Humanities concepts and applications

Humanities

Preamble:

The changes that are perceived from one generation to another often are the result of technology and information changes and the access to various types of information. The changes in the way information could be transmitted and displayed have changed very rapidly with the technology explosion. While scientific treatises and political debates can be argued out on the internet in seconds and the opinions of individuals altered, there has been a general decline in the traditional information channels with the new generation. This has resulted in the adverse participation or no participation in the national affairs. Thus the readership of the newspaper which is the hall mark of American journalism and culture is almost at bottom. The issues like Craig's List and other online sources have made advertising in newspapers scarce and the economic angle of the newspaper is crumbling. Even simple sporting events like reporting the Major League Baseball coverage has changed over the last generation. (Bellamy, 128)

The media and the exploding internet technology have ushered in media like streaming videos and blogs. Thus the study tested the effect of blogs and the changing media scenario. There is now the new development of a blogosphere for example which is an amalgamation of individual blogs. The study commented that the traditional media still has influence and largely dominates the public opinion on public affairs. For example the New York Times and the wire services, still have great influence other media. Thus the primary media gives rise to modern expressions as in blogs and the study concluded that these growths were fundamentally based on the information provided by the traditional mainstream media. (Lee, 745)

The earlier generation reacted to the traditional culture but the modern generation does not react to a learned decision on issues. There has been decline and advances in all spheres of humanities. In this paper three such humanity related aspects are discussed in depth, namely a) the changes in science affecting religion, B) the controversies of religious studies, and C) the changing values of arts and performance of the media with appropriate controversial debates on the issues.

Thesis Statement:

The changing face of the religion and the way the next generation approaches the alternate belief and the approach to science and how this changes the fabric of society has to be looked into in detail. Therefore the history with regard to science and its influence on religion and the accompanying controversies are studied.

I. The History of Science and Religious Studies:

The study of religion encompasses the study of how each of the faith has been received and modified over the centuries. Religion is considered to be always in conflict with science. While science negates god the religions cannot exist without such a notion. This controversy where science without ethics and religion without conviction meet is the focal point of strife. Thus where the scientific enquiry is conducted with a view to advance the well being of man, the question becomes if it should be so with the cost of overstepping morality and human sentiments. The most recent development is the stem cell research where science and religion were at logger heads. The media in the century has taken the role of both the promoter of science and the voice of the moralists. The later part of the twentieth century made the broadcast media socially and commercially important, both commercially and for the religious groups. The media of the Fifties may be noted, had clear cut boundaries that defined the national culture, and the religion was expected to be within this boundary. (Hangen, 156) Examination of the stem cell controversy will bring up these facts.

I.A. The Stem Cell Controversy:

Shapiro commented on the debate with the prologue that the aspects of ethics in science are described as bioethics the science that deals with the ethical issues in science. In the case of researches that seem to offend the religious, social or sentimental values, the public have taken to legal references in the controversies of science and its questionable ethics Thus in the case of the stem cell research a number of cases were seen filed with the United States Supreme Court, especially reproductive privacy cases. Thus some of the notable cases are Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, Stenberg v. Carkart, 530 U.S. 914, that stuck down for example the partial-birth abortion law. (Shapiro, 203)

The status of embryonic stem cell research is at a threshold where neither ethical consensus nor laws are laid out. . One thing that raises alarm is the fact that in the stem cell research, there is destruction of very early human embryos. The controversy that is the issue is thus the destruction of an embryo -- and the religious, moral and ethical consideration of its impact. The most serious objection is that there is a possibility that the early embryo is destroyed in the process of creating embryonic stem cells and the religious or moral side of the objection arises in considering the embryo as a full person or human subject. Thus when the embryo comes into being it acquires rights. On the other hand the arguments against this proposal state that early embryo though the beginning of human life cannot be "person" at any time prior to birth. (Shapiro, 204)

Likewise the issue has gone to be considered in the federal and state legislatures. There however is no regulation as of yet on this research. The question then is if lives can be saved with the technology is that not good? Adult stem cells are the technology choice as an alternative. This overcomes the moral objection of using embryos. This break through using alternate resources like adult human cells is not seen at least by the government as being controversial. The then President of the United States George Bush asserted that the umbilical chord which could be used -- is a change towards the right policies and progress while adhering to moral duties. (Bellomo, 144)

The problem is that the same research will be conducted elsewhere where there are no such qualms. Thomas Kemp taking an economic perspective argued that technology transference using stem cell research having been developed in the United States, will be stopped with the action of the people and will be taken up elsewhere where there are no constraints thus depriving the original U.S. researchers of the direct use of the technology. In the United States the clash between the technological development and morality has virtually stopped the progress of the stem cell research. There were protests from religious organizations especially the Catholic Church and the economic theory of Veblen is proved by showing that the limitations placed on that development takes the technology elsewhere, and in this case to China. (Kemp, 421)

The Communist government there has no religion and religious practices and thus any objections to stem cell research will not occur. The economist Veblen's theory thus makes them the ideal transferees. So is it correct to allow the research that offends morals to be conducted in the country? It is not correct to ban the research if the same can be conducted with impunity elsewhere thus merely transferring the knowledge to another place. That would not solve the moral question. The ethics of the scientific enquiry ought to be first made global.

II. Religious Studies and History:

The history of religion and the progress of the religion in time constitute the branch of the arts. Within the religious scenario in the U.S. there have been a lot of changes in the religious outlook within the religious establishments. For example, Chang shows in 1993 survey of Catholic laity, there were requirements from the laity for democracy at the parish level. The parishioners demanded a right to select the priests, and there were demands for the laity to have their opinion on church policies, divorce and remarriage being taken into account. There is a decline too in the number of youth to become ordained priests. And while the status of the priest is changing, more and more priestly functions are being taken over by non-ordained ministry. Women have now become ministers, and for the new post Vatican II generation, and the exposure of the traditional catholic to other religious expressions, have now changed the way even the rigid religious establishment like the Catholic establishment now functions. (Chang, 3)

The patriotic feeling and its revival occurred after the September 11 attacks, and the Bush administration launched programs to instill patriotism in schoolchildren. This thus led to the mass recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The slogan "God Bless America" was also to be displayed in the schools. (O'Leary, 41) These were not new. Between the Civil War and World War II there have been many shows of such feelings. Earlier the pledge as per Bellamy dictum stood as "I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all in the civil war times." (O'Leary, 41) Later the words "the flag of the United States" was added to it during the world war. Later the period between the wars saw the persecution of the Jehovah's Witnesses occurred because they refused to salute the flag and follow the "100% Americanism." However far back in 1943, the court in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette made the loyalty oath unconstitutional. It was on Flag Day, 1954, that President Eisenhower added the word "under God." (O'Leary, 41)

II. B. The Pledge Case

Alain L. Sanders commenting on the Press and Pledge Case and the religious controversy has made the observation that the case succeeded in dividing the Church from the State, and that at least was the intention of the U.S. Supreme Court. However the decision in the Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow was pronounced on June 14, 2004, the controversy is still not settled. The ambiguity in the judgment keeps the issue live. It was a question if a public school policy requiring children to recite the Pledge, invoking god is against the Establishment of Religion Clause of the First Amendment. (Sanders, 202)

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the word under "God" violates the First Amendment guarantee against the establishment of religion. The ruling was a major change because it banished God from public assembly and in a patriotic salute. On public outcry the Supreme Court reversed the court of appeals. The jurisdiction of the appellant was questioned and the issue left unsettled. While the outcome of the case is not the issue, the Pledge case brings to light the role of the media in creating controversies and then switching out of the issue as it becomes inconvenient. (Sanders, 202)

The media thus changes the perception of people by taking different stand in issues at different times. The final argument is that the Citizens should never be compelled to show their allegiance to a flag or to a government let alone god. (Buckner, 17) and to make school children do so especially pledge allegiance to a religious idea is abuse of minority rights and such incursions into the rights of minorities must be thwarted. Another identical issue that could be observed and with the same conclusion reached is the Ten Commandments controversy at Alabama.

II. C. The Posting of the Ten Commandments in Alabama

The banning of religious display energizes the groups that support the zeal. The Ten Commandments are issue thus raked up a religious right question. There were differences if the Ten Commandments ought to be displayed n public spaces and in Alabama there was public backing for its display including the stand by Judge Moore, and the controversy further caused the United States House of Representatives to resolve to display of the Ten Commandments in every public schoolroom and courtroom in the nation. The opposition have cited cases like the Stone v. Graham arguing that the display violate the separation of the state from religion. The question then is if the posting of the Ten Commandments is a religious act of state and if one set of religion seem to be favored. Thus displaying the Ten Commandments on a courtroom wall occasions the religious rivalry and this has caused the disputes of religion between Catholics and Protestants and others to surface. (Lubet, 471)

In the general world view, this the Jewish Decalogue is also displayed at synagogues and there are versions of the same that is suited to Catholic and Protestant groups which are mounted on the walls of their church. However it is still religion and the government ought to stay clear of it. Thus it was right that the Judge Moore was ordered to take down the plaque. It is argued that posting the Ten Commandments in public schools and other public facilities will ultimately breed religious intolerance in the modern context where terrorism has polarized the society after September eleven. Today Americans also belong to religions that do not follow the Bible at all. The only sect that would consider the Ten Commandments as part of their faith is the Christians and Jews. (Davis, 221)

There are millions of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and others. These people do not follow the commandments. Thus the display of Ten Commandments on government property may intimidate them and make them question the neutrality of the state. Another argument is that the Government property is public property and thus it ought to be held secular and without favoring any single religion. (Davis, 221) Thus there must be clear distinction between the state and the religious establishments. The media as it is seen has played a key role in all the examined controversies and the media also has been responsible for some degeneration in society as it will be shown in the examination of the media in the arts.