Category: Ethics

If these extraordinarily powerful images of a dead Syrian child washed up on a beach don’t change Europe’s attitude to refugees, what will?

September 10, 2015

syrian-migrant-boy-turkeyBelow are a couple of links to articles that focus on the Syrian refugee crisis and this issue, while important in its own right, offers us a lot of interesting TOK questions and insights.

  • What are the ethical guidelines of using such sad and brutal images in newspapers? Do such images fairly or unfairly affect our decision making about this crisis?
  • When is it appropriate for nations to get involved in foreign conflicts?
  • How does the use of language affect our perceptions of this conflict and these people?

“They are extraordinary images and serve as a stark reminder that, as European leaders increasingly try to prevent refugees from settling in the continent, more and more refugees are dying in their desperation to flee persecution and reach safety.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/if-these-extraordinarily-powerful-images-of-a-dead-syrian-child-washed-up-on-a-beach-dont-change-europes-attitude-to-refugees-what-will-10482757.html#

How a Single Photograph May Be Changing the Way the World Thinks

https://news.vice.com/article/how-a-single-photograph-may-be-changing-the-way-the-world-thinks?hash=407eb4a3-b257-471f-8044-c889627c40fa

On whether the images should be shown

Brutal Images of Syrian Boy Drowned Off Turkey Must Be Seen, Activists Say

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/03/world/middleeast/brutal-images-of-syrian-boy-drowned-off-turkey-must-be-seen-activists-say.html

On the use of language in this crisis:

The difference between a migrant and refugee, in one sentence

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-difference-between-a-migrant-and-refugee-in-one-sentence-10476567.html#

Migrant, Refugee or Infiltrator? How Our Language Affects Legislation

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.675200

Migrant, refugee, asylum-seeker…

http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2015/09/johnson-political-language

Are Hunters more Moral than Vegans?

September 7, 2015

“Essentially, the basis of Davis’ argument is, what gives anyone the moral right to say that the small rodents killed from crop harvest is less valuable than that of the cow (or deer in this case)? Although the debate still ensues on how many insects, rodents, birds and small mammals become causalities of the harvest, it is undisputed that it actually happens.”

http://huntergreen.org/green-living/are-hunters-more-moral-than-vegans/#.Vcp3mf1lxAA.facebook

When Prostitution Is Nobody’s Business

August 10, 2015

“Decisional privacy is having freedom from undue interference from others in the decisions we make about our lives, and people commonly want to make decisions about their sexual activities and relationships without such interference from family members, friends, co-workers or governments.”

http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/opinionator/2015/08/10/when-prostitution-is-nobodys-business/

Coca-Cola Funds Scientists Who Shift Blame for Obesity Away From Bad Diets

August 10, 2015

“Health experts say this message is misleading and part of an effort by Coke to deflect criticism about the role sugary drinks have played in the spread of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. They contend that the company is using the new group to convince the public that physical activity can offset a bad diet despite evidence that exercise has only minimal impact on weight compared with what people consume.”

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/coca-cola-funds-scientists-who-shift-blame-for-obesity-away-from-bad-diets/

Fetal Tissue Gives Hope for One of the Worst Diseases: Planned Parenthood is right to supply it.

August 9, 2015

“Although I have no patience for those who claim, incorrectly, that Planned Parenthood sells fetal tissue, I sympathize with those who feel distress or moral outrage at the sight of an aborted fetus. Still, to my mind, a woman’s decision to donate her aborted fetus to medical research—and Planned Parenthood’s willingness to transfer the fetal material—is deeply commendable. No woman is eager to have an unwanted pregnancy, but if she decides to terminate it, Planned Parenthood can help turn her misfortune into a mitzvah. That is not an act of killing. It is an act of altruism.”

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2015/07/fetal_tissue_research_for_als_planned_parenthood_videos_leave_out_that_donations.html

The Case for Fetal-Cell Research

August 9, 2015

“The use of fetal tissue in research is not new. Fetal cells extracted from the lungs of two aborted fetuses from Europe in the 1960s are still being propagated in cell culture. They’re so successful that today we still use them to produce vaccines forhepatitis A, rubella, chickenpox and shingles. From two terminated pregnancies, countless lives have been spared.”

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/30/opinion/the-case-for-fetal-cell-research.html?_r=0

Fetal Tissue From Abortions for Research Is Traded in a Gray Zone

July 27, 2015

How can we determine whether the purchase and sale of such tissues is ethical?

“Scientists at major universities and government labs have quietly been using fetal tissue for decades. They say it is an invaluable tool for certain types of research, including the study of eye diseases, diabetesand muscular dystrophy. Nevertheless, some agree to talk about it only if their names and their universities’ names are withheld, because they have received threats of violence from abortion opponents. Companies that obtain the tissue from clinics and sell it to laboratories exist in a gray zone, legally. Federal law says they cannot profit from the tissue itself, but the law does not specify how much they can charge for processing and shipping.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/28/health/fetal-tissue-from-abortions-for-research-is-traded-in-a-gray-zone.html

Can Moral Disputes Be Resolved?

July 19, 2015

An interesting article that approaches this question by examining the role of religious dictates, moral philosophies, reason, natural science among other point of view.

“Moral disputes seem intractable — more intractable than other disputes. Take an example of a moral position that most of us would consider obvious: Honor killing is wrong. But honor killing has its supporters. Anyone who suggests that we can compromise with its supporters on the matter misunderstands the nature of this type of disagreement. It’s absolute. One party has to be right. Us. So why can’t we convince those who hold the opposite view?”

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/13/can-moral-disputes-be-resolved/