Voluntary Euthanasia Should Be Legalized Philosophy Essay

Voluntary Euthanasia Should Be Legalized Philosophy Essay Euthanasia comes from the Greek word Eu which means good and Thanatos meaning death Euthanasia. In modern usage, it has come to mean a gentle and painless death. Life is ended for a compassionate reason by an active or passive step taken by another person or the individual whom is suffering from a terminal illness or agonizing pain with no hope recovery. Voluntary euthanasia should be legalized in the United States, because a terminally ill, rational human being has the right to choose how they live and how they die. Individuals can choose to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, eat an unhealthy diet and choose to not exercise, which will enviably lead to a shorter life expectancy as well as a terminal disease. However, none of these choices are illegal, uncommon or generally perceived as unethical. To force someone who is essentially going to die a very slow and agonizing death to live, changes their right to live to an obligation to live. Therefore, to deny euthanasia is to deny a persons right to autonomy and obligate them to suffer for the benefit of an outside agents belief. Euthanasia is broken down into voluntary, involuntary, non-voluntary categories and into sub categories of active and passive. Voluntary euthanasia refers to choosing to end life to escape prolonged suffering with either verbal consent or a written document such as a living will. Involuntary euthanasia refers to the mercy killing of an unconscious or comatose patient who is otherwise unable to explicitly make his intentions known. Non-voluntary euthanasia is taking a patients life without consent; murder. A well known philosopher Peter Singer believes, The consequences of an act or omission will often be, in all significant respects, indistinguishable. If a child needs antibiotics to survive an illness, not giving them is the moral equivalent of administering a lethal injection. Most of our moral guidelines are written to be in a negative format, do not kill as opposed to a positive format, you must preserve life. This is the only thing that bares weight to the argument that there is a difference between killing and letting die. Singer also believes, Just as preference utilitarianism must count a desire to go on living as a reason against killing, so it must count as a desire to die as a reason for killing. Singer has declared that the principle of respect for autonomy tells us to allow rational agents to live their own lives according to their own guidelines and decisions and to be free from coercion or interference. Should a rational agent choose to die, then respect for autonomy will lead us to assist them in their decision to die if they choose to do so. Singer refers to an earlier section of his book and restates these four reasons not to kill a self-conscious being; 1. The classical utilitarian claim that since self-conscious beings are capable of fearing their own death, killing them has worse effects on others. 2. The preference utilitarian calculation that counts the thwarting of the victims desire to go on living as an important reason against killing. 3. A theory of rights according to which to have a right one must have the ability to desire that to which one has a right, so that to have a right to life one must be able to desire ones own continued existence. 4. Respect for the autonomous decisions of rational agents. When considering voluntary euthanasia, active or passive, all four of these ideas favor euthanasia not the preservation of life. In 1 the fear of death does not exist and others will not fear being killed against their will if they must ask for euthanasia before it can be administered. In 2 the victim of euthanasia has no desire to go on living and can only be thwarted by prolonging their life. If a person must desire life to have a right to it no right is violated by voluntary euthanasia as in number 3. The fourth reason is one of the foremost arguments for euthanasia, autonomous decision. Mirko Bagaric, a professor at Deaken University, argues that legalizing voluntary euthanasia will cause health care professionals to carry out acts of non-voluntary euthanasia and cites 2 wide spread studies from the 1990s that revealed abuse of end of life decisions in the Netherlands where it is legal. Professor Bagaric asserts that in roughly 1000 cases in each study euthanasia was carried out without the patients legal consent. However, he fails to conclude whether or not these causes were due to the lack of ability to consent or articulation of wanting to continue life. Another argument brought forth by Professor Bagaric is the risk that some lives, namely the terminally ill, will be seen as less valuable than others. This would lead to a logical conclusion that an individuals capacity to flourish is diminished due to mental, social or physical problems and they would be candidates for euthanasia also. The Declaration on Euthanasia by The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued by The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and signed by Pope John Paul II argues that, Human life is the basis of all goods, and is the necessary source and condition of every human activity and of all society. The declaration goes on to state that, Nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying. The justification offered is the intrinsic value of human life and to their believers the divine gift life represents. According to Roman Catholic teaching suffering, particularly during the last moments of life has a special place in Gods plan and is a sharing of Christs pain and sacrifice. The declaration offers exclusion for double effect action. According to James Fieser, if a pain medication is given to alleviate pain, even if the medical practitioner administering it knows it will speed the death of the patient, and no other pain management is available the act is morally permissible. The declaration further elaborates that even if the patient is not lucid enough to indicate whether they want the medication or not, it should be given. The declaration also distinguishes the difference between medical and biological life support being removed. Feeding tubes serve a biological function by feeding a patient and cant be discontinued on a live person. However, dialysis or chemotherapy serves a medical function and the decision to discontinue treatments such as these is the discontinuation of a medical support and therefore permissible if the costs are disproportionate to the expectations. All four of these positions focus on a few key points. First, is the intrinsic worth of life subject to termination under the authority of personal autonomy? Taking a utilitarian perspective of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain, ending all pain permanently is preferable to existing in pain with no hope of pleasure and therefore moral. Arguments made by the Roman Catholic Church declare that life is divinely inspired and taking life for any reason not moral. However, even under the guise of divine moral law, it is permissible to administer pain medication in lethal doses and refuse treatment which could sustain life. This conflicts with the statement, It is necessary to state firmly once more that nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying. Singer and Battin showed that there is no moral difference between an act and omission in terms of the consequence. Therefore, the churchs declaration truly describes two opposing views in an attempt to make a definitive statement that is consequentially as clear as mud. From a utilitarian perspective the authors advocating euthanasia make good logic points that euthanasia, at least in some cases, is moral and often active euthanasia is a moral requirement. The authors condemning euthanasia still put forth evidence and arguments that, from a utilitarian perspective euthanasia is at least sometimes moral. However, if I was sick and in pain with no hope of recovery I would feel much more comfortable in the Netherlands with Singer as the executor of my durable power of attorney for healthcare.

A Spectrum Through Time Essay

Museum of the Moving Image is the country’s only museum dedicated to the art, history, technique, and technology of the moving image in all its forms. It is one-of-a-kind destination for audiences of all ages and interests, from connoisseurs of classic cinema to children and families to avid gamers. The Museum is located the state of New York in Astoria Queens and has a collection of approximately 130,000 artifacts relating to the art, history and technology of the moving image. The collection is the largest and most extensive in the United States, and is considered one of the most important collections of its kind in the world. Soon as one steps into the building the whiteness of the interior decor makes us wonder what is behind the walls. The museum embracing a wide range of subjects, including artifacts from all stages of film creation from nineteenth century optical toys to the latest in digital art and explores every phase of the production, promotion, and exhibition of moving images. Artifacts include costumes, fan magazines, games, design materials, licensed merchandise, and technical apparatus, still photographs, marketing materials for all kinds, video and computer games, and movie furnishings. It offers an engaging, highly interactive core exhibition, discussions with leading figures in film and television, programs of contemporary and classic films from around the world, a unique collection, stimulating changing exhibitions, inspiring educational programs for learners of all ages, and groundbreaking online projects. After everyone arrived of our ENG101 class, we got divided into small groups. My group started its 90 minutes tour on the third floor where we visited the primitive projectors and experienced the process of creating a moving image. Viktor, who was guiding our group, explained that any moving image is just an illusion. To create a moving image we need two preconditions. We must have speed and a split second of rest which is a moment of rest is given to the eye. Viktor also pointed out that the moment of rest could be achieved in several different ways. The first three we had looked at was the Phenakistoscope, Praxinoscope and the Thaumatrope. Viktor demonstrated all three methods which was fascinating. These popular devices were inspired in the nineteenth century by Peter Mark Roget’s theory of visual persistence, which held that our eyes retain an image for a fraction of a second, ermitting a series of still images to become â€Å"fused† as a moving image. Another way to break down movements into a series of still pictures is a so called â€Å"video flipbook†. A flipbook is the simplest way of making a sequence of still pictures appears to move. The intervals of darkness necessary for the illusion of motion are provided by the turn, or flip of each page. The nineteenth-century photographic experiments of Eadweard Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey broke down the movements of animals into a series of still pictures. When displayed in rapid succession, these pictures appear to be moving, recreating the original motion that the images document. Moving further in the exhibition, we looked at Brooklyn-based artist Gregory Barsamian’s kinetic sculptures animate three-dimensional objects in real time. He called it †Feral Fount† which is a physical representation of a dream he had in which drops of water from his kitchen faucet transformed into a bomb, and then a paper airplane before crashing into his dishpan. The artwork is a stroboscopic zoetrope made up of series of ninety-seven small sculptures, each slightly different from the preceding one. These sculptures function in the same way as the individual drawings in the frames of an animated film. The sculptures are mounted on a rotating armature. A strobe light flashes thirteen times per second, illuminating the sculptures. Because there are intervals of darkness between the flashes, we do not see a blur as the sculptures spin by, but perceive a â€Å"moving image†. The illusion of motion is convincing, although the flash rate of thirteen per second is slow enough for the eye to detect some flicker. Thirteen â€Å"frames† per second is just at the boundary between where we can and cannot detect individual images. There were so many more mind absorbing artifacts like the Three-Strip Technicolor Camera and Special Effects just to name a few. After Viktor described how all of these cameras worked in the past and how special effects were utilized even in today movies we continued our little tour to the second floor. We spent half as much time on the second floor, but none the less it was all so engaging as well. Gaining insight to all the subjects the movie makers implement to make a final project is quite fascinating. Visiting the Museum of Moving Image helped us understand what it takes to make a movie from start to finish, and comprehend the difficulties of every aspect of the movie and throughout its process. To view it all on a â€Å"canvas† white walls, truly makes the Moving Image Museum a spectrum through time.

Comparing the Presentation of War in the Oliver and...

Comparing the Presentation of War in the Oliver and Branagh Film Versions of Henry the Fifth Many films have been made of Shakespeare’s play, â€Å"Henry V†. The two I am analysing are by Laurence Olivier (1944) and Kenneth Branagh (1988). They are made for very different audiences with different aims. Although they seem very different, in some ways, Branagh’s version used many techniques of Olivier’s. Both productions were performed to communicate the director’s feelings on war to the audience and were performed when war had played a part in recent history. Olivier’s version is very pro-war in that he glorifies war but at the same time it lacks realism so that it was not too close to the reality that†¦show more content†¦The spirit of whose ancestors it has been humbly attempted to recapture.† This is intended to make the audience feel proud to be fighting for England as their ancestors did. Being produced during the Second World War, many of the viewers may have had relatives out in battle. They had no clear idea of the reality due to the lack of technology and communication. The light-hearted view of the battles reassured the audience. It is shown very patriotically and heroically so the audiences would feel good about the war and have felt proud to be English. The French in this film may have represented the Germans in the war as the enemy. In the battle the enemy is shown as evil to make the audience feel they’re doing the right thing fighting evil. Branagh’s film was set many years later when society was more immune to shocking films and television programmes. He presents a dynamic king duped into fighting a bloody, vicious war whose victory is undone within a generation. Olivier’s version is quite pro-war whereas Branagh’s version seems very anti-war. This film portrays his negative attitude to war by emphasising the realism of the battle. The gore and realistic fighting will have shocked the audience and may have allowed them to consider the conditions in Vietnam. For example in the battle of Agincourt, the close-up individual fighting will have made

Mental Illness And Its Effects On Children - 2974 Words

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In fact, treatment for mental illness has evolved several-fold, with pharmacological, psychosocial, and rehabilitative intervention being aspects of current treatment methodology. Despite the numerous advances that science and medicine have made in pioneering new and effective ways of treating mental illness, the veil of stigma and prejudice that surrounds mental illness is staggering. In addition to such stigma being one of the strongest hindrances to effectively managing mental illness, it also leads to great distress and suffering for t he mentally ill individuals and their families. Michelle Obama recently pointed out the adverseShow MoreRelatedMental Illness And Its Effects On Children847 Words   |  4 Pagesdays, my outlook on mental illness and complexity of the situations is forever changed. Right now, there is a stigma on different disorders in our country. 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