Is Utilitarianism a Defensible essays

Is Utilitarianism a Defensible essays Is Utilitarianism a defensible ethical theory? What are the main problems it faces? Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that seems to have lots of problems, but when analysing an ethical theory you must keep in mind that the main motive behind anyones moral values is that they believe them to be correct. So in this respect any ethical theory is defensible by one who believes in its virtues, even if you find the moral judgements made by it to be repugnant. The main arguments against utilitarianism seem to come from the problems faced when trying to decide what the correct course of action in any given situation should be. There are difficulties with the calculations involved in the decision making process, the probable consequences and the measurement of happiness. There are what seem perverse morally right outcomes that the theory dispenses (which can at times seem contradictory to what the generally accepted absolute values tell us, for instance killing is wrong) and blatant contradictions in the acts that the theory tells us to perform. Utilitarianism deals with the probable consequences of any given action. Calculations of this type are obviously incredibly unreliable as you are dealing with unknowns. For example, a utilitarian would most likely advocate the thought that hitting someone is likely to be wrong and cause unhappiness, but how would you know that that would be the case, the person hit may be a masochist, and enjoy the pain. What if there was a crowd around the person about to be hit, and it consisted of a great number of perverts who revelled and got enjoyment from other peoples pain. The act of hitting the person would then be seen to have a different moral value, perhaps a greater one than before if there were no other act that would produce as much pleasure/utility, and so it would not be morally wrong. Another basic problem arises when the measurement of happiness has to be calculated. H...

Risk management cycle and strategy of Money laundring in the US Essay

Risk management cycle and strategy of Money laundring in the US - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the issue of money laundering has been the center of debate for quite a long time. Criminals and other terrorist groups have continued to use money-laundering schemes to hide their intermittent sources of money obtained by fraudulent means. According to the Office of the Foreign Assets Control, the United States continues to lose large amounts of dollars through money laundering activities. The country is also facing imminent risk of ever-lasting criminal and terrorist threats since the rate of money laundering activities is still high. As of today, economists in association with financial analysts fear that the United States will face an unimaginable loss of foreign investors in the not too far future mainly because of money laundering risks. This is so because the presence of money laundering activities brings about significant risks, which tarnishes the safety and soundness of a country’s financial industry Typically, money l aundering is simply the process in which an individual or a group conceals the source where they obtain money via illicit means. The ways in which fraudsters can launder money are several and they can vary in accordance with their sophistication. Every year, the government of the United States quotes the amounts of money that the country loses through money laundering activities. Given that most of the money obtained through fraudulent means goes to fund criminal and terrorist operations, it is agreed that the risks involved in money laundering expand to encompass the safety and security of the nation. As a result, the United States is likely to be sitting on a time bomb since anti-money laundering agents are moving at a slower pace, unlike fraudsters who are at the verge of compromising the face value of the United States’ financial sector. Recently, the International Monetary Fund’s report revealed that two to five percent of the world’s general economy is com posed of laundered money. Nevertheless, the task force charged with the duty of combating money laundering business, commonly referred to as the FATF, communicated that it is not easy to provide an estimate of money obtained through laundering.

Explain Geoffrey Parker's concept of the western way of War How does Essay

Explain Geoffrey Parker's concept of the western way of War How does the Western way of war influence current US action in I - Essay Example From the fifteenth century, the role of the Western military has been to propagate and uplift the cultures of the western nations.   Writers of various genres of military history had a variety of reasons for writing about military life.   Three factors have contributed to the excellence of the western military over those of the neighboring non-European nations and the Americas. First of all, widespread politicization and acceptance of Christianity in the western world contributed to this. Later, the industrial revolution led to innovations in military technology.   Finally, there was imposition of Western cultures into the non-western word through means such as trade and colonialism.  Currently, the imposition occurs through western globalization. Therefore, these three factors have played a role in the western world’s military dominance. This has led to the phenomenon referred to as, Eurocentric Supremacy1. Military historians who describe the phenomenon of Eurocentri c Supremacy explained that many non-Europeans were compelled to convert to Christianity.   The first military officer to convert to Christianity was Constantine. ... It, therefore, led to numerous military attacks and campaigns by the western military. A great number of military attacks resulted from conflicts between the Orthodox Church and Christianity.    The western military took its campaigns outside their jurisdiction. This phenomenon led to widespread colonization of other nations by the west and the norm of slave trade. At this time, the other nations had the difficulty in opposing the western colonies because the western colonies were well equipped due to the dominant industrial revolution and innovation. It is, therefore, clear that the spread and development of Christianity throughout the western nations contributed to the Euro-centrism that was typical of the Western military. The technological advancements and innovations that resulted from the western industrial revolution all led to a supremacy in the western military’s mechanisms of war2.   In his work concerning the advent of technology and modern war, Martin Van Creve ld illustrates the point of technology that was typical of the western way of life. Creveld quips that the modern war is adversely infiltrated by technology. He further adds that technology has now governed war. This he attributes to the western culture which has ensured that the principles of war have been upheld since time immemorial. The western power has experienced invincibility from the past. This is due to the fact that the western word is motivated towards usage of technology in war either at the beginning of the war or at the middle and end of the war. The western world also has unyielding thirst in its quest to discover newer forms of technology that will improve its war and military activities. These are the factors that have all along made the

Charging Overweight Passengers by the Pound Essay Example for Free

Charging Overweight Passengers by the Pound Essay In the world today, obesity is becoming a serious problem that affects ones life in different situations. One of these situations is flying in the airplane. David Landsel in his article Some Airlines Make Obese Passengers Buy Two seats pointed out that different airlines are taking some policies concerning this issue. However, united airlines are not taking any policies. Southwest and Midwest airlines claimed that overweight passengers should buy an extra seat. If the airplane is not full, and more seats are available, a refund will be returned to the passenger. American airlines put limitations on the services that the airline provides, but passenger is not forced to purchase an extra seat. Air France travelers that suffered from obesity will have the opportunity to buy the extra seat with a 25 percent discount. With these different deals about the fat passengers, there is surely a disagreement about accepting these policies or rejecting them. Obese passengers should buy two airline seats. This is because of several reasons that may be benefit for the obese passengers and the normal weight passengers. So this will help make everyone more comfortable. Some critics claim that obliging obese passengers to buy an extra seat is a ridiculous statement. They should not be penalized for something that they may not be able to deal with. They might have a disease that makes them that way. They argued that this is discrimination to obese people and should not be practiced. But this is not true. Discrimination against someone for something is based on an opinion without objective truth. In this case, it is completely obvious that the passenger is taking up more space than the accommodated seat space. So the argument of the opposing side fails to take into account. Other critics argued that airline tickets are sold per individual not per pound, and people should not be penalized because of their weight. This is a non convincing argument since airlines sell tickets by seat not per person. If someone takes up to two seats, he should have to buy two seats. That is how it is and should be. Obese people sitting in a single seat can become a serious issue. Passenger will seriously squeeze the passengers beside him, leading discomfort and cause a struggle to get out of the seat to the toilet. No one would accept an obese person sitting next to him squishing and taking more than his space for the whole entire flight. It is not fair to the people sitting next to fat travelers who are crushed and uncomfortable for the whole flight. Skinny people will be crowded out by overweight people. Second, airplane seats and seat belts are designed to hold an average weight of 170 pounds, so seat belts fail to restrain heavy passengers. This poses a safety risk for them on the aircraft. Another airline obesity issue is that obese passengers can affect the balance of the airplane by adding more weight. This excess weight requires more work for the plane to move a heavier object which makes the airplane sometimes in a dangerous position. One third argument that supports the statement that obese travelers should buy two airlines seats is that everyone is entitled to hundred percent of the seat for which he paid. Severely, obese people spill over to the next seat that is occupied by the person that purchased the ticket to that seat. Sometimes, fat passengers took up one third to one half of the other passenger seat space. So if any person takes up more than one seat space, he must purchase the additional space he requires. Urging passengers with high body mass to purchase an extra seat is a fair policy that needs to be done by the airlines in order to keep all their flights safe and comfortable for all the passengers. So, obese people must know that airlines are taking these policies to protect them. Deltas Suzan Elliott states that the airline has no plans to implement any policy that discriminates against any of our passengers. This is how all the airlines think about this issue, but the difference is the way they practice these policies and deal with them with regard to the refund and the cost of the extra seat.

Cancer Essay -- essays research papers

Cancer is new growth of tissue resulting from rapid production of abnormal cells Cancer is not a single disease but includes a number of diseases classified according to the tissue and type of cell in which new growth occurs, here are three major subtypes are Sarcomas, Carcinomas, Leukemias and Lymphomas. More than 1,350,000 new cases of cancer occur in the United States each year. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the nation, and the leading cause of death from disease in children between the ages of 1 and 14. The figures for the United States are 217/100,000 men and 137/100,000 women. The most death causing cancers are lung cancer- 1st in each sex, colorectal cancer- 2nd in both sexes, and breast and uterine cancers in women, and prostate cancer in men. Since 1949 death from cancer in the United States has been higher among men than women. The sex ratios of different cancers vary considerably. Death from cancer is higher among blacks than among whites. A cancerous growth, is clonal- all its cells are descendants of a single cell. Fatal cells are unable to mature into an adult. These cells may form a mass called a tumor, which enlarges and continues to grow. Not all tumors are fatal; the greatest number are benign, or non-life-threatening. Cancer cells may retain the physical and biological characteristics of the tissue in which they originated. Pathologists can often determine the site of origin of a metastatic tumor by microscopic examination of the cancerous...

Issues with Juveniles

Juveniles can break the law just like adults can. The difference is in the way they are treated after the fact, from the police interaction to the type of punishment they will ultimately receive. In most cases getting to the child before criminal behavior begins may stop a life of crime before it begins. In this paper I will be going over the importance of child development, crime control, interrogation and Miranda warnings, crime prevention, deterrence, and punishment. Children that grow up in homes where the parents are not around or do not care about them are more likely to become caught up in a life of crime than the kids that have a loving family. Children that have parents that are criminals themselves will probably become criminals as well. â€Å"According to one researcher, 63 percent of boys with convicted fathers themselves had criminal convictions, compared to 30 percent among those who did not have convicted fathers†. (Worrall, 2008, p. 259) If a child does not have a positive role model to follow, they will follow the negative one. This is also true if the father is not in the home or part of their lives or if their parents are in to drugs. Lack of parental supervision, improper abuse, rejection, neglect, conflict between the parents and many other problems can also lead to behavioral issues in children. Domestic violence in the home, single family households and families with large amounts of people are also more likely to produce children that have behavioral issues as they develop. Lack of attention or negative attention is hard on a child and it has been proven to lead them to a life of delinquency. There are many steps that families can take to work on crime control before it becomes a problem. The first is parent training and education. â€Å"Just as there are good drivers and bad drivers, there are good parents and bad parents. † (Worrall, 2008, p. 261) Parenting does not come overnight. It takes time and practice and information. Sometimes the harm to children is done accidentally and knowing this, the government has started programs such as the Strengthening Families Program. The SFP was founded in 1983 and is for parents who are also drug abusers and teaches them appropriate parenting skills. Parenting classes can be done in and out of the home and appear in several forms. One such form is during pregnancy when a nurse practitioner comes to the home and gives the expectant mother information on her pregnancy and on things to expect when the child is born. Head Start programs are provided to poor African-American families so that their children are given extra help with educational needs. Research has shown that these and other programs have been successful in lowering the rate of delinquency in juveniles. The chance of child abuse is lower in families that have gone through treatment than those who have not. Mothers are bettering their lives through the programs as well so the rate of arrest is lower in the mothers and their children than those left untreated. Once a juvenile has police contact, the interaction is very different than it would be if it were an adult. There are several rights that a juvenile has to protect them. The first right is the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution states: â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. (Bartollas & Miller, 2008) Juveniles have the same rights to privacy that adults do. If the police want to search a juvenile or their home or vehicle they must provide a search warrant unless the juvenile waived their rights, consented to the search, or got caught in the criminal act they were committing. Interrogation of a juvenile, confessions, and Miranda Warnings go hand in hand. Juveniles, as well as adults, are to be read their Miranda rights at the time of arrest. These Miranda Warnings give the juvenile six rights including: the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, an attorney provided if they are unable to afford one, whatever the juvenile says to the police is fair game to be used later in court, if a juvenile starts talking they may stop at any time, and whatever the juvenile says to persons other than the juvenile officer or court personnel may be used against the juvenile if they are tried as an adult. The juvenile officer is responsible for providing the juvenile with these rights and must protect the interest of the youth. â€Å"A juvenile officer’s role in the interrogation process is the protection of the juvenile’s rights by initial explanation and subsequently by stopping the interrogation if it is so requested by the juvenile. Participation by the juvenile officer in the interrogation of a juvenile renders the confession and evidence discovered as a result thereof inadmissible [sic] in a subsequent adult prosecution. (McCarver, 2006) All questioning of the juvenile must be done by law enforcement. â€Å"The admissibility of a juvenile’s statement taken in the presence of the juvenile officer is determined from the totality of the circumstances on a case-by-case basis. The court will evaluate the juvenile’s age, experience, education, back ground, intelligence and whether the juvenile has the capacity to understand the warnings given to him, the nature of his Fifth Amendment rights and the consequences of waiving those rights. (McCarver, 2006) If a juvenile is tried as an adult they must have been made aware before his confession that it is possible that he may be tried as an adult and anything that any statements he makes can be used against him. Any officer that questions a juvenile must specifically state that he or she may be certified to be tried as an adult. â€Å"In the absence of an attorney, the confession of a juvenile which results from a custodial interrogation may not be used against the juvenile unless oth the juvenile and his parent, guardian or adult friend were informed of the juvenile’s rights to an attorney and to remain silent, and the juvenile must be given an opportunity to consult with his parents, guardian, adult friend or attorney as to whether he wishes to waive those rights. † (McCarver, 2006) Deterrence or prevention is very important in keeping juveniles out of trouble. In my opinion, one of the most effective preventative measures for preventing juvenile crime is community-based programs. These programs, such as, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Bully Prevention Program, and Functional Family Therapy allow youths to be part of the community in a positive way. â€Å"An eighteen-month evaluation found that compared with a control group waiting for a match, youths in the mentoring program were 46 percent less likely to start using drugs, 27 percent less likely to start drinking, and 32 percent less likely to hit or assault someone. † (Bartollas & Miller, 2008) In single parent homes where the parent works it is hard to keep tabs on your child at all times. Getting them into a program will keep the youths occupied and out of trouble in a perfect world. With the statistics listed community-based programs are effective and do a good job of reducing juvenile crime. There are many, many programs like these I listed. The problems that arise are a lack of funding and volunteers. It is important for the communities to sponsor and volunteer for these programs or they really cannot complain about children running the streets, learning negative behaviors, and committing crimes. Another effective preventative measure is programs like the Chicago Area Projects. The projects have three basic goals: Frist, they provide a forum for local residents to become acquainted with new scientific perspectives on child rearing, child welfare, and juvenile delinquency. † (Bartollas & Miller, 2008) Second, they open up lines of communication between the community and the institutional representatives of the larger community, the ones that help influence the local youth. Third, they allow local adults to come in to contact with local youths, â€Å"especially those having difficulties with the law†. (Bartollas & Miller, 2008) This and programs like this one have the local communities take responsibility or the youths before they are sent to the juvenile justice system. The adults in the community can speak on behalf of youths in court and they organize programs to keep the youth out of trouble. If a child is distracted in a positive way, they are less likely to act out in a negative way. When punishment is needed, probation is usually the answer. Probation is the number one sentence in the juvenile court. â€Å"About 400,000 youths are placed on formal probation each year, which amounts to more than 60 percent of all juvenile dispositions. † (Bartollas & Miller, 2008) This number has increased greatly since 1993. Probation is a judicial disposition under which youthful offenders are subject to certain conditions imposed by the juvenile c ourt and are permitted to remain in the community under the supervision of a probation officer. † (Bartollas & Miller, 2008) Juvenile probation focuses on programs for the offending youth in order to keep them out of jail. A probation officer is assigned and will work with the juvenile to help meet the conditions of their probation. Some think that the purpose of juvenile probation is to give the child a second chance. This is not necessarily correct. The main focus of juvenile probation is provide programs and services so that the youth will learn to stay out of trouble with the law in the future. There are several reasons why probation is the most desirable alternative to jail time. Juveniles are able to remain free of incarceration but society has protection from further law breaking. â€Å"It promotes the rehabilitation of offenders because they can maintain normal community contacts by living at home, attending school, and participating in community activities. † (Bartollas & Miller, 2008) It also costs less and allows the juvenile to avoid the negative impact of confinement. While treated differently than adults in most cases, juveniles still break the law and encounter the justice system. Juveniles are afforded the same rights as adults but are handled in a way that usually allows them to have a second chance and become a productive member of society. While stopping a life of crime before it begins is the more favorable approach, it is not always a possibility. In this paper I have discussed child development, crime control, interrogation and Miranda warnings, crime prevention, deterrence, and punishment.

The Book Of Revelations Is Divided Into These Sections

The Book of Revelations is divided into these sections: I. Prologue (1:1-3) II. Letters to the Churches of Asia (1:4-3:22) III. God and the Lamb in Heaven (4:1-5:14) IV. The Seven Seals, Trumpets, and Plagues, with Interludes (6:1-16:21) V. The Punishment of Babylon and the Destruction of Pagan Nations (17:1-20:15) VI. The New Creation (21:1-22:5) VII. Epilogue (22:6-21) (The New American Bible) The Book of Revelations is the last book of the Bible. It has several extravagant symbolisms, symbolic language, and literary conventions that account for the apocalyptic literature. To understand the Book of Revelations adequately, we have to understand the historical background in which it was written. During the critical time that it was written, Christians were facing ruthless persecution of the early church by the Roman authorities. â€Å"The book is an exhortation and admonition to Christians of the first century to stand firm in the faith and to avoid compromise with paganism, despite the threat of adversity and martyrdom; they are to await patiently the fulfillment of God’s mighty promises.† (The New American Bible) The book creates a message of hope for God’s people and it remains valid and meaningful for Christians of all ages. â€Å"Revelation affirms Christianity’s original hope for an immediate transformation of the world and assures the fait hful that God’s prearranged plan, including the destruction of evil and the advent of Christ’s universal reign, is soon to be accomplished.Show MoreRelatedA Very Brief Look at the New Testament1003 Words   |  4 Pagesa historical undertone. There are clear bits of historical context throughout the anthology that allow the books to be dated and provide insight to the world of the authors. When the prophetic destruction of the temple in Jerusalem is being discussed in the gospels, it is clear that the authors are discussing the threat of the Roman Empire to destroy the temple. In the book of revelation, a multi-headed beast threatens rules, which can be seen as a metaphor for the Roman Empire. Furthermore, thereRead MorePolitical Ideas of Niccolo Machiavelli, Francesco Guicciardini, and Thomas Hobbes692 Words   |  3 PagesPolitical Ideas of Niccolo Machiavelli, Francesco Guicciardini, and Thomas Hobbes The sections that I will be presenting are 73, 74, and 75. I will discuss the political ideas of Niccolo Machiavelli, Francesco Guicciardini, and Thomas Hobbes during the time of Florence Republic. First, Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy in 1469 at a time when the country was in political upheaval. Italy was divided between four dominant city-states, by which each of them was always at the mercy of theRead MoreAnalysis Of Daniel 7 : 1-141249 Words   |  5 Pagesfollowing paper is Daniel 7:1-14. This chapter consists of three literary sections, first, chaos by the sea (7:1-8) followed by the heavenly courtroom (7:9-14), concluding with the visions divine victory and interpretation (7:15-28) which will not be addressed in this paper. The Christian canon locates the book of Daniel within its prophetic writings, however, the Jewish canon includes it within, â€Å"the Writings.† The book of Daniel doesn’t necessarily fit in either category, as it is widel y consideredRead MoreThe Biblical Inspiration Of The Sacred Scripture1636 Words   |  7 Pagestime; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds† (Ecclesiastes 3:11). God reveals himself to humanity particularly through human language . Divine Revelation is personal and relational. The meaning of God’s revelation is included his words and actions given for the salvation of humanity. Interestingly, â€Å"revelation is rooted in the oral proclamation.† People must be able to be wise in order to receive the message that God wants to communicate with them through chosen human authorsRead MoreDifferences Between Christianity And Islam1578 Words   |  7 Pageslineage of Abraham’s sons that both the Muslim prophet Muhammad and the Christian prophet Jesus are said to be descendants. The written scriptures for Christianity are compiled together in a book known as the Holy Bible. The Bible contains multiple sections referred to as books which are divided into two sections, the Old and New testaments. The Old Testament records the story of the beginning of Christianity, and homogeneous to Islam, a large portion of the religion’s creation was created through warsRead MoreEssay about Islam: The Rich Culture of the Middle East936 Words   |  4 Pagesis divided into three different sections- the Sunni, Shi’a and Sufi sects. The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam, and is considered the unaltered word of Allah. All followers of Islam adhere to many high standards of living and daily practices meant to better their lives like The Twelve Imams, among others. Islam brings together many different aspects of peaceful and devoted living that bring together the billions of followers to one family. The Qur’an, when in Arabic, is the official book of IslamRead MoreThe Fourth Noble Truths By The Eightfold Path1093 Words   |  5 Pagesaccountability that are expected by Buddhist beliefs. Buddhism teaches the concepts of understanding, thoughtful mind, and freedom of speech, action livelihood, encouraging effort, mindfulness and concentration. These categories are divided into sub-sections. The first section is ethical conduct which include the concept of right to speech, right to action and right to livelihood. Right to speech is to abstain from lying, gossiping and from spiteful, hurtful, rude and harsh language. The right to actionRead MoreThe Age Of Reason Essay1455 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Cathy Bui Professor Nengo Anthropology March 10 2015 Age of Reason Essay In the book The Age Of Reason by Thomas Paine is about the knowledge of inquiring religious establishments and their own doctrines. He wants the audience to think about the common gumptions that can be seen and describe as a substantiation of a god, for instance from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. He calls for higher reasoning, a person who rejects the scriptures in the bibles that says we are pretending to use the wordsRead MoreThe Five Old Volume Of The Pentateuch1048 Words   |  5 PagesPentateuch the five old volume, consisting of the first five books of the Old Testament.This word does not occur in Scripture, nor is it certainly known when the rollwas thus divided into five portions Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,Deuteronomy. The JEDP theory fiferences scholars who believe or doubted that moses was the writer of the Pentateuch. Their view that the Pentateuch represents the conflation of four different sources rather than the work of primarily one author, traditionally MosesRead MoreIs Creationism Correct Or Is Theory Correct?929 Words   |  4 PagesHow did we get here? Is Creationism correct or is Evolutionism correct? There have been studies, books, and even documentaries trying to prove one opinion or the other. In 1859, Charles Darwin published the Origin of Species. This book introduced Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to the world. Darwin’s theory of evolution, Darwinism, is now taught in public schools and is unchallenged on how the universe was formed. However, now 64% of Americans believe that Creationism needs to be taught