Last class we discussed whether or not morality should come into play when considering enhancements to the body. We discussed in particular the discussion of obesity and the way that there may be a frame of mind which judges these people for being "lazy" or incompetent. This judgment comes from the availability in this time period to change the body quite easily, and the impact of media to create imperfect ideas of the body simply by "eating well and working out." We also discussed the concept of unplugging family members or loved ones that have been declared brain dead. I noticed that as we were discussing and answering such dilemmas that along with the question of morality could be the question of empathy.
Do you think that with the option of more convenient enhancements for our body we've begun to lose a sense of empathy for our fellow peers, family members, loved ones, etc.? Do you think that by saying that all "obese" people are lazy if they don't have a predisposed condition for being so is judgmental and lacking empathy, or simply a fact of 21st century life? The same question could be applied to unplugging patients declared brain dead--is this a question of basic empathy or should we be more practical because there are so many enhancements available?
I definitely do think that enhancements have caused us as a society to be a lot less empathetic with respect to people's shortcomings. I think that this has a lot to do with the increasing popularity of enhancements; people who have used certain enhancements in their life potentially can make average people who don't use enhancements look even worse than they would normally, comparatively. Using Amanda's obesity example, I definitely think there has always been a negative connotation with respect to one's work ethic or motivation if they are overweight. However, with so many people utilizing enhancements such as liposuction or weight loss pills, I think that people are under the impression that there is an even lesser excuse to be overweight nowadays. People understand that it's hard to lose weight by exercising, but they also know that there is an easy way out: these enhancements. So if you are not willing to do either, then yes, I think the level of empathy would be even less.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is not so much that we have become less empathetic of a society over the last couple of decades, but rather a result of the rise of advertising and social media over the last couple of decades that has contributed to the emphasis on looks. We are now blasted by images of “perfect” men and women in society, and taught from a young age that our looks play an important role in who we are. I think that in previous generations, there was less emphasis on how one looked, because without the media and advertising, the only bodies that one would come into contact with would be those of people within our community. There were no “perfect” or photoshopped images telling us what we should look like. I think it is this extreme availability of media and images that has triggered this need within society to enhance ourselves, whether naturally or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI also think that when discussing patients on life support, and ‘pulling the plug’ on patients who are brain dead, it is important to separate ourselves from the conversation. I think that one of the main problems in these discussions is that people imagine their family members and friends in that position and struggle with what they would do in that situation. I think it is more important to imagine if we were in that position, and what we would want to do. I think that one of the problems of the twenty first century is that we think that there is a cure for everything, that there is always hope. This a new phenomenon, resulting from the staggering increases in medical knowledge and research over the last fifty years. No one is willing to think about death anymore. I think that in an Ethics class, it is important to discuss living well, and how to do so, and thus one must also ask, what is dying well? Personally, I think that dying well is the ability to accept death and recognize when one’s time has come, in order that one may come to terms with one’s life and say good bye to one’s loved ones. I think sometimes the greatest tragedies are when people pursue invasive, experimental treatment after treatment to try to extend their lives by weeks or months. Death is inevitable, and shapes the human experience.
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