Philosophy and gun control policy in high school education

Philosophy required in high school? Gun control?; Stem cells receiving federal support?

To be alive is to be a philosopher. Of course, young children famously pester their parents 'why is the sky blue?' But even the tiniest toddlers also ask themselves such soul-searching questions as 'are my parents always right' or 'is it wrong to cheat for the sake of a friend?' Human life for the young as well as the old is filled with ethical dilemmas, and having a class that would allow students to explore such debates would be extremely valuable.

Ethics is not a separate subject from the rest of human existence. History classes raise the question of whether it was ethical to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. English classes raise ethical questions about the ways characters behave in the tragedy of Hamlet. Science classes raise questions about whether science can be reconciled with deep faith. Students are already asking philosophical questions in school, but a philosophy class allows greater systemization of such searching queries, and enables students to structure their quest for knowledge in a more effective fashion.

For students who go on to pursue business, philosophy classes will enable them to ask 'is this right' when they make decisions that affect everyone in the marketplace, as well as shareholders and their employees. If only some of the individuals who sold subprime mortgages had applied ethics and philosophy to their decision-making processes! Future doctors will also benefit from having a grounding in ethics at an early age. Even students who excel in sports must make ethical decisions about what priority the pursuit of winning and scholarships will have in their academic lives.

Finally, philosophy helps students cope with an increasingly diverse world. Philosophy forces students to ask not only 'why do I think as I do,' but 'how have others thought about life in the past,' and 'how did people approach ethics differently in other historical time periods and nations?' Recently, the George Washington University MBA program announced "that it is transforming its curriculum with its current first-year graduate students, emphasizing ethical business practices and globalization" but students should not have to wait until graduate school to grapple with a world of ethical shades of gray -- their questioning must begin now (Kinzie 2008).

Question 2: NRA

Advocacy of gun control is not limited to Republican Administrations. Sarah Brady, the wife of one of the victims of John Hinckley's failed attempt upon President Reagan's life, has been a longstanding advocate of reasonable restrictions upon handguns and other weapons. School shootings, such as those which took place at Columbine and Virginia Tech are often coupled with bipartisan, community-based demands for more vigilant controls upon who can purchase a firearm. However, the National Rife Administration continues to rally support for its ideology by claiming that any attempt to control guns is a slippery slope, and will result in the wholesale banning of all firearms.

When Barak Obama was elected the presidency, many ammunitions retailers used the event to frighten citizens to 'stockpile' ammunition for fear that the more liberal president would enact a wholesale ban. Ironically, Barak Obama's chosen vice-president, Joe Biden, is a devoted outdoorsman. Obama's position on the issue of gun control can best be described as moderate. He has emphasized local control over national firearm restrictions, stressing that in some violent-prone areas, such as the inner city, more restrictive policies may be necessary. Obama endorsed an Illinois handgun ban while he was serving in the Illinois state legislature and also supports a ban on semi-automatic weapons. However, the current President professed his support for the Second Amendment, stating that he supports restrictions to keep guns out of the wrong hands, not a full prohibition. In Illinois he co-sponsored a 2000 to limit consumer purchases of firearms to one gun per month -- although he also supported 'conceal carry' laws for retired police officers ("Gun control," on the Issues, 2008).

The spike in gun sales has more to do with political posturing than reality: gun owners wish to demonstrate their opposition to Obama's system of values, as conceptualized in the red-blue divide that currently exists in the United States. In this polarized media positioning, Obama represents urban elitism and government control, despite his actual policies. The NRA and the gun industry has used this fear that individuals will not be able to 'defend themselves' against faceless threats, crime, and even the government itself to stimulate gun ownership and fear -- with potentially grave consequences for those who use their expanded stores of munitions to take the law into their own hands.

Question 3: Embryonic stem cell research

Quite simply, embryonic stem cell research holds the promise of hope for millions of Americans affected with chronic diseases. "Embryonic stem cells are thought by most scientists and researchers to hold potential cures for spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, hundreds of rare immune system and genetic disorders and much more" (White, 2010, p.1). Opposition to embryonic stem cell research has been concentrated in the pro-life community: using the cells of a days-old human embryo extracted during an abortion is viewed as complicity in murder. Although abortion is allowed, according to the law of the land, pro-life activists feel that condoning stem cell research will seem like an implicit validation of the morality of abortion.