ongoing sexual relationship of a couple has the capability of nourishing love, expressing affection, eliciting honesty and trust and can bind a couple more closely together. Ultimately it has the potential for new life. When we consider these elements of sexuality we have reason to believe that sexual ethics are important and we do need moral principles to guide our behaviour. Sex has the ability to be damaging, not only in personal matters but also to society.

  • Word count: 2096
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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"Every 90 minutes, a teenager somewhere in America kills himself" (Brian LaRue, 1996).

"Every 90 minutes, a teenager somewhere in America kills himself." (Brian LaRue, 1996). This figure is very astonishing and overwhelming when you take time to think about it. This essay will portray some of the warning signs that friends and families should be aware of and what a person should do to help a friend who is contemplating suicide. It will also consider the external and internal pressures and influences that might explain this growing phenomenon. "Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain." (Teen Challenge, 1998). This pain could be derived from abuse, problems at home, pressures, exams, money, work, relationships or chronic addictions such as drugs and/or alcohol. The Teen Challenge Homepage (1998) stated that "Suicide doesn't just happen.... there are a series of events that occur, there are signs that are evident in these times that if noticed, can stop the waste of another life." These series of events are impossibilities or failures, such as problems at home or school, that feel overwhelming to the individual. The next step in this phase commences when the individual begins to feel emotionally broken, as if there is no one there that understands what they are feeling and going through. This leads to isolation with their thoughts and problems which is unhealthy because it gives them time to ponder over all of

  • Word count: 721
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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Ethical and Legal Aspects of Health and Social Care.

Ethical and Legal Aspects of Health and Social Care Euthanasia E1 & E2 Euthanasia is the deliberate killing of a person for the benefit of that person. Euthanasia is a controversial issue therefore holds the argument of whether the choice of death should be permitted or not. Euthanasia has become increasingly contentious as the generations move on due to medical and scientific advances continuing to transform and extend life. In most cases euthanasia is carried out because the person who dies asks for it, but there are cases called euthanasia where a person can't make such a request. A person who undergoes euthanasia is usually terminally ill, but there are some situations where people want euthanasia. Forms of Euthanasia Euthanasia comes in different forms; each brings a different set of rights and wrongs. Active and Passive Euthanasia: Active euthanasia is when death is brought about by an act - for example when a person is killed by an overdose of painkillers, "many doctors would argue that there reaches a point in the care of a patient where aggressive medical treatment is no longer of any benefit". Passive euthanasia is when death is brought about through omission, when someone lets a person die. This can be by withdrawing or withholding treatment. An example of withdrawing treatment would be to switch off a machine that is keeping a person alive so that they die

  • Word count: 3325
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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Ethical Philosophy.

Dawn Sewell-Ugbogbo Ethical Philosophy . Give an account of the method and ethical teaching of the Sophists. Make sure to include your complete explanation of the meaning of ethical or moral relativism, and of what particular forms it takes, (e.g., how does the Sophist define what is "right"?) What important differences are there between Socrates / Plato and the sophists? What is your own view or resolution of the issue between relativism and Plato's objectivism? Is moral relativism a reasonable and self-consistent position for one to take on today's moral issues? Give some examples to illustrate why it is or is not a reasonable position today. The Sophists were itinerant professors of higher education who traveled widely in the Greek world giving lectures and specialized instructions in a wide range of topics for a fee. They were in no sense a school or even a single movement since they did not have a common set of doctrines nor any shared organization. Their intellectual activities included the inquiry of nature and mathematics, from which developed a systematic study of techniques of persuasion and argument, which included the beginnings of the study of language in various forms, including grammar, literary criticism, and semantics. Defining what is right seemingly came easy to the Sophists. They basically concluded, embracing moral relativism, that morals are

  • Word count: 749
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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Church of Women by Dorothy Hodgson

Nestia T. Gammon October 2, 2007 RS 373 Hackett Why Women? The Church of Women: Gendered Encounters between Maasai and Missionariesi investigates why more Maasai women than Maasai men have joined the Roman Catholic Church in Tanzania. Dorothy L. Hodgson, who is a professor in the department of anthropology at Rutgers University, analyzes mission journals, archives, and other historical documents and uses data from fieldwork she conducted in three Maasai communities, interviewing missionaries, catechists, women, and men. (Specifically, she interviews American missionaries, Tanzanian catechists, and 175 ordinary Maasai women and men.) Since she was living among the Maasai converts she studied, her primary method of research was participant-observation. She uses these pieces of historical and ethnographic evidence to examine how gender ideas and practices shape the ways of the encounter between Catholic missionaries and Maasai men and women since 1950. She begins by demolishing the generalization that the Maasai are nomadic people who do not mix with other tribes, stick to old customs, and refuse to modernize. The Maasai, she argues, share histories of migration with other Bantu peoples of sub-Saharan Africa; they mix with other tribes, exchange ideas, trade, and marry into other groups and change (6-13). The main questions posed by Hodgson within the book are, "Who

  • Word count: 1517
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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Make some brief notes on what social scientists mean by the term moral panic

Claudia Green R5484033 Question Part (a) Make some brief notes on what social scientists mean by the term 'moral panic' * Society made aware of danger in society * Media can present in stereotypical manner * Media helps escalate seriousness - control how public perceive "danger" * Exaggerated facts (sometimes rumours???) * Society feels threatened/in danger * Community Leaders (or authoritarians/symbols of moral values in society) come up with solutions * Can lead to Action Groups as a direct result? (Lesley Sands 1998) Group of people or person that comes into public awareness and creates fear of some sort as a result of being stereotyped by the media. 'The moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians & other right thinking people' (Cohen, 1973) People that have become a symbol for moral values will feed the need to seek and propose solutions. Rectify and/or keep society out of danger from person(s) causing threat and/or fear. Socially Constructed Media plays a major part in moral panics. Newspapers daily warn us of 'threats'. Sensationalism leading to hysteria among the public. (Word count 157) Question Part (b) Describe in your own words how the deviancy amplifications spiral operates to produce a 'moral panic'. Illustrate with two examples. According to Cohen, society is regularly subjected to moral panics. Moral panics are seen as an

  • Word count: 997
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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Teen suicide has become a major issue in society today. Technology has transformed the world in which we live.

Teen suicide has become a major issue in society today. Technology has transformed the world in which we live. Many people consider these developments a gigantic step to help make our lives easier. In reality, the increase in business and production is directly related to the increase in importance of money. People are exposed to a higher stress level in the workplace, in public, and at their own homes then they had been accustomed to previously. Peer pressure from other teens and the expectations of adults and other members of authority continue to cause teens to feel overwhelmed. The pressure to become a financial or political success has been largely placed on today's generation of youth. These issues might actually drive some adolescents to consider suicide. Other causes of suicide thoughts may include severe depression, recent divorce or family issues, moving to a new community, financial uncertainty, or simply the fear of growing up. In every suicide or suicide attempt case, the reasons vary drastically. However, the increase in teen suicide has made it a main topic for church communities and other groups to speak out against and hopefully find some solutions to the growing problem. I believe that suicide never allows social justice to become part of society because of how it affects the victim and also the family, friends, and neighbors that the victim has left behind.

  • Word count: 1975
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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The good sides of patriotism.

THE GOOD SIDES OF PATRIOTISM One of the holy and beautiful emotion in our lives is love.Love of one's country , namely patriotism is a kind of love which also supposed to be holy and fundamental. Most of us believed that this feeling comes from our birth and it is a feeling that you cannot seperate it from your other feelings. It means that, how you love your mother, friends unconsciously, you love your country unconsciously, too.Also the acceptable patriots are moderate patriots who leaves behind the distortions of extremism and unite us in the pursuit of a more peaceful world.Tolstoy believes that patriotism is produced by government,it conflicts with morality and it leads to war.However I don't agree with Tolstoy since patriotism is a natural feeling, it is not incompatible with morality and it is not supposed to be the root of war. Love of one's country, patriotism is not a valid case of love. Firstly,it has been asserted that patriotism is an abdication of human dignity and equality.In the text written by Stephen Nathanson, Tolstoy says that, patriots aim at benefiting their own country or nation at the expense of every other (103). Also he thinks that patriotism is the exclusive desire for the well being of one's own people (103). It breaks down the moral principles by requiring special duties toward our own citizens. Moreover, Tolstoy argues that patriotism is

  • Word count: 1285
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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Is the state of Israel a model for democracy in the Middle East?

Is the state of Israel a model for democracy in the Middle East? The purpose of this essay is to address the question: is the state of Israel a model for democracy in the Middle East? To do so, the conditions that led to the creation of Israel will be briefly explored, in an attempt to explain the history behind the Arab-Israeli conflict. The notion that the conflict is rooted in the Zionist movement will be discussed, and the problems of defining a collective Jewish identity explained. Certain theorists have suggested that Israel exists as an ethnic democracy which, based on a tribal identity, does not offer full rights of citizenship to all of its people. The

  • Word count: 2814
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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Church Growth and Evangelism in a Postmodern Context

Alvin Shaul PT471, Maddix Philosophy Paper May 5, 2005 Church Growth and Evangelism in a Postmodern Context Over the past four months one I have learned one undeniable fact: the church of tomorrow must be reached different than the church of yesterday. Through readings, lectures, and field trips, it has become evident that something different must begin to take place if the church is going to be able to reach the present and future generations. The hell, fire, and brimstone approach to evangelism or the four spiritual laws will not be effective in reaching these generations. So what will it take? That is the goal of this work. I believe that if we are to reach a "seeking generation" then we must meet them where they are, develop relationship with them, and then introduce them to Christ. This, as both McLaren and Hunter point out, is the Celtic model of evangelism. Also, in forming the church of tomorrow, steps have to be taken that will adequately assist in the growth of the church. Both of these subjects will be spoken to henceforth. It is our challenge to take the gospel to a world full of people who see themselves as individuals, with individual needs, for which there is no general codes will help them. We must become creative in our evangelism if we wish to reach this culture. It is essential to be up to date technologically and even socially. A pastor who

  • Word count: 2441
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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