...Ethical Relativism 1. Ethical Relativism: In this lecture, we will discuss a moral theory called ethical relativism (sometimes called “cultural relativism”). Ethical Relativism: The view that what is morally right or wrong is dependent upon what one’s culture believes is right or wrong. In short, if your society or culture BELIEVES that some action is morally wrong, then it IS morally wrong for everyone within that society. Businesspeople often claim something similar. They say, for instance, that businesses operate under their own system of morality. What is deemed to be right by some business IS right for that business. This makes morality relative. For instance, if one society says cannibalism is morally wrong, while another says it is morally permissible, then the fact of whether or not cannibalism is morally wrong will just be a relative one—namely, whether or not it is wrong for someone will just depend upon which society they are in. We will now ask the question: Does some action become right or wrong just because one’s society, or employer, SAYS it is right or wrong? Or rather, is it the case that there are some moral standards that apply to ALL businesses and societies, regardless of whether or not those societies believe in those standards? 2. The Argument From Disagreement: Why believe that morality is relative? Relativists often say that widespread moral disagreement proves that their view is true. They say: 1. Different people have different beliefs...
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...I think that people should be held accountable for Cannibalism when it comes to a life or death situation. People think that Cannibalism is not that bad but it can really affect the way of living in this world. Cannibalism can affect the way of people living by putting fear into people's hearts that they might be getting stalked for food as prey. According to an article about chimpanzee populations in Rwanda, “Few free-ranging chimpanzee populations living at high elevation have been censused”. Most of these chimpanzee populations are decaying from hunters killing them and eating them. Another main point in this article, “Plato’s distinctive characteristic of him was his unusually avid and successful predation on monkeys”. In my main point it states that Plato has issues with Cannibalism. A reason people should be held accountable for this is because you don’t know if...
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...Anthropology The Man-Eating Myth: Anthropophagy and Anthropology by William Arens (1979) examines the evidence or lack thereof in determining what constitutes cannibalism or anthropophagy. Throughout history anthropologists as well as other “explorers” have encountered numerous peoples throughout the world. During their fieldwork they have gathered data which suggest the practice of cannibalism within the communities. There have been countless documents which have substantiated the claim of cannibalism in distant countries. This data has been accepted as fact but in actuality these assumptions contain more fiction that validity. Arens has addressed this issue by scrutinizing these documents and providing secondary information that sheds light on the initial discoveries. Anthropophagy has been an ongoing topic for thousands of years. Cannibals are viewed as exotic, barbaric people whom lack the civilization to realize their customs are inane and fundamentally wrong. Due to this fact, foreign communities have been labeled cannibals to justify ethnocentric views and actions: “This avenue of inquiry has led to the conclusion that our culture, like many others, finds comfort in the idea of the barbarian just beyond the gates.”(p.184) Anthropologists, for this reason, have substantiated accusations of cannibalism or anthropophagy without concrete evidence supporting these statements. “…and almost every anthropologist considers it a sacred duty to report that the people studied...
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...Life of Pi & Speluncean Explorers: A Reaction Paper In the light of this most recent event of cannibalism, the question of right and wrong has arisen once again. A young boy by the name of Piscine Molitor Patel experienced a shipwreck, where he was later stranded on a lifeboat with his mother, a French cook and a Taiwanese sailor. They drift for several weeks before the cook butchers Pi’s mother and the sailor and eats parts of their flesh. Left alone with the cook, Pi stabs him to death and eats his heart and liver. The facts of the case stated above are a reminder of the precedent case of the Speluncean Explorers. In the case of the Speluncean Explorers five men who ventured out to explore caves, happened to get trapped in one for many days. As the days passed the men were getting frantic and decided that their best chance of survival was if one of them sacrificed their lives in order for the others to feast on him. Subsequently, Roger Whetmore the man who initiated the idea was killed and fed upon by his fellow explorers. When the other four were finally rescued and brought back to civilization, they were tried by the court of Newgarth and were convicted for the murder of Roger Whetmore and were sentenced to be hanged. On reading the facts of the cases we can draw strings of both similarities and differences. If we were to go with the ruling of the precedent case even if we might not agree with the decision then this would be an open and shut case where Pi would...
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...Splenetic Ogres and Heroic Cannibals in Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal (1729) Ahsan Chowdhury University of Alberta I. Cannibalism: Ethnic Defamation or a Trope of Liberation? In A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to eir Parents and Country, and for Making em Beneficial to the Public () Swift exploits the age-old discourse of ethnic defamation against the Irish that had legitimated the English colonization of Ireland for centuries. One of the most damning elements in Swift’s use of this discourse is that of cannibalism. e discourse of ethnic defamation arose out of the Norman conquest of Ireland in the twelfth century. Clare Carroll points out that “the colonization of the Americas and the reformation as events … generated new discourses inflecting the inherited discourse of barbarism” in early-modern English writing about Ireland (). Narratives of native cannibalism were an indispensable part of these new discourses and practices. For the English authors as well as their continental counterparts, the cannibalistic other of the New World became a yardstick by which to measure the threat posed by internal enemies, be it the indigenous Irish, the French Catholics, or the Moorish inhabitants of Spain.¹ us, it was against the backdrop of the reforma Carroll demonstrates that while continental authors like Bartolomé de Las Casas and Jean de Léry could treat the Amerindians and their cannibalistic practices ...
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...fallen into a state of insanity, believing that everyone in his village, including his brother, was cannibalistic and would eat him; however, cannibalism in the story symbolizes so much more. Lu Xun lived from 1881 to 1936 and is considered one of China’s most influential writers. In his work he would criticize the corrupt culture of his country and inspire revolutionary thoughts in his readers. The traditional Chinese culture that Xun was criticizing in “A Madman’s Diary” relates to the Confucian philosophy. Confucianism deals mostly with...
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...Optical Distortion, Inc. Optical Distortion, Inc. (ODI) is the world’s first company to introduce contact lenses for chickens. In 1965, the ODI lens were invented by Robert D. Garrison with the purpose to partially blind a chicken’s vision. The idea was founded by accident when a farmer observed that his blind chickens were much more well behaved than chickens who could see. In 1966, James Arnold, invested in ODI lens and formed a business with the Garrison’s. In the early stages of ODI lens, there was a problem of the lens not being able to stay in the chicken’s eye and their eyes would become red. By 1969, the company issued a U.S. patent when the retention problem was solved by making the lens a smaller size made of a plastic called, hydrophilic polymer. The hydrophilic polymer could be molded and in1973, Daniel Garrison contacted New World Plastics that controlled hydrophilic polymer and obtained a long-term license for the exclusive use of hydrophilic polymer for chickens. In exchange for New World Plastics to exclusively produce the polymer for ODI only, ODI, agreed to pay New World $50,000 and to only purchase the lens from New World. This exclusive contract secured ODI a competition advantage as the lens were the only of its kind at the time. At the same time, Daniel Garrison purchased 25% of ODI’s stock and became president and chief executive officer of the company. Ronald Olson because the vice president of marketing and both worked together effectively...
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...Moral Relativism Moral relativism is the “view that ethical standards, morality, and positions of right or wrong are either culturally-based or subject to a person’s individual choice” (Klement, 2006). Most people hold to the concept that what is right and what is wrong is not absolute and that morals can be altered from one situation to the next based on these subjective choices. Individual moral relativism views that what is ethically right is relative to each individual person according to their own moral standards or ethical system (Yount, 2012). To elaborate: if a John Doe believes that stealing office supplies for personal use is ethical, it is; if Jane Doe believes that stealing office supplies for personal use is unethical, it is. Alternatively, cultural relativism views that what is ethically right is relative to one’s culture (Yount, 2012). For example: if Culture 1 believes cannibalism is ethical, it is; if Culture 2 believes cannibalism is unethical, it is. The main advantage of moral relativism is that it can allow people of different cultures or ideologies to co-exist together. However, disadvantages of relativism in morality would result in having no common framework for resolving moral disputes because the fundamental principles governing what acts are morally right or wrong vary from culture to culture or individual to individual (Klement, 2006). The third level of Kohlberg’s (1971) stages of ethical development asserts that individuals consider the expectations...
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...captivating tale of survival in a world infested with crime, destruction, and misery. “Gripping, heart-rending story, which explores the depths of despair and savagery beside the heights of love, tenderness and self-sacrifice.”, as the New York Times has described it. Cormac McCarthy shows a dark and scary version of humanity that might come to be true in the future. The Road was published in 2006 and is a national bestseller. It is a novel set in a post-apocalyptic world that is extremely dreary and gray. McCarthy narrates the story of a father and his son in an unknown location after a horrible event has happened. They must attempt to survive in a world where suffering surrounds them. The father and son go into a nation that is overridden by cannibalism and murder. The goal they have is to survive. The Road is extremely repetitive novel. I started the novel with very high expectations and as I continued to read, I came to realization that I did not like it. This book had a decent idea but I did not enjoy the format in which it was written which really made my dislike for the book to develop. A sentence will start out really simple and McCarthy will...
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...Cormac McCarthy, who depicts the story of a father and son in a post-apocalyptic world. As the novel develops and the characters grow, McCarthy’s use of imagery and symbolism help create the question of whether or not ‘humanity can survive in a world that has lost everything.’ The man and the boy attempt to find a place that is not overrun with ‘bad guys’ and journey to the south where their hope of warm weather and safety may or may not be found. On this journey, vivid images and events about the people who have survived are seen through their trip. Due to the apocalypse that has struck the world, a lack of food, water, and safety are equivalent, if not trivial to the rape, murder, and cannibalism that has become a certain norm for the remaining humans. Unfortunetly those lack of rights and crimes happen in society today which comes to show that humanity, at its very core, is not much better than it would be in the novel’s situation. However, in the book, the ‘bad guys’ take these crimes and lack of law to an extreme not seen in life today, as seen by the mother of the boy, “No, I'm speaking the truth. Sooner or later they will catch us and they will kill us. They will rape me. They'll rape him. They are going to rape us and kill us and eat us and you wont face it.” The fear of death and rape today is ever-present and it happens around the world, while this fear in the post-apocalyptic world is not of dark alleyways or public restrooms, but of inside their own home or on the...
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...2. SUMMARY The protective packaging market is becoming more competitive. Sealed Air company is encountering a growing number of competitors in its field. Similar or alternative systems are now proposed against those of Sealed Air. These new systems are often cheaper but as argued by Sealed Air less effective concerning the protection they offer and therefore less cost-effective. A new company (GAFCEL) has entered the market with an uncoated product and is having success on the New York, California and Ohio market. Sealed Air will face further erosion of its US market share. Based on the analysis of the AirCap® product as well as on the analysis of the market, we will answer questions regarding Sealed Air's reaction to its new competitor GAFCELL and the opportunity to introduce a new uncoated product in the market. We will make marketing recommendations on how to introduce this new product and in which geographical market to launch it in order to maintain Sealed Air as a leader of the protective packaging market. 3. QUESTIONS 3.1. What should Sealed Air be trying to accomplish in any decision it makes in response to the GAFCEL threat? * It should be trying to gain back the market share that was taken by GAFCEL and it should ensure it does not loose anymore market share. * It should ensure it keeps its reputation of a company built on 'technical accomplishments' and must ensure its image does not suffer from the possible introduction of this new...
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...Is it fair that innocent victims of abuse are constantly treated like dirt on the bottom of a shoe? Is it right that some of these victims are killed for a world power to flourish even more? Should victims of this abuse be placed in these situations so that Europeans can prove their superiority? These questions have a simple definite answer, no. No one should be treated the way the Europeans treated the natives of the countries that they imperialised. Imperialism is when a foreign country extends their rule to a nation to acquire and hold a colony. South Africa, the Congo, and Egypt are cases in which the imperialistic rule abused their power to the extent where their colony forever is impacted in a beyond negative matter. In South Africa,...
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...Does Granting Animals Human Rights Make Sense? University Does Granting Animals Human Rights Make Sense? Throughout history, there has been any number of people belonging to various groups that for one reason or another were persecuted, oppressed, or otherwise denied equality with the rest of society. Over time, these groups have either formed their own activism or received sponsorship from another group with the goal of achieving equality in the eyes of society, if not in the eyes of the law. Workers, women, minorities, and homosexuals are examples of such groups where the pursuit of what we have come to call human rights has both made history and changed society. This document will explore the question: “does granting animals human rights make sense?” While it is understood that human beings, the species Homo sapiens sapiens, are members of the animal kingdom, for the sake of this discussion use of the term “animals” will refer to those that are non-human. Much of the rhetoric emanating from the animal rights debate is highly emotionally charged. By approaching the issue from the perspective of a reasonable person, it is possible to strike a balance by ensuring the humane treatment of animals where human culture and purposes intersect with the animal kingdom. Often, the animal rights debate is referred to as though there were only two sides to the argument. One side would grant rights to animals that are equivalent to the rights humans strive to afford one another...
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...remembered a promised he had made to serve god, therefore forgiving everyone who had tortured him. Unbroken, a novel written by Laura Hillenbrand, has shown people the many sides of Louie Zamperini, including his best traits, being forgiving and loyal. Louie Zamperini learned to forgive people who had hurt him and that violence wouldn’t solve his problems. In Louie’s interview with Laura Hillenbrand, he was asked “If you had killed the Bird, do you think you would have gotten over the war?” (291). In reply, Louie explained “I don’t think so… but I don’t know what kind of satisfaction that would be,” (291). Because Louie is very forgiving, he realized that hurting the Bird wouldn’t solve anything. He realized that forgiving someone is the right thing to do and that forgiving someone is the only way that you can actually move on and live your life. When Mac ate all of the chocolate, Louie “...understanding that Mac had acted in panic, he reassured him they...
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...one “From Eurocentrism to Polycentrism”, they reviewed standard criticism of view in literary in cinematic work. This essay is aims defined the stereotypical images and roles of African Americans in films. First of all, the movie “Tarzan, The Ape Man” is the fairly easy target for people interested in the perpetuation of anti-black stereotypes. Tarzan is presented as a naked savage who doesn’t learn to wear clothes. It’s racist when in the movie, when Tarzan warning Jane and her father that Tarzan, the owner of the jungles has killed beasts and many black men. He pelts animals with thrown objects to torment them. He kills animals for pleasure. To Tarzan all blacks are lower. Besides, in the movie, the Africans of the Mbongan tribe are cannibalism, superstitious, contemptible and debased. Here it come the love of Tarzan, Jane a “white” woman is defined as beautiful, and apparently resourceful and intelligent. However, Esmeralda is presented as a black nanny stereotype. Her character old dialogue is an affront to all women and to all black. The positive attributes of the 'whiteness “and the negative attributes of the 'black” in this movie represent an interpretation of discrimination by that time. It’s mentioned in Black Feminist Thought, the author expressed that such stereotypical images have included mammies,...
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