Genetic Engineering Science vs. Religion - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1415 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/09/16 Category Religion Essay Type Compare and contrast essay Did you like this example? What View Does Science Have on Genetic Engineering? For the first time in history, evolution has taken a backseat to the meddling of humankind with their own genetic makeup. There is an ongoing realization that humanity is capable of directly shaping its own and other species evolution. As we ease into the twenty-first century, we realize that genetic engineering is undoubtedly going to have a dramatic effect on our lives. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Genetic Engineering: Science vs. Religion" essay for you Create order It seems that with genetic engineering, science has moved from exploring the natural world and its mechanisms to redesigning it. Now, we must ask ourselves this, will that influence be for better, or for worse? However, even the responses of science differ in this topic. Scientists remain divided in their opinions. Some have warned against the hazards of genetic engineering, while others have dismissed these perils as inconsequential. Two opposing viewpoints, which is right? Lewis Wolpert, professor of biology as applied to medicine at University College London, says that, There are no ethical issues because you are not doing any harm to anyone. And indeed, the gist of his statement is staunchly supported by James Watson, a Nobel Prize winner and president of Cold Spring Habour Laboratory. If we can make better human beings by knowing how to add genes, why shouldnt we do it? The biggest ethical problem is not using our knowledge. They are both extremely critical of excuses that gene tic engineering is a bad idea. Are they absolutely right? Are the predictions of doomsday just insubstantial bits of fluff with no proof to support these claims? Are we truly so confident as to proceed with no holds barred? Both scientists seem not to have the slightest bit of anxiety regarding potential glitches. They have found a fascinating playground in genetic engineering, and appears that it is not only a way for them to earn their livelihood, but also gain fame and fortune. Is their attitude towards this serious issue too cavalier or biased? Are they too unclear about the likelihood of threats to civilization? In contrast, two other prominent scientists have displayed their displeasure about genetic engineering. They have made no secret of the rather strong feelings against genetic engineering. George Wald, Nobel Prize-winning biologist and Harvard professor, wrote: Recombinant DNA technology [genetic engineering] faces our society with problems unprecedented not only in the history of science, but of life on the Earth. It places in human hands the capacity to redesign living organisms, the products of some three billion years of evolution. It is all too big and is happening too fast. So this, the central problem, remains almost unconsidered. It presents probably the largest ethical problem that science has ever had to face. Our morality up to now has been to go ahead without restriction to learn all that we can about nature. Restructuring nature was not part of the bargain For going ahead in this direction may be not only unwise but dangerous. Potentially, it could breed new animal and plant diseases, new sources of cancer, novel epidemics. Erwin Chargoff, an eminent geneticist who is sometimes called the father of modern microbiology too echoed Walds concerns. He commented: The principle question to be answered is whether we have the right to put an additional fearful load on generations not yet born. Our time is cursed with the necessity for feeble men, masquerading as experts, to make enormously far-reaching decisions. Is there anything more far-reaching than the creation of forms of life? You can stop splitting the atom; you can stop visiting the moon; you can stop using aerosols; you may even decide not to kill entire populations by the use of a few bombs. But you cannot recall a new form of life. An irreversible attack on the biosphere is something so unheard-of, so unthinkable to previous generations, that I could only wish that mine had not been guilty of it. Have we the right to counteract, irreversibly, the evolutionary wisdom of millions of years, in order to satisfy the ambition and curiosity of a few scientists? This world is given to us on loan. We come and we go; and after a time we leave earth and air and water to others who come after us. My generation, or perhaps the one preceding mine, has been the first to engage, under the leadership of the exact sciences, in a destructive colonial warfare against nature. The future will curse us for it. What is the Stand of the Catholic Church? For some Catholics, their stand on genetic engineering is steadfast, but rigid. For them, God alone is the master of human life and of its integrity, and in this belief, their only viable course of though is to be wary of the potential of genetic engineering for fundamentally altering Gods sacred creation. They seem to leave no room for the possibility that there might be a whole new viewpoint to this. In his 1983 address to members of the World Medical Association, Pope John Paul II, as the representative of the Catholic Church, shed some light on the topic from a different perspective. He did not refute the blatantly true statement that God is the creator of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen, nor did he deny that medicine is an eminent, essential form of service to mankind. However, he hastened to add, the extraordinary and rapid advance of medical science entails frequent rethinking of its deontology. Pope John Paul II touched on three major points: the respect for life, the unity of the human being and the rights of the human being. These key factors contribute to the concept of the fundamental rights of man and the dignity of humankind. Also, is there the realization that while evolution is inevitable, genetic manipulation poses a serious question to every individuals moral conscience. In his words, A strictly therapeutic intervention will, in principle, be considered desirable, provided it is directed to the true promotion of the personal well-being of man and does not infringe on his integrity or worsen his conditions of life. Such an intervention, indeed, would fall within the logic of the Christian moral tradition. But here the question returns. Indeed, it is of great interest to know if an intervention on genetic inheritance that goes beyond the limits of the therapeutic in the strict sense should be regarded likewise as morally acceptable. In particular, this kind of intervention must not infringe on the origin of human life. It must, consequently, respect the fundamental dignity of men and the common biological nature which is at the base of liberty, avoiding manipulations that tend to modify genetic inheritance and to create groups of different men at the risk of causing new cases of marginalization in society. Moreover, the fundamental attitudes that inspire the interventions of which we are speaking should not flow from a racist and materialist mentality aimed at a human well-being that is, in reality, reductionist. The dignity of man transcends his biological condition. Genetic manipulation becomes arbitrary and unjust when it reduces life to an object; when it forgets that it is dealing with a human subject, capable of intelligence and freedom, worthy of respect whatever may be their limitations. Or when it treats this person in terms of criteria not founded on the integral reality of the human person, at the risk of infringing upon his dignity Scientific and technical progress, whatever it be, must then maintain the greatest respect for the moral values that constitute a safeguard for the dignity of the human person. And because, in the order of medical values, life is the supreme and the most radical good of man, there must be a fundamental principle: first oppose everything harmful, then seek out and pursue the good. To tell the truth, the expression genetic manipulation remains ambiguous and should constitute an object of true moral discernment. It covers, on the one hand, adventuresome endeavors aimed at promoting I know not what kind of superman and, on the other hand, desirable and salutary interventions aimed at the correction of anomalies such as certain hereditary illnesses. Not to mention, of course, the beneficent applications in the domains of animal and vegetable biology that favor food production. For these last cases, some are beginning to speak, of genetic surgery, so as to show more clearly that medicine intervenes not in order to modify nature but to favor its development in its own life, that of the creation, as intended by God.

I Believe Essay - 2050 Words

I Believe I believe that education is the basic foundation of any society, and that the way in which a student is motivated during their education will inevitably determine their degree of success or failure in the future. Only after my graduation from high school and my entrance into college did I realize how significant the role of a teacher really is in relation to the shaping of a society. In their classrooms, they have the privilege of instructing the individuals who will be the doctors, lawyers, and teachers of tomorrow. As a teacher, I hope to instill a love of learning in my students that will, in turn, motivate them to study not only the basic things I have taught them to be important, but also the things they, as†¦show more content†¦I hope to stimulate my students’ minds so that they will be competent individuals ready to face whatever they may encounter during their life. In order to do this, I feel that students should be taught basic skills, but should also be st rongly encouraged to explore and learn the things that interest them. I believe that young students come to school already having a broad base of general knowledge that they have learned in their home. However, I also believe that, by nature, they have a clean academic slate and are eager to absorb as much information as can be presented to them in a single day! It seems that they are eager to learn, and become frustrated easily if they do not understand concepts. Unfortunately, as they grow older, some become indifferent about learning, and the teacher’s job is balanced between motivating them to learn and actually teaching them the things they need to learn. Since I plan on teaching at the secondary level, I hope to not enter the classroom being naà ¯ve about the nature of students at this particular level. I am aware that many students at the secondary level do not give nearly enough attention to their schoolwork. For that reason, I am considering, even now, ways in which I can stimulate my students to want to learn. I plan to use two educat ional philosophies to accomplish my goals. Perennialism urges thatShow MoreRelatedI Believe741 Words   |  3 Pages I Believe I Am A Child of God At the young age of eighteen, my life was changed in a drastic way. Through out my childhood and teenage years, my mother and father tried to force God down my throat and not till this life changing moment did I realize why. I could have been living a worldly life striving for popularity, having expensive things, and living in sin, but I chose to be a follower of Christ because he gave his life for me. The first day of high school, boy was I worried.Read MoreAnalysis Of The Article Goodwin Scandal 1283 Words   |  6 Pagesimaginable and it looked like it was straight out of a cartoon. 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So he could explain how even through rough times he didn’t give up onRead MoreTime Spent On Server Daily910 Words   |  4 PagesCorner: Since Map 15​ Have you purchased a rank on the server: No, if i could i would​ What server do you play on most on MineCorner?: Kitmap, and HCF​ Name 3 allowed mods: Shaders, Rei s Minimap no radar, Toggle Sprint​ What are the repercussions for a player that is using a hacked client?: If someone was getting reported alot of time whilst in teamfights or a 1v1 i would /ss them and ask them to come into ts.minecorner.com and i would proceed to ask them to download and open join.me for a screenshareRead MoreLooking Back At The Beginning Of Last Year, Life Was Not1169 Words   |  5 PagesAt the time I was going through the transition of moving back from my previous college back to my home in Miami, Florida. Disappointed, at how I did not push myself enough to succeed in my foregoing college, I came to question what I should do now. Everything felt so rushed, the control I had on it was nonexistent. I, like an audience in a movie theater sitting back and watching my life unfold in front of me. Eventually as time went on I decided the best thing to do, is fix myself. I found myselfRead MoreI Believe in Honesty1206 Words   |  5 PagesI believe..... in honesty I strongly believe that honesty is the best policy. Let’s not go overboard and think that I never tell little white lies, because I do, but usually it is to spare someone’s feelings. I have learned throughout the course of many years that telling big lies only leads to more lies. What will happen when you tell those lies? You will usually end up telling one lie to cover up another lie and eventually, you will end up telling on yourself. I remember this story so vividlyRead MoreI Believe in Chances561 Words   |  2 PagesI Believe in Chances America is known as the land of opportunity, but as many citizens in the minority quickly learn not everyone is granted the same opportunities. As John Rawls argued for a just society that provided fair equality of opportunity for citizens of the same talents and motivations who are from different social and financial backgrounds, I strongly believe that everyone should be entitled to pursue their own academic goals.1 Although the issue of privilege is often discussed in termsRead MoreI Believe in Sneakers524 Words   |  2 PagesI Believe in Sneakers It all started with a Jumpman and a swoosh, it was more than just a shoe it was the start of a culture. What most people look at as just a shoe to protect their feet has a story behind it and a deeper meaning to me and many others than â€Å"just a pair of shoes†. Don’t put on a pair of shoes unless you know how to wear them right. For every pair I own I could explain the troubles I went through and the people I met to get each sneaker. The best feeling was opening that freshRead MoreThis I Believe1200 Words   |  5 Pages This I Believe Until now, I have travelled Japan, The United Kingdom and The United States. Although it may not be too much, traveling gave me a total different view and new insight to understand and think about the whole world. I found only travelling can let you learn and draw a lot when enjoying the fabulous scene. So I always believe that a person need more travel experiences to correct and promote himself. I never thought, based on various cultures

Counselling Theories for Cognitive Therapy - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theCounselling Theoriesfor Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Answer: Introduction Psychology is one of the key parts in the medical study. It involves the study of human minds and its functions, especially which are affecting behavioural attributes of people. With the enhanced rate of psychological issues throughout the world, the psychological therapies have also evolved, focusing more on patients holistic assessment and client centred approach, all of which ultimately leads to the improved quality of care provision and better health outcomes of the patient. In this regards, several psychologists have demonstrated different modalities for treating different cases (McLeod, 2011). It is the responsibility of the psychologist to analyze a patient case and identify the appropriate treatment modality, which would gain the maximum benefit for the patient. In this assignment, the key focus is a 50 years old lady, named Jane, who is suffering from depression. Thus, analyzing her case, appropriate modality would be selected for improving her mental and behavioural status. In this assignment, the key focus is a 50 years old lady, Jane has been undergoing depression. Jane is becoming unsocial, which is one of the elements needed to be considered throughout her treatment. In the case scenario, Jane has been shown to be divorced with two adult children, who do not live with Jane. Janes history also showed that she has been taking care of her paralyzed mother since she was 29, after the car accident of Janes mother and father, which killed her father. Now, the concern is that Jane has become isolated and becoming depressed day by day (Corey, 2015). Jane was a nurse and left her profession, once her mother became paralyzed, for taking proper care of her. However, now she wants to start her career again, but thinks that it is too late for her to start afresh, as she is afraid of being social and her ability to meet the requirements of the new practice. Once her GP referred to a psychotherapist, the initial step towards her care is to identify the best suited treatment modality for Jane. Cognitive behavioural therapy is one of the key psychological treatment modality that focuses upon the modification of clients negative patterns in cognition, including thoughts, emotional regulation, beliefs and attitudes, by development of personal coping strategies, targeting the current problems. The CBT is the mostly used evidenced based practice, being implemented in psychological treatments. This treatment modality is different than the historical psychotherapy approaches, as it is characterised as problem focused and action oriented (Laska, Gurman Wampold, 2014). The treatment modality believes that thought distortions and maladaptive behaviours play a significant role in developing and keeping the psychological disorders to progress; awareness and teaching new information processing skills along with appropriate coping mechanisms are assoc iated with distress. CBT has represented potential efficiency in psychological treatments including depression, bipolar disorder and others. In this context, Janes case scenario is showing that she is significantly dealing with negative thoughts and feelings, which is hindering the development of self-esteem regarding the beginning of her career and socialization. CBT has shown significant efficiency in treating depression in several cases, which are evident in several previous literatures. In this context, the CBT therapy would help Jane to modify her negative feelings and thought towards positive thinking pattern, which would in turn help her to start her career again (Clemens Notman, 2012). As CBT deals with negative cognitions, which is the key hindrance in Janes case study, it is appropriate modality for Jane, by helping her to recognize the connection between their thoughts, feelings and behaviours, to dispute/replace irrational or distorted thinking and to choose healthier, more adaptive behaviou rs. It would help Jane to become concern about self-care and becoming more social. In contrast to CBT, another option is there for Jane, which is the psychoanalysis modality. The psychoanalysis modality focuses upon understanding the unconscious psychological processes, which are determining the thoughts, feelings, actions and behavioural attributes of a person. This is a traditional therapy that helps to determine and link these unconscious processes to the client with the psychological issues the client is experiencing (Norcross, VandenBos Freedheim, 2011). This therapeutic modality seeks the psychotherapist to observe specific behavioural patterns of the client carefully, which helps to trace the source of behaviour or feeling back to its origin and provide the client with the perspective on the current situation of patient. According to the CBT perspective, Jane is having negative patterns of thoughts, feelings and cognition, which are hindering the development of Janes confidence to return to her professional field again. Thus, she needs support and proper communication, for influencing her positive cognition by diminishing her negative cognition. The CBT therapy would promote Jane to adopt coping mechanisms, through which she would be able to modify her negative cognitions towards the positive one (Watts et al. 2013). For this, significant emotional support and empathy is required from the professionals side. On the other hand, according to the psychoanalysis modality, through careful observation, the source of her behaviour and negative attitude towards her wish to return to her professional field needed to be identified first. Here, according to Janes scenario, there are several factors contributing to Janes behaviour or attitude. For instance, she is isolated, her children live away from her and she has lost ample amount of time for developing her career. Thus, these are the reason behind her current symptoms of depression and other negative thoughts. However, these factors are considered as the unconscious factors, contributing to her mental health issue, in contrast to the CBT therapy, which considers these factors as the conscious processes, contributing to her current health status (Thoma et al. 2012). Thus, the approaches of these two thematic modalities are different. While working with Jane, it is important to choose and implement the best psychological treatment modality. In this context, comparing psychoanalysis and CBT for Janes case is important. However, it is difficult to compare these two long term treatment modalities, as CBT and psychoanalysis differs in frequency of sessions and duration of treatment. CBT has been proven for the ability of relapse prevention; however, psychoanalysis is only focused upon the analysis of unconscious behavioural patterns, which takes significant amount of time (Kramer et al. 2013). However, there are also similarities within these two treatment modalities. For instance, CBT and psychoanalysis both are based on the modifying the behavioural patterns of the patient, which are associated with the negative mental health issues. Both of these treatment modalities include a thorough analysis of the patients case and communication is the key tool for both of the process. Both of the treatment modalities set therapeutic sessions, based on the patients situation and psychological issues (Leuzinger-Bohleber, 2014). CBT sessions are aimed at short term solution, which will help Jane to take steps regarding her career as soon as possible. Jane is already started to assume that she has been too late to go back to her professional field. CBT directly hits her negative thoughts, which are enhancing her fear, isolation and depressive symptoms. However, CBT also promotes Janes self care related skills and encourage her positive behaviour, which are required for Jane as she lives alone and need to take care of her own. However, psychoanalysis promotes the analysis of unconscious behaviour, but these are not present in the conscious status, thereby making the assessment and observation start. It is also time consuming, which is not adequate for Janes faster recovery and relapse prevention (Lichtenberg, 2013). Therefore, comparing the evidence based efficacy of both of the treatments for Janes case, the CBT is more suitable for Jane to mitigate her issues in current context. CBT creates a direct link with Janes behaviour with her negative and dysfunctional thinking patterns. Here, in Janes case, it has been seen that isolation and other key negative factors contributed to impair her sense of self; she thinks that she is incapable of meeting her professional standards, which is making her depressed day by day. In this context, CBT sessions would help Jane to provide moral support and empathy, CBT will highlight the positive behavioural patterns that Jane needs to cope with, instead of identifying the unconscious negative thinking patterns, which may demotivate her about herb disabilities. Moreover, combination of some depression related medication along with CBT may show the best result, as claimed by (Watts et al. 2013). In conclusion, it has been revealed that the implementation of psychological modalities may vary from person to person. Thus, prior implementing one, the psychotherapist needs to assess the patients case thoroughly. Here, in Janes case study, cognitive behavioural therapy and psychoanalysis, these two treatment modalities have been analysed in Janes context. Further, the differences and similarities among these two treatment modalities have been demonstrated. Finally, the best method for Jane have been identifying by analyzing the suitability of both of the psychological treatment modality for Jane. Based on existing evidences and Janes overall medical status, CBT have been selected as the most suitable modality for Jane. Reference List Clemens, N. A., Notman, M. T. (2012). Psychotherapy and psychoanalysts in psychiatric residency training.Journal of Psychiatric Practice,18(6), 438-443. Corey, G., (2015).Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Nelson Education. Kramer, U., de Roten, Y., Perry, J. C., Despland, J. N. (2013). Change in Defense Mechanisms and Coping Patterns During the Course of 2-YearLong Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis for Recurrent Depression: A Pilot Study of a Randomized Controlled Trial.The Journal of nervous and mental disease,201(7), 614-620. Laska, K. M., Gurman, A. S., Wampold, B. E. (2014). Expanding the lens of evidence-based practice in psychotherapy: a common factors perspective.Psychotherapy,51(4), 467. Leuzinger-Bohleber, M. (2014). Depression and trauma: The psychoanalysis of a patient suffering from chronic depression: An exemplary case study based on the three levels of clinical observation applying the method of psychoanalytic expert validation.Time for change: Transformations in psychoanalysis. London: Karnac. Lichtenberg, J. D. (2013).Psychoanalysis and motivation(Vol. 10). Routledge. McLeod, J. (2011).Qualitative research in counselling and psychotherapy. Sage. Norcross, J. C., VandenBos, G. R., Freedheim, D. K. (2011).History of psychotherapy: Continuity and change. American Psychological Association. Thoma, N. C., McKay, D., Gerber, A. J., Milrod, B. L., Edwards, A. R., Kocsis, J. H. (2012). A quality-based review of randomized controlled trials of cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression: an assessment and metaregression.American Journal of Psychiatry,169(1), 22-30. Watts, S., Mackenzie, A., Thomas, C., Griskaitis, A., Mewton, L., Williams, A., Andrews, G. (2013). CBT for depression: a pilot RCT comparing mobile phone vs. computer.BMC psychiatry,13(1), 49.

No Man Is An Island free essay sample

â€Å"No man is an island†-John Donne Speaking on the matter of current events, Egypt is in turmoil. Hosni Mubarak is a modern day pharaoh disregarding everything that his â€Å"loyal† subjects are requesting in the polite manner of rioting in streets. He pays no mind to the words of John Donne, an Englishman of the 1500s. Although he himself may be outdated, if you will, his words are not. Not that I am referencing to his entire anthology, but rather a clump of five words that have a particular relevance to Mubarak’s unjust reign. â€Å"No man is an island.† These are the words that â€Å"President† Mubarak disregards; although he may not know them at all. It wouldn’t be too surprising as he is a pristine example of what happens when a man is an island. Mind you, that is by no means literal. I don’t see how an island is fit to lead a nation. We will write a custom essay sample on No Man Is An Island or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On that note, Donne is absolutely right in saying that no man is an island but for that matter, a man cannot be an island. It simply doesn’t work. (Especially if one were to take it literally. Honestly, how would that even make sense?) The line can be interpreted in a number of ways, one of which being that no man can function as the solitary head of some such establishment, as I have briefly explained. If a man could sustain himself as an island (yet again I will implore you, dear reader, if you could please stay away from a literal interpretation?) then we, as a group of civilized individuals, would find ourselves yet again in the times of feudalistic societies where one man (or ring, depending on your pop culture preference) would rule them all. Now that we have, again as a society, established that that would not be just for us all, we have introduced this lovely little thing called democracy. On another note, there is the idea that no man can be truly solitary. Henry D avid Thoreau, a philosopher of the 1800s, proved this theory to be correct after he decided to strive away from society for a good deal of time while he completed his infamous work Walden (which is quite impressive, mind you) with not a single soul for company. He stayed there for two years but eventually had enough and rejoined his fellow Massachusetts citizens in a functioning life. Although it appears that someone can be in solitary confinement, so to speak, for a good deal of time, it is by no means permanent. Which brings me to my next point, another view of this line. In a prison that most citizens would know by the name of Alcatraz, there was a solitary confinement installed where prisoners who misbehaved or did not abide by the given rules were placed in a box of sorts with no sunlight and no human contact for a given amount of time, depending on the offense. Prisoners who went in there once, more often than not, did everything in their power to stay out of there from then o n. This supports Donne’s quote (although applied in a different way than originally intended) because no man can sustain himself in isolation for a long period of time. Although Thoreau’s stay in isolation was a much happier, peaceful time, it offers the same effect. Carrying on from that thought, yet another example would be a psychological study conducted (or rather, a number of them) on a girl that went by the name of Genie. This was by no means an intentional study, but it resulted in (in my un-esteemed opinion) one of the most fascinating and tragic stories and studies of modern psychology. She was socially isolated until she was thirteen years old by abusive parents. Although this is most certainly not how Donne intended for his quote to be used, (considering how he lived in the 1500s and Genie was born in 1957) it is more than fitting and also provides a factual side to his quote. Genie was isolated, save for the occasional interaction with her abusive father b y way of beatings, for thirteen years where she was hardly fed, never learned to speak, and is, for all intents and purposes, the feral child that she was called when she was first discovered in the early 1970s. She could barely be called human as she could hardly function, eat, relieve herself, or vociferate as a normal girl of thirteen years would be able to. Her inability to function due to what was deemed to be her social isolation is proof that indeed, no man (or woman, child, dog, cat, reptile, or fish) can be an â€Å"island† so to speak. Those who are fortunate enough to return from their isolation as Henry D. Thoreau was are undoubtedly the beneficiaries of the tale. They can take from their solitary experiences and appreciate all that society and socializing is. Those who were not as fortunate, as Genie in particular was, are a way for we, as the descendents of men such as John Donne whose wisdom and eloquence precedes (or recedes, really, as here we are a good thr ee hundred years later still discussing him and his work) them, to realize how true the words are and how they do and will apply forevermore. (In contrary to what the Raven quoth, which was nevermore.)