Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Synthesis Essay - Animal Testing

    Animal testing has been a long debated question in the scientific community. Animal testing is a vital and common procedure that has raised controversy regarding humanistic values. Animal testing has allowed for the development of safe medicine, vaccines, and advancements in scientific knowledge. Without the sacrifices made during animal testing, we would not have the achievements in medication, knowledge, cosmetics, and saving lives. Without animal testing, it would be impossible to conduct further research that would benefit the public.

    People against animal testing argue that animals suffer pain and may die from the experiments imposed on them. According to source E, it is still a myth whether or not animals actually have sentience. If animal tests are imposed on animals without sentience and on animals that have low cognitive capacities, it would reduce psychological pressure for scientists. The author of source F argues that humans have the freedom to make choices while animals don't. The author of source F also states that it is the responsibility of human beings to protect the rights of animals. If animals do not have sentience and if they cannot recognize the circumstances they are in, why should we not perform experiments on them?

    Humanists would argue that all living organisms have their right to survive and their right to be free from pain. Humanists would also argue that animal experiments should not be performed. Then how, how are we able to find replacements for these animals to conduct our experiments on? According to source B, 20 million animals are killed in experiments annually. It would be absurd to believe that there are enough human volunteers to even get close to that number. Without developed human cloning technologies, it would be hard to find replacements for such a large number to experiment subjects. 20 million animals is surely a large number, but the number that benefit from these 20 million is surely greater.

    People tend to have an egocentric thought when they think about animal testing. The idea that sparks in the mind when someone hear about animal testing is usually the thought that, "Oh, another animal is sacrificed for human benefits". That isn't necessarily true. Take the examples that source A describe.The amount of organisms that would die if animal experiments were not conducted would actually be greater than the amount of tested subjects that have died. It is not just humans that benefit from animal testing, but many other organisms as well.

    Animal testing is vital for developing new scientific ideas, saving lives, and reducing illness. Within a limited moral boundary, animal testing should be allowed. Before criticizing animal tests, people should try to gain a better understanding of the balance between the effects of these tests and the sacrifices put into these tests. Clearly, the benefits brought by animal testing are far greater than the price we pay for these tests.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Soapstone Analysis for "Is Business Bluffing Ethical"

    The speaker of the article is very clear. Albert Carr is the speaker of the article and he is trying to persuade us a series of ideas.
    The occasion could be any time or place where there was business to be made. This article could apply to events in field of business or any company.
    The audiences of the article are companies and businessmen, both young and old. The article is written for those people in order to convey his ideas.
    The purpose of the article is clear. The author wants to present and convey his idea that people in businesses may not be as bright as people think. Carr also states that people should bluff when dealing with business in order to win out and gain advantage on others.
    The subject of the article is how people use bluffing as a tactic in order to gain advantage on others. The article also talks about the ethical use of bluffing.
    The author speaks in a very analytical tone and he also speaks in a persuasive one. He speaks persuasively in order to convey his idea that using bluff as a tactic is beneficial but he also condemns the unethical use of bluffing.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Outline for the "Henry David Thoreau Quote" Essay

Main Idea: Henry David Thoreau's quote would be defined in the opening paragraph of the article and I would argue that this quote would fit extremely well on people in modern society.

1. Society, social expectations and social pressure, and cultural values sometimes intervene with the lives of people. The future of some people are expected by others and this may lead to someone bot knowing what they want in life.

2. Education and systems of education also effect the goals people have in life. When people choose their paths in education, inaccurate advices may lead them off their interests.

3. Work and life are sometimes forced upon people and this pressure to do something that they don't like blind them from reality. Some people work just to make a living, but they ignore their interests and their dreams.

Conclusion: Modern people follow the quote by Thoreau perfectly because people in modern society have been placed under vast amounts of concept that are perceived to be. That leads people off their personal interests and goals.