The Act of Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

The Act of Utilitarianism Essay Act utilitarianism states that, when faced with a choice, we must first consider the likely consequences of potential actions and, from that, choose to do what we believe will generate the most pleasure. The rule utilitarian, on the other hand, begins by looking at potential rules of action. To determine whether a rule should be followed, he or she looks at what would happen if it were constantly followed. If adherence to the rule produces more happiness than otherwise, it is a rule that morally must be followed at all times. The distinction between act and rule utilitarianism is therefore based on a difference about the proper object of consequential calculation — specific to a case or generalized to rules. Also to achieve the greater good for the greater number of people. Rule utilitarianism has been criticized for advocating general rules that, in some specific circumstances, clearly decrease happiness if followed. Never to kill another human being may seem to be a good rule, but it could make self-defense against malevolent aggressors very difficult. Rule utilitarians add, however, that there are general exception rules that allow the breaking of other rules if such rule-breaking increases happiness, one example being self-defense. Critics argue that this reduces rule utilitarianism to act utilitarianism and makes rules meaningless. Rule utilitarians retort that rules in the legal system (i. e. , laws) that regulate such situations are not meaningless. Self-defense is legally justified, while murder is not. However, within rule utilitarianism there is a distinction between the strictness and absolutism of this particular branch of utilitarianism. Strong Rule Utilitarianism is an absolutist theory, which frames strict rules that apply for all people and all time and may never be broken. John Stuart Mill proposed Weak Rule utilitarianism, which posits that, although rules should be framed on previous examples that benefit society, it is possible, under specific circumstances, to do what produces the greatest happiness and break that rule. An example would be the Gestapo asking where your Jewish neighbours were; a strong rule utilitarian might say the Do not lie rule must never be broken, whereas a weak rule utilitarian would argue that to lie would produce the most happiness.

Immigration and Discrimination :: Race Racism Prejudice

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the late 1800’s and into the 1900’s many people immigrated to the United States from Europe and Asia in hope of finding prosperity, and a better life than the one they were leading in their old homes. Another reason was the sudden industrialization of Europe. (The transformation from small, agriculture-based societies to manufacturing economies was so rapid and sweeping that it became known as the Industrial Revolution.) With all this occurring so quickly many people decided to come to America, but when they arrived here they didn’t get what they expected. More than 12 million people immigrated through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924, the peak years of the port. They came to America hoping to find the â€Å"promise land† but from their journey till when they first arrived in America wasn’t so promising. Nearly all of the immigrants faced a terrible trip to the U.S., such as sitting in steerage, not receiving a lot of food or proper medical attention, and being crammed together in a very small area. Along with the bad conditions, the immigrants also faced many prejudices and hardships as they arrived.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon arriving in Ellis Island, the immigrants were given a physical examination to see whether or not they were fit to live in the United States. In 1891, Congress created the INS, or Immigration and Naturalization Service to administer federal laws dealing with admission, exclusion, and deportation of aliens. The overwhelming majority of immigrants, regardless of ethnicity, were subjected to discrimination. They were not given the same opportunities as native born Americans even if they were equally qualified for certain jobs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ellis Island though, wasn’t nearly as bad as its counterpart on the west coast, Angel Island. Generally on Ellis Island, immigrants were processed within hours or days, but on Angel Island it took weeks or even months. It soon turned into a detention center and because of its proximity towards Asia it consisted mostly of Asians, predominantly of Chinese descent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many laws and acts were passed over the course of several years when the immigrants started filtering in more and more in order to limit the amount of people that came from various countries. Quotas were set for the number of people coming to the U.S. from a certain country and a quota was set for the total number of people that entered America. People were scared for their jobs and didn’t want any more people here to take over the land. Immigration and Discrimination :: Race Racism Prejudice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the late 1800’s and into the 1900’s many people immigrated to the United States from Europe and Asia in hope of finding prosperity, and a better life than the one they were leading in their old homes. Another reason was the sudden industrialization of Europe. (The transformation from small, agriculture-based societies to manufacturing economies was so rapid and sweeping that it became known as the Industrial Revolution.) With all this occurring so quickly many people decided to come to America, but when they arrived here they didn’t get what they expected. More than 12 million people immigrated through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924, the peak years of the port. They came to America hoping to find the â€Å"promise land† but from their journey till when they first arrived in America wasn’t so promising. Nearly all of the immigrants faced a terrible trip to the U.S., such as sitting in steerage, not receiving a lot of food or proper medical attention, and being crammed together in a very small area. Along with the bad conditions, the immigrants also faced many prejudices and hardships as they arrived.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon arriving in Ellis Island, the immigrants were given a physical examination to see whether or not they were fit to live in the United States. In 1891, Congress created the INS, or Immigration and Naturalization Service to administer federal laws dealing with admission, exclusion, and deportation of aliens. The overwhelming majority of immigrants, regardless of ethnicity, were subjected to discrimination. They were not given the same opportunities as native born Americans even if they were equally qualified for certain jobs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ellis Island though, wasn’t nearly as bad as its counterpart on the west coast, Angel Island. Generally on Ellis Island, immigrants were processed within hours or days, but on Angel Island it took weeks or even months. It soon turned into a detention center and because of its proximity towards Asia it consisted mostly of Asians, predominantly of Chinese descent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many laws and acts were passed over the course of several years when the immigrants started filtering in more and more in order to limit the amount of people that came from various countries. Quotas were set for the number of people coming to the U.S. from a certain country and a quota was set for the total number of people that entered America. People were scared for their jobs and didn’t want any more people here to take over the land.

Cambodians Under Pol Pot

Cambodians Under Pol Pot Cambodia, a small country just west of Vietnam, gained independence after nearly 100 years of French rule. They first faced the problem of Communism during the Vietnamese Civil War. They remained neutral by contributing equally to North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was a Communist country while South Vietnam was advised by the U. S. The Khmer Rouge, a group of Communist rebels, was led by Pol Pot. They soon took over Cambodia, killing hundreds of thousands of people. They transformed the country into a Communist society. The people of Cambodia rebelled because of the harsh dictatorship.Within days of the Khmer Rouge taking over, changes were made. New policies were created stating that the entire population should become a collective federation of farmers. All educated people (doctors, lawyers, teachers, and scientists) were murdered. Schools, factories, and hospitals were shut down. Any and all kinds of political rights were eliminated as well. The peopl e of Cambodia were purposely placed in working camps as far away from their homes as possible, working for extremely long hours and receiving minimal rations. Racism was also a problem. All Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai’s were murdered.Certain religions were also not acceptable such as Christianity and Muslim. The children of Cambodia were indoctrinated causing them to become extremely brainwashed and almost everyone was a victim of torture as well. There was very little involvement by the U. S. to stop the genocide in Cambodia. This was because the United States was already involved in the Vietnam War and they were facing many social and political pressures. The only reason they were involved was to stop the spread of communism. Finally, the Vietnamese invaded and overthrew the Khmer Rouge.They immediately installed a less repressive government but this didn’t stop the fighting. They only wanted to take over Cambodia so that their Communist society would grow. The Vie tnamese eventually withdrew and Cambodia adopted a democratic constitution which held free elections. The economy and society of Cambodia has never truly recovered from the genocide. Although Cambodia has made many attempts to change its economy, it is still based mainly upon agricultural development because Pol Pot’s policies destroyed their foreign aid and all of Cambodia’s educated professionals were killed.

Childhood Obesity: Parents dilemma Essay

Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal discomforts are some of the many serious health effects that should be the nightmare we all avoid. So why it is that in today’s society we are faced with the alarming fact of half of our population being obese, which are the causative agents to these malicious health problems? It seems as if this is an ongoing problem that may never cease to exist. Why? If the quandary of obesity isn’t realized and address it would not be acknowledged as a problem, therefore it would not be corrected. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, child obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) at or above the 95 percentile to children of the same sex and age. Obesity is an excess proportion of total body fat. A child is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index or BMI. Obesity is rapidly becoming a world wide epidemic, and is starting with our children. Stanford (2001) proposes that the escalation of obesity could be the greatest health threat the world will face in the 21st century. Stanford is highlighting that childhood obesity is a growing health dilemma with a deadly prospect, but who are to blame? In this world today the roles of parents are becoming more demanding than ever before. Our basic knowledge of a parent is one that guides and teaches how to live and survive in this complex world. They are the ones that influence and set out lessons to learn and morals to live by, they are the ones to protect you from harm and detour you from their previous mistakes. Becoming a parent one takes on endless responsibilities and countless blames. However, a parent is only human and can only take full responsibility for certain decisions and behaviors made by their child or children. According to Oxford, a child is defined as a young human being below the age of full development which is 18 and childhood is the period of being a child. Obesity is one of the many hefty misconceptions placed on parents, as we over look the alliance with genetics, environmental and psychological factors. Childhood obesity is in fact highly associated with genetics. A child is in its developmental stage; therefore, genetics plays an accommodating position in the development of obesity. Hills (2011) assume that â€Å"recent studies of genetic syndromes of obesity in rodents have provided insights in to the underlying mechanisms that may play a role in energy homoeostasis. In recent years, research has begun to identify human disorders of energy balance that arise from defects in these or related genes [42]. These mutations have been shown to result in morbid obesity in children without the developmental features that commonly accompany recognized syndromes of childhood obesity. Most children probably have some genetic predisposition to obesity, depending on their family history and ethnicity.† There is no denying that genetic alone is the cause for childhood obesity but it is a major fact that it is a large contributor to this chief health hazard. Harvard (2012) remarks â€Å"subsequent work on the relationship between the FTO gene, physical activity, and obesity yielded contradictory results. (16-18) To arrive at a more definitive answer, investigators recently combined and re-analyzed the data from 45 studies in adults and 9 studies in children—nearly 240,000 people in all. (19) They found that people who carried the obesity-promoting FTO gene variant had a 23 percent higher risk of obesity than those who did not.† Nonetheless, genetics is a contributing factor, and the reality of it is that it can be controlled by means of healthy eating habits and exercise regiments. However, why should parents be blamed for uncontrollably giving their child the â€Å"obesity curse† which was given to them? Determination of a healthy choice is not an easy one for a child when there are a variety of endless environmental factors that alter decision making. Children spend time away from their parents almost 50% of the time in a day which can be spent at school, child care and community environments, while parents meet the demands of world. The development of a child can be a very confusing one based on decision making. It is difficult for many children to make healthy food choices when the environment they are exposed to encourage great availability to high-energy-dense foods and sugar drinks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stipulate, â€Å"a recent study among children showed that a high-energy-dense diet is associated with a higher risk for excess body fat during childhood. Sugar drinks are the largest source of added sugar and an important contributor of calories in the diets of children in the United States. High consumption of sugar drinks, which have few, if any, nutrients, has been associated with obesity. On a typical day, 80% of youth drink sugar drinks.† Today the schools provide students with vendor machines, school stores, canteens or snack bars lighted up like candy land where you can eat to your hearts content. Cafeterias and lunch programs are no different; Hoang Do Wendt (2009) explains a report by USDA in the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study shows that typical school lunches derive 35% of their energy from fat and 12% of their energy from saturated fat, which is higher than the recommended levels of 30% and 10% respectively (USDA 2001). Various lunch vendors and programs want to meet the satisfaction of their buyers, which are the children. Lehmann (2010) proposes that â€Å"even in the face of an obesity epidemic, cafeteria directors say they need the brand-name meals to keep their programs running. Schools and other food distributors are concerned with purchasing and distributing food that would be appealing to children. The choices made by most of the lunch vendors doesn’t exactly encourage healthy eating h abits, as their goal is to reinforce children’s taste for fast food for that golden dollar. In close relation to environmental factors, the additional causative agents of childhood obesity are psychological factors. The weight of depression, low self esteem, and social anxiety plays a major role in childhood obesity. Acceptance for a child, in relation to his or her peers places pressure on their mind and in their bodies. Lawson alleged that at the center of obesity-depression link is biology, notably the hormonal pathway known as the HPA axis. It is the route of communication between the hypothalamus, the peanut-sized part of the brain that governs parts of the nervous system, and the pituitary and adrenal glands, which secrete a variety of hormones, which work together to maintain chemical equilibrium when the body is under stress. The HPA axis is responsible for releasing cortisol, the so-called â€Å"stress hormone.† It plays a critical role in energy metabolism as well as other functions. The problem is, cortisol prompts the body to deposit fat around the abdome n, a pattern that is especially hazardous to health. Chronic stress also begets depression. â€Å"Obesity, depression and behavioral disorders have all been linked to abnormal functioning of the HPA axis,† says Mustillo. It is a fact that many children today battle depression due too many environmental stressor at home, school and friendships. Depression is coped many ways, however in relation to obesity, the comfort is found in food. This over loveable obsession for food in relation to depression contributes to an unhealthy lifestyle followed by an extension of psychological factors. Low self-esteem is also a contributing factor of obesity. When a child suffers from this disorder, what ever discussion, education, talk on caring for their body would travel through one ear and out the next. Eating may become a source of reassurance in reference to how they are feeling. Lawson discloses by acknowledging that there is an interaction between what’s outside your body and what’s inside. â€Å"Obesity carries a large social stigma and may bring on depression if it negatively affects self-esteem, body image or social mobility. It may even disrupt the normal hormonal pathways. Then again, depression may also bring on obesity, if a child lacks the energy to exercise or is immobilized by stress.† Dealing with social ills, social anxiety is one strongly associated with children and their social relationships. Children greatest fear in their psychological development is rejection from their peers. Some children shy away from the normality of having peers for different reasons. Many children are victims of bullying and social discrimination, for many, there only source of comfort is food. Martyn-Nemeth et al (2009) found that low self esteem is clearly associated with over eating and weight gain in adolescents. Many other studies indicate t hat overweight and obese children and adolescents have moderately lower self esteem than non obese peers. There are numerous types of psychological factors and they play with different approaches to obesity. In one study, 70% of obese children had at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor and 39% had two or more. It is heartrending to announce that there is a substantial amount of children affected by obesity today. We are all knowledgeable of health risks caused by obesity which includes physical and emotional dilemmas. These health risks can also create a shadow to follow children in adulthood. If children are overweight or obese, when in adulthood the affects are likely to be more severe. There are multiple factors in this occurrence of childhood obesity which makes food preferences and consumption questionable. Those factors does however, include parent influence and education. It is not denied that parents are totally out of being the causative agents of childhood obesity. They are however a massive contribution with this underlying problem, but we have to think out the box. Think about a thirteen year old girl entering puberty, whose parents love her unconditionally and her mother prepares all meals according to the national food guide, but yet still battles obesity. Are her parents overweight? What kinds of foods does she have access to at school? Is she suffering from depression or social neglect? One can’t look at an obese child and say I blame the parent. For all its worth that parent maybe the only struggling for help and answers. Obesity is a worldwide crisis, affecting millions of children from different ethnicities, cultures and religions. Does this mean that the millions of children affected, parents are to blame? Obesity can only be corrected by addressing all possible contributions to this dilemma. Therefore, the blame for childhood obesity needs to be lifted of the heads of parents and tackled by the world at large. Works Cited Fernando L. Vazquez and Angela Torres. Behavioral and Psychosocial Factors in Childhood Obesity. Hills, Andrew. â€Å"Genetics of Childhood Obesity.† Journal of Obesity 11 (2010) Lawson, Willow. The Obesity-Depression Link Philadelphia Lehmann, Deborah â€Å"Why School Cafeterias are Dishing Out Fast Foods† Intechopen Retrieved from http://www.intechopen.com/books/childhood-obesity

The Edible Woman essays

The Edible Woman essays The Edible Woman written by Margaret Atwood is about women and their relationships to men, to society, to food and to eating. In chapter 22, Marian and Duncan are invited to dine at Trevors (Duncans friend) apartment. I have to say honestly that not many events occur during this chapter but the ones that do are very significant for the development of the characters and satirical. For example, in chapter 22 we really get to see Fishs intellectual side, constantly analyzing poetry and sharing his own perspective on society. On another note, Marian is faced with a plate of food, and this reflects her state of mind at this point of the story; still confused about her role in society, but is slowly finding a way around it, grabbing the chunks of meat and tossing them towards Duncans plate. She scraped most of the sauce from one of the chunks of meat, picked it up between thumb and finger, and tossed it to him over the candles Something else interesting that I noticed in this chapter is when Fish recites his interpretation of Alice in Wonderland. I believe that this is a sort of inroad to understanding the novel, depicting Marian as a type of Alice. Of course everybody knows Alice is a sexual-identity-crisis book . . . this is the little girl . . . trying to find her role ... as a Woman. One sexual role after another is presented to her but she seems unable to accept any of them . . . she rejects maternity . . . nor does she respond positively to the dominating-female role . . . Marian Mc Alpin: Marian Mc Alpin is a very easy going woman that seems to find her way around everything. She is extremely polite, patient and copes with everything throughout the story. Marian copes with her roommate Ainsley's radical ideas about getting pregnant without first getting married, she copes with Peter's moods, adjusting her emotions ar ...

Philosophy of Science Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Philosophy of Science - Coursework Example ve knowledge about things and are capable of even discovering others including those which make up the fundamental truth of the structure of reality supports the underdetermination arguments. This therefore implies that both weak and strong underdetermination are critical aspects in the understanding of philosophy of science. It is however worth noting that his call for more epistemic  resources like the ampliative principles of beliefs which are meant to help in narrowing down merely logical possibilities to come up with those that are rationally defensible is very problematic. Despite the fact that underdetermination is known to pose a threat to the rationality of scientific enterprise, Laudan argued that the significance of underdetermination is often exaggerated in a variety of contexts and claims. To him, underdetermination comes with a variety of strengths2. However, the known or seen strengths primarily depends on what is being said or asserted about a given character, the rational defensibility of the competing hypothesis and the ways through which people revise their beliefs on different evidences which are available to

Course Project Milestone Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Course Project Milestone - Research Paper Example Most of her body systems are well and functioning as they should (Kotecki, 2011, p. 170). The areas of weakness are her related traits and habits, and experiences of mild headaches. There are times when the patient feels so stressed by her past experiences. B. Client’s strengths The patient is active and exercises on a daily basis. She jogs and is involved in some activities in the community. This helps her kip fit and good shape, something that has helped her keep off most diseases (Kotecki, 2011, p. 170). Another area of strength for the patient is her health patterns. The patient ensures that she eats a healthy diet, and does not oversleep (Kotecki, 2011, p. 174). More to that, the patient’s excretory system is normal. To deal with her stresses, the patient attends stress management classes where she learns how to avoid the stress from affecting her health. Another area of strength is that she is a spiritual woman and has a positive attitude towards life and all arou nd her. All these have helped the woman to remain and stable, keeping off diseases that are likely to attack her and especially at her age. C. Areas of concern The woman complained of a persistent pain under her breast bone that lasted for quite some time. She also complained of some difficulties in breathing which prompted her to visit the health facility. One area that may place the woman’s health at risk is her habit of smoking and taking of alcohol(Golden, Fred, Heath, & William, 2009, 34). The woman tends to smoke heavily especially when under a lot of stress. This could place her at risk of acquiring problems especially with her respiratory system. Another area of weakness is that the lady was diagnosed with hypertension. This makes even her habit of smoking more risky. The patient is also allergic to Penicillin, because years back, she had developed a rash after an injection had been administered to her years back. The patient has a history of depression and anxiety wh ich resulted after she lost her husband 10 years ago. Her anxiety is due to the fact that she has not seen her grandkids yet and this increases her chances of getting a heart attack. The patient suffers from mild headaches that could be a result of anxiety and depression. D. Health teaching topics The patient needs to be given more classes on how to deal and manage her levels of stress, so as to reduce the chances of having a heart attack or suffering from high hypertension levels. The patient will also need to be taught about the dangers associated with smoking and especially for a person with hypertension and at her age. 2: Nursing Care Plan Next, plan your care based on your analysis of your assessment data: A. Diagnosis The patient’s priorities are having the best health care services at an affordable price. She does all she can to ensure that she remains healthy and free from chronic diseases which she says are not worth wasting resources over. With this in mind, the bes t nursing diagnosis is the wellness nursing diagnosis. B. Plan One goal that the wellness nursing diagnosis is expected to meet is that the patient’s health gets improved and the hypertension levels kept low. The expected outcome is that the patient will be in a more stable state of health. It is also expected that the headaches will reduce and hypertension levels will remain low. C. Intervention Intervention 1: to define and state a desired BP by explaining hypertension and the effects it has on body. Rationale: To increase the