Crash from a Psychological Perspective Essay Example

Crash from a Psychological Perspective Essay Example Crash from a Psychological Perspective Paper Crash from a Psychological Perspective Paper Essay Topic: Film In the film Crash we are given a picture of all different kinds of social and multicultural differences, giving us an eye opening example of how these conducts and racisms affect our society. Two of the most obvious biases within the film are prejudice and stereotyping. These behaviors are viewed as thoughts and feelings that almost everyone has felt at some point. In the first scene we meet a Muslim man, attempting to buy a gun. The store owner is a Caucasian male that has a negative attitude towards the customer because of his Muslim background. The owners stereotypical feelings set off negative attitudes because of the bad feelings he had about the Muslim race; being immediately associated with the Al Qaeda terrorist group of 9/11. The negative attitude and hostility observed in this particular scene, is an example of prejudice. Although it has always existed in humanity, most would assume it would have fizzled out by the 21st century because we are now better educated and informed in understanding that one groups actions should not be stereotyped to the entire race. Unfortunately in this film, it does the complete opposite and shows our stereotyping by appearance attitude. Crash was made to intentionally show biased prejudices against minorities. Latinos are shown to be gang bangers; for example the depiction of Daniel the locksmith (Michael Pena); the wife of the D. A Jean Cabot (Sandra Bullock) insists on having the locks changed when Daniel leaves as she believes he is a (gang banger, with prison tattoos). Blacks either become gun-toting criminals as Anthony (Chris Ludacris Bridges) and his side- kick Peter Waters (Larenz Tate) are depicted as or are righteous upper class characters such as Cameron (Terrance Howard. Asians become greedy smugglers, and whites oversee this chaos with arrogance and bigotry. This is shown in the depiction of the two white police officers, Officer John Ryan (Matt Dillon) and Officer Tom Hansen (Ryan Phillippe). A more current representation is shown in the character of Farhad (Shaun Toub); Middle Easterners are depicted as stubborn, confused convenience store owners. Toubs character may reflect the current Middle Eastern stereotype caused by the aftermath of 9/11. This current representation is revealed when we see Farhad shoot a gun at a small child, many other guns are raised by characters of ethnic origin, but Farhad who is mistaken for being Iraqi (when he is actually Persian) is the only character to attempt murder. The only character that I believe shows us a true alternative to race negativity is the character of Daniel (Michael Pena). Daniel is mistaken to be a gang member because of his appearance (having a shaved head and prison tattoos) but he the movie then shows him in a more positive light as a father who is working hard to provide and protect his wife and young daughter. The alternative stereotype of an African American is offered in Crash through the characters of Christine and Cameron. Educated, successful and well off African American citizens, however after an unwarranted police stop, Christine is enraged by her husbands refusal to intervene when white cop Ryan takes frisking too far. She criticizes him for what she sees as a cowardly, he insists he acted the only way he could, that when a white man has power there is no way to win, so you do what you can to survive. This is a perfect example of the White Privilege that weve discussed in class. This exploitation of African Americans at the hand of white people would imply that racism is mostly institutional; however the thought behind the movie suggests that discrimination and racist attitudes are down to the people who enable it; for example Officer Ryan verbally abuses Shaniqua (Loretta Devine); a black case manager at an insurance company. She takes Ryans racism with dignity as he unloads his frustration with the insurance companys rules about his fathers care onto her. She seems to be a more reasonable character in the film. However this is short lived, in a key point at the end of the film. Shaniqua has a car crash were an Asian woman rear-ends Shaniquas car. She then emerges from her car shouting dont talk to me unless you speak American. The LAPD is represented by two characters and from two different perspectives. One perspective is from that of Officer Ryan. In contrast to his previous wrong doings, Ryan finds himself at the scene of a car crash where Christine the woman who he previously sexually attacked is in a life threatening situation. Ryan now challenges his previous stereotype and puts his own life in danger to rescue Christine, even after she hysterically rejects his help. Hanson in contrast to Ryan is compassionate and idealistic. Hanson tries to prevent the incident between Officer Ryan and Christine and throughout the film he tries to uphold his morals, he is the character who is most committed to racial justice but unfortunately at the end of the movie Hansons fear defeats justice and he shoots an innocent African American man. Officer Hanson later realizes that he holds a deep-rooted psychological racism within his consciousness; I believe Hanson is a good example of how many of us judge by appearances. As far as personal experience, living in Milwaukee, as a non-African American working at a runaway shelter for 75% African American teens makes it easier to have an insight into all kinds of prejudice and stereotypes within the African American society. After learning about this behavior and experiencing how segregation can really feel for some, its hard to not feel negatively judged by others when you dont belong to the majority group. Ive also realized my own negative biases and stereotypes when I am part of the majority. Unfortunately, prejudice is not just an attitude that internal; it also impacts behavior. When our attitudes show negativity because of differences within people whether its skin color or culture; the result produced is usually discrimination and the social inequality caused by it. Therefore, we in our efforts to reduce prejudice need to take the social context into consideration when focusing on individuals attitudes. The movie Crash illustrates the different points of view of people in our society; it gives us insights into the stereotypes we have developed within our society and around the world. It helps us to understand how such a small stereotype and negative attitude can really affect someone in several diverse ways. We need to learn to control prejudice and the stereotypes we hold against other groups, since these are our own attitudes and feelings that are learned and not innate we can teach ourselves to get rid of these negatives behaviors by not being judgmental and not having negative biases towards others. The key to changing stereotypes and prejudice is the responsibility of us as individuals. Each of us needs to take a better look at the assumptions that we make about other people and ask ourselves where those assumptions come from. Are they based on facts or personal experiences with others? Are your assumptions formed by things you have heard from others? Learned from the TV or media? Learned in school or from parents? Is it likely that some of your negative images are wrong; at least for some people? More often than not, the answer to that last question is likely to be yes. Most groups have moderates and extremists, trying to get to know people as individuals instead of generalizing the whole group will trim down on the stereotypes you hold against others, and it is also likely to reduce the stereotypes others hold of us. On a day-to-day basis we will be faced with reactions; it is how we interpret the situation and our actions in response to those reactions that will shadow our perception of daily life.

Learn about Charles Messiers Catalog of Objects

Learn about Charles Messier's Catalog of Objects In the mid-18th century, astronomer Charles Messier began studying the sky under the direction of the French Navy and its astronomer Joseph Nicolas Delisle. Messier was taxed with recording the comets he saw in the sky. Not surprisingly, as he studied the heavens, Messier came across a large number of objects that werent comets. Key Takeaways: The Messier Objects The Messier Objects are named for astronomer Charles Messier who compiled his list in the mid 1700s while searching for comets.  Today, astronomers still refer to this catalog of objects as the M objects. Each is identified with the letter M and a number.The most distant Messier object that can be seen with the naked eye is the Andromeda Galaxy, or M31.The Messier Objects catalog contains information about 110 nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies. Messier decided to compile these objects into a list that other astronomers could use as they searched the sky. The idea was to make it easier for others to ignore these objects as they, too, looked for comets. This list eventually became known as the Messier Catalog, and contains all objects Messier viewed through his 100-mm telescope from his latitude in France. First published in 1871, the list has been updated as recently as 1966. What Are the Messier Objects? Messier cataloged an amazing array of objects that astronomers still refer to today as the M objects. Each is identified with the letter M and a number. M13 is the brightest of the globular clusters in Hercules. It is the 13th object in Messiers list of faint fuzzies.. Rawastrodata, via Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 3.0.   Star Clusters First, there are the star clusters. With todays telescopes, its fairly easy to look at many of Messiers clusters and pick out individual stars. Yet, back in his day, these collections of stars probably looked fairly fuzzy through his telescope. Some, such as M2, a globular cluster in the constellation Aquarius, are just barely visible to the naked eye. Others are easy to see without a telescope. These include the globular cluster M13, visible in the constellation Hercules, also known as the Hercules Star Cluster, and M45, commonly known as the Pleiades. The Pleiades is a good example of an open cluster, which is a grouping of stars that travel together and are loosely bound together by gravity. Globulars contain hundreds of thousands of stars and are globe-shaped collections Nebulae Clouds of gas and dust are known as nebulae and exist throughout our galaxy. While nebulae are much dimmer than stars, some, such as the Orion Nebula or the Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius, can be seen with the naked eye under good conditions. The Orion Nebula is a starbirth region in the constellation Orion, while the Trifid is a cloud of hydrogen gas that glows (it is called an emission nebula for that reason), and has stars embedded in it as well.  Ã‚   The Orion Nebula as seen by the collection of instruments aboard Hubble Space Telescope. NASA/ESA/STScI The Messier list also contains information about supernova remnants and planetary nebulae. When a supernova explodes, it sends clouds of gas and other elements hurtling through space at high speed. These catastrophic explosions occur only when the most massive stars die, those that are at least eight to ten times the mass of the Sun. The best-known M object that is a supernova explosion remnant is called M1 and is more commonly known as the Crab Nebula. It is not visible to the naked eye but can be viewed through a small telescope. Look for it in the direction of the constellation Taurus.  Ã‚   Hubble Space Telescopes view of the Crab Nebula supernova remnant. NASA/ESA/STScI Planetary nebulae occur when smaller stars like the Sun die. Their outer layers dissipate while whats left of the star shrinks to become a white dwarf star. Messier charted a number of these, including the famous Ring Nebula, identified as M57 on his list. The Ring Nebula is not visible to the naked eye but can be found using binoculars or a small telescope in the constellation Lyra, the Harp.   You can see a white dwarf at the heart of the Ring Nebula. This is a Hubble Space Telescope image. The Ring Nebula consists of a white dwarf at the center of an expanding shell of gases expelled by the star. It is possible our star could end up like this. NASA/ESA/STScI. Messiers Galaxies There are 42 galaxies in the Messier Catalogue. They are classified by their shapes, including spirals, lenticulars, ellipticals, and irregulars. The most famous is the Andromeda Galaxy, which is called M31. Its the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way and can be seen with the naked eye from a good dark-sky site. Its also the most distant object that can be seen with the naked eye. It lies more than 2.5 million light-years away. All other galaxies in the Messier Catalogue are visible only through binoculars (for the brighter ones) and telescopes (for the dimmer ones).   At 2.5 million light-years, the Andromeda Galaxy is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. The term light-year was invented to handle the immense distances between objects in the universe. Later, parsec was developed for truly huge distances. Adam Evans/Wikimedia Commons. A Messier Marathon: Viewing all the Objects A Messier Marathon, wherein observers try to view all the Messier objects in one night, is only possible once a year, usually from mid-March to mid-April. Of course, the weather can be a factor. Observers typically begin their search for Messier objects as soon after sundown as possible. The search starts in the western part of the sky to catch a glimpse of any objects that are about to set.  Then, observers work their way east to try and see all 110 objects before the sky brightens near sunrise the next day.   A successful Messier Marathon can be quite challenging, particularly when an observer is trying to find those objects embedded in the vast star clouds of the Milky Way. Weather or clouds can obscure the view of some of the dimmer objects. People interested in doing a Messier Marathon usually do them in conjunction with an astronomy club. Special star parties are organized each year, and some clubs give out certificates to those who manage to capture them all. Most observers practice by observing Messier objects throughout the year, which gives them a better chance of finding them during a marathon. Its not really something a beginner can do, but it is something to strive for as one gets better at stargazing. The Messier Marathons website has helpful hints for observers wanting to pursue their own Messier chase.   Seeing Messier Objects Online For observers who dont have telescopes, or the ability to get out and observe Charles Messiers objects, there are a number of online image resources. The Hubble Space Telescope has observed most of the list, and you can see many of the stunning images in the Space Telescope Science Institutes Flickr catalog. Sources Astropixels.com, astropixels.com/messier/messiercat.html.â€Å"Charles Messier - Scientist of the Day.†Ã‚  Linda Hall Library, 23 June 2017, www.lindahall.org/charles-messier/.Garner, Rob. â€Å"Hubbles Messier Catalog.†Ã‚  NASA, NASA, 28 Aug. 2017, www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-messier-catalog.Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve | RASC, www.rasc.ca/messier-objects.

Environmental Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental Ethics - Essay Example Both authors have provided different categories of costs and benefits obtained from ecosystems, and more universal environmental principles. However, Steve Kelman does not agree with Freeman’s argument that cost-benefit analysis can be related to objectives mentioned above (e.g. human health protection, security, etc.). According to Kelman, regulatory judgments concerning the environment, security, and health are moral issues, and hence analysis of cost and benefit is improper since it necessitates the implementation of a poor moral mechanism. Kelman strengthens his position with several illustrations, majority of which concern individual or private judgments. He claims, in these circumstances, supporters of cost-benefit analysis, like Freeman, should abandon any moral doubts about human rights violation, deception, and corruption. These arguments about cost-benefit analysis can be used in addressing the poor food manufacturing process of fast-food companies, as discussed by E ric Schlosser. In his article, Schlosser gives a series of accusations against the unethical practices and processes of fast-food companies, such as refusal to give medical privileges, creating modern-day slavery, aggressive marketing to gullible children; these are the strategies employed by fast-food companies to maintain high profitability. Given this, and an idea of the arguments of Freeman and Kelman, cost-benefit analysis in this case may or may not be appropriate. Using the similar premises of Freeman and Kelman, cost-benefit analysis may be appropriate in determining how fast-food companies have powerfully changed the agricultural sector of industrialized nations, such as the United States. These fast-food companies, like McDonald’s, have generated marginal benefits to agriculture by centralizing production. However, because of this production consolidation, farmers and small enterprises are vanishing. There are also drastic alterations in animal domestication and foo d production which caused spates of food-related diseases, like the foot-and-mouth disease, mad cow, bird flu, and others. This situation, according to the arguments of Freeman and Kelman, may be subjected to cost-benefit analysis because of the nature of its effect to environmental policy. However, in terms of actual threats to human health, in accordance to Kelman’s arguments against the moral deficit of cost-benefit analysis, the case of poor food production practices is unviable. The unethical way fast-food companies conceal to the public the actual health perils of their products substantiate Kelman’s argument. Furthermore, the industry of meat packing even benefits more from government protection or immunity. Question 2 According to Christopher Stone, corporations should not be socially responsible because they are inherently irresponsible. The primary justification Stone provided is that nobody, from the ordinary citizen to large organizations, has a basic idea of the nature and requirement of corporate responsibility. In order to develop a model of his argument, Stone raises fundamental issues and thoroughly

The Subordinate Role of Reason in Hume's Moral Philosophy Essay

The Subordinate Role of Reason in Hume's Moral Philosophy - Essay Example Hume thought that what we perceive become images, and these images or pictures of reality are manipulated by reason. But, there is no manipulating these perceptions without the prior perceptions or sensations first: â€Å"I shall endeavor to prove first, that reason alone can never be a motive to an action of the will; and secondly, that it can never oppose passion in the direction of the will† [Cahn and Markie, Ed., 244]. What Hume is arguing, can be described as presenting a very sharp or definite distinction between â€Å"reason† which he calls â€Å"utterly impotent† when contrasted with the â€Å"passions† [Cahn and Markie, Ed., 247]. And, unlike the images that can be manipulated by reason, the relationship between the â€Å"passions† and â€Å"actions† is a direct one or as he phrases it: â€Å"morals excite passions, and produce and prevent actions ... the rules of morality, therefore, are not conclusions of our reason† [Cahn a nd Markie, Ed., 247]. Most might maintain that reason and the senses have a more connected or inter-twined relationship. It is important to stress that reason is only connected to 'necessary' types of truths like mathematical equations. That is, truths that are valid regardless of sense experience. Or, truths that are valid because of the rules themselves: â€Å"reason is the faculty judges of truth and falsehood† [Cahn and Markie, Ed., 687]. One of the effects or consequences of this model is that there are actually no irrational actions. If the actions or the relationship between passions and actions are separate or only interact with each-other rather than reason, then this interaction cannot be said to be one that has any rationality. As is summarized by Cahn and Markie: â€Å"If the only possibility Hume means to be putting forward here, is the possibility of action based on false belief about causes and effects, we get a curious result ... people never act irrationally † [Cahn and Markie, Ed., 687]. They cannot act irrationally, precisely because 'action' in-itself is not a rational thing either in its manifestation as an actual sensible activity or event, and not rational in the sense that it was motivated by an 'impulse' or a 'sensation'. It is the reaction to a sensation. 'General Statement' of the Role of Reason as subordinate to the Senses: Thus, for Hume, morality is inseparable from the sentiments or a form of sentimentality. The â€Å"only possible source of motivation† for Hume, is to â€Å"satisfy† a â€Å"passion† [Cahn and Markie, Ed., 685]. The role of reason is to evaluate only the rules that are abstracted from sense experience, which means that all human motivation and all human action is one driven by passions. Thus, Hume resolves that problem in his discussion of benevolence and justice by establishing a theory of sentiments at the core of moral decisions. Sentiments are measured in terms of the greater pleasure or conversely, the greater harm that results. And, therefore, a just society is one that functions in harmony with the avoidance of the sensation of pain and the increase of pleasure. Again, it is important to stress that this connection with justice is one that is grounded in 'sense experience' but also the reasoning about it to – as is the nature of laws. Finally, it is possible to put forward a straight forward example to illustrate the notion of 'benevolence' and 'justice'. Just as a sensation can cause an increase in pleasure, so too with

Equality frequently throughout the texts Essay Example for Free

Equality frequently throughout the texts Essay Equality is understood and implied differently by everyone. Thats why it is easier said than done to pin point what equality truly is, or else can be classed as. Thomas Mores Utopia and Gorge Orwells 1984 explore the issues of equality frequently throughout the texts, although it is the same theme that is portrayed, the way in which they do it is individual to their personal views and interpretations of equality, which is often effect by there culture and the time period of which was written. Thomas More implies the theme of equality throughout the book through the subject matter of labour and education. Farming is everybodys job The women and men both have equal opportunity to study a trade as well as functioning in farming. Furthermore, the Utopians all have the same working hours and hours of free time, building the people into an equal unit, contrasting to a status based capitalist countries. More eludes the sense of equality through the use of pedantic numerical figures, omnisciently manipulating the reader into believing in this all equal society without questioning, almost creating a semblance. More continues to reinforce the theme of equality by touching on the Utopians educational methods. An illustration of this would be the fact that students are taught in mixed ability groups, there is no higher achy foundation or higher tiers. Utopians are all taught equally rather than individualising them through different intellectual ability. From the word go the Utopians are indoctrinated into prioritising agriculture. They are all required to study from a small selection of trades; this removes the ability to make individual choices making the utopians become psychologically equal. This is so the people do not became philosophical and start questioning their society, therefore they are all equally being manipulated. More eludes equality through synthetically listing the trades, subliminally making us believe Utopians have a large choice of trades, when in reality there is a small restricting hand full that makes sure people are equal and can not gain status through their work place. Everyone is brought up to have equal aims working the trade that is essential to the Utopians survival. More successfully creates a constant feel for equality trough the repetition of plural pronouns; they all everyone The connotation of the lexical choices used suggest of equality and collaboration. More never individualises anyone, an example of this would be the fact that during this passage Raphael never uses the names of the people this subliminally reinforces equality. Practicality is clearly an equal priority for the Utopians; essential to the public They only practice trades that are essential to survival their clothing is produced based on practicality in the work place as well as every day functioning although this way of life sounds lifeless and boring nether the less Raphael seems to enjoy it; these clothes are quite pleasant to look at Mores descriptive writing creates an image, a sea of people who are equal physically and mentally, the imagery produced create a feel of indoctrination the connotation of this passage, produced by the suggestive lexical choices suggest of a society were individually has disappeared so much so that even physically they are starting to look equal. Raphael continues to talk about clothing; Everyone wears the same sort of clothing This removes individual style and stereotypes from society, therefore no one has the chance to convey7 power or status through how they dress. This however is a complete juxtaposition to the society More comes from; were people such as Henry the 8th, rely heavily on fashion to convey their wealth and power. However the portrayal of complete and utter equality is clearly ironical contrasted by the fact that Raphael then goes on to state they vary according to sex and material status This presence the theme of equality through the use of inequality. George Orwells 1984 suggests of an emotional equality by describing hate week; savage, barking rhythm The military connotation suggests that the musics purpose is to evoke strong emotion. This implies that Big Brother aims to create unity of the people through emotional hate. The purpose of this would be to create an equal response from society as a whole making sure none question the meaning of hate week. Orwell makes us as the reader also feel the hate by pace shifting the text through the use of a asyndetical sentence structure, causing the reader to read at a faster pace therefore, making us feel emotionally equal to the characters because the read to feels the tension and rush they seem to feel in the book. Propaganda is introduced through the use of branding; victory mansion The mention of victory items is a constant theme right the way through the book. The repetition and reinforcements of possessions such as victory gin creates propaganda were the characters are equally subliminally manipulated. The characters are force to believe in the sense of winning there is no question of losing, they are so confident about the matter in hand. Furthermore this creates equality as they all have the same branding of products therefore know one can be classed as having a higher status or amount of wealth due to the branding they own. This has the same principles of why the utopians wear the same sort of clothing, also in 1984 they have to wear the same overalls, removing any individuality for society making all equal. This is a contrast to Orwells society were certain branded items implied you may have more class. Orwell starts using metaphorical references to describe Winston and Julia; lay side by side on a stripped bed under the opens windows, naked for the sake of coolness. The rat never came back but the bugs had manipulated Their nudity portrays a sense of equal vulnerability in which they both feel free and careless of their surroundings. Furthermore they are both equally disobeying the rules of their society, both continuing to question the regulations, in other word Julia and Winston are unified and are equally taking a stand by no longer fighting their sexual animal instincts. Julia and Winston are portrayed as an equal force, they both have equal power over each other. The bugs produce connotations of being dirty which is what society views on sex, this is metaphorical for Julia and Winston being scandalise and dirty. The rats however represents humans natural animalised sexual instinct. The bugs and rats implied meaning contrast massively.

Essay --

Mexican Independence ( Rough draft ) Have you ever thought of something you're so curious about? Something that your curiosity runs completely insane because you need the full information or a full story about what really happened or how did it happen ? Well I did, When a research paper was assigned about Spanish Culture I was only Interested into one topic and thats the History or background oh how the Mexican People receive their Independence. Like how America had it’s own story of its independence. Independence is about Freedom, the freedom to do what you want or to be who you are. Well like any other culture independence was very important to the spanish people, I believe its a celebration way bigger than an event like Cinco De Mayo. I believe it’s one of the most important events for the spanish people, and here’s why! During the early nineteenth century , Mexico was slightly influence by the country U.S and France as they seek for their Independence. They began to plan or thought about a rebellion against spain. One of the famous people involve in this event was Father Miguel Hidalgo who was from Dolores, Mexico . Father Hidalgo was one of the main leaders in the rallying group of people seeking for Independence against Spain. As time passes by Hidalgo and his people during the year 1810 of late fall Hidalgo and his people were already planning a revolt against spain. The Spanish people found out about the revolt which led the Spanish Government to order the arrest of Hidalgo and his officers. When Hidalgo found out, he called a meeting at his church. He rang the church bell on the night of September 15, 1810 to call his congregation to mass. Here Father Hidalgo rallied the people to fight. He gave the speec... ...ime all across Mexico. While the crowd says this they fill the air with confetti, streamers and hoopla. Castillos explode in showers of red, white, and green. The actual day of September 16 is similar to July Fourth in the US. There are rodeos, parades, bullfights, horseback rider performances and grand feasts. The statues in memory of Father Hidalgo are decorated with red, white, and green flowers. The Mexican Flag is made up of green, white, and red. The green is on the left side of the flag and symbolizes independence. White is the color in the middle of the flag and symbolizes religion. The red is on the right side of the flag and symbolizes union. These colors are used often in decorating for the Mexican Independence Day fiesta. September 16 is a very remarkable day for the spanish tribe it’s because it’s the day they receive their freedom from spain.

Genetically Modified Food Essay

Genetically modified (GM) foods are ethically unacceptable. GM foods are food product derived in whole or part from a genetically modified organism by human intention. It is a special set of technologies that concerns the alteration, deletion, or addition of the genetic makeup of living organisms such as animals, plants, or bacteria. This is an important issue because GM foods have been dubbed as the â€Å"Food of the Future† and although studies have shown that genetically modified foods may bring about many benefits to mankind, we must also look into the ethical issues involved in producing such food before we even consider accepting it as the way of the future. First, we must understand that the word â€Å"ethical† is defined as having to do with ethics or morality; or of conforming to moral standards. There will be 3 parts to this essay. Firstly, I will be presenting and defending 2 arguments that support my stand. Following that, I’ll take into consideration some common objections against my thesis. Lastly, I will summarize the main points in this essay before drawing to a conclusion. The essay’s argument takes the form of Modus Ponens: If GM is X, GM is unethical GM is X > GM is unethical My main argument is that it is unethical to tamper with nature by mixing genes among the different species. By doing so, it may actually lead to a violation of natural organisms’ intrinsic values. There is a very delicate balance that links this world together and this is the balance that makes things work. GM foods might actually give rise to more complications such as the disturbance of nature’s food pyramid. For example, the pesticide produced in the crop may unintentionally harm other creatures while producing a benefit to others. The introduction of pest-resistant genes into crops could lead to the death of the pests and other animals causing an imbalance in the food chain that could possibly lead to the extinction of some species especially if they are only localized in one particular area. In Britain, a native farm bird, the Skylark, was indirectly affected by the introduction of GM sugar beets that were designed to resist herbicides. The result in planting this crop was that weeds were reduced substantially. However, since the birds rely on the seeds of this weed in autumn and winter, researchers expect that up to 80% of the Skylark population would have to find other means of finding food. Another issue brought up is that GM crops may also pose a health risk to native animals that eat the plants and may be poisoned by the built-in pesticides. Although others might also argue that the cutting down of trees to construct buildings might also be a way of tampering with nature, GM food not just tampers with physical nature but with the foundation of nature – genes. Every organism, no matter how small, is made up of genes. These genes control the physical development and behavior of the organism and are passed down from parent to offspring. The word â€Å"genes† (comes from the Greek word â€Å"genos† meaning â€Å"origin†) actually defines nature’s origin and the production of GM food would mean to change the origin of nature. Furthermore, religious communities – Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims Ââ€" also share such concerns regarding GM products. According to Bishop Jeff Davies from the SA Council of Churches, â€Å"With genetic engineering, we are tampering with the structures of life that have taken millions of years to evolve and we have the arrogance to think that we can improve on them in 10 years†¦ to transfer a gene from one species into another.† Different religious communities have different believes and one of them would be their food such as kosher and halal food. But with the introduction of animal genes into plants how will they define a tomato with a fish gene? This will also be a major concern to vegetarians. All in all, I believe that people should be happy with what nature has to give and not â€Å"play God† and try to control nature. It is unethical to sacrifice other creatures and meddle with the delicate balance of nature. Furthermore, there will be potential chain reactions that may be unstoppable. One other argument is how GM products can affect our health especially in the long run. The unpredictable changes in our food could lead to negative reactions that are not detected by research techniques until much later. A quick acceptance of GE foods without proper testing could show corporate profitability to be very influential but that would be too dangerous because there has been no adequate safety testing to ensure that using other organism’s genes is going to have the same useful effects if inserted into a totally unrelated species. Furthermore, testing has only been done on a small scale currently and it’s hard to predict what will happen when it’s used on a wider ecology. In 1989, dozens of Americans died and several thousands were afflicted and impaired by a genetically altered version of the food supplement L-tryptophan. Studies have been done to show how viruses can mix with genes of other viruses to give rise to more deadly viruses. To mass market the use of GM food when it has not been properly tested for safety issues would mean that businesses are gaining at the expense of consumer’s health and is therefore ethically unacceptable. On the other hand, some organizations insist that GM technology is the solution to solving the problem of world hunger. However, I feel that it is simply a ploy of corporations and countries that are using the plight of the developing world as a marketing strategy to gain acceptance of GE foods. GM technology is not an economical method that can be easily implemented by most countries. In fact, genetic engineering techniques are currently being applied to crops important to the industrialized world and not on crops which the world’s hungry depend on. GM foods could actually reduce developed countries’ reliance on crops from developing countries, resulting in loss of trade and severe economic damage for them and intensifying their problem of poverty. This would mean that there’s a conflict of interest. Furthermore, an important factor that Friends of the Earth has pointed out is that â€Å"many people in the world are suffering from malnutrition and hunger because they cannot afford to buy food, not because it is unavailable.† Therefore, even with GM food, people would still not be able to afford it or have it distributed appropriately. Most of the causes of hunger are found in global politics, rather than issues of agriculture and technology. As a result, a variety of groups and people are questioning the motives behind GM foods as the political causes of hunger appear to be ignored. An article from Food First observed that â€Å"most innovations in agricultural biotechnology have been profit-driven rather than need-driven† and it questions whether GE technology can really ensure food security, protect the environment and reduce poverty in the developing world or is it produced simply because it’s patentable and thus, profitable to businesses. In some cases, as reported by The Institute for Science, pesticide usage is actually increasing, and GE crop actually yield less than conventional crops. In this essay, I have come up with several valid reasons why Genetically Modified Foods are ethically unacceptable. GM foods tamper with the origin of nature which is the genes and there is inadequate safety testing to prove that GM food is safe for human consumption. Therefore, businesses are mass marketing GM food at the expense of consumer’s health and proclaiming that GM Food is the solution to world hunger when it might not be true. Although there might be potential and benefits in GE technology, there are still many unknown areas that might prove to be more harmful then beneficial. Furthermore, there are still too many important ethical issues that have been ignored and that reason by itself makes it ethically unacceptable.