Prima facie Essay Example for Free

Prima facie Essay Introduction According to the article, Rhino poaching is in no way shown as moral. The ethical issues I see are that people are ignoring the fact that this horrible act is occurring and many people who do know about it won’t do anything about it, but are able to waste time watching pointless videos. The You Tube interventions took a moral approach to help with the petition. Although some were offended, the majority signed the petition and became more aware of the world around them. Utilitarianism When studying the supreme principle of morality as utility, we must first examine the definition of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism the effort to answer the question of man ought to do. For a utilitarian, the answer is simple: Act to produce the best consequences possible for the greatest number of people possible. In this, liberty and harm are treated as an equal. The end goal is to produce a general welfare or Arthur’s collective well- being. Jeremy Bentham, one philosophical view we examined defined utilitarianism as the ethical system that judges actions to be moral to the extent they maximize happiness, producing pleasures, and preventing pains. According to Bentham, there is a possibility of good and bad consequences however; preventing suffering is what matters through pleasure and the avoidance of pain. John Stuart Mill was a follower of Benthams, and he came up with the principle of utility. He stated that â€Å"Nature has places mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters† these masters are pain and pleasure. This is an experience based principle. We learn through experience that we are governed through pleasure and pain. According to Brandt’s view on utilitarianism, if all you do is add up numbers, there still a possibility of producing an immoral outcome. Singer’s principles also exemplified this. In the article â€Å"YouTube Interventions to Save the Rhino†, Utilitarianism is exemplified in that there was a greater outcome for a greater number of people. Sure, some were offended, however in the cases that the petition was signed, the rhinos and animal activists were impacted positively. Also, the new act allowing this method of communication will help when it come t other disastrous situations. Also, the whole world was able to be impacted. This effort had a mass effect on the petition. In the end, rhinos could be saved and a great idea was introduced, even the offended learned that their time was not being used effectively and therefore had somewhat of a positive outcome. Deontology In the study of deontology, we use Kant and Foot’s philosophical views. Deontology can be considered duty-based ethics, and reason alone should be used when finding the moral duty this concerns and reason in turn will cause a respect for rationality. Kant believed that morally you should act so that the maxim of your actions can and should be considered a universal law; morally you should have respect for human dignity. In this principle one should never for any reason intentionally harm someone who is believed to be innocent. Philippa Foot expands of Kant’s principle of hypothetical imperatives in an argument. She argues the Kant contrasts acting out of respect for moral law with acting from an alterior motive. Taking this into consideration she believes is crucial to shape Kant’s moral Philosophy. All in all, morality can only involve rational beings because only rationa l beings have the capacity to reason the way things are and should be and the ability to exercise freedom. Perfect categorical duties allow for no if’s and’s or but’s. Others are not, under any circumstances, to be used just as a means to acquire morality. In summary of this moral standing and the three forms of hypothetical morality according to Foot and Kant, â€Å"If you want x, you should do y, Because you want x you should do y, and because x is in your best interest, you should do y†. For Kant the second and third principles are one in the same. The article answers the supreme moral question â€Å"Did anyone use anyone merely as a means? † The answer is simply yes. The multiple videos that were altered were used as a means to get the communication across about animal poaching. The You Tube interventions had a positive outcome however in that a mass majority was made aware of what was going on in the world and how much time the viewers were actually wasting watching the highly viewed frivolous viral videos. Deontologists would agree with the interventions campaign. They wanted people to be aware of the issue of rhino poaching and wanted a petition signed so they included a link to the petition and urged people to sign it by noting that it wouldn’t take much time. They also wanted people to be aware that the silly videos were simply a waste of time and that was noted. Deontologists would have resolved these issues in a very similar manner because no one was hurt, they were just helped. Prima Facie Duties The prima facie duties introduced by W. D. Ross, a professor from Oxford University, argued that the right and the good are properties known intuitively and these duties may conflict holding only prima facie. There are no supreme principles involved. All focal points in the argument of what makes right acts right and wrong acts wrong are taken into account when looking into prima facie duty. Prima facie is judgment based on considered opinion. The article doesn’t really exemplify prima facie duties in that the article agrees completely with the study of deontology, and Ross argues with deontology. The duty to sign the petition however did arise from the obligation to save the rhino’s from poaching. This exemplifies the opinion Ross had on duty in itself. Conclusion I thought that the approach this article took was completely effective and I agree that the awareness of rhino poaching was done morally. When others want to make you aware of things like the animal fur industry, they walk down runways with imitation blood dripping from a fur coat. This was done in a way where most were not offended, a majority of people were impacted and action was taken. The petition was signed and an increase of 400% of the signatures was reached. I think that deontology supports the article the most. The x and y principles were exemplified as Foot and Kant had demonstrated. I think that all of the principles we studied in this section can be applied to the article. The article least agrees with prima facie ideas however. There are ways to apply it which I stated earlier in this essay. So what makes right acts right and wrong acts wrong? How many are influenced, how they are influenced, and act to include intent of agent and consent of person affected by act.

Eating Disorders :: Anorexia Nervosa

Most people can hardly feel hunger nowadays, and food has very different meaning depends on people. For some people, food will be as an act of nurture, food as memory, and happiness but for other people food will be food as guilty, as sin, and ban. In present time, although their weight is normal, women keep trying to lose their weight, because they want to show thin. And also long time ago, women did not think about their weight, but in present time’s women want to lose their weight. Women need to rethink about losing their weight, because when women cook in kitchen it is the most beautiful looks. Most women think about diet 365days, although she is thin and skinny women. This is nowadays women looks. However I can understand the thinking of present women, because I am a woman. I know food is good, and food always give to happiness and memory, but women could not eat their fill, because they do not want to shock next day. It is responsible for developing of mass media, if media does not develop then, we do not know standard of women, whether is skinny or not. However, mass media has been developed, we cannot stop the diet. When you see a television, all actresses are thin and beautiful. When you buy clothes, there is more choice of buying for clothes, when you are thin. That is why women decide to diet, because all of women’s wish become a thin and skinny girl, and buy clothes whatever they want to. Unfortunately, some people get disease which called eating disorder. From the Wikipedia, the definition of ‘eating disorder’ is a compulsion to eat, or avoid eating, that negatively affects both one's physical and mental health (Wikipedia). Too many people who work in modeling, get this disease, because a model is wearing the designer’s clothes and show the people how look like, so model and designer believe that thin model can show clothes well. Therefore many numbers of designers prefer thin model. However, several models were died from low weight. Therefore, the accusation of modeling said that designer cannot work with low weight of models, but still designers look for skinny model. There is important point as well. One of article shows the data which came from National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Association of Disorders, ‘there are many teenager have disorder.

Islamic Fundamentalism Essay

20 March 2007 Introduction On September 11, 2001, the United States of America experienced the worst act of terrorism ever perpetrated on American soil, as major targets in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania were the scenes of the massive slaughter of innocent civilians. From the moment that the first act commenced, the rumor mill flew into overdrive, conveniently blaming the terrorism on â€Å"militant Islamic† people, and implying that this movement had suddenly sprung up out of obscurity to strike at the heart of America like a thief in the night. The reality is much more complex, for fundamentalist Islam has a much longer history, and the threat it continues to pose to Western Democracy, even today, had been growing and mutating for generations prior to 9/11. In this paper, the very definition of fundamentalism at its beginning will be presented, as well as the perversion of it that has led to the challenges and threats the West now has come to bear. Roots of Fundamentalism. To begin, one needs to understand two very different and specific terms: followers of Islam and Islamic Fundamentalists, as the two groups are vastly different, yet both claim legitimacy under the same doctrine. In its purest form, Islam is based upon the ancient teachings of the prophet Muhammad, who was said to have been given the Quran, or holy book of Islam, by God himself, with Muhammad as the messenger and deliverer of the Quran and its teachings to the masses (Davidson). If one were to follow the teachings of Islam in a more traditional sense, as Muhammad is said to have received the word from God, they would be peaceful, obedient servants of God, and Muhammad, thereby enriching their lives, raising solid families and leaving the world a better place than what is was when they were born into it. Eventually, however, political turmoil distorted this message and gave rise to a strain of Islam that is known as Fundamentalism or Extremism, depending upon the source of the material. This interpretation of Islam and the Quran takes the inflexible view that those who do not believe in Islam, and follow the Quran, are characterized as â€Å"Infidels†, and the price of their infidelity to Islam is death. Of course, the Christian ideals of the West make America a convenient target of this sort of massive hatred, but this hatred has also been fueled over the years by America’s defense of other enemies of the fundamentalists/extremists such as the people of Turkey and Israel (Mustikhan). Eventually, the rage of these Islamics would erupt against the US on a large scale, beginning in the 1970s. The Islamic Terrorist is Born It is generally agreed that those who are today termed â€Å"Islamic Terrorists† were first given that moniker by the West in 1979, when the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran was seized by terrorists, taking hundreds of American diplomats and their support staffs hostage in a siege that ultimately lasted 444 days, and brought the United States to the brink of war with Iran. The group of Iranians and assorted others who were in essence the foot soldiers who undertook the plot, led by the extremist leader Ayatollah Khomeini, came to be called Islamic Terrorists (Hoveyda). From there, the stereotype of what a terrorist is, and their potential to wreak havoc on innocent people, began to grow in the minds of the world community. Threats to Western Democracy Due to the widespread presence of Islamic Extremists/Militants, the threat to Western Democracy has become very real, and of course has manifested itself in such tragedies as the Iran Hostage Crisis and 9/11. Given the humble beginnings and admirable teachings that are found in the Quran, and were exhibited by Muhammad and carried down by his disciples, it is a wonderment as to exactly how/why Islam eventually spawned a militant faction which goes against the foundations of the faith itself. In a word, the violent offshoot is the byproduct of fanaticism. Fanatics are those members of the Islamic community who have taken the position that any government, or religion (in their mind, they should be one in the same) that does not practice the teachings of the Quran are the equivalent of parasites that must be eradicated for the good of the human race. The defense of this attitude, and the resultant violence which comes out of the attitude, is due to misinterpretation of the Quran, hence making these individuals worthy of the extremist label. Because the Islamic Extremists have convinced themselves that they are doing the will of God, as laid out in their creative interpretation of the Quran, there quite literally is nothing stopping them from continuing to launch attacks against the Western Democracies, as well as other â€Å"infidels† who hold views and practice lifestyles which are contrary to theirs. One particularly chilling reality of the threat against Western Democracy is the fact that Islamic Extremists, while found in large numbers in some nations more commonly than others, really do not have a nation with borders, do not fly an identifiable flag, or wear a uniform that indicates that they are Islamic Extremists, despite what the leadership of the United States may choose to claim in the present day. Rather, the Extremists have the ability to move freely about the globe and do not have a set territory where organized armies can pursue and battle them. This sort of an invisible threat, not centered in a geographic location but highly organized and well financed as well as armed to the hilt, holds the potential to destroy their enemies, such as the Western Democracies, which are somewhat restrained by physical borders and the need to engage in conventional warfare. Because of this, the paradox is clear- how can an enemy be fought if it cannot be readily seen or tracked? Also, the inability to negotiate with Islamic Extremists closes another avenue of resolving differences and stopping the bloodshed. Conclusion- What is the Future Threat? This paper has shown that Fundamental Islam has the means, mindset, and determination to bring Western Democracy to its knees, as well as the point of annihilation. What this will mean for the future is anyone’s guess but one thing is for sure- without some sort of decisive action against Islamic Fundamentalists, many more innocent lives may be lost, and hard lessons may be learned too late and at too high of a price. Works Cited Davidson, Lawrence. Islamic Fundamentalism. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. Hoveyda, Fereydoun. The Broken Crescent: The â€Å"Threat† of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998. Marin-Guzman, Roberto. â€Å"Fanaticism: A Major Obstacle in the Muslim Christian Dialogue. the Case of Twentieth Century Islamic Fundamentalism. † Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ) 25. 3 (2003): 63+. Mustikhan, Ahmar. â€Å"The Roots of Islamic Extremism. † World and I July 1999: 74.

Notes on the Sea and Ozymandias - 776 Words

Ozymandias Points to remember: 1. The statue of Ozymandias stands as a metaphor (symbol) of the temporal (not permanent) nature of political power. Time and history have a destructive power that brings all to an end. 2. The statue in the poem also symbolizes pride or ‘hubris’ (arrogance) of all humanity in any form it may take. 3. Material possessions do not last. 4. The poet points out to us that all that is left is art (the remains) and a few words (what is written on the pedestal). It seems therefore that art and language outlast the legacies of power. (see Shakespeare’s Sonnet LX) 5. In describing Ozymandias the poet distances him from our present reality in fact the narrator meets a traveller who describes the†¦show more content†¦Even the way the verses are placed like waves to completely immerse the reader into the atmosphere, shows imagination. In the first two stanzas the atmosphere at sea is wild and frightening. The poet describes the wild sea as if it is a ‘hungry dog’. This is a metaphor that carries along throughout the poem. The poet takes the qualities of a dog and transfers them to the sea, for example the sea is ‘giant and grey’ and it has ‘clashing teeth’ and ‘shaggy jaws’. The poet makes us imagine the atmosphere at sea when it is rough and dangerous. The repetition of the word ‘bones’ conveys an idea of rocks being eroded by the sea as it gnaws the rocks or else we are reminded of the bones of those whose life ended at sea. In the second stanza the rough sea becomes a stormy sea and the dog is now angry. The waves crash on the rocks and we can imagine the sea spray in the metaphor, ‘shaking his wet sides over the cliffs’. The poet also describes sounds in an imaginative way reminding us of the sounds made by a dog, ‘snu ffs and sniffs’ and ‘howls and hollos’. These alliterations emphasise the scary atmosphere with a kind of death-like omen. Even the moon in the sky seems to be ‘rocking’ because the wind is very strong and clouds are flying fast. There is a sudden contrast in stanza three, where the sea calms down and the ‘dog’ is sleeping peacefully. The atmosphere is calm and we imagineShow MoreRelated An Analysis Of British Literature Essay2728 Words   |  11 Pages/ Signifying nothing.quot; Macbeth thought life had no purpose and there was no afterlife. He compared life to being on quot;the banks and shoal of time,quot; because he life as an insignificant sand bank which would be covered over by the vast sea of time and eternity. Shakespeare used the character of Macbeth to show that if a person sacrifices his integrity and morals, religion is meaningless and the persons life has no purpose. Macbeths lack of belief in the afterlife was a sign of justRead MoreEssay On Anne Bradstreet2057 Words   |  9 Pagesnow in comparison to Biblical times. She feels that men just waste their limited days, â€Å"Living so little while we are alive.† While nature functions in cycles, man only has one chance. Once he dies, his time is over. As a Puritan, Anne Bradstreet notes that it is only man’s Earthly life that is brief, for â€Å"man was made for endless immortality.† In next section, the poet writes about sitting by a beautiful flowing river. She watches the fish swimming around and admires their ability to travel toRead MoreLiterary Group in British Poetry5631 Words   |  23 PagesAestheticism, and the Yellow 1890s 6.3 Comic verse 7 The 20th century 7.1 The first three decades 7.1.1 The Georgian poets and World War I 7.1.2 Modernism 7.2 The Thirties 7.3 The Forties 7.4 The Fifties 7.5 The 1960s and 1970s 8 English poetry now 9 Notes 10 See also 11 References 12 External links [edit]The earliest English poetry Main article: Old English poetry The first page of Beowulf The earliest known English poem is a hymn on the creation; Bede attributes this to Cà ¦dmon (fl. 658–680), who