Choosing The Sex Of a Baby Essay -- Science Ethics Genetics Engineerin

Choosing The Sex Of a Baby With new technologies available everyday, it seems almost as if we can customize our children. Reproduction is no longer an outcome of random and inherited genes, but now it’s a process of creating the child that we want to have. Fertility clinics are in debate as to whether or not it is ethical to be able to determine the sex of our children. Some view this as a valid option, while others see it as another step down the road to designer babies. But how far is too far? That is a question that we can only answer for ourselves. While this article remains unbiased, we are able to form our own opinion after seeing the pros and cons of both sides. Virginia Blackburn is in support of the choice to choose. She claims that this is an acceptable action and that â€Å"if there’s no discarding of fetuses that have already been created or risk of harm to the baby, the only real question is: why on earth should anybody try to stop them?† (1). Another argument that supports this choice is the fact that sometimes choosing the sex of the baby can lead to prevention of certain genetic diseases. Since hemophilia occurs mostly in males, parents might be a bit concerned about having children. So, if they had a boy, and decided to resort to abortion, we can see how choosing the sex of the baby would prevent choices of abortion and the potential of genetic disease. It kills two birds with one stone. In addition, there are some parents who covet the idea of having a boy or girl. Some just prefer a certain gender. Results of parents trying for a certain gender end up with them having huge families. There is also the low self esteem and frustration of not being able to conceive the sought after gender. Imagine being th... ...be taking the needed steps toward avoiding and curing certain diseases. But when we go through challenges like that, it makes us better. We become better people, and there is justification for why things like that happen. I feel that it’s truly best to just stay out of it. In the Bible, David the psalmist says in Psalm 139: 13-16, â€Å"For you created me in my inmost being, you kit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes say my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.† God’s character goes into every person that he creates and there is no reason for us to be dissatisfied with that.

African American: an Identity Crisis Essay

For centuries African Americans have been indoctrinated to subsist in a cultural and historical vacuum by their oppressors who would seek to bar them from ever making the connection to their illuminating past. This systematic agenda of mis-education and lies by omission has made possible the subjugation and enslavement, in body and mind, of the African American by his oppressors. In his essay â€Å"The Study of the Negro,† Dr. Carter G. Woodson sets out to ruminate on why the African American has been misled in his ascension to human equality and dignity and how he can remedy the dismal state of his affairs. A thorough reading of Woodson’s pioneering work indicates that we should study the experiences of African-descended people to gain knowledge about ourselves and other cultures as well as to take back accurate traditions and histories that have all but been discredited or misrepresented. Furthermore, only through this systematic study of their meaningful contributions to history can African Americans elevate themselves to empowered enlightenment. One reason to study the experiences of the African American is to instill in him a sense of purpose and place in a world that otherwise intends to keep him perpetually in the dark. Undoubtedly the aim of his oppressors has been to convince him that his history is unimportant so as to deprive him of the sense of pride that is so necessary to feel wholly human. By espousing that â€Å"he has no worthwile past, that his race has done nothing significant since the beginning of time, and that there is no evidence that he will ever achieve anything great† (Woodson 6), his oppressors can be sure that the African American will continue down the path of mis-education that so allows for his subservience to a system that cares nothing for him. However, â€Å"if you teach the Negro that he has accomplished as much good as any other race he will aspire to equality and justice without regard to race. † (Woodson 6) The core purpose of African American studies is to take back from obscurity that piece of the historical puzzle without which the African American would be amidst an endless identity crisis. By studying the origin of his people, the African American, who â€Å"has not yet learned to think and plan for himself as others do for themselves† (Woodson 7), can take control of his own destiny rather than taking as truth â€Å"an abundance of information which others have made accessible to the oppressed. † (Woodson 7) The culture of indoctrination cultivated by the oppressor would have that â€Å"the Negro should cease to remember that he was once held a slave, that he has been oppressed, and even that he is a Negro. † (Woodson 7) Thus, it is plain to see that the African American’s oppressors have too much to lose by promoting the truth. Indeed, it would require them to admit their transgressions and to concede the countless meaningful contributions made by the African American to modern society. Without â€Å"a serious examination of the fundamentals of education, religion, literature, and philosophy as they have been expounded to him† (Woodson 7) by his oppressors, the â€Å"Negro joins the opposition with the objection that the study of the Negro keeps alive questions which should be forgotten. † (Woodson 7) Perhaps the most essential lesson to be learned from an effective, systematic study of African American history is that the contributions made by African Americans are far more numerous than any oppressor could ever know. It is with a pig-headed pride that they conceal the fact that â€Å"the history of the modern world was made, in the main, by what was taken from African people. † (Clarke) Without knowledge such as this, it would be impossible for the African American to take pride in himself and to seek the true identity he has been in search of for centuries. â€Å"A race is like a man. Until it uses its own talents, takes pride in its own history, and loves its own memories, it can never fulfill itself completely. † (Clarke) African American studies can help in understanding other cultures as well as our own by challenging and correcting the misrepresentations of Africa and Western Europe and their cultural legacies. What has been laid aground as history by the oppressor does not serve to benefit the African American but instead to keep him dependent on a system rife with underlying prejudice against his people. History is written in the image of the writer so, consequently, the African American must take up the reins of authorship himself and guide his own destiny. That is precisely why we should study the African American experience, to produce a platform on which he can take back what is innately his. After all, to be cognizant of where one is going, it is necessary to be aware of where one has been.

The Theory And Identity Theory, And Deal With The Multiple...

To quote Karl Popper, â€Å"Every solution to a problem, raises another unsolved problem† (Williams, 2003, p. 2). It has been a topic debated for centuries, still, a definitive solution is yet to be found that universally satisfies the problem of mind brain identity. The most logical answer comes in the form of monism. Therefore in this paper I will argue that the mind and the brain are identical, as the mind exists only as a property of the brain. David Lewis and D.M Armstrong give support for the causal relationship between mind and brain states in the form of the identity theory, and deal with the multiple realisability argument provided by Hillary Putman. Gottlob Frege provides his support for materialism by showing that mental states are determined by the function of the brain, while discounting Thomas Nagel’s argument which proposes the idea of Qualia. Both the functionalist theory and identity theory reach agreement on the materialistic view that the mind and bra in are of the same substance. The Identity theory maintains a monistic belief by considering states of mind as being indistinguishable to brain states. Mental experiences including feeling pain, and possessing mental images are not correlated with, but in fact are brain processes (Smart, 2007). When dealing with the question of whether the mind and brain are identical, identity theorists differentiate between two forms, Type Identity and Token Identity (Schneider). Token Identity theory considers that mentalShow MoreRelatedWhy Functionalism Is A Better Theory Than Identity Theory1231 Words   |  5 Pagestowards identity theory. Identity theory is a form of physicalism; it states that a particular mental state is identical to a particular physical state of body and brain, for instance mental sensation such as pain is simply just the firing of C-fibres (Smart, 1959). This is a reductionist view as it reduces our psychological state to a materialistic and physical form. A prominent objection against identity theo ry is Functionalism, in which the main advocate Hilary Putnam stated that identity theoryRead MoreWhat is functionalism? Critically assess its main advantages and disadvantages.3994 Words   |  16 Pagesand its relations to other functional components. Functionalism says that mental states are understood by their relations to (a) their sensory stimulation or input, (b) other inner states, and (c) their behavior effects. It is not a meterialistic theory, but can be seen as compatible with the spirit of materialism. In Heils view, although immaterial substances like spirits, are conceiveable, in all probability, every substance is a material substance. So every property posesses by a substance is