Medicine, Metaphysics and Morals
ABSTRACT: Moral decisions concerning what ought to be done always assume metaphysical presuppositions concerning the way the world is. In the field of biomedical ethics, some of the metaphysical presuppositions underlying many current discussions of issues of life and death seem particularly implausible. These include our assumption of the reality of social atomism and our beliefs relating to the possibility of autonomy. Given the implausibility of these two assumptions, many discussions have focused our attention on the wrong issues by reducing questions of alternative social practices to questions of individual preferences. Far from facilitating intelligent solutions to our problems, this merely clouds the issues involved.
Obviously decisions about what ought to be done in any given circumstance presuppose the acceptance of beliefs regarding what can in fact be done. In short moral judgments presuppose metaphysical commitments, beliefs about the way the world is. Unfortunately, social pressures in most modern societies militate against the open admission of any metaphysical commitments on the part of persons involved in making moral judgments in the field of applied ethics known as biomedical ethics. Ethical decisions in the area of medicine need to be seen as acceptable to as large a segment of the community as possible. However, since the community in most modern societies is remarkably heterogeneous with respect to assumptions concerning the way the world is, any explicit reference to metaphysical assumptions on the part of one discussing biomedical ethics is apt to be challenged by at least some members of the community. Hence those involved in discussions of biomedical ethics tend to ...
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..., 2nd ed. Veatch London: Jones and Bartlett 1997, p.33.
(15) Beauchamp, T. - "Informed Consent" in Medical Ethics ed. Veatch London: Jones and Bartlett. 1997. p 195.
(16) Hendin, H. - Seduced by Death: Doctors, Patients, and the Dutch Care. New York: W.W. Norton 1997 p. 157.
(17) Pellegrino, E.D. - "The Place of Intention in the Moral Assessment of Assisted Suicide and Active Euthanasia" in Intending Death: The Ethics of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia ed. Beauchamp, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall 1996.
(18) Ibid.
(19) Ibid.
(20) Hardwig - op cit. p 34-35
(21) For Example see: Brody, H. - "The Physician-Patient Relationship" in Medical Ethics. Second Ed. Veatch London: Jones and Bartlett 1997 pp. 75-79.
(22) Chamblis, D.F.- Beyond Caring: Hospitals, Nurses, and the Social Organization of Ethics, Chicago 1996, University of Chicago Press p. 165.
America is by far one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations worldwide. But to be such a powerhouse and beacon of some much opportunity, The United States is struggling to provide families with the sufficient amount of food. The parts of the country that lack adequate food supply are known as food deserts. The term food desert can be used when describing areas with limited resources and little to no access to fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy products. Affordable and nutritious food is almost impossible to gain access to in food deserts. Approximately 2.3 million of Americans live over a mile away from a supermarket and do not have a car. This equates to about 2.2 percent of all U.S. households. These statistics are according the data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. The reports also indicate that some of these areas include vast, rural parts of West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, as well as urban areas like New York City, Chicago, Detroit, and Los Angeles. The people residing in majority of these food deserts are predominantly African Americans.
Sylvia Plath a highly acclaimed twentieth century American poet whose writings were mostly influenced by her life experiences. Her father died shortly after her eighth birthday and her first documented attempt at suicide was in her early twenties. She was married at age twenty-three and when she discovered her husband was having an affair she left him with their two children. Her depression and the abandonment she felt as a child and as a woman is what inspires most of her works. Daddy is a major decision point where Plath decides to overcome her father’s death by telling him she will no longer allow his memory to control her.
Though lung cancer can originate inside of the lungs, it can also originate in other parts of the body. When the cancer begins inside of the lungs it’s called Primary Lung Cancer, when the cancer begins in other parts of the body and spreads to the lungs this is called Secondary Lung Cancer. These two different origins of the cancer cause the treatments and symptoms to very in similarity, though Primary Lung Cancer is the main cause of lung cancer deaths worldwide.
When one initially chooses a career path, one rarely looks at all the negatives that may be associated with that choice. Most career paths have some negatives associated with the field, but few face the moral dilemmas associated with modern healthcare. Those who choose to be in the healthcare profession today are faced with moral and ethical dilemmas that would make King Solomon tear his hair out. In many cases, doctors, and sometimes nurses, are faced with life and death decisions without the benefit of knowing the patient’s, or the patient’s family’s, wishes. However, aside from those tragic times when a patient’s wishes are unknown, healthcare professionals must always put their own morals aside, and act
Ploeg, M. ver; Breneman, V.; Farrigan, T.; Hamrick, K.; Hopkins, D.;Kaufman, P.; Lin, B. H.; Nord, M.; Smith, T.; Williams, R.; Kinnison, Access to affordable and nutritious food measuring and understanding food deserts and their consequences : report to Congress ([Rev. Sept. 3, 2009] ed.). (2009). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
Although there is no universally accepted definition of “food deserts,” one way to approach the concept is to begin with access, or the degree to which individuals live within close proximity to a large supermarket or supercenter. Many perceive such food establishments as offering consumers a wider array of food choices at relatively lower costs.
The right to assisted suicide is a significant topic that concerns people all over the United States. The debates go back and forth about whether a dying patient has the right to die with the assistance of a physician. Some are against it because of religious and moral reasons. Others are for it because of their compassion and respect for the dying. Physicians are also divided on the issue. They differ where they place the line that separates relief from dying--and killing. For many the main concern with assisted suicide lies with the competence of the terminally ill. Many terminally ill patients who are in the final stages of their lives have requested doctors to aid them in exercising active euthanasia. It is sad to realize that these people are in great agony and that to them the only hope of bringing that agony to a halt is through assisted suicide.When people see the word euthanasia, they see the meaning of the word in two different lights. Euthanasia for some carries a negative connotation; it is the same as murder. For others, however, euthanasia is the act of putting someone to death painlessly, or allowing a person suffering from an incurable and painful disease or condition to die by withholding extreme medical measures. But after studying both sides of the issue, a compassionate individual must conclude that competent terminal patients should be given the right to assisted suicide in order to end their suffering, reduce the damaging financial effects of hospital care on their families, and preserve the individual right of people to determine their own fate.
Steinbock, Bonnie, Alex J. London, and John D. Arras. "The Principles Approach." Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine. Contemporary Readings in Bioethics. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 36-37. Print.
Enron started about 18 years ago in July of 1985. Huston Natural Gas merged with InterNorth, a natural gas company. After their merge they decided to come up with a new name, Enron. Enron grew in that 18-year span to be one of America's largest companies. A man named Kenneth Lay who was an energy economist became the CEO of Enron. He was an optimistic man and was very eager to do things a new way. He built Enron into an enormous corporation and in just 9 years Enron became the largest marketer of electricity in the United States. Just 6 years after that, in the summer of 2000 the stock was at a tremendous all time high and sold for more than 80 dollars a share. Enron was doing great and everything you could see was perfect, but that was the problem, it was what you couldn't see that was about to get Enron to the record books.
Jecker, N. (1990). Integrating medical ethics with normative theory: Patient advocacy and social responsibility. 11(2), 125-139.
Today, medical interventions have made it possible to save or prolong lives, but should the process of dying be left to nature? (Brogden, 2001). Phrases such as, “killing is always considered murder,” and “while life is present, so is hope” are not enough to contract with the present medical knowledge in the Canadian health care system, which is proficient of giving injured patients a chance to live, which in the past would not have been possible (Brogden, 2001). According to Brogden, a number of economic and ethical questions arise concerning the increasing elderly population. This is the reason why the Canadian society ought to endeavor to come to a decision on what is right and ethical when it comes to facing death. Uhlmann (1998) mentions that individuals’ attitudes towards euthanasia differ. From a utilitarianism point of view – holding that an action is judged as good or bad in relation to the consequence, outcome, or end result that is derived from it, and people choosing actions that will, in a given circumstance, increase the overall good (Lum, 2010) - euthanasia could become a means of health care cost containment, and also, with specific safeguards and in certain circumstances the taking of a human life is merciful and that all of us are entitled to end our lives when we see fit.
The story of Enron begins in 1985, with the merger of two pipeline companies, orchestrated by a man named Kenneth L. Lay (Zellner & Forest, 2001). In its 15 years of existence, Enron expanded its operations to provide products and services in the areas of electricity, natural gas as well as communications. Through its diversification, Enron would become known as a corporate America darling (Tonge, Greer & Lawton, 2003) and Fortune Magazine’s most innovative company for 5 years in a row (Hayes & Ariail, 2013). They reported extraordinary profits in a short amount of time. For example, in 1998 Enron shares were valued at a little over $20, while in mid-2000, those same shares were valued at just over $90 (Hayes & Ariail, 2013), the all-time high during the company’s existence (Tonge, Greer & Lawton, 2003).
McGee, Glenn and Arthur L. Caplan. "Medical Ethics." Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997: Microsoft Corporation. CD-ROM.
Enron Corp. is a company that reached dramatic heights, only to face a dizzying collapse. The story ends with the bankruptcy of one of America 's largest corporations. Enron 's collapse affected the lives of thousands of employees and shook Wall Street to its core. At Enron 's peak, its shares were worth $90.75, but they plummeted to $0.67 in January 2002 following bankruptcy. To this day, many wonder how such a powerful business disintegrated almost overnight and how it managed to fool the regulators with fake, off-the-books corporations for so long.
Enron Corporation was an American company that specialized in energy commodities and services well known for its impressive rise and scandalous decline. The company was based in Houston, Texas and was formed in July 1985 as a result of Houston Natural Gas merging with InterNorth, an Omaha based company. Kenneth L. Lay, who previously worked as the CEO of Houston Natural Gas, became the chairmen and chief executive of the newly formed Enron in 1986 (Jelveh and Russell, The Rise and Fall of Enron). Enron initially began as an interstate and intrastate natural gas piping company containing 37,500 miles of pipe. The earliest signs of trouble surfaced in January 1987, when the company became aware of...