Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Influence of Greek Thought on Modern Science and...

The Influence of Greek Thought on Modern Science and Mathematics Parallels can be drawn from Greek thought and compared to today’s modern world views. This comparison also brings forth the influences of the Greek philosophies to the world’s contemporary aspects. More specifically, mathematics and science elicit the relationships of the ancient Greek beliefs and the existing theories and truths. Mathematics, as it relates to the Greek era and the present time, had created and still creates a very new approach to the thoughts of the mechanics of nature. For instance, Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and philosopher, believed the physical world would be explained by numbers. He used his theory of numbers and applied them to†¦show more content†¦The theory of relativity is the theory of measurement; therefore, Einstein uses numbers in relation with the fundamental laws of physics. Physics is the mechanics of nature, which can be calculated through use of numbers. The application of Pythagoras’ theory to Einstein’s relativity is obviously not directly related; however, the relevancy of mathematics used with the accordance of nature has influenced many intellectuals, which in turn directly assisted Einstein’s theory. Some of these intellectuals are Aristotle, Ptolemy, and Newton. The field of science during the times of the Greeks have greatly influenced the modern world as one perceives it in the present day. The atomic theory has much responsibility for the relation of Greek thought and modern beliefs. Democritus was one of the fir4st Greek philosophers to explain the theory of the atom. He said that it was indivisible. Furthermore, he explained that each element is made of particles, and that change occurs by the transfer of the atoms. In comparison to the modern day atomic theory, Democritus had the correct notion as to the significance of the atom-it is indivisible. From the research done, Democritus’ idea of the atom did not directly influence the contemporary theory of the atom. The GreekShow MoreRelatedHow The Ancient Greeks And Romans Still Influence Our Modern World869 Words   |  4 Pagesimportant for students to understand how the ancient Greeks and Romans still influence our modern world. Ancient Greece was the birthplace modern mathematics, science, philosophy, architecture, literature, theater, art, architecture, Democracy, Law, and competitive sports. The term mathematics was invented by Pythagoras. It means that which is learned. In turn, mathematical theories were applied to building the great architecture of Greece. The great Greek temples are visual representations of the mathematicalRead MoreEgyptian Contributions And Greek Culture1678 Words   |  7 Pagescontributions were critical to the development of Greek culture. 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Monday, December 16, 2019

Morals of Euthanasia Free Essays

Dena Furey Euthanasia March 8, 2013 Euthanasia Euthanasia is the act of purposely making or helping someone die, instead of allowing nature to take its course. Basically, euthanasia means killing in the name of compassion. Often surrounded by heated arguments from both those in favor of and those against the practice, human euthanasia spurs the most conflict within political circles, differing cultural and religious attitudes, and the health care system. We will write a custom essay sample on Morals of Euthanasia or any similar topic only for you Order Now I will be defending Tom L. Beauchamp’s theory that euthanasia is ethically moral and sometimes permissible. Beauchamp’s theory states that if voluntary passive euthanasia is sometimes permissible, then voluntary active euthanasia is sometimes permissible. Voluntary passive euthanasia is when a patient refuses treatment, such as a do not resuscitate (DNR) order. Voluntary active euthanasia is when a patient requests treatment, such a lethal dose. Beauchamp has a negative and positive thesis to his theory. They are: * Negative thesis-you cannot condemn physician assisted suicide by merely invoking the position of letting die and killing. Positive thesis-physician assisted suicide is permissible when you’re not only not doing any harm but also have a valid authorization from the patient. The first part of Beauchamp’s thesis deals with the distinction between letting die and killing. Opposers of Beauchamp’s thesis state that voluntary passive euthanasia (DNR) is permissible because you are letting the patient die, whereas voluntary active euthanasia (lethal dose) is killing the patient. Beauchamp thinks there is a problem with the definition of letting die and killing and that we need to make a clear distinction between them. Beauchamp presents a few ways we might be able to make that distinction. They are as follows: * Intentions-an act is a killing if and only if it is an intended death, you can foresee the consequences of your actions. Beauchamp presents a challenge to this. A DNR can be seen as an intended killing because the health care practitioner can foresee the consequences, and it could be interpreted as killing the patient if they do not revive him. Another example could be a drunken driving case. When a person drives drunk they do not intend to kill someone, is that now not considered a killing. So, Beauchamp thinks this definition of killing is wrong. * Wrongfulness-an act is a killing if and only if it is a wrongful death. Beauchamp presents a challenge to this. A DNR is considered not wrongful, but a lethal dose is wrongful, but going against a patient’s wishes could be considered wrongful in the lethal dose case. What is considered wrongful, that is what we are trying to answer. So, our conclusion is in our question, it makes a circular argument. Beauchamp thinks this definition of killing is wrong. Causation-an act is a killing if and only if an agent as opposed to an underlying condition causes death. Beauchamp offers an example to show the problem with the causal theory. A policeman is hurt in the line of duty and placed on life support. A mafia guy who wants the policemen dead comes in and pulls the plug, which in turn causes the policeman to die. In this case, what the mafia guy did was not wrong because the policeman died of natural causes. It was the underl ying condition that caused the policeman’s death, not the mafia guy. Is this acceptable? One opponent to Beauchamp, Bernard Gert, says he wants to hold onto the causal theory. He thinks the mafia guy did wrong because he did not have a valid refusal of treatment from the policeman, such as a DNR. Beauchamp offers an answer to Gert showing how the causal theory is still a wrong definition of killing and letting die. It was not really the letting die of the policeman that was important to Gert; it was the refusal of valid authorization to pull the plug which made it a killing. So, if what Gert thinks is pivotal is what the patient wants, then why is a lethal dose request by the patient considered a killing and not a letting die. Beauchamp thinks the causal theory does not work. The conclusion to all these theories is that even if you can make a distinction between letting die and killing it still will not make a difference morally. The positive part of Beauchamp’s thesis states that physician assisted suicide is permissible when you’re not only not doing any harm but also have a valid authorization from the patient. Let’s establish what a valid authorization is. Beauchamp says a valid authorization is a request from someone with the authority to make a decision and it needs to be done freely and autonomous. I feel as though in the case of a lethal dose a little more needs to be added to the valid authorization. I think it should also include that the diagnosis given be terminal, the decision should not be made at the time of the diagnosis but after thinking everything over and it should be an enduring, voluntary, and competent informed decision, not co-erced in any way. The patient’s suffering should be unbearable, that there is no way of making that suffering bearable that is acceptable to the patient, and the physician’s judgments as to the diagnosis and prognosis were confirmed after consultation with another physician. Beauchamp’s position on the moral ethics of a lethal dose say that 1) we should abandon the letting die and killing distinction, 2) when it is wrong to cause death, what makes it wrong?. 3) The answer to that question is unjustified harm. For instance in the mafia example, the mafia guy did wrong because he did unjustified harm and did not act in the will of the patient. In conclusion, when voluntary active euthanasia would do no harm and there is a valid authorization, it is not wrong. There are, however, some well-known objections to human euthanasia. The oath a health care practitioner takes in one objection. I feel as though the oath needs to be changed to reflect modern society and medical practice. The world has changed since the oath was first written, as have ethical codes of conduct. Another objection is the slippery slope argument. People think that once the government steps in and starts killing its citizens, a dangerous precedent has been set. The concern is that a society that allows voluntary euthanasia will gradually change its attitudes to include non-voluntary euthanasia and involuntary euthanasia. Although this does present the need for more regulation and control of euthanasia, history has clearly demonstrated that any law or system can be abused. Also, what reason is there to believe that someone’s support for voluntary euthanasia be psychologically driven to practice non-voluntary euthanasia. Palliative care has been a favored alternative to euthanasia but thus still presents the issue of quality of life. When choosing palliative care over physician assisted suicide I think it would be important to ask whether life will be enjoyed and not simply tolerable. To get the best palliative care requires trial and error with some suffering in the process. Even high quality palliative care comes with side effects such as nausea, loss of awareness because of drowsiness, and so on. Where voluntary euthanasia is not tolerated, giving large doses of opioids to relieve pain in the knowledge that this will also end life is tolerable. In situations where palliative care can only guarantee a life that is tolerable, I think euthanasia is a legitimate option. Opponents to euthanasia state that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person. Every person has these rights; however, if a person has the right to life, then they should have the right to die. Everyone should have the same control in choosing the way they die as they do in which they live. It is unfair to decide whether one should live with pain and agony, knowing full well that they have a terminal illness from which there is no known recovery. In the past, the doctor was a person who was a friend. Now a doctor is a stranger who combats diseases, but she is not always your friend. What will never change is their struggle against death. However, they’re job is not only to prevent death but to improve they’re patient’s quality of life. Many times there is nothing a doctor can do to prevent a patient from dying if the patient has a terminal disease; all she can do is wait for death to arrive. I think and believe that it is everyone’s right to determine the amount of suffering they can endure in their lifetime. It should not be up to fellow society members to decide what they must endure because of differing viewpoints on who is responsible for their life. I do not tell anyone how to live, so do not tell me how to die. Death could be a choice that you might not make, but a choice that someone else can have. Dena Furey Euthanasia March 8, 2013 Bibliography Page Beauchamp, Tom L. â€Å"Justifying Physician-Assisted Suicide†, Ethics in Practice. 3rd ed. Ed. Hugh LaFollette. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. , 2007. 72-79. Print. How to cite Morals of Euthanasia, Essay examples

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Global Challenges in Governance Faced by Pakistan

Question: Discuss about theGlobal Challenges in Governance Faced by Pakistan. Answer: Introduction Pakistan is a republic situated in southern Asia. It is bordered to Afghanistan, Iran, China and India. The country has the sixth largest population around the world, with an estimate of about 192 Million. In the fiscal year of 2007 to 2008, it was estimated that 17.2% of Pakistanis live below poverty line(Iqbal, 2012). The figure has grown over the years. A significant population comes with big challenges for the government, for instance, being a developing country, basic human needs such as adequate health care facilities is an issue. Analyzing the current environment Pakistan faces is interesting. The current government g faces challenges in security, governance, and economy. Externals pressures, delicate native administrative processes and ethnic reticence are habitually disregarded. Most problems arise not due to limited options, but due to an aspiration to sustain the status quo. Many governance challenges faced by the government are due to constitutional dysfunctionality, as do from keeping important divisions that offer an engrained remedial machinery inactive. Policymaking Policymaking in Pakistan is captive to emotionalism and insight that the country is not able to sustain itself without outside aid, and that there is no feasible alternative to the countrys inclusive associations. The top main concern of any governing head of state in the country and any aspiring leader wishing to replace those in power, in the future, is to amass international acceptability. Public wellbeing is of no significance to them. Leaders, as well as those in waiting, have a spirit to gain from prevailing dysfunctions rather than fixing them(Hussain Hussain, 2013). The country faces tremendous pressure from foreign states and instead of counteracting those via policy changes, subsequent governments prefer their continuity to defend their personal indispensability regarding regime. Pakistans the economic growth is mired by monopolies and lack of an atmosphere for modest uniform playing ground. The potential in the nations energy area is captive to various influential interest groups, this frequently cross the genuine confines of pressure groups and turn like mafias. Institutions of Good Governance The establishments tasked with good governance are also not performing to the level of being satisfactory. The principle of power is that one cannot break the law and get away with it. In Pakistan, such acuity does not hold ground owing to division in law implementing agencies. Radical appointees look towards their hiring figure for they serve until its desire. This together with corrupt dealings and incompetence has made a majority of law enforcing institutions unable to act by the ideologies of impartiality and fair play. The upper judiciary is praised only when the verdicts made are advantageous and is demonized when the judgments made are not favoring those in power(Mahmood, 2015). The key objective is to be able to maintain the capability to infringe the law with liberty. Foreign Policy and Security The challenges Pakistan faces are monumental, views of the public on foreign policy is ill-informed, and the resulting debate is passionate and hollow. The tendency is to make overgeneralized norms headed for realizing peace with the neighboring countries. Economy The uncertain economy of Pakistan is the motivation behind the countries dependency on external federations and institutions(Sohail, 2013). Though the external debt and its repercussions are under focus, excessive domestic borrowing escapes due to attention. Over the years, price increases have drifted around 14%. The unemployment rate is high in the country, and the growth in population is incompatible with the growth rate of the GDP. The energy crisis is critical. Despite the countrys ability to generate electricity, power is still unavailable due to rounded debt issues. The Constitution and the Politics of Pakistan The Constitution has served the ruling regimes well, be they of noncombatant or military ancestries. To the citizens, the constitution has at all times been a revered file of state consensus. The countrys constitution exhibited flexibility to tackle major crunches until the point when the nation had stretched to the point of no return. For instance, military intercessions were constantly able to evade the constitution, when essential for long spells(Imam, 2014). The judiciary has always been on the frontline to support and facilitate military interventions. After the ending of any military rule in the country, the judiciary is always again on the forefront, withdrawing its backing for the army and dooming the usurper. The court has similarly created space for private misfortunes(Norris Bank., 2010). The law lords stood up against extra-judicial activities of President Pervez Musharraf towards the end of his days in office, by that time he had lost the support of the citizens. The actual test of the judiciary will come if another military intervention occurs in the future. Instead of respecting the countrys constitutional process, the powerful have always bent the laws. A mendments to the constitution have been easily engineered via coercion or bribes. This is done to benefit individuals and not the general public(jutt, 2014). Response Options to the Challenges Faced in Governance by Pakistan Key pointers of decent governance consist of accountability, transparency, efficient party-political dispensation, and awareness to public and partisan change, real involvement in the countrys policymaking, the rule of law and bold vision(Ismail, 2014). Regrettably, this does not happen in the case in Pakistan. The fundamental components of good governance can only be realized if there is a robust statutory framework in the country. This comprises well epitomized independent institutions, self-governing judiciary, active civil society and mass media with freedom of expression. However, these essential composites of the administration dont function effectively as a structure(Goran Hyden, 2003). Observing, investigating and judging functions of proper governance are subject to corrupt dealings and powerful influences. The civil activists in the country continue to push for accountability and at the same time creating awareness among the people hence playing a vital role in ensuring there is good governance in the country. The civil society has the main achievements which are monumental, however, after each accomplishment, the applicable arm of the government and non -state institutions fail to pick up from where the activists have gained progress. The authorities fail to consolidate the gains made by the civil society and transform these attainments into decent governance. The media in Pakistan have not been able to reach many people both domestically and internationally. Though the press has done a tremendous job in creating cognizance amongst the citizens. The growth of the media industry in the country is not in any systematic order; its growth is rather unforeseen and unregulated. The media industry has not been capable of generating conversant dialogue on good governance. The media lack the knowledge to act in synchronization with other arms of the government. There is a necessity for a vibrant watchdog to bring back the media from the current position of sensationalists to contributors in the state rulemaking and the process create an atmosphere of reverence for good governing procedures. The constitution should be reviewed to tackle the subject of integrally feeble governments. The voting process and the Political Parties Act should also be revised in a bid to ensure the government of the day is stable. The articles stated in the constitution should be fully implemented. This is the guiding code for viable transformation in the country(eremy Holland, 2012). The forming of energetic resident government plan which encourages grassroots and civic based self-governing establishments also need to be addressed by the government. The problem of governance should be looked through the prism of the law. To bring back good governance in the country, via ideologies of the Constitution, the people should be extra voiced through the mass media and also be enlightening the masses and initiation a drive to institute the sovereignty of the law. The social condition and foreign policy are entangled(Mudacumura, 2014). No applicable amendment in foreign policy is promising unless your house is in order. For real change in foreign policy to be realized, there is a necessity to have similar changes in the country, some of these changes may only be successful after adjustments in the foreign policy is done. Hence, there is a prerequisite for a common tactic uniting both local and international guiding principle reforms. Pakistan should root its external policy on peace and accord, as voiced by the establishing father of the nation. The economy of the state together with the energy sector necessitates real combined fundamental restructurings(Mohiuddin, 2007). There is a need to fix domestic borrowing by the administration. Conclusion Frantic situations require that you can think out of the box. While the tests the country experiences are extraordinary, the answers are within reach of the state capacity. There is an obligation to embrace a joined multi-sectoral therapeutic approach. Development in each acknowledged field will exude its constructive effects on other zones. While common sentiments are exceedingly tilting in the direction of supporting all-inclusive restructurings, the political goodwill is the essential tool to channelize the desire of the people. Once importance areas of governance, politics, and safety are dealt with, it would convert to a facilitating atmosphere for economic growth for Pakistan. References Clarke, A. M. a. M., 2013. Pakistan's Stability Paradox. NewYork: Routledge. eremy Holland, L. R. ,. P. S.-V. . H. S., 2012. Tackling the Governance of Socially Inclusive Service Delivery. Public Management Review, 14(2), pp. 181-196. Gerring, J., 2010. Governance in the Developing World. [Online] Available at: https://www.bu.edu/pardee/research/research-program-governance-in-the-developing-world/ [Accessed 27 October 2016]. Goran Hyden, J. C. a. K. M., 2003. Government and Governance in 16 Developing Countries. World Governance Survey Discussion Paper 6, pp. 4-5. Hussain, M. Hussain, A., 2013. The Nature of Governance in Pakistan. Pakistan Problem of Governance 4(1), p. 25. Imam, A., 2014. Democracy and Public Administration in Pakistan. volume 1 ed. New York: CRC Press. Iqbal, K., 2012. Pakistan Today: Challenges and Prospects. [Online] Available at: https://www.criterion-quarterly.com/pakistan-today-challenges-and-prospects/ [Accessed 27 October 2016]. Ismail, Z. H., 2014. Good governance. Some Issues of Governance in Pakistan, pp. 2-3. jutt, A., 2014. Major Problems Facing Pakistan Today. [Online] Available at: https://www.ilmkidunya.com/articles/major-problems-facing-pakistan-today-1600.aspx [Accessed 26 October 2016]. Mahmood, S., 2015. The Pakistan Governance Crisis. [Online] Available at: https://wsimag.com/economy-and-politics/18359-the-pakistan-governance-crisis [Accessed 27 October 2016]. Mohiuddin, Y. N., 2007. Pakistan : a global studies handbook. California: Santa Barbara. Mudacumura, G., 2014. Challenges to Democratic Governance in Developing Countries. Philadelphia: Springer International Publishing Switzerland. Norris, P. Bank., W., 2010. Public sentinel : news media governance reform. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Sohail, E., 2013. The Economic Challenges Facing Pakistans New Prime Minister. [Online] Available at: https://www.cipe.org/blog/2013/06/14/the-economic-challenges-facing-pakistans-new-president/#.WBHcB9J9600 [Accessed 27 October 2016].