Journal #3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journal #3 - Assignment Example Besides, the slow erosion of families in our society, the acceptance of divorce has rapidly increased, as well as non-marital birth and child bearing. The complexities and dynamics of the society are the driving factors that are accelerating these trends. Furthermore, the society has grown less critical of these issues hence they are steadily creeping in and infiltrating our thoughts in such a way that individuals are beginning to perceived these unfortunate circumstances acceptable. There are numerous factors that result into issues such as divorce, cohabitation, non-marital child birth, and single parenthood. The paper therefore seeks to examine these factors and the perception of the society against them by reviewing historical arguments by Cherlin on greater tolerance for alternative family and parental structure and Wilson’s sociological argument in the contemporary US state. Wilson (2002) book title â€Å"Cohabitation instead of marriage† focuses on the challenges or problems and consequences of cohabitation and functions of marriage in the society and family. Finding solutions to the problems of cohabitation is often a hard nut to crack. The partners usually do not have strong incentive drive to heavily invest the union unlike in marriage which binds couple together since the process of divorce usually lead to some consequences. Wilson (2002) argues that marriage provides restriction to freedom so that the financial and emotional investments in the union of couples make sense. In marriage, the couple makes a commitment to love one another and despite the knowledge of existence of divorce, they tend to stick to the promise. However, cohabiting couples have no commitment to fulfill hence when one is out of love with the other, he or she can opt to walk out of the union. There is less incentive for love in such situations. Most cohabiting couples tend to have separate bank accounts hence the expenses of their lives are

Robotic Surgery Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Robotic Surgery - Research Paper Example There are legal, political and ethical issues associated with the procedure. Robotic surgery is the best invention there is in medicine but the controversies have raised concerns about this technology and addressing them could better automated and efficient surgeries used robots. Description Robotic surgery uses an automated system that has three systems; the console which the surgeons use to control the system, four arms that are controlled by the console and can be manipulated to do practically any task and a high definition visual system for providing real time images of the parts being operated on. Three of the arms are fitted with surgical instrument while the fourth arm is used to control the camera which guides the surgeons on the parts to be operated on. Advantages of the robotic surgery Doctors are able to operate many clients using robotic surgery. Since they are involved indirectly, they do not get as tired as compared to manual operations. Patients on the other hand benef it as the procedure does not take long using the robots for surgery. This saves time for the patient and the doctor. Time saved by the robotic surgery procedure is saving hospitals as much as thirty percent of their budget on surgery. Money saved can be directed to other projects within the hospitals. The robots are quite precise and the incisions required when using them are usually small compared to a normal surgery. This makes the healing process faster for the patients. They do not have to stay in the hospitals for long time thereby saving money as well (Beck, 2013, para. 5). Controversies Despite the advantages that come with robotic surgery, there are many issues that have been raised regarding the use of these machines. They include the safety of the use of the robots, the risks associated with their use, the functioning of the robots and the regulatory framework on the same. These issues have spurred a never ending debate and threaten the use of these systems and are categor ized into several (Mavroforou, Michalodimitrakis, Hatzitheofilou, and Giannoukas, 2010, p.77). Political issues Regulation The use of robots in surgery is not regulated by any institution. Although they have been given the green light by the relevant government institutions, there needs to be a body that regulates their use, evaluates the advantages, the disadvantages, issues raised and any suggestions. Lack of regulation in this field has led to a lot of issues relating to the use of the system. One, there are many injuries and deaths that are associated with the use of robots in surgery in the last few years. In fact, the number has been increasing year after year. If there was a regulatory body, the issues leading to death would have been addressed and less injuries and deaths would be reported. This fact has made some politicians to step up and propose the regulation of the use of robots in surgical procedures. Senator Dick Moore from Massachusetts proposed that there should be a new policy and law to regulate the use of robots in surgery in Massachusetts. Moore is conversant with policies regulations and costs in the health care industry. Senatorial colleagues across the United States including the minority leader Bruce Tarr appreciate that Moore has enough knowledge on this and fully support him. Moore is credited to the enactment of the 2006 universal health care legislation which was a key part in the Obamacare health reforms in 2009.

Strategies for Change Management in Healthcare

Strategies for Change Management in Healthcare An Overview of Change by Management for Better Patient Care Smitha B. Vadakkan Registered nurses are on the front line in all the hospitals for early detection and prompt intervention when patients conditions deteriorate. So better patient outcomes and patient satisfaction are influenced by the number of registered nurses available to assess patients on an ongoing basis. So I like to select a change that management could undertake to improve patient care where I work is the staffing patterns. Adequate nursing care delivered directly depends on the nurse patient ratio. Change can be planned and managed, or it can occur haphazardly (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). Nursing is in the middle of so many revolutionary changes. To bring changes to the workplace depends on nurse’s attitude to adapt the change and the learning options and the support from the management. One of the theoretical perspective for the change is the learning dimensions. Continual learning is needed for an accelerated change and it provides ongoing learning of employees. Ongoing learning improves adaptation, resilience, and the hardiness of employees, which in turn result in desired responses to accelerated change (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). Skills that are needed to augment this change are systems thinking, personal proficiency, team learning, shared vision and use of information technology increases the access to needed knowledge. Normative-reeducative strategy is the most appropriate for nursing because it is the most likely to advance the profession. It is the strategy employed throughout nursing today to incorporate the latest informatics technology into everyday practice (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). In this strategy the members of the system work out programs of change under their own direction. Definition of the change problem includes the probability that shifts in attitudes, values, norms, and relationships between players in the system and between the system and its external environment (Miles, 2007). There is a mutual collaboration between the members and the management in the development of the final strategy. There are external and internal factors that influence change in nursing. The internal factors include the patient acuity levels, staff- patient ratio, treatment modules, and the use of modern technologies in nursing. External factors include social and economic factors that influence how nursing is practiced. Nurses are socialized in a unique way during their education and experience in practice and therefore prepared like no other group to monitor nursing practice (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). Nursing strength is found stronger when there is a collaborative effort of nurses in four different roles such as practitioners, educators, researchers, and managers. To have a better change in safe staffing the nurse managers should understand the external and internal factors and make changes which can bring better patient outcomes. Planned change is a better option in safe staffing. When there is a change to be made in the workplace, it is always good to include the nurses and other health care professionals in the unit for opinions and recommendations. The nurses in the unit better know how is the patient acuity level of the unit, how many assisted personnel working on the unit, which shift is the busiest, how can the structure of the unit to be modified for easy access of supplies etc.. There are many ways of implementing change. However, planned change, which is a purposeful, calculated and collaborative effort to bring about improvements with the assistance of a change agent, is commonly adopted in nursing (Roussel 2006). So the nurse manager should ask the nurses for recommendations how safe staffing can be implemented in the unit. Nurse manager with the help of the nurses in the unit can work out safe staffing by not giving two or more people vacation or holidays at the same time or balancing the schedule without giving more people off on the same day, not allowing the same person for more than two overtimes in one month, leaving the person for burnout, if the unit really needs more nurses, the nurse manager has to plan and explain the reasons and submit to the management. The safety of the patient is everyones responsibility. Once a decision has been reached to implement a change, time must be allowed for the sequence of stages designed to reduce resistance and maintain support from others (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). According to Kurt Lewin model of implementing change, there are three stages which are unfreezing, moving, refreezing. During unfreezing, more information and time is needed for the change. The people who are going to be affected are motivated for the change because of the benefits and the people who gave the ideas for the change are commented for their participation. By moving, the second stage of the change process is like a vacuum. This transitional stage when everyone is expected of the change when the old is gone and the new is not in place yet. The third stage of the change process is refreezing. Ongoing monitoring for continued quality must follow refreezing, because it provides valuable information about the ongoing effectiveness of the change (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). In the unionized city hospital, everything goes with seniority. When the senior nurses enjoy more vacation and holidays and leaving the younger nurses to work which results in more sick calls and also bad retention of the staff which compromises safe patient care and patient outcomes. Even the overtime is given according to the seniority where some older nurses are happy to do more overtimes by taking easy assignments and leaving the heavier assignments for younger nurses which also results in burnout and poor staff retention. The nurse manager should collect ideas from the nurses for the change and should update the management of what is going on in the unit and the need for hiring new nurses if the unit needs for safe staffing. During the unfreezing stage the staff in the unit should be notified of the equal rights for everyone and the management should be notified about the need to hire more RNs. All the nurses should be motivated for the change. During the moving process, it is h ard for the adjustment to the change for the senior nurses who is the majority in the unit. The nurse manager should make fair schedules and assignments and make everybody comply with the change. During refreezing stage the nurse manger should continue to make the best schedules and should check for the effectiveness of the staff and the patient outcomes. The characteristics and qualities of change agents include experience, success, being respected, leadership skills, and management competencies (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). Change is a long process and is difficult to achieve. The nurse manager who is the change agent should be calm, positive, optimistic, enthusiastic and able to spend enough time in correcting the problem. The nurse manager’s initial responsibility is to establish a plan of action. The nurse manager should inform her staff and management the reason for a change and should be able to show in measurable terms. The nurse manager should notify all the nurses and the management about the modified vacation time, schedules and the overtimes for safe staffing. The nurse manager should plan for each stage of implementation and should anticipate accommodating any new information and change. Not everybody will be satisfied with the schedule or there may be unexpected staff emergencies or sickness so the nurse manager should be able to get the cooperation of all the staff to perform her duties and should give enough time for the change. According to Lewin’s field theory, there are two opposing forces, the driving force and the restraining force in response to a change. Driving forces generate planned change and restraining forces generate resistance to change (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). The nurse manager by all means has to decrease the resistance to the change so the drive can be increased. The most important element in reducing the resistance is establishing trust by giving explanations, requesting input, acknowledging concerns, making changes in small doses, offering to assist, explaining benefits, and acknowledging success (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). The nurse manager has to explain to the senior nurses and the union representatives and the management, the need for safe staffing by balancing the schedules and assignments to avoid unnecessary vacation time for more than two people at a time during the busiest season, to reduce burnout and overtimes and to improve retention. Staff retention saves lots of money for the management and it improves better patient outcomes. The nurse manager should succeed in the way she/he explain the need for safe staffing, which can decrease falls, medication errors, pressure ulcers, decrease hospital stays, infections and death. Human behavior and interaction is far too complex to be able to gain total support for a change (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). There will be some resistance even with the best explanations given by the nurse manager, but in the long run it will be reduced and can get full support from everybody. The plan for evaluation is consistent with the overall change design, with outcomes being measured against the criteria found in the statements of purpose and objectives for change (Grohar-Murray Langan, 2011). The nurse manager should evaluate the changes. The evaluation of safe staffing can be seen with improved patient and staff satisfaction, better patient outcomes, decrease falls, pressure ulcers and infection rates, decrease sick calls, decrease employee turnover, good feedbacks by the patients and the employees. By interpreting the role of evaluation and the outcomes of changes, the nurse manager can improve and make better plans and modifications. References Grohar-Murray, M. E., Langan, J. (2011). Leadership and management in nursing (4th ed., p. 250-256). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Health Science. Miles, M. (2007).An overview of strategies for planned change in human systems. Retrieved from http://www.innovation.cc/scholarly-style/classic-theories.pdf Roussel, L (2006) Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators. Fourth edition. Jones and Barlett, London.

Anti-semitism And Sartre :: essays research papers

In Sartre's Anti-Semite and Jew, he makes reference to the notion that anti-Semitism arises not against individual Jews, but against the " idea of the Jew." That is to say that the Jew is recognized only as a member of a group associated with fear and disgust, not as an individual capable of being anything but the stereotype of the Jew. I agree with Sartre's theory as I have seen first hand the disgust associated with being Jewish. The Jew is judged not by his action or words but simply by the fact that he is a Jew, and the preconceived idea of what this means. As discussed in class, Jews have been used as scapegoats throughout history. They have been blamed for countless economical and social problems simply because of the predisposition towards anti-Semitism that most have. To understand this predisposition is easy. It has come from years of unwillingness to assimilate by the Jews. Because of this unwillingness, the Jews have come to be recognized as different and therefore bad, because, as discussed in class, most identify easiest with what is different with the automatic assumption that it is bad. I think another reason for this assumption is the fact that it is easier to judge people than to understand them, as we can clearly see gentiles have done continuously throughout history to the Jews.Consequently, throughout history, the anti-Semite has come to adopt an "idea of the Jew", of his nature, and of his role in society. As Sartre explains, "the Jew whom the anti-Semite wishes to lay hands upon is not a schematic being defined solely by his function, as under administrative law; or by status or acts, as under the Code. He is a Jew, the son of a Jew, recognizable by his physique, by the colour of his hair, by his clothing perhaps, and, so they say, by his character." To the anti-Semite, the Jew's character is oily, tactless, intriguing, selfish and greedy. He believes that all Jews are this way, and therefore treats them all the same, with hatred and repulsion. While a Jew might be a successful business man, a doctor, lawyer, or teacher etc. he is also a Jew, and that is all he is recognized for in the eyes of the anti-Semite.Furthermore, Sartre argues that "if the Jew did not exist, the Anti-Semite would invent him." This is self explanatory by the fact that Jews have been used as scapegoats and will continuously be used as such in the future.

Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they must admit that their parents were right. We do not like to admit it, but the old adages they told us as children are normally correct, and we teach them to our children. My mother was adamant about teaching me that you should â€Å"never judge a book by its cover†. Some examples of what she meant are: the color of someone’s skin, the way they dress, the type of car they drive, anything that might give false impressions, either both good or bad. For the majority of my life, I had lived by that rule; kept it engrained in my mind, but when it came to the men in my life, well the cover was everything. When it came to men I was a student of Oscar Wilde who coined the phrase â€Å"It is only the shallow who do not judge by appearances. † I was under the impression that aesthetics were everything. It took me until one day before my twenty-fifth birthday to determine that maybe I should apply the saying that Mom taught me, rather than the philosophy of Wilde, to every aspect of my life. I now know that it is truer than anything else that Mother ever taught me; â€Å"never judge a book by its cover†, or you just might miss a great story. The day before my twenty-fifth birthday three of my girlfriends and I decided to go out for a pre-birthday celebration. There was a big party planned the following night, and we knew that we would not have a lot of time to hang out together. We got all dressed up and went to our favorite sports bar, George’s. I guess we could be considered regulars, and because of that, we knew a lot of the people there that night. As we sat around our table, listening to music and talking, several people came over to the table to give me birthday wishes since they would not be attending the party the next night. About halfway through the evening, a friend of mine named Chuck came over to say hello because we had not seen each other in quite some time. He had been out of town visiting family in Huntsville, Texas. He told me that he had brought one of his cousins back to Houston with him to the bar as well as an old friend from high school. I looked over towards his table and saw a man, who, in my opinion, at the time was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. I had to meet him. There was no way around it; he was tall, dark, and handsome. He had a smile that could light up a room. I did not say anything to Chuck just then, we simply continued our conversation, and I made sure to remind him of the party the following evening. He promised he would come. All the while I hoped that he would bring his friend or cousin. I was not sure yet which he was, but I would soon find out. Sometime after midnight, it was officially my birthday, and I decided that my present to myself would be to meet that handsome stranger. I walked over to Chuck’s table and introduced myself to the other gentlemen. I quickly learned that the man whom I thought was so handsome was Alex, Chuck’s cousin, and the other man was Don, Chuck’s friend from high school. We talked for a while and I invited them all to the party later that night. I made sure they all had my number in case they needed directions and bade them good night. I just knew that Alex would show up and be my next beau. The next evening I got a call from Don, which was not the call that I had been anticipating, he was asking for directions and said that he was coming with Chuck, but they had not heard from Alex. I was a little disappointed, but was excited about the party, so I did not let it get me down. When Don and Chuck arrived, I was shocked to see that Don came in with two dozen long stemmed white roses. â€Å"Happy Birthday Beautiful; you are even more beautiful than the flowers that I hold for you† and he kissed me on my cheek. I felt speechless but somehow managed to muster a quiet Thank you so much, they are amazing. † Once he had given me the flowers, Don and Chuck went to find a seat and I remained stunned in mine. I talked to my friends that were with me the previous night, and one asked â€Å"Where is Alex? † â€Å"I have no idea. † I said. â€Å"Those flowers are incredible! Where did you get them? † my friend Becky asked. â€Å"Don, the friend of Ch uck’s that I met last night at George’s. The flowers are beautiful, and he told me I was too, I can’t believe this, he likes me. I don’t know what to do; he is so nice but just not my type. He’s shorter than most guys I date and he is not slim and trim the way I usually like my boyfriends; what am I going to do? I guess I will just smile and be nice and think about it tomorrow. † I said to my friends and we continued with the party. I never saw Alex that night and never got a phone call from him either. I looked at the flowers all day Sunday and could not get past how much Don was not my type but yet so very sweet. Don called me on Monday to say hi and thank me for inviting him to my party. He had really enjoyed himself. Finally, he asked if I wanted to go to George’s and watch he basketball game on Tuesday night. I was torn, he was nice enough, but I did not want to lead him on because he was not my type, it would never work. I decided to go and see what would happen after some good natured ribbing from my friends about being conceited and mean. I am so glad that my friends did pick on me and make me regret being shallow because I ended up very sere ndipitous. I soon found out that Don was the nicest man I had ever met. After spending some time with him his looks were not of consequence anymore, in fact they had grown on me in a way I never expected they would. Ever since that Tuesday night we have been together and are now married with two beautiful daughters. Once we kissed, that man whom I had once considered a frog quickly turned into a Prince and I was blessed to become his princess. I should have listened to my mother all those years ago and applied the saying to â€Å"never judge a book by its cover† to everything in my life; I may have saved myself some heartache. Thanks Mom for instilling values in me and keeping in the back of my mind, â€Å"never judge a book by its cover† you might miss a great story; or in my case, a fairytale. Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover There comes a time in everyone’s life when they must admit that their parents were right. We do not like to admit it, but the old adages they told us as children are normally correct, and we teach them to our children. My mother was adamant about teaching me that you should â€Å"never judge a book by its cover†. Some examples of what she meant are: the color of someone’s skin, the way they dress, the type of car they drive, anything that might give false impressions, either both good or bad. For the majority of my life, I had lived by that rule; kept it engrained in my mind, but when it came to the men in my life, well the cover was everything. When it came to men I was a student of Oscar Wilde who coined the phrase â€Å"It is only the shallow who do not judge by appearances. † I was under the impression that aesthetics were everything. It took me until one day before my twenty-fifth birthday to determine that maybe I should apply the saying that Mom taught me, rather than the philosophy of Wilde, to every aspect of my life. I now know that it is truer than anything else that Mother ever taught me; â€Å"never judge a book by its cover†, or you just might miss a great story. The day before my twenty-fifth birthday three of my girlfriends and I decided to go out for a pre-birthday celebration. There was a big party planned the following night, and we knew that we would not have a lot of time to hang out together. We got all dressed up and went to our favorite sports bar, George’s. I guess we could be considered regulars, and because of that, we knew a lot of the people there that night. As we sat around our table, listening to music and talking, several people came over to the table to give me birthday wishes since they would not be attending the party the next night. About halfway through the evening, a friend of mine named Chuck came over to say hello because we had not seen each other in quite some time. He had been out of town visiting family in Huntsville, Texas. He told me that he had brought one of his cousins back to Houston with him to the bar as well as an old friend from high school. I looked over towards his table and saw a man, who, in my opinion, at the time was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. I had to meet him. There was no way around it; he was tall, dark, and handsome. He had a smile that could light up a room. I did not say anything to Chuck just then, we simply continued our conversation, and I made sure to remind him of the party the following evening. He promised he would come. All the while I hoped that he would bring his friend or cousin. I was not sure yet which he was, but I would soon find out. Sometime after midnight, it was officially my birthday, and I decided that my present to myself would be to meet that handsome stranger. I walked over to Chuck’s table and introduced myself to the other gentlemen. I quickly learned that the man whom I thought was so handsome was Alex, Chuck’s cousin, and the other man was Don, Chuck’s friend from high school. We talked for a while and I invited them all to the party later that night. I made sure they all had my number in case they needed directions and bade them good night. I just knew that Alex would show up and be my next beau. The next evening I got a call from Don, which was not the call that I had been anticipating, he was asking for directions and said that he was coming with Chuck, but they had not heard from Alex. I was a little disappointed, but was excited about the party, so I did not let it get me down. When Don and Chuck arrived, I was shocked to see that Don came in with two dozen long stemmed white roses. â€Å"Happy Birthday Beautiful; you are even more beautiful than the flowers that I hold for you† and he kissed me on my cheek. I felt speechless but somehow managed to muster a quiet Thank you so much, they are amazing. † Once he had given me the flowers, Don and Chuck went to find a seat and I remained stunned in mine. I talked to my friends that were with me the previous night, and one asked â€Å"Where is Alex? † â€Å"I have no idea. † I said. â€Å"Those flowers are incredible! Where did you get them? † my friend Becky asked. â€Å"Don, the friend of Ch uck’s that I met last night at George’s. The flowers are beautiful, and he told me I was too, I can’t believe this, he likes me. I don’t know what to do; he is so nice but just not my type. He’s shorter than most guys I date and he is not slim and trim the way I usually like my boyfriends; what am I going to do? I guess I will just smile and be nice and think about it tomorrow. † I said to my friends and we continued with the party. I never saw Alex that night and never got a phone call from him either. I looked at the flowers all day Sunday and could not get past how much Don was not my type but yet so very sweet. Don called me on Monday to say hi and thank me for inviting him to my party. He had really enjoyed himself. Finally, he asked if I wanted to go to George’s and watch he basketball game on Tuesday night. I was torn, he was nice enough, but I did not want to lead him on because he was not my type, it would never work. I decided to go and see what would happen after some good natured ribbing from my friends about being conceited and mean. I am so glad that my friends did pick on me and make me regret being shallow because I ended up very sere ndipitous. I soon found out that Don was the nicest man I had ever met. After spending some time with him his looks were not of consequence anymore, in fact they had grown on me in a way I never expected they would. Ever since that Tuesday night we have been together and are now married with two beautiful daughters. Once we kissed, that man whom I had once considered a frog quickly turned into a Prince and I was blessed to become his princess. I should have listened to my mother all those years ago and applied the saying to â€Å"never judge a book by its cover† to everything in my life; I may have saved myself some heartache. Thanks Mom for instilling values in me and keeping in the back of my mind, â€Å"never judge a book by its cover† you might miss a great story; or in my case, a fairytale.

Religious Ethics Essay

In this essay, I will be taking religious ethics to mean the ethical principles of Christianity, i.e. Christian Ethics. This includes the moral decisions based on the teachings of Christianity from such sources as the Bible. The term ‘environmental issues’ covers a broad spectrum of concerns. As far as ethics is concerned, the issue is how far our moral concerns should extend to the environment and how we should live out our responsibility towards it. By environment, the earth and all its living entities are concerned. As our concern for the environment has increased and our general awareness heightened, debates about morality towards the environment have emerged. Issues such as climate change, pollution, global warming and the extinction of species can all be linked to the actions of humans (e.g. CFCs and the burning of fossil fuels). Therefore, as the damage to our environment becomes more problematic, the link between its deterioration and the actions of humans becomes more prominent. Anthropocenctrism, usually attributed to the teachings of Christianity, places humans at the centre of the world and therefore the environment. Aristotle taught that ‘nature has made all things specifically for the sake of man’; he basically states that humans are the only beings on earth that have intrinsic value, and that everything else placed on this earth has instrumental value and is to be used for the benefit of humans. Humanity is placed at the top of Aristotle’s hierarchy due to their possession of reason; animals can move and feel pain so come next; plants who can only grow and reproduce are placed at the bottom; and he appears to place no value on inanimate objects as they don’t even have a vegetative soul. During the late 18th century and the early 19th century, the thinkers of the enlightenment period, also known as ‘the age of reason’, emphasised anthropocentric approaches and concluded that reason is the mark of authority. Scientific discoveries were made that bred confidence in man’s ability and shifted philosophical thought away from the teaching that God and the church are the centre of morality. Capitalism emerged which taught emphasising the success of the individual. Immanuel Kant placed humans at the top of his hierarchy with their intrinsic worth due to their possession of reason. Kant also viewed animals as of no moral concern to humans; the only time it is wrong to hurt an animal is when it could instrumentally harm a human. However, by Kant’s reasoning that we can only have concern for animals if the impact is on humanity, he is contradicting himself as he looks to the consequence, which denotes it as a hypothetical imperative and therefore immoral. He also decides on moral action using formulations of the categorical imperative; 1. universalisability, where no contradictions can occur. Kant did not intend his theory to be used as an environmental ethic as it was not relevant at the time. 2. Kant declares that only moral rational agents need moral consideration as ‘ends in themselves’ and we should exclude animals from moral worth which concludes it to be outdates and unsuitable to be used as an environmental ethic. Therefore, Kant’s ethic is likely to be an unsympathetic approach and would probably lead to damage to the environment. Christian anthropocentrism is mainly derived from the teachings of Genesis. The creation story (Genesis (1:26-28) teaches us to â€Å"fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth†. This implies that God has made all things for the sake of humans; that the only beings upon this earth that have intrinsic value are humans, and that everything else serves to benefit humanity (instrumental value). The only reason we need to have care for the environment is because our actions may have an impact, sooner or later, upon ourselves. St Thomas Aquinas also held this belief and stated that â€Å"injury to an animals leads to the temporal hurt of man, either the doer of the deed, or of another†. Dr Lynn White suggested that we need to re-examine our attitudes towards nature, which derive from our religious beliefs, in order to successfully address the ecological crises. He said â€Å"Human ecology is deeply conditioned by beliefs about our nature and destiny – that is, by religion†. He develops this suggesting that our destruction and damage to the environment can be traced to the technological advances of the industrial revolution and the enlightenment period which are a result of the despotic interpretation of the Judeo-Christian teachings declaring Western Christianity as â€Å"the most anthropocentric religion the world has seen†. Utilitarianism is another approach towards ecological issues that one can consider when deciding the best approach towards environmental issues. Peter Singer is a preference utilitarian, who doesn’t measure happiness in the measure of extent or duration of happiness but instead on the satisfaction of desires or preferences. Singer measures the importance of an individual or being, not on their possession of a soul or reason, but on their ability to suffer. To Singer, it doesn’t matter whether the being in question is human or not and both humans and sensory non-humans are equally entitled to moral concern. As we can imagine that their preference would be to avoid pain. He accused many moral philosophers and scientists of Speceism; refusing respect to the lives of other species, not just humans, and proposed that we need to include animals in the ‘expanding circle of moral worth’; â€Å"If possessing a higher intelligence does not entitle one human to use another for his own ends, how can it entitle humans to exploit non humans for the same purpose?†. The problem that arises from Singer’s theory is whether or not plants, and lesser life forms and non-life forms are included in the ‘expanding circle of moral worth’ as they are not conscious living entities so we don’t know what their preferences would be. Initially, Singer does not consider lesser life forms to have any moral significance, but in the second edition of his book states â€Å"the argument from intrinsic value of the plants, species or eco systems is at best problematic†. Singer’s utilitarian argument has weaknesses in so far as it has no clear boundaries as to where our moral concern should lie. Unlike Christianity’s anthropocentric approach which clearly places humanity as the centre of our moral concern, Utilitarianism only beholds vague ideas of where our moral concern should extend to. The utilitarian argument has its strength in its positioning of the capability of suffering above the possession of reason. This does bear a more sympathetic approach towards humans of lesser intelligence (i.e. those with special needs) but then suggests that they are on the same level as animals. This would suggest Christianity to be a better approach as it is more compassionate. Biocentrism, proposed by Paul Taylor, extends the circle of moral worth to include all living things and thus declares that humanity is not the centre of existence. Taylor argues that all life forms have intrinsic value which human beings have a duty to respect. We therefore have a moral responsibility towards them which would entail engaging in practices and policies aimed at specific ways of preserving the ecosystems. Taylor holds non-living things such as mountains to only hold instrumental value and therefore they bare no ethical status. Taylor’s argument is fairly balanced as it doesn’t presume that human beings are the only beings with intrinsic value but he fails to introduce any sort of hierarchy and places humans on the same level as bacteria, which seems absurd. He also implies that we should all be vegans, but fails to address this, and doesn’t consider whether a lion is acting immorally if it eats a zebra. Christianity therefore is more logical as it sets a clear hierarchy which allows mowing the lawn and eating meat. Ecocentrism is another approach to environmental issues. It recognises the importance of the ecosphere and the environment with out suggesting that any organism as more important than the other. Aldo Leopold proposed an ecocentric theory; ‘The Land Ethic’ which â€Å"simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soil, waters, plants and animals. Or collectively – the land†. He argued that current conservation policies are based on economic motives. He says â€Å"it is inconceivable to me than an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect, and admiration for land and a high regard for its value. By value, I of course mean something far broader than mere economic value; I mean value in the philosophical sense†. He argues that Christianity’s teachings of ‘dominion’ saw us as conquerors of the land and that if we are to resolve the ecological crises we need to see ourselves as members of the community that also includes the land. Another ecocentric approach is that of ‘deep ecology’ devised by Arne Naess. It was born out of appreciation for non-Christian religions that recognised the sacredness of natural phenomena. This includes the notion of ‘biospheric egalitarianism’ which views that all living things have intrinsic value. Deep ecology views the world as a network of interconnected and interdependent phenomena; a ‘web of life’. These theories fail to determine how lesser life forms could have any moral interest, and how mountains and the like could have any moral interests whatsoever. This weakens it as Christianity. However it does appear to be more sympathetic as it concludes that other life forms have intrinsic value, not just humans. Another ecocentric approach is that of the Gaia Hypothesis proposed by James Lovelock. After discovering that it is the earth’s unique atmosphere that makes life on earth possible, he declared the difference between earth and the other planets was ‘Gaia’. All life forms are part of ‘Gaia’ and he saw the earth as a self regulating living system. In his words Gaia is â€Å"a complex entity involving the Earth’s biosphere, atmosphere, oceans and soil; the totality constituting a feedback or cybernetic system which seeks an optimal physical and chemical environment for life on this planet†. He saw the ecosystems of the earth as intelligently organised, not by God, but by Gaia’s self engineering. He concludes that if humans were taken out of Gaia, it would survive without us; therefore, humanity is not integral to the environment. Lovelock later suggested that as the environmental issues increase, the planet may not be able to recover and we are in the process of killing the earth, which he refers to as matricide. This suggestion that the earth is intelligently organised has much evidence (for example the water cycle, the reproductive system). However, by suggesting that the earth is alive and therefore self regulates these systems is weak as it is hard to prove. For Christians, the intelligent organisation is of course a result of God. The despotic readings of the creation story present Christianity negatively as White argues. Because we are made in the image of God we believe that the world was made for our sake only. However, one must look at other interpretations of Christian teachings that would suggest a more considerate approach to the environment. One could interpret the use of the word ‘dominion’ no as despotic, but as a call for stewardship. God has chosen humanity to regulate the response of the natural world to its creator so we must care and conserve and acts as the director of nature’s obedience to God. This makes Christian teaching more ‘theocentric’ than ‘anthropocentric’ as it suggests that the peak of creation is God. If we used this as a basic principle when approaching environmental issues, then it would be a strong theory, as it allows humanity to care for the land. Aquinas’s Natural Law theory is based on the thinking of Aristotle, that all things in nature are for the good of man. He extends this further to explain how things are not worthless, but valuable because they are what God intended them to be; they fulfil their own Telos. Humans are declared as the most valuable beings due to their creation in ‘imago dei’ and possession of reason but we should follow stewardship rather than despotism. This would however suggest that despite the strengths of being stewards, being a Christian Ethic, one must have a belief in God to conclude this to be a valid approach to environmental issues. Another Christian approach is Joseph Fletcher’s Situation Ethics which emphasises the importance of love in moral decisions, but was never considered an environmental ethic. Fletcher believed in ‘personalism’; that people are placed before the laws, again being anthropocentric in that we are suggested to be able to do what we want. He promoted ‘pragmatism’; that one must do something that would produced the most loving consequences in that situation. This would be a positive approach to the environment as people would be loving towards it. This could perhaps places the environment second to human needs which would be a negative attitude. However, Fletcher’s ethic is too vague to be considered in any depth as we can’t define what is the most loving thing, who it’s for or even what ‘love’ means. Attfield suggests a deeper interpretation of Christian teachings in order to accurately devise an ethical basis towards the environment. He saw that in Job (38:25) for example, God is said to send rain for the plants and uninhabited wilderness. And to have made wilderness for the Ass. Also the proverbs inform us that â€Å"a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast†. This would be the understanding that Jesus would have had, following the Old Testament teachings. There are New Testament teachings that would instruct a more sympathetic attitude to nature such as Jesus’ time in the desert amongst wild beasts after his baptism, and the use of nature and animals in his teachings and parables. However, there are the passages of the Gadarene swine and the cursing of the fig tree that suggest a more inconsiderate attitude is permitted. In Hebrew tradition, Kings were answerable to God, not absolute monarchs in themselves, therefore according to Attfield â€Å"the biblical dominion of man is no despotism†. However, White argues that in medieval times the embrace of Christianity and the rejection of paganism changed the relationship between man and nature. The pagan ideas of living beings having a soul or a spirit (animism) encouraged a positive attitude towards nature, which were corrupted by the growth of Christianity. Attfield however counter argues these claims and says the ecological crises can’t be blamed on ancient traditions as they have happened in more recent times (post 1945). Japan, for example, which is not a Christian country, shares many of the environmental problems that the West has. It is not just paganism and Buddhism that impose a limit on humankind’s use of nature. Attfield then concludes that we needn’t have a new environmental position; we just need to revert to stewardship rather than dominion. Walter H O’Briant proposed a ‘born again Christian’ belief in the rapture; that Christ will return and the bodies and souls of the saved will go to heaven. The earth is, according to O’Briant, a temporary home therefore it doesn’t matter what we do to the earth. After considering the theories discussed and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses I would argue that religious ethics are the best approach to environmental issues, provided we revert to a more ‘stewardship’ attitude, rather than the despotic interpretation.

Public Affair Class Summary #8 Example

Public Affair Class Summary #8 Example Public Affair Class Summary #8 – Essay Example Midterm Political Ads That Worked, and Why Advertising yourself in a political campaign is important because it connectsyou with the electorates. One of the recent best ways of advertising is through ads. But the outcome will depend on how your message connects to the electorate and how you framed the opponent. An example is that, Mrs. Ernst and Mr. Roberts used the ads in their campaigns, the ads convened a lot of messages that later defined the campaign. The Cost of CampaignsThere have been numerous debates on the cost of running campaigns and how political parties should get funded. A lot of these questions were raised after the Watergate scandal, in which it is believed corrupt money managed to drive President Nixon into power. If campaign funding is not regulated, large corporation will pour money into campaigns so that they will have a say in government hence taking most of the government jobs, this will then disadvantages those who cannot afford to raise the funds. Agenda-Sett ing, Priming, and framing Revisited: Another look at Cognitive Effects of Political Communication. Original formulation of agenda setting hypothesis was phrased more like a speculative idea, to construct a more comprehensive theoretical model, Weaver, McCombs, and Shaw suggested that priming and framing should be seen as natural extension of agenda setting. The three, priming, framing, and agenda setting, was combined into a single theoretical framework, this was based on assumption that when theory is integrated, it will become desirable. Are Super PACs Harming U.S. Politics?PAC gained popularity in U.S after a Supreme Court ruling that government should not prohibit independent spending by corporations and unions for political gains. Another ruling from the federal court that involve a case between Speechnow.org v. Federal Election Commission, was that no limit should be put on contributors who are funding groups that carry out independent expenditures. PAC is now running campaign s that support certain candidates and campaigns are running into billions of dollars. Opponents of PAC argue that a lot of money is spending on campaigns while proponents argue that free speech is protected by the law. Chapter 10The current democratic governments have certain laws that can differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate public relation activities. Even with that, it is still hard to draw a line between appropriate communications and odious propaganda. People who engage in public relations exercise should always be aware of dangers that will result from crossing the line. In U.S government, there are several legal prohibitions and related political norms found in the constitution that guides the citizens who may not be in the federal level on what to look after and consider in government. ReferencesLee, M., Neeley, G. & Stewart, K. (Eds.). (2012). The practice of government public relations. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor and Francis Group. Dietram, A.S. Agenda-setting, priming, and framing revisited: another look at cognitive effects of political communication. Mass communication and society. 2000, 3(2), 297-316Clyde, H. The Cost of Campaigns. New York Times. Oct. 19, 2014Lynn, V. Midterm Political Ads That Worked, and Why. New York Times. Nov. 5, 2014Are Super PACs Harming U.S. Politics? Debate club. Available at usnews.com/debate-club/are-super-pacs-harming-us-politics