Describes the philosophy of Epicurus, which held that a life of pleasure was the highest good. Discusses the strong moral sense that differentiates Epicureanism from Hedonism.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 1 source, 2001, $ 31.95
From the Paper "Epicureanism is a philosophy which emphasizes that freedom from pain in the body and from trouble in the mind should be the goal of a happy life. This was the philosophy taught by the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who lived from 341 to 270 BC. Many people assume that Epicureanism is simply a devotion to pleasure, comfort, and high living with little thought for the consequences, but the truth is more complex. Indeed, this should be seen in the fact that Epicurus was seen in his lifetime and for centuries afterward as a moral reformer, for the ideas he had on how a person should live were based on his understanding of the natural world and on his beliefs about the relationship between body and soul. Epicureanism is an appealing philosophy because of its moral sense combined with its understanding of the need of the human being for a happy life as an overriding goal..."
From the Paper "This research examines the validity of the statement: "there is more ethical accountability in local government than at the federal level." This issue will be addressed first by describing the movement toward developing ethical codes for governmental officials, followed by an analysis of the "reinventing government" movement that has heightened the accountability of local governments.
Talking about "ethical issues" is easier than defining "ethics" to everyone's satisfaction. As subjective judgments of competing values are involved, individual interpretations are characterized by continuing disagreement, ambiguity, and uncertainty. However within societies there tends to be acceptance that ethical issues are linked to a code of conduct. In the case of business associations and government bodies, this ..."
From the Paper "Aristotle defined eudaimonia, or happiness, as ?the best possible life.? It may be argued that people today see happiness in much the same way; a challenge arises, however, when one attempts to define what is meant by ?the best possible life.? Our multicultural society's views are difficult to pin down, but it will be proposed in this paper that modern philosophy as a whole embraces an understanding of happiness different from that of Aristotle. The ideas of two influential thinkers of the modern era, Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx, as well as an informal survey of ?pop culture,? will be appealed to as support for this thesis.
Aristotle approached the idea of happiness, or eudaimonia, from the standpoint of ?what is good for man,? in accordance with the meaning of what it is to be ?man.? The discussion of eudaimonia, then, must begin with two definitions: what it is to.."
From the Paper " DETERMINISM VERSUS FREE WILL
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to examine the philosophical and psychological arguments regarding free will and determinism. The paper begins with an examination of the general philosophical perspectives. This is followed by a discussion of the implications and applications of these differing perspectives to the field of psychology. The final section of the paper presents a brief evaluation of the debate in general and as it relates to psychology in particular.
Philosophical Notions of Determinism and Free Will
As a philosophical doctrine, determinism can be defined as the conceptual proposition that every event, mental and physical, has a cause, and the cause being given, the event invariably.."
From the Paper "ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION & ETHICAL ISSUES
Introduction
Organ transplantation, one of the most sophisticated and expensive treatments in modern medicine, considers human values to be just as important as the treatment (Manzetti, Ankeny, & Miller, 1997, p. 389). This research paper investigates ethical issues involved in organ transplantation with a review of human rights, examples of specific issues, and recent ethical concerns.
Human Rights
Organ transplantation includes the rights of all the people involved. It involves the donation of organs and identifies the appropriate recipient; ethical issues are factors for patients, families, health care providers, legislators, and the public. Since the 1990s there has been an open forum for debate regarding..."
An arguement for active euthanasia for people with fatal diseases causing great pain and deterioration including ethics, medical and rights issues and examples.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 9 sources, 2000, $ 47.95
From the Paper "This paper contends that physician-assisted suicide should be legalized. The issue of physician-assisted suicide pertains particularly to a group of people suffering from diseases that cause a severe deterioration of human powers and capacities. Some are suffering from intolerable pain, while others find their lives unbearable. In either case, medical technology has only sustained their lives, but not improve the quality of life for them. With the assistance of a physician, these people can gain control over the timing of their death and leave the world in a dignified fashion. Especially at a time when they are losing control over their existence, they can still exercise the personal choice of dying. Unlike the critics' image of rampant "murders" of unwanted and dying patients either by the physicians or family members, the legalization of ..."
Abstract This paper states that about 20 million animals are cruelly killed per year for product testing. The author feels that alternative means of testing can be used.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Death and Injury Rate
Drug Testing
Horror in the Lab
Tests Performed
Alternatives
Conclusion
From the Paper "It's hard to imagine the cruelty some animals are subjected to during experimentation. Last year, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a researcher was videotaped ?using scissors to cut the heads off conscious, unanaesthetized animals before removing their brains (Heyde, 2002).? The researcher admitted doing it for convenience, though it violated university protocol."
Abstract The paper discusses how during our professional careers we often encounter difficult ethical situations. Often, these professional dilemmas involve a careful consideration of not only pertinent professional ethics, but a weighing of personal moral values. This study presents the ethical dilemma faced after encountering suspected drug use by a fellow employee. It shows how this is a common and complex, professional dilemma that requires the careful consideration of the consequences of several divergent courses of action. The paper uses a personal scenario to illustrate the dilemnas faced by a worker.
From the Paper "Personal morals are built on a very different basis than professional ethics. Personal morals are often built on religious faith. Family values play an important role in our personal ethics and value systems. We learn a great deal about ethics from the behaviors of our immediate and extended families. Personal experiences also do a great deal to define our personal values. For example, it is often said that a conservative is simply someone who has never been robbed, while a liberal is someone who has never had anything stolen. Simply put, this means that our experiences with other individuals, whether good or bad, often shape our personal value systems. Finally, personal values are also steeped deeply in the personality of the individual. Personalities can be seen as falling somewhere on the continuum from selfish to truly altruistic (University of Waterloo)."
Abstract This paper briefly argues against certain reasons and theories attributed to why crimes are commited. It looks at theories like poverty, television, family units and lack of police protection. The paper shows that all of these theories are circumstantial and the main reason people commit crime is by choice and free will.
From the Paper "What causes crime? There are many different theories out there as to what actually is the singular cause of crime. Some say crime is caused by poverty or by society. Others claim the cause is jealousy or adversity. Some blame crime on the breakdown of the family unit or racial discrimination. Theories include: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, economic factors, mental disease, and poverty, to name a few."
Tags: police, abuse, drug, alcohol, poverty, television, family
Abstract This paper discusses the ethical issues in leadership traits that are prevalent in the corporate world, specifically in the banking industry. The paper presents the solutions that are possible in event of unethical conduct. A brief overview of a survey is provided, illustrating the significance of moral leadership in the business world, and examining its influence on the work force.
From the Paper "Ethics can be defined as those steps that safeguard integrity of an individual or a society. The focus of this paper is however limited to ethics in organizations, belonging specifically to the banking industry.
Acting in accordance with ethics translates into accommodating moralistic behavior into one's conduct. Hence ethical conduct in businesses, though not very popular, plays an important role in formation of a healthy society. For instance the banking sector of any economy plays the key role in circulation of money and hence in maintenance of economy."
This paper examines the dropping of the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima: Whether it was an intelligent decision and reviews political and military aspects of this question.
1,575 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 4 sources, 1990, $ 55.95
From the Paper "No single military event in history had long-term consequences so profound as the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. It was not simply that a city full of people died horribly--that had happened before, and even on a slightly larger scale, in several conventional "fire raids" during World War II. But those previous raids had required on the order of a thousand planes; Hiroshima was destroyed by a single plane dropping a single bomb. By simple extension, a thousand nuclear-armed planes could destroy a thousand cities in a single raid. Civilization could be incinerated in a day.
It is usually in the broad, long-term and moral context that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (and of Nagasaki three days later) has been considered. But it was also a military operation of war--and seemingly a decisive one, since Japan surrendered .... "
From the Paper "Does a Health Care Provider have a Duty to Warn Others that a Person is HIV Positive, and How Can We Reconcile the Duty to Warn with the Duty of Confidentiality?
Because of the nature of the HIV virus and the AIDS disease, and because of the Tarasoff decision, a health care provider has an affirmative duty to warn certain third parties that a person is HIV positive in order to protect the public health. Shifting the burden of such notification to public health authorities would be an efficient method of warning third parties, but notifying law enforcement authorities may reduce the number of HIV-positive people seeking treatment, thereby having a detrimental impact on the containment of the epidemic.
While citizens of the United States have always valued privacy rights, there is a point where the national safety and..."
This paper discusses one of the key ethical issues that the accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, faced in the Enron case: A company cannot exist without clients.
Abstract The paper discusses that the Enron case was a no-win situation for Arthur Andersen. The paper points out that Arthur Andersen tried to distance themselves from the case in hope that Enron did not get caught, but Enron did get caught. The author feels that Arthur Andersen, despite client loyalty, would have managed the case better if they had severed relationships with Enron much sooner.
From the Paper "Arthur Andersen was in a tough client relations position. However, there are several points along the way where they could have perhaps at least saved their reputation. One point is when they continued to shred documents after they had been ordered by the courts to stop this activity. Had they at least obeyed that court order, then they may have been able to claim that they were not so deeply embroiled in the controversy and could have perhaps distanced themselves from it. This was the final straw as for as the public and the courts were concerned. Their actions in destroying the court order stood as clear evidence that they were both aware of and in support of the activities at Enron. This act enraged the public the most."
Abstract This paper examines how, within any organization, there are different groups of people who possess different ethical and moral values and how most of the times, the ethical values and norms of any given group are under a conflict with that of the others. It shows how such conflict of values not only affects the relationships of these groups but also harms the long-term interests of the organization. It evaluates how, for these purposes, organizations often devise policies, which are helpful in addressing the ethical and moral concerns of each group and in resolving the conflict. In addition to this, continuous and open interaction between the groups can also prove to be helpful in resolving the conflict.
From the Paper "In societies like that of the United States, where the population is becoming increasingly diverse with respect to race, ethnicity, religion and culture, resolution of ethical conflicts is crucial for the well being of the society. In this regard, the organizations play an important role as they provide an opportunity to these groups to come in close contact with each other and resolve their conflicts. However, one should note that the resolution of ethical conflicts is not an easy task."
Abstract Discussion of the Netherlands as the most euthanasia friendly country in the world. Sanctions of euthanasia in 1975. Its legalization in 2001. Guidelines. Outlines the practice of euthanasia in the Netherlands. Impact of euthanasia's official acceptance on Dutch society. Problems regarding patient consent. Argues that euthanasia is morally reprehensible.
From the Paper "Euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide as it is called in the United States, is one of the most divisive issues in medicine. From its proscription in the Hippocratic oath to its concealed practice throughout much of the world, euthanasia has been a sensitive and much discussed topic. In the U.S. the most infamous advocate of euthanasia has been Dr. Jack Kevorkian, and his struggles with the law have reverberated throughout the nation. The Netherlands, however, owns the distinction of being the most euthanasia friendly country in the world. On April 10, 2001 the Dutch Senate enacted the world's first law legalizing Euthanasia (CNN.com). This paper will outline the practice of Euthanasia as it has been applied in the Netherlands and argue that euthanasia is not only a morally reprehensible form of suicide but also has dangerously corrosive effects on society."
