A New York Times article, Are we Ready for a Morality Pill?, written by Peter Singer and Agata Sagan delves into the reasons why some people naturally help people while others simple pass writing the need off as The next person's problem. An incident in china sparked the article: a 2 year old girl was run over by a van. No one stopped for her, not the driver, pedestrians walking by, bicyclists, no one. Left in the middle of the road, the young girl was run over again! Eventually, women stopped but it was too late; the child died in a hospital. The question that arose from this was “Why are some people prepared to risk their lives to help a stranger when other won’t even stop to dial an emergency number?” Experiments with rats were conducted to see what would happen. Two rats were put into the same cage, then one rat was trapped in a tube that could be opened by the outside. The free rat usually freed their cage-mate before doing anything else, including eating all of the chocolate left for them in the cage. 23 out of the 30 rats freed their cage-mates. Scientists wonder what caused the difference in the 7 rats who decided not to free their mates. Thus, scientist began exploring human morality and if brain chemistry affects moral behavior. Further research might lead to a morality pill, a drug that would help others and their brains become more likely to help those in need. Thus, in the near future we may have to face completely unique choices about the ways in which we are willing to influence behavior for the better.
Question: Who gets to decide what is moral regarding the morality pill, if a morality pill is needed then people clearly have different opinions on what is moral and therefore, which one decides what the morality pill makes one do? If humans are truly different in their predispositions to act morally, then can there be a universal truth, universal morality? If there is, are some people not wired to see it or do they see it and simply do not care?
Summary: This Article talks about the pros and cons of whether or not an incurably-ill patient should be able to commit physician-assisted suicide? Some pros for having a physician-assisted suicide would be that the suicide would not be as "messy" if preformed by a physician and patients can be relinquished of their pain and suffering. Some cons in this article would be that it demeans the value of human life, and a cure could possibly be found overtime.
Questions: Should someone have the right to take their own life? Should doctors be allowed to help people kill themselves?
Do you think that children that are between the ages of 5-7 years old should be allowed to participate in drug studies? Why or Why not?
-I think that it depends on what type of drug it is. If it is a drug that could possibly cure something serious such as cancer, then no I do not think that they should be allowed to participate in drug studies. If it is for something like gummy vitamins, then i think that it would be ok for them to participate.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/28/are-we-ready-for-a-morality-pill/?scp=3&sq=bioethics&st=cse
ReplyDeleteAre We Ready for a 'Morality Pill'?
A New York Times article, Are we Ready for a Morality Pill?, written by
Peter Singer and Agata Sagan delves into the reasons why some people
naturally help people while others simple pass writing the need off as
The next person's problem. An incident in china sparked the article: a 2 year old girl was run over by a van. No one stopped for her, not the driver, pedestrians walking by, bicyclists, no one. Left in the middle of the road, the young girl was run over again! Eventually, women stopped but it was too late; the child died in a hospital. The question that arose from this was “Why are some people prepared to risk their lives to help a stranger when other won’t even stop to dial an emergency number?” Experiments with rats were conducted to see what would happen. Two rats were put into the same cage, then one rat was trapped in a tube that could be opened by the outside. The free rat usually freed their cage-mate before doing anything else, including eating all of the chocolate left for them in the cage. 23 out of the 30 rats freed their cage-mates. Scientists wonder what caused the difference in the 7 rats who decided not to free their mates. Thus, scientist began exploring human morality and if brain chemistry affects moral behavior. Further research might lead to a morality pill, a drug that would help others and their brains become more likely to help those in need. Thus, in the near future we may have to face completely unique choices about the ways in which we are willing to influence behavior for the better.
Question:
Who gets to decide what is moral regarding the morality pill, if a morality pill is needed then people clearly have different opinions on what is moral and therefore, which one decides what the morality pill makes one do? If humans are truly different in their predispositions to act morally, then can there be a universal truth, universal morality? If there is, are some people not wired to see it or do they see it and simply do not care?
Tevin Goodwin: Incurably-ill patient(Suicide)
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.balancedpolitics.org/assisted_suicide.htm
Summary: This Article talks about the pros and cons of whether or not an incurably-ill patient should be able to commit physician-assisted suicide? Some pros for having a physician-assisted suicide would be that the suicide would not be as "messy" if preformed by a physician and patients can be relinquished of their pain and suffering. Some cons in this article would be that it demeans the value of human life, and a cure could possibly be found overtime.
Questions: Should someone have the right to take their own life? Should doctors be allowed to help people kill themselves?
Do you think that children that are between the ages of 5-7 years old should be allowed to participate in drug studies? Why or Why not?
ReplyDelete-I think that it depends on what type of drug it is. If it is a drug that could possibly cure something serious such as cancer, then no I do not think that they should be allowed to participate in drug studies. If it is for something like gummy vitamins, then i think that it would be ok for them to participate.