The Observer

Philosophy and Literature

2012-06-02T05:48:00.001-07:00

In order to believe in something significant, human beings, since time immemorial, have embarked on a Sisyphean task to understand their existence.

Hence, while pragmatic philosophical inquiry uses obsolete methods of acquiring knowledge of existence, literature provides novel means to view and constitute reality and experience.

Philosophy raises some of the deepest and widest questions about human existence; and addressing the issues in each philosophical discipline creates an unending stream of ontological discussions that seem to dissatisfy a newer generation of knowledge-seekers. These discussions or discourse, moreover, creates a myriad of genres that some philosophical antiquarians believe could revive their former appeal among historical curiosities, which they once took seriously (i.e., Descartes’ piece of wax or Plato’s aviary). Philosophers, in this case, attempt to plot old methods of inquiry by combining various conceptual permutations until they find a likely fit to satisfy the curiosity of the common person and contemporary proponents of philosophy.

Consequently, these distinctions, some believe, “drive a wedge into texts by which readers no less than the writers attempt to gain leverage.” This means, any reader who attempts to interpret or comprehend a specific philosophical genre, whether historical, dialectical (i.e., Plato’s Republic), or biographical, is constrained by distance, reflexivity, culture, linguistic features, and author’s intent because the ability to comprehend text or various genres depends on many variables, including decoding ability, language comprehension, background knowledge, and knowledge of text structures (Lang, ).

Can philosophy, then, be reduced to a literary genre?

Perhaps it would be prudent to re-hash the question because the question itself poses an irony in which the author seems to sound philosophical but not really. The author, whether he is a follower of the old school or not, reverses the philosophical ideology into a literal meaning. In order to unravel the reader’s innocence, moreover, the author introduces the philosophical agenda as literary genre, speech that is neither mythology, religion, literature, science of nature, nor human science. Literature’s role here is to appeal to the conscience in an “aphoric” manner without explicitly articulating the author’s own philosophical convictions.

Philosophy, in a broader sense, means, “love of wisdom”; and since we consider human beings to be insatiable creatures in search for answers about existence, literature provides a less abrasive platform into understanding human existence. Literature today focuses our attention on the fact that because there is a lack of fulfillment in our lives-- poems, novels, or metaphors fill our expectations because our own naiveté impedes our understanding of human existence.

Therefore, as a means to understand the dichotomy between philosophy and literature, we should instead ask, “Can philosophy be symbolized within various literary genres?”

Yes. Since there are different types of texts available, some readers intuitively acquire knowledge through exposure to them. Text structures or literary forms that contain the interrelation of ideas convey a message to the reader and determine the coherence of a supposed “hidden” message the writer wishes to propose. Literature, then, creates significant new experiences because a vast multitude of readers can participate and gain a greater awareness and understanding of their world. This is literature. Its objective is not only to aid living but in itself a means of living at present (Perrine & Arp, 1992).

Meanwhile, the existence of various literary genres today further suggests that these distinctions cannot accommodate philosophy in an explicit way, because the traditional features of philosophical genre are now almost obsolete; thus, any evidence of a philosophical artifact within a particular literary work would mean its indecipherability (Lang, ____).

In sum, reducing philosophy to a literary genre, need not to be a mere “reduction” but rather an overt symbolism that literature is more than happy to provide.

“Literature, then, exists to communicate significant experience—significant because it is concentrated and organized. Its function is not to tell us about experience but to allow us imaginatively to participate in it. It is a means of allowing us, through the imagination, to live more fully, more deeply, more richly, and with greater awareness.”

-- Laurence Perrine and Thomas Arp, 1992

Reference:

Dymock, Susan. 1999. Learning to Read: Beyond Phonics and Whole Language, 1999.

Lang, Berel. ____. The Plots and Acts of Philosophical Genre. The Anatomy of Philosophical Style: Literary Philosophy and the Philosophy of Literature, ___.

Perrine, Laurence and Arp, Thomas. 1992. Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry, 1992.

Philosophy and Literature from Wikipedia.com

Poems as Moral Compasses

2012-06-02T05:47:00.002-07:00

Human existence, no matter how painful, can still be enjoyable if transmitted through an appropriate medium – literature, the ultimate lexical expression of man’s emotions.

While some forms of literature provide “arenas” where human existence can be played out, it can by no means completely provide moral education.

The proliferation of various expressions of human existence encompasses a diverse range of activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music and literature. Their aesthetic quality, meanwhile, varies from person to person. For instance, as children grow up in a world abound with various inputs and schema, the sociocultural role of stories and narratives may vary from culture to culture, thereby influencing the kinds of stories children learn to tell. Still, for some, the most common forms of narratives in families are accounts, stories, and frequent retellings from oral narratives from travels, family history, or community as their stories tend to focus more on descriptive information related to family and personal relationships, and may often include reactions to and evaluations of events. As they mature, moreover, children are expected to develop certain moral skills to be accepted in a society where benevolent social behavior is a prerequisite.

While Martha Nussbaum (1998) does not specifically recommend a particular novel or narrative, she concerns herself with the prescription of “certain carefully selected works of narrative literature that can cultivate and reinforce valuable moral abilities.” Nussbaum, in this case, suggests that there are certain “morally relevant aspects of our inner lives that can only be represented accurately thought artistic representation.” This suggestion, meanwhile, echoes a previous discussion on the irreducibility of philosophy into literary genres, which states that philosophy need only to be aesthetically symbolized in literary texts in order for human existence to become meaningful.

On the other hand, Richard Possner presents a very compelling argument on the viability of moral education within literary works of art. While Nussbaum vehemently defends her contention that “certain novels are irreplaceable works of moral philosophy,” Possner objects to the idea that literature could be an extension of philosophy.

Indeed, this writer believes, there are certain literary expressions of art that seem to echo only the writer’s own experience.

Poetry, for instance, takes all life as its province. Its primary concern is not with beauty, not with persuasion, but with experience—specifically, the experience of the author. There are no clear, direct lines that distinguish poetry from other imaginative literature, but some readers recognize their beauty through the arrangement of lines or by their rime and meters. Most important, readers can only appreciate the beauty of poetry if the readers themselves have acquired the sensitivity needed to comprehend poetry (Perrine & Arp, 1992).

Thus, when poets put their thoughts into a poem, the authors present their own observations of their own experience. Consciously or unconsciously, the poet attempts to persuade the reader to enjoy the meaning of the poem through its rhythmic cadence. This enjoyment, however, demands a mental effort from an insensitive reader. Effort, which seem to corrupt the reader into believing that what the poem is actually saying is essential to the understanding of human existence.

Finally, the moral education that literary works claim to posses incompletely legitimizes morality because almost all works contain notional or arbitrary content and their aesthetic qualities seem to overshadow ethics.

Reference:

Lang, Berel. ____. The Plots and Acts of Philosophical Genre. The Anatomy of Philosophical Style: Literary Philosophy and the Philosophy of Literature, ___.

Peek, Ella. 2006. Ethical Criticism of Art. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Perrine, Laurence and Arp, Thomas. 1992. Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry, 1992.

Art. from Wikipedia.com

Philosophy and Literature from Wikipedia.com

Metaphors in Life

2012-06-02T05:46:00.002-07:00

“…in simile, bodies are compared to horses, in metaphor, those bodies have become horses”.

- Gabrielle Rico, 1983

Literature today focuses our attention on the fact that because our own naïveté impedes understanding of existence—poems, novels, and metaphors fill our expectations.

And while metaphors could convey truths or falsehoods about our existence, still, they could not provide anything more than a literal meaning.

The language user’s option for a metaphor often emanates from his desire to expand the social relationships that exist between him and the reader (or society). This desire, moreover, is achieved by creatively connecting images to something that literally cannot be; and as dissimilar entities are fused into one image, the metaphor creates tension and excitement by producing new connections and reveals a truth about the world the reader has not previously recognized. The connections created, in this case, give language its power and richness by involving our senses in the experience.

Furthermore, by associating metaphors with something that appear or sound illogical, a psychological truth is revealed and sheds light on the qualities of images or connections presented. Thus, metaphors do not just substitute the ordinary meaning presented, but they also add to those meanings by articulating our perceptions and blocked expressions (Rico, 1983).

On the other hand, metaphors are confusing and ambiguous. By incorporating metaphors, writers or speakers often mean more than what they actually write or say; and although metaphors could sometimes be necessary and appropriate for the context where they are found, they could also sometimes be a clumsy way of saying what might be said more simply.

According to Davidson, moreover, “the attempt to give literal expression to the content of the metaphor is simply misguided...and, the theorist who tries to explain a metaphor by appealing to a supposed hidden message is fundamentally confused” (Davidson, 1978).

In a sense then, their use and interpretation beyond literal meaning could often constitute a pragmatic choice determined by contextual factors that might include knowledge of social role or status, spatial and temporal location, formality level, the medium, subject matter, and register among other things (Lyons, 1977). Contextual factors, in this case, are correlative with the social and psychological world in which the language user operates at any given time (Ochs, 1979).

Finally, as expressions of good omen, these mild, indirect, or vague substitutions in place of offensive, harsh, and blunt words or phrases are alternatives to dispreferred expressions used to avoid possible loss of face—a key factor to understanding the author’s intentions and subsequently the lexical correlates in his or her writing. Lastly, their emotive nature, metaphors are thought to be unsuited to serious, scientific or philosophic discourse because the philosophical demand for the adequacy of the expressions used rests on their ability to provide analysis and that every explication must be a precise definition or its logical equivalence (Grice, 1975).

Reference:

Black, M. ( ). How Metaphors Work: A Reply to Donald Davidson. Afterthoughts on Metaphor, 181-192.

Davidson, D. (1978). What Metaphors Mean. On Metaphor, 29-45

Farghal, M. (1995). Euphemism in Arabic: A Gricean Interpretation

Grice, P.H (1975). Logic and Conversation

Lyons, 1977 cited in Farghal, 1995. Euphemism in Arabic: A Gricean Interpretation

Ochs, 1979 cited in Farghal, 1995. Euphemism in Arabic: A Gricean Interpretation

Rico, G. (1983). Writing the Natural Way: Using Right-Brain Techniques to Release Your Expressive Powers. Los Angeles: JP Tarcher, Inc.

The Necessity of Language

2012-06-02T05:44:00.002-07:00

Language is just as culture-bound as are the traditional habits and value orientations characteristic of the society whose members use it– especially writers.

But literary texts, recorded experience, and written creative expressions that shape human desires should consider biographical knowledge and author intention to be properly interpreted.

The post medieval times heralded the proliferation of numerous philosophical texts that echoed the prominence of an author. As both figure and product of modern society, the author during this time, inherited cultural attributes that shaped his writing style, personality, and schema. In addition, the author, as a member of his or her respective society, followed a set of unconscious, semi-conscious rules, and conventions that reflected his own language, time, and culture.

As a result, some literary works persist(ed) because different genres and periods of time connect(ed) both reader and writer. Genres, meanwhile, had a history within history itself—with some flourishing at the expense of others. This suggests, therefore, that history played a defining role in society’s conditioning of the author’s biographical background or personality while appealing to the (modern) reader.

Peter Lamarque, however, notes that the author is as volatile as history is. Unified collections of literary texts, in addition, seem to appear as mere projections of multiple authors that help readers connect with the text, not the author. These texts, according to Jean Michel Foucault, are “ideological products” that do not explicitly show an author’s intention. Instead, they are “repressive and restricting” and hinder “proliferation of meaning” among readers.

The author’s role, then, is to serve merely as a guide and an “informer” of the text, while his writing prowess and creative genius “serve to characterize a certain mode of being of discourse” (Lamarque, ____).

Our role as readers and modern-day scholars, meanwhile, is to know the language (style) of the text where it was originally copied from. In order to do this, however, Friedrich Schleiermacher suggests that to discern Aristotle, for example, first, we must at least know a little bit of Greek and its numerous linguistic features. Second, we must also become aware of the culture where the context might have been written. Often, as readers, we could know more about what the author is implying because we are conscious of the historical and cultural background that is reflected on the text we are reading.

This treatment, at last, provides a much more comprehensive understanding of the text. Because completely assimilating both the author’s vocabulary, listeme, intention, and background knowledge even more the uniqueness of what he says, the reader understands the writer better than he understood himself (Schleiermacher, , cited in Gadamer, H, 1999)

Reference:

Lamarque, P. (1990). The Death of the Author: An Analytical Autopsy. British Journal of Aesthetics, 319-331.

Schleiermacher, F. ( ) cited in Gadamer, H. (1999). Truth and Method. Second Revised Edition.

The Lure of Confucius

2012-06-02T05:43:00.003-07:00

The Philippines and China share a common past that could be deeply rooted in the teachings of Kongfuzi or known today as Confucius. Although modern times do not yield significant political and economic stability, the teachings of Confucius could still alleviate some of the problems our country faces today.

The presence of the Chinese date back up to the 10th century; in fact, historical records show many of the indigenous rulers in the Philippines were of mixed Filipino and Chinese ancestry. Meanwhile, many of the Chinese who arrived during the Spanish period mainly toiled as stevedores, porters, and traders. During the American Colonial Period, despite strict American law enforcement, the Chinese were able to settle in the Philippines freely but segregation resulted in many mass upheavals detesting the presence of the Americans. In World War II, moreover, the Japanese were reported to have massacred many Chinese.

Undoubtedly, much of this history could have been partially influenced by the several religious backgrounds of the people involved, especially the Chinese. In fact, many Chinese-Filipino Catholics today still practice traditional Chinese religions alongside Catholicism, while a small number of people practicing solely traditional Chinese religions. For instance, Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and ancestor worship including Confucianism are the traditional Chinese beliefs that continue to have adherents among the Chinese Filipinos. Some may even have Jesus Christ as well as Buddha statues or Taoist gods in their altars. Most important, it is not unusual for the Chinese to venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary using joss sticks and Buddhist offerings, much as one would have done for Mazu.

In addition, Buddhist-Taoist temples can be found where the Chinese live, especially in urban areas like Manila; and the Chinese have the tendency to pay respects to their ancestors at least once a year, either by going to the temple, or going to the Chinese burial grounds, often burning incense and bringing offerings like fruits and accessories made from paper. In sum, the flourishing of this unique history, at the very least, could very well be attributed to the preponderance of religion not just in the Philippines, but throughout the world.

But how do the teachings of Confucius relate to the Philippines today? Does this Chinese philosopher from 5^th century B.C. solve the problems of the 20^th century A.D.?

The Chinese Filipinos have always been one of largest ethnic Filipino groups in the country. By this fact, the ethnically Chinese Filipinos comprise 1.5% (1.14 million) of the population—and it is no wonder that to some extent, many of Confucius’ teachings could directly influence the relationship of both cultures in terms of family life, education, and politics. There are few nations in the world today that can boast of a continuous history going back three thousand years. In a sense then, the Philippines is fortunate enough to have received such enculturation from a unique race.

In terms of confronting our problems in the today, however, it is prudent to look for a Confucian solution to them. Although the China in which Confucius lived and taught was in some ways like Western Europe today and had a different atmosphere then; still, the Chinese had already learned that to resolve international differences, it was better, on the whole, to reason with one another rather than bash in each other’s heads. Confucius arrived at a theory of revolution quite independently of the political philosophers of the west a theory with interesting variations. He was an unrelieved authoritarian, an opinion based on his famous saying. “Let the ruler and the subject a subject; let the father be a father and the son a son” (de la Costa, 1976).

Furthermore, Confucius’ Analects provided the moral guidelines to those who governed. For instance, as Confucius saw the philosophical problem of his time as a problem of government, his analects gave a moral dimension to government. During his time, government was looked upon simply as an institution, which held absolute power over its denizens.

Confucius, in this case, persuaded those who governed to look upon government not as a source of personal power but primarily as a moral responsibility. Next, Confucius’ other achievement was to change the value a nobleman to man of nobility. In addition, he saw that it was the supreme responsibility of government to establish and maintain a just social order by enriching the people and then educating them. The power of the human ruler to rule, according to Confucius, is that he holds his power only as long as he has a mandate from the divine. Confucius had a strong conviction that a ruler’s supreme attribute was harmony; and it is this harmony that the divine makes manifest in the visible universe and it is harmony that the divine looks for in human society (de la Costa, 1976).

But how can the common good be projected by a ruler whose main interest is self interest? Does this apply to our country today?

These questions remain unanswered for the time being. It is almost trivial to look for answers that may or may not come because of the current global crisis. Furthermore, Filipinos have yet to learn to respect each other. The Filipino culture, after all, as far it goes back in history, has not yet found its true identity.

Perhaps, if as a united people, we learn how to respect and acknowledge that there is inner God within us that furnishes the impulses behind our actions as a unique race, maybe we can avoid the trappings of the moral dilemmas we are currently experiencing. All great world religions and philosophers like Confucius teach this fundamental truth. The essential harmony with the divine that Confucius speaks of, in this case, is the source of inspiration and desire to become whole (Theosophical Digest, 2004). Great Sages and Seers know that the Inner God is the manifestation of the innate goodness latent in us and that this recognition could save our country from the clutches of corruption, deceit, and hatred.

Finally, it is our destiny as an en-cultured race to transfer knowledge of the Inner God or divinity to the future because the growth and development of our country lies in people who acknowledge this Inner God. But when this very people face intense poverty, hunger, unemployment, and loss of all resources, our spiritual development as a nation is meaningless because life itself is threatened and communities are destroyed by those who attempt to destroy the harmony or essential divinity that Kongfuzi speaks of in the first place.*

COMMENTS ARE WELCOME.

Reference:

Reference withheld for Intellectual Property Rights purposes.

The Philosophy of Anime

2012-06-02T05:43:00.001-07:00

Still, for some, the most common forms of narratives in families are accounts, stories, and frequent retelling from oral narratives from travels, family history, or community as their stories tend to focus more on descriptive information related to family and personal relationships, and may often include reactions to and evaluations of events. As they mature, moreover, children are expected to develop certain moral skills to be accepted in a society where benevolent social behavior is a prerequisite.

Japanese animé, or animation created with Japanese themes and characters, provide a newer generation of children, Japanese or not, the means to develop these moral skills. The development of Japanese animation, in addition, spurred a great interest in war torn Japan as it attempted to duplicate what the Americans were already doing to entertain children of all ages. But unlike their American counterparts, characters were drawn to portray archetypal deities and cultural icons to maintain the Japanese mindset of prudence and tradition.

In addition, patriotic Japanese, whose intentions were to “Japanize” children attempted to include certain elements of Japanese philosophy in their craft. Thus, the five main elements in Japanese philosophy were almost always injected in all cartoons that have Japanese heroes or villains in them.

The five elements are, in ascending order of power, 地 (chi) Earth, 水 (sui) Water, 火 (ka or hi) Fire, 風 (fuu) Wind, and 空 (kuu). This last is usually translated as "Void" when referring to the elements, but refers to Sky in most other contexts, and is therefore sometimes translated as Heaven.

For instance, the story of Rurouni Kenshin, of the popular Japanese Anime, takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story highlights a peaceful wanderer named Himura Kenshin, also known as the Samurai. The epic story begins with Kenshin wandering the countryside of Japan to protection and aid to those in need as atonement for the murders he once committed as an assassin during the war.

As the story goes, Kenshin accepts and begins to establish lifelong relationships with many people, including ex-enemies, while dealing with his fair share of enemies, new and old. The plot thickens when Kenshin discovers that his successor as assassin of the shadows, Shishio Makoto, plans to conquer Japan by destroying the Meiji Government, starting with Kyoto. However, many of his new-found friends decide to travel to Kyoto to help him in his fight. Five years later, Kenshin found true peace; he is married and has a son.

Stories like these sparked patriotism among the youth of Japan during the late 90s. Reminiscently, the story depicts war that the Meiji government experienced during its era. Historical records show, the time of the samurai began in the year 1050 when clans and fiefdoms battled throughout Japan. Consequently, Japan was beset by shoguns or samurais who attempted to unify the country through assassinations and bloodshed and established government(s) that sponsored Zen Buddhism and the values of bushido or warriors code (Tenshinichiryu, 1999).

Finally, the moral universe of anime that highlight the concept of war may very well exude a “Japanese View” for many of its fans. According to this view (anime style), children may be victimized by war, but children grow and also wage wars at last; and apparently all of these facts highlight the realities of war for many Japanese children, while romanticizing it at the same time through animation. Hence, the notion of killing other people through war is intrinsic to the mind-set of Japanese anime consumer. In a sense then, Japan today copes with the moral dilemma of war through a much contemporary format.

COMMENTS ARE WELCOME.

Reference:

Reference withheld for Intellectual Property Rights purposes.

Singular Hope

2012-06-02T05:41:00.002-07:00

”By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” -- New American Standard Bible (1995)

The passage above directly reflects my own assessment of the simulation game SIM City because it perfectly assimilates a utopian society ruled by a supposed infallible being.

Since the game provides a unique perspective of (what could be) life on earth, it imbues its players a certain degree of power over everything that is worth dominating. It almost seems surreal to think of a place like that actually existing, yet movies and depictions were actually made just to show an alternative way living could be possible.

For instance, in order to achieve a perfect society, Father, from the movie Matrix created a utopia, where no crime is ever possible. Each individual is a mere shell of a human being who is laid in a water-filled cocoon to provide consciousness to the walking shell. But as soon as man began questioning his existence in a nonetheless made-up world, he breaks free of the “cable” that connects him to the overall consciousness of the matrix.

Meanwhile, Adam Smith’s famous invisible hand could very well be played out in SimCity. The invisible hand as a metaphor tried to show that, in a free market, an individual pursuing his own self-interest tends to also promote the good of his community as a whole. He argued that each individual maximizes the total revenue of society as a whole because as this is identical with the sum total of individual revenues (Wessels, 2004).

The game, in this case, accorded us the power to control everything that needed controlling. In other words, we were gods or invisible hands playing with a vast multitude of puppets in a rather utopian environment. Here, one is free to be as obsessive compulsive as he can to maintain the perfect alignment and order of things.

But is this relevant in today’s market-driven society?

In a sense, it is. “The objective of SimCity, as the creator intended it to be, is to build and design a city, without specific goals to achieve. The player can mark land as being zoned as commercial, industrial, or residential, add buildings, change the tax rate, build a power grid, and build transportation systems and many other actions, in order to enhance the city.

Also, the player may face disasters including: flooding, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, and attacks by monsters. In addition, monsters and tornadoes can trigger train crashes by running into passing trains. Later disasters in the game's sequels included lightning strikes, volcanoes, meteors, and attack by extraterrestrial craft.” (Wikipedia.com)

However, the most important question is, is this sustainable?

If we look at the stories of the Bible, God created a new world after a 40-day flood because he became disillusioned of man when the latter neglected his moral obligations. This new world turns out to be the world we live in now. In a deeper sense, not everything goes according to plan, because as the game and bible passage implied, externalities may or may not cause disasters and thus would destroy the perfect harmony of the utopia we initially envisioned. Our perfect plans for a utopia would have gone down the drain.

In our case, to be more realistic, our own demise is caused by our own enterprising and proprietary actions, which of course is a facet of the invisible hand theory. If only we could look at our situation from a bird’s eye view then most likely we would achieve the same objective the author of SimCity set out to achieve in the first place.

Metro Manila’s problems could only be alleviated if the city is allowed a make-over. Our problems are deeply rooted in our colonial past. Applying the principles of SIM City would be futile because solutions provided in the present can only mask or provide a band-aid solution.

An optimistic view, on the other hand, would consider a relocation of the city into a master plan like that of Los Angeles.

Finally, as a metaphor of life, Sim City as any other simulation game, loses its appeal after several hours of being played. And if we relate this with the chaos and the alleged demise I proposed earlier to the passage I included here about God’s resting, could it be that once bored, the invisible hand ceases to maintain the status quo of the market? Such a metaphor deserves attention if we wish to perfect our current state in a utopia ruled by a proverbial hand.*

COMMENTS ARE WELCOME.

Reference:

Reference withheld for Intellectual Property Rights purposes.

Ethics and The Hand of God in Medicine

2012-06-02T05:40:00.001-07:00

Wikipedia.com defines a gift is a voluntary act, which does not require anything in return. Even though it involves possibly a social expectation of reciprocity, or a return in the form of prestige or power, a gift is meant to be free.

The proliferation of gift giving in the medical and pharmaceutical professions, however, may do more harm than what it originally and morally means; and while the United States recognize the negative implications of receiving and giving gifts, the Philippines, welcome the act of mutually exchanging money, goods, etc. because it contributes to social cohesion among other things.

The article written by Rebecca Dresser is “old news.” For instance, an American who seeks drugs without a prescription at any pharmacy in the

United States

would be denied purchase because he or she would have to secure a prescription from a licensed healthcare professional first before any transaction can occur. In the same way, the Food and Drugs Administration, requires a healthcare professional to recommend specific drugs to his or her patient. Otherwise, if the patient expires, an autopsy report would have revealed what kind of drug he or she ingested that lead to his or her death.

Thus, if would be nearly impossible for a HCP in the United States to liberally dispose of a prescription without him or her becoming aware of certain legal implications that would have devoid him or her of a license to practice medicine in the country.

Dresser, in her article, said that, “although clinicians deny the possibility of inappropriate bias, experiments in social psychology show that self-interest influences human evaluations of fairness.” Dresser, in this case, realizes the indubitable existence of a covert gift giving practice that “might” have occurred prior to a HCP preference for a certain drug over others. Dresser, instead, highlights the long-term psychological implications of gift giving.

The article, furthermore, highlights ethical considerations that encompass the act of gift giving. The practice itself creates a moral dilemma where at the far end of the spectrum is the patient who has been prescribed a drug that has been “pluralized” by the medical representative to the HCP.

For instance, on May 27, 2008, a scandal recently shook the pharmaceutical industry and the entire nation. The report questioned the credibility of HCPs to prescribe whitening pills to those who wish to improve their appearance.

The report exposed the real contents of L-gluthathione, the active ingredient in Lucida DS whitening pills, and questioned the real motives behind United Shelter Health Products in the manufacturing of Lucida DS. The company, in this case, solicited the endorsement of big name celebrities in the country to promote the drug to be as effective and therapeutic. In order to do this, USHP paid astronomical talent fees to the endorsers, who are not long-term users of the drug dupe consumers because they are big name celebrities. As far as medical testing and experiment are concerned, they did not undergo such treatments to prove the efficacy of the drug in question. USHPs failure to meet BFAD starndards, moreover, forced them to file a lawsuit against the news anchor who delivered the report to “mask” its nonetheless suspicious marketing and manufacturing practice.

Gift giving in form of talent fees, here, directly exposes the motives of USHP, who does not even need HCP to prescribe their products, does not even follow medical testing protocols, but instead rely on hyped marketing strategies to sell their products and compete with credible whitening pills.

So, are doctors or pharmaceutical companies gods?

In a manner of speaking no—but they would like to maintain an appearance that they are. Doctors today are addicted to technology, luxuries, and pleasure, wealth and prominence in the community. Thus they are slowly evolving into a greedy and a corrupt force potentially capable of unimaginable chaos in spite of the fact that a majority of doctors are still honest and noble yet a weaker force in a society, which allows the proliferation of gift giving to infect their “Hippocratic Oath” (Selvakumran, 2003).

COMMENTS ARE WELCOME.

Reference:

Reference withheld for Intellectual Property Rights purposes.

Dog Costumes

2012-06-02T05:31:00.003-07:00

Canines have gone further up in the animal kingdom as they become fashionistas in the human world. Still, the idea that dogs can emulate humans by wearing apparel, seem to arouse controversies from two ends of the spectrum.

Dogs in the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, when animals were used as beasts of burden, animals donned clothing as protective armours and familial coat of arms to signify ownership and status. In the same way, dog clothes were used in the military and law enforcement as protection from attacks and the elements.

Today, clothing plays a significant role in making man’s best friend more comfortable.

Studies show that even the furriest dog could suffer from hypothermia. As a dog matures, its metabolism slows down; hence, even a tee shirt is a welcome relief for a dog to stay warm in cold weather.

Surprisingly, today, businesses directly related to the canine clothing industry continue to thrive because demands for pet jewellery and accessories have increased.

In addition, the once mediocre dog-walking activity, grooming, and pet sitting have all benefited and have become more creative over the years. In fact, dog clothes today are easy to fit and are personally designed especially for various breeds of dog.

Costumes line pet stores to address the needs of dog owners, who want their pets to look more like humans. And just like human clothes, some costumes are made of environmentally friendly materials to repel snow and water.

Many owners spend hundreds of dollars to get their dog’s clothes match their own personal wardrobe. During holidays, in fact, owners dress their dogs to match the theme of the holiday. Somehow, costumes put whimsical meaning into the old saying, putting on the dog, because a costume could make a dog become the featured attraction at any party, contest, festival or parade.

On the other hand, the ever growing amount of people who love dressing up their dogs for fashion do not realize the importance of how dog costumes should function in modern society.

Many animal rights activists feel this is a waste of time and money because this creates the impression that dog owners are superimposing their mothering instincts onto their pets.

Most important, although there is a factor of cuteness, dog fashion could be a little daunting for some. Dogs that wear fashion, force animal activists to rally against the fashion industry and have thus created contempt for their owners.

Finally, however captivating or expensive a dog costume may be, a dog’s safety must come first. Pet owners who acknowledge that their dogs have distinct and unique personalities, they must also consider comfort and safety from harsh elements when it comes to buying costumes.

In addition, giving a dog the benefit of a sweater when the climate is harsh, as opposed to buying cute designer outfits must take precedence over fashion and must provide justification why dogs must wear costumes in the first place.

Lastly, as man’s best friend, dogs must freely express themselves the way nature intended to be.