TOK Teacher
“Some of the disagreements arose from the stated definition of a lie I used. A lie is saying something that one believes to be false with the intention of getting someone else to believe it is true. Some people challenged the definition; others accepted it but claimed that, according to it, some of my lies were not lies.”
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/how-you-justified-10-lies-or-didnt/
Is it ethical to hunt endangered species?
What if allowing legal hunting creates economic incentives for their preservation? What if
What if the “effective” way of conserving animal populations is morally abhorrent? What if the only ethical way to treat these animals (banning hunting) proves ineffective at protecting their numbers?
Below are some links discussing the issue from different perspectives.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/19/opinions/trophy-hunting-not-conservation-flocken/
2. “The Heavy Price of Trophy Hunting”
http://www.endangered.org/the-heavy-price-of-trophy-hunting/
3. “Save the Animals by Hunting Them”
http://www.ozy.com/immodest-proposal/save-the-animals-by-hunting-them/39349
4. “The Ultimate Pursuit in Hunting: Sheep”
“Permits to hunt bighorn sheep are auctioned for hundreds of thousands of dollars — and that money has helped revive wild sheep populations and expand their territory.”
5. The Fish and Wildlife Service said we have to kill elephants to help save them. The data says otherwise.
6. Why Can’t We Protect Elephants?
“What could justify the commercial hunting of threatened animals? The general answer is that the proceeds from the hunt — the huge fees people in search of these trophies fork over — can go to conservation.
“Whether or not such an argument is morally persuasive, the implementation of such a system requires a stable host country where corruption is kept in check and conservation programs are effective.”
“In working toward a climate deal, the leaders face high odds. Sweeping changes are needed, but the political will for change does not appear up to the task. The rational thing to do, of course, is to save the planet. But the way that human rationality works makes it unlikely that even the best minds working conscientiously will be able to do that.
“There are two fundamental problems: a collective action conundrum, and a preference for benefits in the short term.”
“If you’re puzzled by what is considered a work of art, you’re not the only one. Even art critics wonder about the four shortlisted nominees for the prestigious Turner Prize, which will be given out on December 7.”
“Do you feel something less strongly if you don’t have a word for it?”
“There’s plenty of disagreement over how to define emotions, but at least one thing is certain: They are intensely personal things. A flood of anger, a flash of annoyance—that feeling is yours, is a result of your own unique set of circumstances, is shaping the way you see the world at a given moment.”
“I’ve been a scientist for as long as I can remember. Children are born scientists; they experiment with everything, are naturally inquisitive and through this exploration they learn about how the world works. And I’ve never grown out of it. Of course, for many people, their modes of thought change as they find or are brought up with faith. Some manage, somehow, to hold religious beliefs alongside a dedication to the rationality of science.”
“In the 1950s, a group of scientists spoke out against the dangers of nuclear weapons. Should cryptographers take on the surveillance state?”
“But computer science has quite a bit to do with reality. Its practitioners devise the surveillance systems that watch over nearly every space, public or otherwise—and they design the tools that allow for privacy in the digital realm. Computer science is political, by its very nature.”
“To know what you’re going to draw, you have to begin drawing.”
https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/06/24/picasso-brassai-ideas-creativity/
TOK Topics 