Aristotlean Virtue Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aristotlean Virtue Ethics - Assignment Example Such, having the right quantity, including moral qualities, is to be desired and this can only be acquired through temperance. Temperance in everything should be exercised because this is wise and anything that is deficient and excessive should be avoided for this destroys temperance and the preservation of the mean. To strengthen value in accordance to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, one has to practice it at all times. In the same manner that nature nurtures the body that is rightfully nourished and trained, virtue is also strengthened by perpetual observation. This virtue or moral disposition is determined on how pain or pleasure influences an individual’s behavior. If a man is susceptible to pleasure, he is licentious. But if he is able to restrain himself and abstains from indulging in physical pleasure naturally without distressing himself, then that said man is virtuous. The ability to restraint oneself from excessive physical pleasure is necessary because it is the temptation of pleasure and its excesses that makes and induces us to behave badly. For us to endure and become virtuous, training is necessary for an individual to feel and experience joy and grief at the right time which is a requirement in the observance of the golden mean. This training has to begin in infancy for us to be educated on becoming virtuous because joy and grief are the basic motivations that dictates our actions. If our sense of joy and grief are misplaced; that is, feeling joy and grief at the wrong time and place, it would inhibit us from becoming virtuous. We would tend to be shunning the wrong pains and we would be seeking the wrong virtues that would lead us to become licentious. Early training would predispose us to act according to the right virtues and would avoid vice as expressed in Nicomachean ethics. This sense of virtue which had been nurtured since infancy would also dictate on how we make choices. The good man, who had been trained since infancy to be feel joy and grief at the right time and place is likely to make right in his choices. In the same vein, the bad man will likely to decide wrong when given a choice especially when it involves pleasures. Pain and pleasure regulate our conduct and the virtuous man is he who effectively regulates his sense of pleasure and pain. And the real virtuous man is he who exercises virtue by choice and not just performs them because it is expedient. Rather, the real virtuous man effectively conducts himself and makes those choices for the sake of doing it amid difficulty and he knows what he is doing. Knowing the choices that one is making that is virtuous is different from an incidental virtuous man who only acts virtuous when it serves a particular purpose or without difficulty. The real virtuous man chooses it from a fix and steady purpose whatever the circumstance or qualification. The doctrine of the golden mean According to Aristotle’s Nicomachean ethics, the acquisition of vi rtue is a result of the right habit which was nurtured by education and choice. This virtue which has been nurtured by early training and conscientious choice can be destroyed either by excesses or deficiency and it is important that the individual should hit the mean condition of virtue to remain virtuous. This â€Å"golden mean† according to Aristotle is an approximation of in-betweens between two extremes that is neither excessive nor deficient. It is to feel fear, confidence, desire, anger, pity and pleasure that is neither too much nor too little because both polarized directions are wrong. What is desired is to have â€Å"feelings at the right times on the right grounds towards the right

Ectopic pregnancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ectopic pregnancy - Essay Example Ectopic pregnancy is an important gynecological disorder which has many underlying causes and it is a condition that can be diagnosed by different techniques. This pathology can be treated and therefore early diagnosis is important to prevent the fatalities that result due to this condition. Etiology: Ectopic pregnancy is led to by many causes. Invasion of the pelvis by infective microorganisms which include Chlamydia results in infection of the pelvis and this Pelvic Inflammatory Disease is classified as an underlying cause of ectopic pregnancy in approximately 40 percent of the cases. A pregnant woman who has a history of ectopic pregnancies has a higher risk of developing the same disorder again. Appendicitis, leiomyomas as well as endometriosis may result in the sticking together of the fallopian tubes. This also increases the susceptibility of ectopic pregnancy. Intrauterine devices that are used for contraception also result in a raised chance of developing ectopic pregnancies. An important characteristic that has been identified is that ectopic pregnancy may develop in a female who does not present with any prior history of risk factors and has normal tubal structures (Robbins et al 2005; Monga et al 2005). It has also been seen that women who resort to in vitro fertilization techniques for conceiving also have an increased risk of developing ectopic pregnancies. The improper development of the fallopian tubes by birth is also associated with ectopic pregnancy as it obstructs the movement of the fertilized ovum towards the uterine lining (Sher et al 2005). Site of Ectopic Pregnancy: The normal site for the attachment of the embryo is the endometrium of the uterus. An ectopic pregnancy ensues due to deviation of the embryo from its normal place of attachment and the attachment occurs in abnormal locations. These locations include the fallopian tubes where 95 percent of the ectopic pregnancies occur. Seventy four percent of the tubal pregnancies are found in the ampulla. Three percent of the ectopic pregnancies may occur in the ovary whereas one percent may be present in the cavity of the peritoneum. The remaining one percent may be seen in the cervix or on the scar tissue that may have formed following a caesarean section (Monga et al 2011; Smeltzer et al 2009). Signs and Symptoms: The patient may present with alteration in the normal menstrual cycle and complain of the postponement of the period from the normal date by approximately 2 weeks. She may complain of the passage of a small amount of blood after the time period of these two weeks. These symptoms explain of the presence of ectopic pregnancy. The patient may experience pain in the abdomen relative to the sight of implantation. The pain may be mild initially but may progress to become severe with time. This may be accompanied by abnormal bleeding which varies from the normal menstrual cycle. The patient may be lethargic and complain of fainting episodes. The patient may also complain of blood discharge from the vagina which would be dark red in color suggestive of the fact that the blood is not fresh. The patient may present with pain in the iliac fossa. In patients who may have presence of

Topics In Cultural Studies Essay Example for Free

Topics In Cultural Studies Essay Trade relationship between Latin America and United States of America was believed to have improved in 1980’s. However, the progress that should have been reaped after the post cold war has not been applied. Though there are possibilities that the two countries will have a more productive engagement in trade, there was still a tension between the trade relationship between Latin America and United States (Shifter, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the past and up to these days, the United States of America had had been supporting the assets of economic reform. Trade liberalization and privatization are the most prioritized project in the economic reform of the United States. Economic reform was considered the basis for prosperity of the country. In the past, Latin American government had also been able to adapt to the economic reforms of the United States because they believe that this is the pattern of hemispheric policy when it comes to the engagement of trade towards United States (Shifter, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Latin America was considered to be a region wherein it is the fastest growing market for the United State’s export products. From the history of trade in the past, Latin America is expected to become the world’s primary market for the products and services that came from United States (Shifter, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The total exports of the United States to the Latin American region amounted to about 13 billion dollars in 1996, which had surpassed the export figures on 1990. US products were also exported in China but it only amounted to $10 B dollars in 1990 having Latin American region to have a larger amount of export form the United States (Shifter, 2007). Latin America is now engaging trade between China and United States need not to worry because they will not be displaced immediately by Chinese market. The trade relationship between China and Latin America had not been that significant not unlike the significance of the trade relationship between Latin America and United States (Frechette, 2006). Literature Cited: Frechette, M. (2006). Rethinking Latin America;A New Approach in US Foreign Policy. Academy and Policy, Vol. 28 (2). Harvard International Review. Shifter, M. (2007). United States-Latin American Relations: Shunted to the Slow Track. Retrieved September 18 2007 from http://www.currenthistory.com/archivefeb98/shifter.html

Utilitarianism and Retributivism Views of Capital Punishment Essay

The court handles all cases with extreme seriousness; however, different cases are handled differently. For instance, murder cases have different pre-trial procedures to be followed as compared to a case like violation of traffic rules. This paper outlines philosophers’ view of punishment and how the County District Court Division handles capital punishment. To begin with, punishment is an act that involves intentional infliction of agony or misery to a person for wrong doing, with the aim of correction. Capital punishment involves penalty by death or life imprisonment killing of the person who has been found guilty. In Philosophers endeavors to justify punishment, they have come up with theories, which explain the core objective of punishment. The theories are Utilitarianism and Retributivism (Fieser, 2001). Utilitarianism is a theory that seeks to identify the consequence of administering punishment. It explains that punishment should serve to dissuade a potential offender from committing a crime. This could be done by setting clear laws, which outlines the punishment for specific crime committed. The theory also proposes punishment as a way of rehabilitating the offender. For instance sentencing an offender to do community work should be done with the aim of improving the character of the offender (Fieser, 2001).On the other hand, Retributivism is a theory that advocates proportionate punishment to any wrongdoer. The theory invokes the retaliation principle, which stipulates that a person, who kills another, should also be killed. The proponent of this theory, Immanuel Kant, seems to be in agreement with the existence of capital punishment in some states. However, to rule out chances of an innocent person being pu... ...ions. However, sometimes judges overrule the jury’s recommendations and impose death penalty rather than life imprisonment (Death Penalty, n.d). In conclusion, statistics indicates that many inmates were executed in the year 2009 compared to 2008. In 2008, 37 inmates from nine states were executed either by lethal injection or electrocution. The following year recorded the execution of 52 inmates (Capital Punishment Statistics, 2008). Works Cited Capital Punishment Statistics, (2008). U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=1757.html Death Penalty, (n.d.). Death Penalty Information Centre. Retrieved from http://www.spectacle.org/linkpgs/deathpenalty.html Fieser, J. (2001). Capital Punishment. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retried from http://www.iep.utm.edu/p/punishme.htm#H5. html

Describe and Evaluate Biological Explanations of Depression

Describe and evaluate biological explanations of depression There are many different explanations for depression, including biological. Links have been found between biochemical, genetics and hormonal imbalances with depressed people. In the biochemical explanation, a link has been found between neurotransmitter imbalances and depression. Serotonin is associated with pleasure and mood. Mann et al found impaired transmission of serotonin in people with depression. However Julian disagrees with this statement and says depression may be due to neuron damage rather than a neurotransmitter reduction.The problem with this approach is that it implies correlation and not causation, there may be a link but something else could be causing both depression and low serotonin. There is the chicken and egg problem – does low serotonin cause depression or does depression cause low serotonin? In other areas of psychology low serotonin has been linked with increased aggression and eating disord ers, as well as anxiety. Someone that has low serotonin does not necessarily become depressed. There is also the problem where people are depressed but have normal serotonin levels.This shows that depression is not fully down to biochemical imbalances but other things as well. It is a very simplistic and reductionist model and should only be included as a vulnerability and not the whole answer to depression. Another explanation is a genetic problem. Through many family studies Gershon states there is a clear inheritable component to depression, especially in bipolar disorder. Weisseman et al supports this by saying that for if a child has a parent with depression, the risk of the child having depression is increased by three times compared to the general population.This is a strong finding but as the children share the same environment as their parents, there is a possibility that the child has learnt the behaviour through the social learning theory of imitating and observing and no t through genetics. Kendler et al studied over 15000 twins in Sweden and found that if one twin has depression, there is a 38% chance that the other twin will have it too. This has strong methodology and is supported by many twin studies who have found similar results. On the other hand the twins share the same environment and so environmental influences may still be possible.The results were nowhere near 100% showing that depression is not fully down to genes, the people may have a genetic vulnerability but it takes something to trigger, perhaps. It is also unclear as to how exactly genes play a role in depression, without knowing the exact genes involved. Another way to access the significance of genes is through adoption studies. Wender found that a child is seven times more likely to have depression if the biological parents were depressed and the adoption parents were not.They found little evidence of depression being learnt. However Wender got his information about biological relatives just from hospital records and so there could be error of misdiagnosis or short-term depression only. The knowledge of whether a person has a genetic vulnerability to depression can be useful as the person is able to take preventative measures (change in lifestyle, diet to bring positivity to avoid depression), but it could be fatalistic as they understand they are more likely to become depressed – leading to depression.Diathesis-stress model says that depression can be better understood as an interaction between genes and environmental factors. Carroll found that high levels of the hormone cortisol are found in those suffering from depression and techniques known to suppress cortisol secretion have been found to be successful in depressive patients. However cortisol is released when stressed and so the high levels could be due to the high levels of stress the person has when they are depressed.As depression is twice as common in women as men, it could be due to the differences in sex hormones. Post-natal depression could be due to the high levels of oestrogen and progesterone that are released during pregnancy and then rapidly decrease once the baby is born which may account for an imbalance of hormones. Cooper disagrees with this statement as there was very little difference in the number of women suffering from depression after childhood and a control group of non-pregnant women at the same age.If imbalance of hormones was the cause then most mothers should get this type of illness but it is only a small number that get it. Menopausal depression is where oestrogen levels drop and hormone replacement therapy appears to be affective in treating many (but not all) women who suffer from this type of depression. However this could be due to the negative thoughts of getting older rather than the hormonal imbalance. Through the biological approach there are many possibilities. I think it is a mixture of biological vulnerabilities and stressful env ironments. Describe and Evaluate Biological Explanations of Depression Describe and evaluate biological explanations of depression There are many different explanations for depression, including biological. Links have been found between biochemical, genetics and hormonal imbalances with depressed people. In the biochemical explanation, a link has been found between neurotransmitter imbalances and depression. Serotonin is associated with pleasure and mood. Mann et al found impaired transmission of serotonin in people with depression. However Julian disagrees with this statement and says depression may be due to neuron damage rather than a neurotransmitter reduction.The problem with this approach is that it implies correlation and not causation, there may be a link but something else could be causing both depression and low serotonin. There is the chicken and egg problem – does low serotonin cause depression or does depression cause low serotonin? In other areas of psychology low serotonin has been linked with increased aggression and eating disord ers, as well as anxiety. Someone that has low serotonin does not necessarily become depressed. There is also the problem where people are depressed but have normal serotonin levels.This shows that depression is not fully down to biochemical imbalances but other things as well. It is a very simplistic and reductionist model and should only be included as a vulnerability and not the whole answer to depression. Another explanation is a genetic problem. Through many family studies Gershon states there is a clear inheritable component to depression, especially in bipolar disorder. Weisseman et al supports this by saying that for if a child has a parent with depression, the risk of the child having depression is increased by three times compared to the general population.This is a strong finding but as the children share the same environment as their parents, there is a possibility that the child has learnt the behaviour through the social learning theory of imitating and observing and no t through genetics. Kendler et al studied over 15000 twins in Sweden and found that if one twin has depression, there is a 38% chance that the other twin will have it too. This has strong methodology and is supported by many twin studies who have found similar results. On the other hand the twins share the same environment and so environmental influences may still be possible.The results were nowhere near 100% showing that depression is not fully down to genes, the people may have a genetic vulnerability but it takes something to trigger, perhaps. It is also unclear as to how exactly genes play a role in depression, without knowing the exact genes involved. Another way to access the significance of genes is through adoption studies. Wender found that a child is seven times more likely to have depression if the biological parents were depressed and the adoption parents were not.They found little evidence of depression being learnt. However Wender got his information about biological relatives just from hospital records and so there could be error of misdiagnosis or short-term depression only. The knowledge of whether a person has a genetic vulnerability to depression can be useful as the person is able to take preventative measures (change in lifestyle, diet to bring positivity to avoid depression), but it could be fatalistic as they understand they are more likely to become depressed – leading to depression.Diathesis-stress model says that depression can be better understood as an interaction between genes and environmental factors. Carroll found that high levels of the hormone cortisol are found in those suffering from depression and techniques known to suppress cortisol secretion have been found to be successful in depressive patients. However cortisol is released when stressed and so the high levels could be due to the high levels of stress the person has when they are depressed.As depression is twice as common in women as men, it could be due to the differences in sex hormones. Post-natal depression could be due to the high levels of oestrogen and progesterone that are released during pregnancy and then rapidly decrease once the baby is born which may account for an imbalance of hormones. Cooper disagrees with this statement as there was very little difference in the number of women suffering from depression after childhood and a control group of non-pregnant women at the same age.If imbalance of hormones was the cause then most mothers should get this type of illness but it is only a small number that get it. Menopausal depression is where oestrogen levels drop and hormone replacement therapy appears to be affective in treating many (but not all) women who suffer from this type of depression. However this could be due to the negative thoughts of getting older rather than the hormonal imbalance. Through the biological approach there are many possibilities. I think it is a mixture of biological vulnerabilities and stressful env ironments.

Religion’s Place in Modern World

Religion’s Place in Modern World Some people consider religion to be a kind of obsolete term, when applied to the modern world with all these scientific achievements, fantastic discoveries and rational explanations for all the things that were considered to be mysterious in the past. However, these people fail to take into account the fact that the idea of religion being the opposite of science only exists in the minds of the most primitive and narrow-minded variety of atheists. Major scientists and important people in the most significant faiths agree that they deal each with a sphere of reality that does not cover all the aspects of the Universe’s existence. There are no definitive scientific facts that prove the wrongness of the major point of any religion – the idea of the existence of God or gods. And that idea does not in any way contradict with any of the discoveries modern science has made or makes every single day. It is still wrong to assume that it is ridiculous to believe in some supernatural power, when everything is so neatly explained without taking it into consideration. It is not. Every question scientists manage to answer creates dozens of new ones, and the search for the new knowledge doesn’t seem to end anytime soon. Every discovery we make only makes it clearer how ignorant we are in what concerns the world we live in, let alone explanation of how and why it appeared. Two hundred years ago people thought that science will solve all their problems really, really soon; now we see that the number of unsolved problems not only grew less, but increased. Religion isn’t undermined by science in any way – on the contrary, the fact that a number of the greatest scientists that have ever existed believed in God makes it obvious that these two notions don’t contradict each other in any way.

Gay Rights, Gay, Lesbian, And Society - 1202 Words

Over the past decades, being gay was something no one talked about. It was a subject that was very taboo and society didn’t accept. People saw it as a stage one goes through and something unnatural. Thanks to the media, more and more celebrities have come out of the closet over the years. Soon people became accepting of the gay community and their life style. Being openly gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual in the workforce can lead to discrimination. Gay mirages are also frowned upon by society. Unfortunately, there aren’t many laws that protect gay rights. Everyday in America, gay people are being fired, denied a job, refused promotion, or some other form of discrimination. It’s not because they don t qualify for the job it’s because they are gay. 21/50 states in the US have rights set to protect them from facing this discrimination (Eisenberg, Rebecca). 18 out of those 21 states it is illegal to fire transgenders (Eidelson, Josh). So far there are ab out 28 million workers unemployed because of their sexuality (Bendery, 2014). Pros: 1. Tom Harkin, former Democrat U.S Senate, has a mission to pass a Paycheck Fairness Act, Fair Pay Act, and an Equal Pay Act. Harkin had expressed his views on the issue on last years Equal Pay Day. He felt that there is a big pay gap between men and women. Women are paid less then men simply because of their gender. Even though the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 (Harkin, 2014), people are not following the act. By passing the PaycheckShow MoreRelatedOppression and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons 1091 Words   |  5 PagesLesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Oppression Generations ago, the United States was a country of the male wardrobe. Todays movements for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community are leveraging the existence of more globalized and open systems. 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Gays and lesbians are human too and who is to say that they don t deserve equal rights in society. Society has to realize