Terri Schiavo case: dignity versus autonomy in end-of-life decisions
The Terri Schiavo case was an unusual incident where a person who should have been removed from life support long ago was sustained due to federal and public intervention. The case instigates moral and ethical questions of decision to end life as well as the limits of autonomy in surrogate decision making. Torke et al (2008) argue that guardian judgment is often used as decision-making when a patient lacks the cognitive abilities to decide treatment for herself. Surrogate decision-making, however, has its own flaws and should be replaced by something more rational. Using the Terri Schiavo case as base, the following essay argues that the decision whether or not to prolong a patient's life (or indeed any decision revolving on an incumbent or cognitively disabled patient) should focus on the patient's dignity and individuality rather than on his or her autonomy.
Sustainable development and economic growth: fundamentally incompatible objectives
Within a global economy, it is very important that as people that we start to rethink the basis of economics for the reason that with the economic system we are gifted with today, sustainable development and economic growth is not likely to attain simultaneously. This essay provides an overview of the issue and call for a shared policy that gives a everyone of the individuals the chance to understand one's potential, inside the natural boundaries of earth The problem of having a sustainable development and at the similar time experience a unceasing economic growth is turning out to be more pressing as many starts to perceive the limitations nature.
The nature versus nurture debate and human identity formation
Conversely, advocates of the "nurture" perspective believe that people are essentially blank slates, devoid of any preset programming inherited from their forbearers, who are shaped instead by the multitude of environmental factors which affect them from birth onward. In the case of Jamaican sprinting dominance, the nurture argument would claim that "any gene-centered explanation also dismisses the importance of a whole host of psycho-social and cultural factors that are likely to be major contributors to the success of Jamaican sprinters" (Kelland, 2012), including the prominence of short-distance sprinting in Jamaica and the country's substantial investment in training programs for promising young sprinters. This conception of identity also serves to explain one of history's more confounding conundrums, that of siblings, or even twins, who while sharing the same genetic makeup, end up following distinctly dissimilar paths through life. The nurture side of the debate was eloquently stated in 1973 by Ashley Monatgu, who stated in her book Man and Aggression that "man is man because he has no instincts, because everything he is and has become he has learned . . . from his culture, from the man-made part of the environment, from other human beings" (Montagu, 1973).
The International Criminal Court's charter compliance and case handling
The creation and administration of a International Criminal Court, especially given historical events like World War II and Vietnam, is absolutely a good idea but the cases and situations that the court is used for should be kept as narrow and as wide as is reasonable based on the situation. Situations that should stay within a single nation, should be.
Music therapy effectiveness for reducing sundowning agitation in elderly dementia patients
Sundowning in elderly patients with dementia is a common problem that needs a treatment option with many avenues such as music therapy, light therapy, medication, and even nutrition. It is important to understand what sundowning is in order to help develop an effective treatment protocol and understand how to compare the standard of care and music therapy to see which combination or approach is best.