|
VII.2 Commentary
on Social Problems
Created and Sustained by Ignorance,
Many are Avoidable or are not Real Problems
Every human life is itself a meaningful whole.
Robert Spaemann (b. 1927)
If
we can really understand the problem, the answer will come out of it,
because the answer is not separate from the problem. Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) The way we see the problem is [often] the problem. Stephen R. Covey (b. 1932) We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) I beseech you to treasure up in your hearts these my parting words: Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity. Horace Mann (1796-1859) Introduction
Introduction Much of what one believes about an entire host of topics such as enumerated in this chapter depends on one's worldview, including one's life philosophy and ultimate belief because it follows logically from it. This observation confirms the crucial importance of having a correct worldview. The commentaries in this text are approved by, grounded in, and follow from this writer's understanding of a worldview that is thought to be modern, and perhaps more importantly, moral. A. Abortion and Embryonic Stem-Cell Research These procedures, if perceived as social or moral problems, appear to be substantially created and sustained by ignorance. So, let us look at the facts to see if they confirm this observation. Abortion is the removal of a developing embryo or fetus from the uterus before it is able to live outside the womb. It is a relatively simple and safe procedure when done by trained medical workers during the first three months, first trimester, of pregnancy, but it is less safe thereafter. In countries where abortions are not legal, they are performed illegally and in unskilled ways. This still causes the deaths of millionth of women from infection and bleeding. It also causes sterility or the permanent inability to have a child. For an account of these tragedies see "The Roman Catholic Church's Ongoing Holocaust" in Egregious Errors in Religions. It should be noted that about 25 percent of pregnancies end in spontaneous abortions called miscarriages. Embryonic stem-cell research requires the extraction of these cells from the inner cell mass of an embryo at a very early stage of development when it is composed of a hollow sphere of dividing cells, a blastocyst. This process results in the destruction of the embryo. Stem cells are undifferentiated (unorganized, shapeless) cells that can become differentiated (specialized) cells that then make up the body's tissues and organs. Moreover, they can divide to produce some offspring cells that continue as stem cells and some cells that are destined to become specialized. Stem cells have the potential in the development of therapies for replacing defective or damaged cells resulting from a variety of disorders and injuries, such as Parkinson disease, severe burns, and damage to the spinal cord. The wasted abundance of potential life is apparent when we look at some facts:
From the foregoing it appears that there are no sound arguments against embryonic stem-cell research since it only involves the destructions of a plentifully available nutrient mass that contains two sets of instruction and is in its initial stages of development. To classify an embryo as a human being, and to call its destruction murder is highly irrational and immoral when it prevents potentially beneficial research. And the same goes for prohibitions against abortions during the first two trimesters. An embryo or fetus during this time does not meet the definition of a person, being rational and self-consciousness, with rights. This prohibition, as is the ban against birth control, is simply an immoral infringement on women's civil liberties and an attempt to reduce them to reproductive slaves through compulsory pregnancies. To abort or not to abort should be left to the conscience of the individual.
B. Corporal Punishment of Children Most child psychologists, religious liberals, secularists, and others now oppose spanking or smacking in favor of milder disciplinary action. If such action is necessary, it must always include education, that is, an explanation why an action was wrong. When spanked, besides being terrified, children feel they are being terrorized. Moreover, research conducted over many decades have shown that even a minor amount off spanking increases the likelihood of children growing up into adults with problems of alcoholism, drug abuse, anxiety and depression. In North America, the main supporters of corporal punishment of children are the conservative religious. Probably because of their belief in the inerrancy of the Bible, and the frequent advocacy in the book of Proverbs* of spanking as the preferred method to discipline children. Advocates of spanking often claim that abandoning spanking will leave their children undisciplined and lead to increased lawlessness and violence in society as those children reach adulthood. The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children was Launched in April 2001. It aims to speed the end of corporal punishment of children across the world. Removal of legal defenses available to parents or caregivers who use corporal punishment is an essential aspect of full prohibition of corporal punishment. The laws state that legal defenses for using "reasonable punishment", force "by way of correction", etc are no longer available to parents and guardians using corporal punishment in the name of discipline of children, and which explicitly prohibit corporal punishment in the home. These laws have already been enacted in some progressive nations. *See "Violent, Physical Upbringing" in Abuse of Children in Religions. C. Death Penalty An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Government ... can’t be trusted to control its own bureaucrats or collect taxes equitably or fill a pothole, much less decide which of its citizens to kill. Helen Prejean (b. 1938) It is the mark of a higher civilization when a country finally chooses to eradicate . . . the damnable practice of killing for vengeance. James McCloskey The death penalty, capital punishment, or execution, is the killing of a person by judicial process for revenge and to render the offender incapable of committing further crimes. However, there is the ever-present risk that the wrong man or woman could be executed, and many innocent have actually been executed. Capital punishment is supposed to be a deterrent that also brings emotional closure to surviving victims or relatives of victims. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. Execution have been carried out by such methods as beheading, drowning, electrocution, firing squad, hanging, lethal injection, and stoning. Today, stoning and beheading is primarily used in Middle Eastern countries. Execution of criminals, political opponents, and religious deviants has been used by nearly all societies since the beginning of history. It not only served to punish crime but also to suppress political and religious dissent. Today, in most places, the practice of capital punishment is reserved for murder, espionage, treason, or as part of military justice. In some countries sexual crimes, such as rape, adultery, homosexuality, incest and sodomy, carry the death penalty, as do religious transgressions such as the abandoning or formal renunciation of the State religion in Islamic nations. In some countries drug trafficking is also a capital offense. In China, human trafficking and serious cases of corruption are punished by the death penalty. In militaries around the world courts-martial have imposed death sentences for offenses such as cowardice, desertion, insubordination, and mutiny. In Europe, during the Dark Middle Ages, one of the worst methods of execution, drawing and quartering, was used in England. Victims were first partly strangled. Then, while still alive, they were disemboweled—their intestines torn out and burned—and the body was hacked into four pieces. Witches and heretics were burned at the stake. A very wide range of offenses, including even common theft, were punishable by death. For example, in England a hungry child was executed for stealing a piece of cheese. 100,000 innocent women, men, and children were tried, found guilty, and executed for the crime of having had intercourse with the devil, a crime they could not have possibly committed. These cruel laws and punishments effected primarily the lower socioeconomic classes while protecting the wealth and privileges of the upper casts. Under the influence of the The Age of Enlightenment in the latter part of the 18th century, there began a movement to limit the scope of capital punishment. Presently (2009) the death penalty has been totally abolished in almost all European countries, that is, in 48 out of 50. Moreover, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the practice when it states: No one shall be condemned to the death penalty, or executed. Finally, here is a concluding observation by Ralph Nader (b.1934): Since I was a law student, I have been against the death penalty. It does not deter. It is severely discriminatory against minorities, especially since they’re given no competent legal counsel defense in many cases. It’s a system that has to be perfect. You cannot execute one innocent person. No system is perfect. And to top it off, for those of you who are interested in the economics it, it costs more to pursue a capital case toward execution than it does to have full life imprisonment without parole. D. Divorce cancels the marital status of the two parties involved and allowing them to marry another. Dissolution of marriages takes increasingly place in most countries but is notably high in developed countries and almost common place in the United States, Canada, and Scandinavia. In the U.S. about 55% of all marriages end in divorce, and some surveys indicate that about 75% of those who remain married would not marry the same partner again. The most frequent causes of divorce based on statistical data and most popular reasons cited are:
Other causes are: poor communication, lack of commitment, physical and emotional abuse, family strain, addiction to substances, alcohol, or gambling, as well as workaholism. On the one hand, divorce is a social problem in particular when children have to suffer undesirable consequences. On the other hand, dissolution of marriage allows the liberation of one or both partners from an unsatisfactory partnership. In a divorce at least one partners thinks that he or she will be better of. For as Barbara Whitehead, who devoted an entire book to what she calls “The Divorce Culture,” tells us: . . . once regarded mainly as a social, legal, and family event in which there were other stockholders, divorce now became an event closely linked to the pursuit of individual satisfactions, opportunities, and growth…The dissolution of marriage offered the chance to make oneself over from the inside out, to refurbish and express the inner self, and to acquire certain valuable psychological assets and competencies, such as initiative, assertiveness, and a stronger and better self image.Today's increased economic opportunities yield financial independence from men for increasing numbers of women. In a cost-benefit analysis of divorce, if the benefits outweigh the cost for both, then it is better to be happily apart then unhappily together. E. Drug and Other Addictions It is true, The "war on drugs" has failed its stated objectives, and it cannot succeed so long as we remain a free society, bound by our Constitution [for it tramples on our Constitutional rights]. Ethan E. Nadleman Therefore, Scrap the nonsense of trying to obliterate drugs and acknowledge their presence in our society as we have with alcohol and tobacco [and let us legalize some of them just like alcohol and tobacco]. Benson B. Roe Instead of punishment let us opt for treatment because, . . . treatment relieves courts and prisons of overcrowding and reduces the high cost of continued incarceration, while providing an added degree of supervision beyond what probation or parole offices may be able to afford. When successful, treatment further reduces the criminal justice costs by breaking the pattern of recidivism that brings typical substance abusers back into the criminal justice system again an again. . . . Sharron Kelley And most importantly, Public officials must start an honest, open debate about the drug issue. Then they must let go of self-important moralizing and the ideological posturing. . . . We don't have to endorse drug use; we need only to recognize that there are more effective ways to deal with drug addiction. Our wholesale, indiscriminate prohibition policy has led to a kind of slow social suicide. it has ravaged the inner cities, decimated young blacks, corrupted the police and wasted billions of dollars that could be spent on prevention and treatment. Craig Horowitz Harmful addictive behavior is probably driven by nature and nurture and results often in a physical and psychological dependency. Concerning the underlying causes, it is not known to which extent it is driven by chemical processes in the body, thought processes in the mind, or the social influence of the people around the addict. However, no matter what is the cause, addictive behavior is often pernicious in that it destroys the lives of the addicts, causes criminal conduct, makes life miserable for those who are around them, and all at a great expense to society. Typical addictive drugs are alcohol, nicotine (in cigarettes), cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, and barbiturates. Habitual use produces changes in body chemistry that can result in uncontrolled craving, tolerance, and symptoms of withdrawal when access is denied. Most texts describe three stages that lead to an addiction:
In recent years, the enormous cost of life-sustaining means in the hopelessly suffering ill has endangered the economics of health care and other needs of society such as education, infrastructure, and a humane quality of life for many. The same applies to all health care, for as an Oregon statewide health policy group argues correctly: We cannot live under the idea that we can give everybody all the healthcare that they need. Rationing of health care is inevitable because society cannot or will not pay for all the services modern medicine can provide. People in this state must search their hearts and their pocketbooks and decide what level of healthcare can be guaranteed to the poor, the unemployed, the elderly, and others who depend upon publicly funded health services. I. Globalization See "Detrimental Dupery in Economics" and "The Perniciousness of Predatory Capitalism" in Predatory Political Economy. J. Health Crisis In recent years, the enormous cost of life-sustaining means in the hopelessly and suffering ill has endangered the economics of health care and other needs of society such as education, infrastructure, and a humane quality of life for many. The same applies to all health care, for as an Oregon statewide health policy group argues correctly: We cannot live under the idea that we can give everybody all the healthcare that they need. Rationing of health care is inevitable because society cannot or will not pay for all the services modern medicine can provide. People in this state [Oregon] must search their hearts and their pocketbooks and decide what level of healthcare can be guaranteed to the poor, the unemployed, the elderly, and others who depend upon publicly funded health services. K. Homosexuality Homosexuality, if perceived as a social problem, is one of those created and sustained by ignorance. So, let us ask, what determines whether or not two persons are attracted to one another? The answer to this question is sexual orientation or sexual identity. If this attraction is homosexuality, then it refers to sexual interest in and attraction to members of one's own sex. The term gay is frequently used as a synonym for homosexual; female homosexuality is often referred to as lesbianism. The exact proportion of the population that is homosexual is difficult to estimate reliably, but the average of many studies place it at around 7%. At different times and in different cultures, homosexual behavior has been variously approved of, tolerated, punished, and banned. Homosexuality was not uncommon, and even expected among males, in ancient Greece and Rome. Today, it ranges from fully accepted as normal together with the right to legal unions or marriage in Western orientated countries to punishment by death in fundamentalist Islamic cultures. The Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition has generally condemned homosexual behavior as sinful. However, many Jewish and Christian leaders have come halfway, taken the first step, to make clear that it is the acts and not the individuals or even their “inclination” or “orientation” that their faiths proscribe. And factions within mainstream Protestantism to organizations of Reform rabbis—have advocated, on theological as well as social grounds, the full acceptance of homosexuals and their relationships. The causes for homosexuality, just like that for bisexuality or heterosexuality, are primarily biological influences together with learning and opportunity. The American Psychological Association appears to confirm this when it stated "most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation. And "The American Psychiatric Association has stated "some people believe that sexual orientation is innate and fixed; however, sexual orientation develops across a person’s lifetime." In sum: Sexual orientation is very complex and most likely a combination of many factors. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "having sexual and romantic attraction primarily or exclusively to members of one’s own sex"; "it also refers to an individual’s sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them." As a sexual identity, homosexuality refers to sexual identity as a gay or lesbian person. In a narrow sense, gay refers to male homosexuality, but it often is used in its broadest sense, especially in media headlines and reports, to refer to homosexuality in general. Lesbian, however, always denotes female homosexuality. As a same-sex relationship, homosexuality may refer to a marriage equivalent union or bond between two people of the same-sex. Studies have found same-sex and opposite-sex couples to be equivalent to each other on measures of relationship satisfaction and commitment. Many lesbians and gay men form durable relationships. For example, survey data indicate that between 18% and 28% of gay couples and between 8% and 21% of lesbian couples in the U.S. have lived together 10 or more years. Traditional marriage is a convention that evolved over time that could have included same-sex couples. There is no good reason why this human convention cannot do so now. L. Hollow Democracy Democracy can be defined as rule by the ruled--a government by, for, and of the people. It is "by-the-people" when the elected leaders’ authority is based on a limited mandate from a universal electorate which selects among genuine alternatives that express the will of the people. It is "for-the-people" if the leaders are in fact acting effectively in the interest of the people. And it is "of-the- people" when offices are available to persons of every kind of( social background. But even if the above stipulations are met, a democracy is still hollow, that is, nonfunctional unless accompanied by power in areas, such as the economy, that affect the life chances of its citizens. Moreover, a functional description of democracy must include a theory of the effects of its political system as well as the procedures by which value judgments and allocations are made. If this requires certain material means and a mind-enabling education, then it must be equally available to all.M. Justice and Punishment Unfortunately, there is no essential connection between morals and the law. What is morally obligatory may be illegal. What is immoral may be legal. However, many claim correctly that an immoral law is no law at all. This writer Justice (Latin, theory and practice of just law), in its broadest sense, is a formal system of normative rules or principles that has the objective to render every person his or her due. If, and only if, all get what they deserve, then the system is just.
P. Poverty and Homelessness Live simply that others may simply live. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Poverty and homelessness reflect economic conditions in which people lack sufficient means to obtain certain minimal levels of food, housing, clothing, health care, and education. This is a worldwide phenomenon that can be stamped out and is for the most part preventable. Modern technology has allowed a manifold increase in productivity, the amount of goods produced per working hour. Together with birth control, populations can be limited and matched with available resources for a descent standard of living for all. It follows that uncontrolled population growth is the major cause of this enduring problem. Some powerful organized religions oppose birth control with the hidden agenda being out-breeding the competition. An immediate remedy is suggested by the Australian social philosopher Peter Singer. He insists that the injustice of some people living in abundance while others starve is morally indefensible. He proposes that anyone able to help the poor should donate part of their income to aid poverty and similar efforts. Singer reasons that, when one is already living comfortably, a further purchase to increase comfort will lack the same moral importance as saving another person's life. Singer himself reports that he donates 25% of his salary to Oxfam and UNICEF. In another writing he argues as follows: If we can prevent something bad without sacrificing anything of comparable significance, we ought to do it; absolute poverty is bad; there is some poverty we can prevent without sacrificing anything of comparable moral significance; therefore we ought to prevent some absolute poverty. Q. Discrimination I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-68) Prejudices are the chains forged by ignorance to keep men apart. Countess of Blessington (1789-1849) Prejudice and contempt, cloaked in the pretense of religious or political conviction, are no different [from prejudices targeting new immigrants]. They have nearly destroyed us in the past. They plague us still. They fuel the fanaticism of terror. They torment the lives of millions in fractured nations around the world. These obsessions cripple both those who are hated and, of course, those who hate, robbing both of what they might become. Bill Clinton (b.1946) Discrimination is literally when something or someone is distinguished from someone or something. Discrimination against or in favor of some involves partiality and bias such as treating an individual or a group differently because of their possession of an attribute unrelated to the situation and in contrast to the treatment received by another individual or group in the same circumstances. Subtle discrimination involves setting a condition or requirement which a smaller proportion of those with the attribute are able to comply with, without reasonable justification. In countries with a humane, more complete, system of justice, discrimination in connection with employment, housing, and education is illegal when it is based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion or unbelief, age, class. Other factors for discrimination against are sometimes the way people look, their past problems with the law, their lifestyle, or their choice of clothing. However, discrimination against still takes place for other reasons not covered by the law or is even official government policy. For instance, in countries with an official state religion, people of other religions are often discriminated against. It is also widespread in countries which have a culture in which castes or social classes are widely recognized. R. Same Sex Marriage Marriage is a social institution under which people live together by legal commitment. It is a tradition that developed over time and ranges from unions between one male and a female, monogamy, to one male and several females, polygyny, and one female and several males. polyandry. Recently, this traditional institution includes same sex marriages but is opposed by most religious institutions. However, as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (b.1942) correctly observes: I don't think the government can dictate the definition of marriage to religious institutions. But government does have an obligation to guarantee that every individual is free of discrimination. And there's a distinction. I think government should not be able to dictate to religions the definition of marriage, but on a civil side, government has the obligation to strip away every vestige of discrimination as to what individuals are able to do in terms of their personal conduct. S. Scarcity of Resources See A Moral Dilemma: To Have or To Be. T. Suicide Each suicide is a tragedy and avoidable if it was caused by underlying social conditions such as poverty or lack of health care. This non-reversible act would often not be carried out if the agent would simply give it more time to think things through. Professional counseling or seeking other people's advice should always precede such a drastic decision. If it is guilt motivated, then it is almost certain that this guilt is grounded in irrational thinking influenced by flawed cultural customs. Because if we decide and act to the best of our abilities, negative consequences are not our fault, for we could not have decided or acted better at the time. A drastic change in lifestyle or environment can also be a cure. However, suicide can be entirely honorable, for example, if preferred "to becoming a wretched burden for others, physically, emotionally, and financially." We all enter this world involuntarily-thus, it is our life-and we have the right to voluntarily exit it if it is no longer worth living, that is, if we are better off not to exist than to exist.
|