Ethics – Page 20 – TOK Topics

Pouring molten aluminum down an ant hole to create art

January 27, 2015

Is it ethical to make artwork if the process kills other living things? Does it matter that those things that are dying are ants? What if we gain scientific knowledge in the process? Take a look at the videos below. Consider those questions.

Video of the process

Pictures of the various casts he has made

http://anthillart.com/

http://www.ebay.com/blogs/stories/aluminum-anthill-art-fever-hits-ebay

Frank Luntz War on Terror Memo

January 27, 2015

Here is a link to an amazing document written in the early 2000’s by Republican strategist Frank Luntz to help Republican politicians frame the debate about the War on Terror, the Iraq war, security and other related issues. This document helped communicate and sell to the public ideas that may not have been true. Without actually saying things that were false, they left people with the impression of false information. Members of the Republican party were amazingly effective at being on the same page as each other and really used a lot of the same language as laid out in this document.

How does language help us communicate? Is it unethical to mislead your audience without ever uttering something untruthful?

Download Luntz Memo On Terrorism

Ethics of using photoshop in advertising

January 27, 2015

Is it ethical for magazines and advertisers to digitally manipulate photos? What if these images have a negative impact on people’e self image and lead to various disorders? Do these companies have any responsibility? What about the fact that these are companies trying to profit and if their advertising is not effective they would not be profitable? What if the magazines sold fewer copies or advertisers sold fewer products if they didn’t retouch their models so drastically? Is it appropriate to tell people that if they don’t like what magazines or advertisers are doing then you don’t have to look or buy?

Below are a few links to interesting stories and websites on the issue.

http://idealbite.com/100-percent-of-what-you-see-in-fashion-magazines-is-retouched/

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/on-women/2009/03/16/negative-body-image-blame-photoshop

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/fashion/28RETOUCH.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-matlins/post_2329_b_932086.html

http://hellogiggles.com/photoshop-deadly-thought

Is it unethical to illegally download music from the web?

January 27, 2015

Though it is common, easy, and usually anonymous, is it unethical to download music from the web without paying? How can we decide?

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/07/05/the-high-price-of-free-music-how-illegal-downloads-are-silencin/

Lyndon B Johnson’s famous “Daisy Ad”

January 27, 2015

One of the most famous and controversial political ads in American history, LBJ’s “Daisy Ad” was a great example of an appeal to emotion argument. Rather than present a reasoned argument or discuss facts, the ad takes one of the scariest prospects of the time, or any time, nuclear war, and tries to capitalize on people’s emotions by saying that a vote for the other guy would lead to nuclear war. The ad was only aired once but had a huge impact.

Is Torture Ever Justified? Discussion

January 26, 2015

An ongoing discussion board about the scenario:

“Suppose a man has planted a bomb in New York City, and it will explode in twenty-four hours unless the police are able to find it. Should it be legal for the police to use torture to extract information from the suspected bomber?”

http://www.justiceharvard.org/2011/03/torture/

Justice Episode 1: The Moral Side of Murder

January 26, 2015

Episode 1 of Michael Sandel’s acclaimed course, Justice, titled, The Moral Side of Murder. From the episode description:

“If you had to choose between (1) killing one person to save the lives of five others and (2) doing nothing, even though you knew that five people would die right before your eyes if you did nothing—what would you do? What would be the right thing to do? That’s the hypothetical scenario Professor Michael Sandel uses to launch his course on moral reasoning.”

http://www.justiceharvard.org/2011/03/episode-01/#watch

Book: What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limit of Markets

January 26, 2015

From the author, Michael Sandel (who created the online course Justice), What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets

“A renowned political philosopher rethinks the role that markets and money should play in our society. Should we pay children to read books or to get good grades? Should we put a price on human life to decide how much pollution to allow? Is it ethical to pay people to test risky new drugs or to donate their organs? What about hiring mercenaries to fight our wars, outsourcing inmates to for-profit prisons, auctioning admission to elite universities, or selling citizenship to immigrants willing to pay?” -Amazon Description