Life and Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Life and Death - Essay Example In other words, as Brookes (20) says, it is the infinite in the finite. Before joining the class, I was of the belief that war is justifiable as a means to protect the innocent. However, the pacifist ideology made me confused as that is against any kind of violence. There are various opinions in this class of thought as some people in the pacifist group think war is justifiable if it is used for defense purposes while some are totally against any violence. However, the question arose in my mind if it is justifiable to stay silent and inactive when one witnesses atrocities in society, say in another country. I thought of the military action undertaken by NATO in various nations when there are large scale human rights violations. Then, one will have to admit that abstaining from war against the erring will cause more damage to the innocent than resorting to war. Thus, I reached the realization that in the case of war, the only possible conclusion is ‘end justifies means’. In total, my opinion seemed closer to Just War Theory that intends to set some moral and political criteria that justify war. At this juncture, some people opine that if this is the case, terrorism too gains justifiable grounds. However, in my opinion, terrorism is in no way justifiable. There are two reasons that make terrorism unacceptable and different from war. Terrorism intentionally aims the innocent while the kind of war I support intends to protect the innocent. Moreover, while war is intended to impose the wish of the majority on a minority, terrorism is the attempt to achieve the goals of a minority against the wish of majority. Thus, terrorism does not have a rational ‘end’ to justify the means. In total, while war enjoys the support of Utilitarianism, terrorism enjoys the support of none. Regarding Euthanasia, I realized how difficult it is to reach a logical conclusion about the morality in it. Firstly, there is the Utilitarian theory of John Stuart Mill ac cording to which the action that produces maximum happiness to the greatest number is the best approach. Thus, it becomes evident that the acceptability of mercy killing, according to Utilitarianism, is purely dependent on how the patient and his family accept it. However, as Warburton (57) points out, someone who advocates deontologist ideology may claim that one should not think about the consequences and must strictly adhere to the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’. Here, it becomes evident that while taking moral judgments in euthanasia, one will be forced to strictly follow one ethical theory and forget the rest. So, as in the case of war, there are instances where killing is the best solution and hence justifiable. In addition, there is the issue of the morality of abortion. In fact there are a number of ethical questions associated with abortion. The first is when a fetus should be considered as a human being. As far as this question remains unanswered by the sci ence fraternity, I find it difficult to answer the question. If the fetus is considered as a human being, the question will be if it is right to kill a human being. However, it seems that all ethical theories agree on the fact that an innocent person should not be killed. However, various groups possess various assumptions about when to consider a fetus as a human being. Even if a fetus is considered as a human being, there are circumstances like war when human beings are killed. So, in my opinion, abortion is justifiable, but depends on the ‘end’ the action wants to achieve. Thus, in total, it seems that all

Ersatz Happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ersatz Happiness - Essay Example However, this kind of euphoria is clearly false and robs a person’s right to a substantial life. The different characters in the story also portray hints that being in the new world is not really satisfactory. In the same sense, all the other methods that the Utopians have such as the â€Å"feelies† in order to have a â€Å"happy† life are blemished. The feelies is a kind of a movie theater that is supposed to be the main source of entertainment. In this cinema, the senses are falsely generated. Thus, Utopian’s ersatz happiness equates to a meaningless existence. The author, Huxley, cautions his readers against scientific utopianism. Though his novel was published in 1932, the principles that may be derived from his work are still quite applicable today. Unlike the contemporary utopian novels of his time such as â€Å"A Modern Utopia† by H.G. Wells, he sought to picture a pessimistic future. This may be influenced by the industrial revolution that w as quite apparent in the 20th century. There were also particular companies that advocated advancements concerning science and technology such as Imperial Chemical Companies (ICI). In its prime, it was known as the â€Å"biggest chemical group in the UK† (Bawden 1). This may have influenced Huxley’s portrayal of pharmacological achievements. ... A number of them could have viewed cutting-edge science as a savior. In addition, due to the unemployment at that time, the use of marijuana was introduced by Mexican immigrants (Monroy 27). Some people used this psychoactive drug to escape reality and experience a moment of elation. This is somehow parallel with Soma which was used to annihilate negative moods. In the story, there are indications that the Utopians felt that something was missing in their existence. They have occasional inklings of dissatisfaction. â€Å"Happiness is not a static state. Even the happiest of people- the cheeriest 10% -feel blue at times† (Wallis 2). There is a need to experience painful emotion to truly feel happiness. It is the healthy combination of negative and positive emotion that helps people to make a sense of reality. Without feeling low, it is difficult to realize the opposite. Hence, the people in the new world did not really have euphoria in the real sense. The difference between the so called perfect world and that of the outside is portrayed when the difference between the Savage Reservation and the new world was described. This is especially noticeable in John who was known as â€Å"the savage†. He spent his early childhood in the Reservation and was brought to Utopia. Indeed, he did not have the culture that denotes a very stable society. However, he still possessed quite humane characteristics such as truthfulness as well as benevolence. Comparably, people who are genuinely happy have more positive attributes. â€Å"Kindness might create a virtuous cycle that promotes lasting happiness and altruism† (Dixon, â€Å"Kindness Makes You Happy and Happiness Makes You Kind). According to the