2011年1月15日土曜日

ARW Pre-PWT

Human cloning should not be allowed in Japan for two reasons: mental harm and violation of human right.
Even if the risk of physical is 100% sure, it harms mental of cloned humans. For example, people support human cloning often say that it can help people who lost their children. It can save parents sorrow, however, the cloned child will be lived as a "substitute." It means the cloned child is not respected as a single individual. It is not the only case of harming a clone child. Whatever is the situation, in the background of a cloned human, there is always existence of another person who has same gene. And it will be a obstacle in the process of forming individual and identity.
Second, human cloning have a danger of violating human right. The word "clone" divides who is a clone and who is not a clone. This classification will lead to discrimination even if people are not intend to. And human clones are not treated same as other "normal human" when a discrimination happens. In the Constitution of Japan, the right to live is assured. Even human clones have same gene as others. However, they are a human. They have a right to live as a single human and right to be treated as other people. However, human perception can't be changed easily. And unfortunately, there are not only good men. There are people who discriminates other people. In fact, even the notion of equality of human has been prevailed in Japan, there are a lot of human who discriminate Korean residents. Therefore, human cloning will lead to discriminate human clones and violating their rights.
Human cloning has a risk of harming mental of people who are cloned. Cloned people will suffer own identity and the meaning of own existence. In addition, human cloning has the possibility to violate the right to live of cloned human, because they will be discriminated by people who are not cloned. For this two reasons, the human cloning shoul not be allowed in Japan.



It is hard to make persuasive: (
It is easy to say "it violates human right", but it is hard to explain how violating right.
Bioethic is very complex issue so I'm afraid whether I can write a short essay without using dictionary...!

2011年1月13日木曜日

ARW Fukuyama's issue

a)
According to Fukuyama, genetic engineering has a lot of difficulties and it seems it is not likely to be in real. However, the development of techonology is so rapid that no body can't know what will happen. Therefore, he can't say it is impossible. In fact, selection of sex is possible now and the doctor in the movies we saw said it is possible to select physical traits such as eye or hair color.

There are mailny 3 obstacles.
First, the mechanism of genes are very complex. A single gene has mutiple roles and function. It influences many other genes or functions. Therefore, if the genetic engineering is practiced, unexpected effects will be occured. The correlations of genes are unknown. However, the genetic engineering can be succeeded before the achievement of whole clarification of gene. These days, technology have been making rapid progress and there is no proof that the genetic engineering can't be suceeded because of complexity of gene.

Second, there is an ethical problem: human experimentation. As mentioned before, a single has not only one function and genes have very complex interactions. Therefore, it is impossible to anticipate every effects which come from arrangement of gene. The only way to know is to practice genetic engineering. The cases of eperimental stage is inevitable. It means there will be embryos or babies which are used as laboratory materials. However, embryo or babies can't tell their will. Their parents can give consent but babies or embryos can't. Hence, it will be problem of rights or other ethical problem. Using consequentialism idea, those experiments are worthy if genetic engineering finally suceeded and helped many people. Same as drugs, there are many helpful and valid drugs which have been helped many people's life. However, those achievements can exist because of accumulation of experimentations.

Third, if above two obstacles are solved and the genetic engineering generlized, the human nature can be changed. So far, it seems impossible to change, because the large amount and range of genetic engineerings have to be carried out. The number of birth is enormous, so it is impossible the number of genetic engineerings to exceed the birth number.

There are dangers of the genetic engineering. If people consider about the dangers which come from genetic engineering, unbalance of sex ratios, alteration of human nature, or ethical problem will be raised. However, the problems are not only what we anticipate. There may be many problems we are not expecting.

In the last, Fukuyama mentions that the genetic engineering can influence politics of countries. Moreover, if the genetic enginerring generlized among all human, the fundamental notion of human such as molartiy, justice, meaning of good life, or personality can alter. The fixed idea or notion which we think obvious now will be not obvious.

b)
I want to know what is the difference between eugenics and the genetic engineering. I think the concept and goals are similar.
Also, I want to talk about human cloning. I did debate of it when I was in high school and it was veeerrry controvertial. I was in the side of anti-human cloning. Therefore, I could points out a lot of ethical problem of human cloning. But the other side of people have to talk about benefits of human cloning and they said very scary and radical opinions. (Actually there are persuasive benefits) However, I though it can be treated as scary and unhuman opinion. The reserch of human cloning has been progressing. Fukuyama said that the human cloning suceeds before genetic enginerring. Therefore, the discussion of human cloning have to be developed before it suceeds.

2010年12月31日金曜日

12/31/2010

Today is the last day of 2010!
Now, I'm watching Gakituka and Kohaku alternately.
Do you know an actor called Iseya Yusuke? I looooove him and he is one of the judge of this year Kohaku. That's why I'm watching it. lol
And Gakituka is very funny :)

Anyway, this time I would like to write about 2010 and 2011.
In 2010, a lot of things was new to me and my life has been changed.
And I introduce 5 best things for me in 2010.

1. Graduating ICUHS
Actually, graduation was very sad thing for me, but I could realize how precious friends I made and precious time I spent.

2. Entering ICU
I used to go ICUHS so the enviroment was not so new to me. However, content of everyday life was very different. For example, I have to take responsibility for almost everthing. If I don't act anything, anything won't happen. Moreover, when I registered courses, I had to think really about myself: my future, what I want to study, and what I want to know more about. I more realized my life. Therefore, every single courses were felt different from the classes in high school. I think my attitude toward study has changed. You know, there were many many homeworks so I had to study really hard. I had never studied like this in long term!!

3. Participated in Apostles
I had never been participated in team sport club activity. Therefore, it was new to me and I learned a lot of things. I made valuable friends. However, it was not just an enjoyable thing. There are 3 times in a week. Thus, I had hard time for managing both club activity and study. But I think I could study very hard, because I had to do in limited time ;)

4. Trip to Thailand
My father lived in Thailand ( he came back in this year December). So I visited his house in summer vacationd and I had a great time there! Not only Bangkok, but also I went Huahin and Ayutaya. Huahin is a resort by the sea. I enjoyed eating Thai seafood ;)
In addition to such wonderful time, I met section mate Natsue in Bangkok! Her father alos lived in Bangkok(Fatefuly, her father and my father came back in Japan same date!). Hence, we met at very large department store. We had lunch and had our nails polished. Also we ate a waffle with ice cream ;) It seemed very high in calories, but it was delicious ;) I had very pleasant time!!
This is just an aside, but in department store called Emporium, I saw an flight attendant who had been on the airplane to Bangkok.lol

5. Section BK
All member in this section are so unique and individual. For other people, we may seem lacking in unity. However, it doesn't mean we don't get along with each other. I like this dry and frank relationship ;) It really suit my characteristic.

In 2011....

I want to keep improving my English skills, esprecially writing and speaking. And I want to put those skills to practical use for studying other subjects. Also, I haven't decided what I really want to study. Therefore, I will find it and try to form more clear vision of my future.
This year was very busy and I couldn't make enough time for my hobby: watching movies :(
So in 2011, if possible, I try to make more time to touch with movies :)

2010年12月16日木曜日

ARW HW 12/15

a) When I use the idea in ELP Reader, I will donate my organ, because if I have no hope to recover, I would like to use myself and help other people. I think it will be the last thing what I can do to other people and if other people saved, my life will be valuable. (Consequentialism?) However, I found a resource which says that test of determination of the brain death is not reliable. It was established 1985. It is more than 20 years ago! And it is very hard to decide brain death, especially children. Moreover, there was a very scary case in US that a boy recovered after being determined as in brain death. His family had already decided the organ transplant and of course it was canceled. The most unbelievable thing was that he was conscious when doctor tell their family about the brain death. According to the boy, he screamed "I'm not dead!" in his heart. When I read this article, I thought I don't want to be died like that (the boys was saved though). If the determination of brain death is accurate, I will donate my organ with pleasure. This way of thinking will be regarded as beneficence.

b) I would not allow my parents to decide if I were brain dead and had not mentioned about it. If I had already made up my mind to donate and told my parents, I would like my parents to respect my opinion. My body is mine and my life is mine. Therefore, my parents don't have right to control my body and life. (right ethics?) However, my parents, especially my mother, would not donate my organ even if I had told them to do it. When I asked about organ plant to my mother, my mother said "I can't give your organ to other people. I probably can't regard brain death as your death." In Morioka article, it says the most of Japanese think brain death equals to human death. However, I think people can answer like this, because they don't know how the brain death is like. I don't know ethier, but as you can know from this article (http: //search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20101112f3.html ), person in brain death is not cold like a corpse and hair still grows. If my parents saw me in this situation, I think they can't donate my organ even if I told them to do it. However, I think it is okay, because if they made decision to donate (in both case: I hadn't mentioned about it or had told them to decide transplant before brain death), they will suffer more about their decision than not giving organ. I don't want to be my family suffer. So I will be persuaded by my family's decision. For me, even if there are a lot of people who are waiting for donation, my family is the most important thing. Therefore, I would like to choose and respect best way not to harm my family. (Partly nonmaleficence?) (But I ABSOLUTELY oppose to a situation like haven't mentioned or I have denied organ transplant and my parents decide to do it. )
Considering my young child, I would not donate my children's organ, because I will not accpets brain death as my child's death. I might think that my child will recover some day. Moreover, I don'7 have right to control my child's life and body.
I thought that we should tell our own opinion to other members of our family to reduce agony of them as much as we can.
c) The current law of Japan is not ideal. In the revised law, an organ transplant can be carried out only with family's agreement. There is an assumption that "family" have good relationship with the patient and know about him/her well. However, in these days, there are many people who abuse their children or other member of the family. Futher, do you think that a second wife/husband really know about their children who has no blood relationship? "The family" is not always good and It is very scary such people to make decision. Even if the patient tell other member of family, family can conceal and ignore it. The situation like the patient want to live more, but his/her family give up might happen. The most important thing is to respect the patient's will. However, in this law, it is possible to violate the patient's rights and desire.
The new organ transplant law is based on consequentialims. The condition which is explained above (family agreement), the abolishment of age limit, and to regard braind death=human death are all made to facilitate to do organ transplant, because in Japan, there are too many people who are waiting for donors. There are lot of people who will be saved by this revised law. There are some people who will be harmed by this law. The number of the people who are harmed might be not as much as people who gain benefit. However, the number is not the proble. We should not forget about the mainority and examined carefully about organ transplant.

2010年12月8日水曜日

Winter ARW #2 (12/08/2010)

What is the most reasonable theory?

I think I always make decision by thinking profit and loss. Therefore my way of thinking is I consequentalism. For me, it is very hard to imagine the situation of intuitionism. It is one of my worries recently...:( May be I just don't confront the situation to make decision immediately.
However, considering the ethical problem, consequentalims has a big shortcoming that it ignores the minority people who will get disadvantage. Even if many people gain advantages, I think it is not right, (←Is this sense of "right" is intuitionism?! I hope so.) Imagine if you were one of the minority of people who would get disadvantage because of particular solution which comes from consequentalism. I think you can't be persuaded by the reason that majority of people are happy.
However, it is true that it has practical effect. It can't be applied to the situation proposed in the lecture of justice (kill 1 person or 5 people..), but may be another measure can' be taken to support minority. But I can't give specific example of bioethics...
And I like right ethics, because my life is the posession of myself and it exists for myself. So it is natural action to respect individual rights.
However, human can exist, because community of human exists and we are supporting each other. Therefore, may be it is duty to think about society or other people. We can't just respect own rights.
In conclusion, I think it is good to utilize both rights ethics and consequentalism.

I started cofusing... My opinion is badly organized...:(
And I always forget that these are talking about ethics.

2010年12月3日金曜日

ARW (Winter Term) #1 12/3

Hi, today's climate was strange! It was warm like spring! The night was cold though :(
This is the first time to write blog in the winter term :)
In ARW winter, I want to improve my writing skill and speaking skill.
First, I had hard time in writing an essayin the last term, because I couldn't make a good thesis. There are a lot of information and I have many things that I want to write about.
So I took long time to decide thesis and developing the contents with focusing on the thesis.
In the first draft, there are two main points which support thesis but Paul said to me that first point and second point are not related really and I should write only using the topic in the second paragraph. So I have to change the thesis little bit and rewrite the essay.
I'm afraid of going through the same steps as fall term :(
Second, I often can't express own idea in English. And also, I can't speak with correct grammer sentences. Therefore I want to have many opportunity to speak Enlgish to get more used to it.

I am looking forward to read issues about bioethics, because in high school, I learned some of about brain death, eugenics, abortion, clone and euthinasia in ethics class. All issues are very complex and they weigh heavily on our hearts. However I think they are very important to think, because they are very related to out lives. They are not affairs of other people.

I am worry whether I cant talk these issues in English but also happy to have opportunities to talk about them in English :) I really want to know how other people think and what kind of opinions they have. Please share the ideas with me :)

Thank you for reading ;)

2010年6月4日金曜日

8th week (5/31~6/6)

About 2 months have passed since we entered ICU.
I feel time passed very fast, but if I look back I feel the entrance cermony was long time ago story. May be this 2 months was thick.

This week, we reviewed argumentation and started discussing about TOMAT.

*Argumantation*
I really thank Susan teaching us very detail about argumentation.
Fallacies, syllogism, and assumption were complicated, but I think Icould understand them.
However, I still worry whether I can write argumantative writing by using or not using those skills.

*TOMAT*
I read TOMAT twice (actually, 2nd time was just skimming).
When I read first time, I couldn't grasp the image of the story. I couldn't picture each scenes in my head and I thought it was little bit boring.
However, when I read 2nd time, my image got clear and I started understanding the depth of the story.
I started to think about old man's feeling or what author want to say.
In first time, I think I was not in the story.

I heard that there are many symbolic expressions in TOMAT.
However, I can find few of them.
Did you found any of them?

And also, I thought it is important to concern about the story relating with about author.

That reminds me-
I saw a picture of Hemingway when he was young. He was handsome guy!;)
You should check it.lol

This is all for today.
Thank you for reading:)