When we usually think of ethics, we consider the rules between right and wrong. Although most people acquire a sense of what is right and wrong during their childhood; moral development and reasoning occurs throughout a human’s life as they pass through the different stages of life. Most people are so aware of ethical norms that to a certain extent it has been considered common sense. On the contrary, if morality was nothing more than common sense, then why are there so many ethical disputes and issues in today’s society? This topic raises various knowledge issues in the fields of arts and natural sciences such as “To what extent do ethical considerations constrain the production of knowledge in natural sciences?” and “How far do ethics play a role in the pursuit of knowledge in the field of arts?” This essay will explore these two questions in detail along with the role of the three ways of knowing (emotion, perception and reasoning). As a Biology student, the human anatomy has always fascinated me. Over the past few years I have followed the debate on the controversial human body showcase titled “Body World’s”. Gunther von Hagens the scientist/artist who created this art form indulges in a unique blend of science and art; he says “People have a right to see what we are beneath our skin”, where as many religious leaders and government officials have taken a stand that offend various cultures and religious beliefs. Nokuzola Mndende director of the Icamagu Institute, which promotes African traditional religion labeled it as “madness” and “That it’s totally against African culture.” The Body Worlds exhibit has been touring the world for nearly 20 years now and feature a unique display of bodies and body parts that have ... ... middle of paper ... ...xperiments and thus preventing them from finding out the potential benefits. Finally, the examples analyzed shows how ethics may or may not aid the pursuit of knowledge in natural sciences and the arts. In my opinion, ethics does prevent the production of knowledge. In the field of science although ethics is used just as a means to prevent accidents and disaster, it has prevented the production of knowledge by limiting the extent to which scientists can conduct experiments. However, when we look at the field of arts ethics is much more subjective. When viewing pieces of art while considering the ethics of its production, it changes from individual to individual depending on the social and cultural background of the person viewing the art piece. We can conclude that when reviewing an art piece for its ethics, one has to evaluate it based on aesthetic standards alone.
...m these advancements that are from human body parts. Instead, it is imperative to honor and preserve those who have made these interventions possible
As far as the human body is on the real and the anatomical features it fails to give an Idea of the human body in depth but an idea nonetheless. The painting in general is very proportional and in a way the people are proportional as a whole to the center; Jesus Christ. The main body part that seems to alwa...
The history of ethics exhibits many different approaches at securing an objectivist ethics. Besides traditional theistic-based approaches, there have been attempts which seek to establish some objective foundation (usually in practical reason or human interest) that is independent of, but which can be used to generate, or involve, an ethical outlook. Another less direct approach has taken the form of attempts at elaborating points of advantageous comparison between ethics and some other discip...
2. The body as a subject is evincing humanity beyond cultural construction and linguistic formulation.
Ethical judgements limit the methods available in the production of knowledge in both the arts and the natural sciences. Discuss.
“Body Art as Visual Language” by Enid Schildkrout talks about the different forms of body modifications, and their meanings within different cultures. For example, Schildkrout says “Head shaping may be a sign of high status in one culture and low status in another, but to a total outsider, these practices may appear to be simply mutilation.” In this quote, the author talks about how one body
The nature of human beings is dictated by several factors that include the idea of nature and nurture. I believe one of the most important factors in this case is nurture since it works concurrently with the nature in shaping someone’s personal conduct. Nurture helps to instill certain moral ideals in a person so that they are able to cope in their own surroundings. The main role I find that moral ideals take in shaping human nature is the fact that they help in creating human beings who live in accordance with societal moral ideals. Moral ideals then form ethics and ethics help in guiding our human behavior. This paper explores my own personal views on the relationship between human ethics and certain topics that have a great bearing on human life and their behavior within the society.
Ethical behavior is necessary for a society to function in an orderly manner. It can be argued that ethics is the glue that holds a society together. Philosophers, religious organizations, and other groups have defined in various ways ideal sets of moral principles and values. The following are different approaches, from ancient and modern traditions and philosophers, depicting their meaning and understanding of ethics and how it can be applied in ethical decision-making.
Moore, Charleen M., and C. MacKenzie Brown. "Experiencing Body Worlds: Voyeurism, Education, or Enlightenment?" Journal of Medical Humanities (2007): 231-54. Springer Science + Business Media, Oct. 2007. Web.
It is hard to pinpoint the true definition of ethics. Although it could be defined, in simple terms, as what the society approves of right and wrong, defining ethics as simple as that is “unethical”. In fact, since centuries, several philosophers have disputed with the definition of ethics and several have come up with their own philosophical ideas of ethics. But, for the time-being, the definition of ethics can be expanded to “well-founded standards of right or wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues” (Velasquez et. al). Because the definition of ethics is so confusing and conflicting, at times, it arose to a branch of ethics that investigates
Marcel Mauss in his work Techniques of the Body (1934) is regarded as the first piece of work to outline a systematic anthropology of the body (Synnott 1993). It aims to show evidence that most everyday body techniques differ between people raised in different environments, as they have a different way of life that requires a different set of skills. According to Mauss all ordinary activities such as walking, running, swimming, resting are not just techniques we are naturally equipped with but are instead culturally acquired. The aim of this paper is to critically assess Mauss’ argument that techniques of the body constitute culture. This will be done by looking at what is defined as culture in the context that Mauss refers to. An analysis of Mauss’ examples of “body techniques” given in his paper will then begin, whilst also drawing on current examples. Mauss’ work will then be compared to other writers in the field of ‘the body’ such as Elias and Goffman.
Leone, Lorie St. "The Art and History of Body Modification by Lori St. Leone |
The Exhibition of Bodies offers the opportunity to children and adults an unprecedented visual experience to learn as never before about the complex human body. The Exhibition is located at 11 Fulton Street. New York, NY 1003.The Exhibition consists of 14 full body human specimens and over 200 organs. When one goes to this exhibition, one has to go completely open minded and aware that this bodies were willingly donated to assist educational, medical and scientific research. Through Polymer preservation, each body and organs in the nine galleries are dissected to clearly show the complex anatomical systems of the human specie. In addition, individual human organs are compared when healthy and diseased. Some of the purposes of the exhibition are to encourage people to make healthy life style choices and take care of their bodies as well as educate people in terms of anatomy and biology of their own bodies.
Production of knowledge is generally seen in a positive light. However, when ethics and morality become involved in the process of production, judgements will undoubtedly be made that may seem to limit the availability of that knowledge. Ethical judgements are made by the combination of a knower, his or her standard of value, and the situation itself. In the field of the arts and natural sciences, ethics plays a crucial role in the extent one may possibly be allowed to go to when discovering new knowledge. Reason and emotion are important ways of knowing that help guide knowers in making certain moral decisions. Both ways of knowing can be associated with teleological or deontological arguments; the ethics are based on either an objectives-focused or obligations-focused mindset. In this essay, I will be discussing the limitations set on both the arts and the natural sciences as areas of knowledge. To what extent do ethical implications hinder the way art can be produced or the methods involved in expanding society’s knowledge of science?
I visited the Body Exhibition, which is located in Buena Park, California. This exhibit allows a person to get a deeper look the inside the systems of a human body and it anatomy. It includes the skeletal system, muscular system, nervous system, respiratory system, digestive system, urinary system, productive system and fetal development, circulatory system, and lastly the threatened body. This exhibit contains more than 200 actual human bodies that have been dissected and preserved. During my visit I saw many things that changed my perspective. While visiting bodies I observed the exhibit itself, observed the people around me and asked the tour guide questions regarding the bodies.