Ethics in Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics in Technology - Research Paper Example The debate about how safe the use of nuclear energy is can be a complicated one, especially considering that there have been arguments that a lot of information about the truth behind the use of nuclear energy has been hidden from the public as well as from the many officials who matter. Regardless of where one stands, the history of nuclear energy has well indicates that there are numerous ethical issues to be taken to consideration. The bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Chernobyl power plant accident, the Japan power plant accidents and many other issues indicate that the use of nuclear power is not as safe as many stakeholders in the sector would like the public to think (Jonathan 31). Those who have opposed the use of nuclear power have argued that the cost of using nuclear energy has much more social costs in terms of how it affects the surroundings and the health of people. These costs are said to be both long term and short term. These fears and worries about the risk of nuclear power are not unfounded. There are some very good and unfortunate examples which must be taken into consideration with regard to the use of nuclear energy. One such example is the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The residual of harmful nuclear waste dust was released into the environment from the Chernobyl accident is said to be still in the environment causing damage (Xiang and Zhu, 2-11). Another unlucky event with nuclear accident is the nuclear accidents in Japan caused by the 2012 Tsunami. The effects of the Nagasaki bombings at the brim of the Second World War whose effects are still felt even today are also another example that indicates how nuclear energy can be harmful. In this re gard, the potential of harm from the nuclear energy is known the world over. Some of the issues with nuclear energy ethics is the nuclear accidents most of which are caused by careless professionals. Nuclear accidents are

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Essay Example Natural inequality involves differences between one man's strength or intelligence and that of another - it is a product of nature. Rousseau is not concerned with this type of inequality and wishes to investigate moral inequality. He argues this inequality is endemic to a civil society and relates and causes differences in power and wealth. This type of inequality is established by convention. Rousseau appears to take a cynical view of civil society, and refers to times before the current state of civil society, when man was closer to his natural state, as happier times for man. To Rousseau, civil society is a trick perpetrated by the powerful on the weak in order to maintain their power or wealth. But this is Rousseau's end product. He begins his discussion with an analysis of a natural man who has not yet acquired language or abstract thought. Rousseau's natural man possesses a few qualities that allow him to distinguish himself from the animals over a long period of time. Of extreme importance is man's ability to choose, what Rousseau refers to as the "free-agency" that differentiates him from other animals. Man's ability to refuse instinct pushes him along the path out of his natural state. In addition, Rousseau argues that "another principle which has escaped Hobbes" is man's compassion. This quality of man also motivates him to interact. And finally, man possesses the quality of "perfectibility" which allows him to improve his surroundings. Man's contact with other men leads him to develop "amour propre" which is in a sense a "moral me" that creates concern for how others perceive him. Amour proper has four consequences: (1) competition, (2) self-comparison with others, (3) hatred, and (4) urge for power. These all lead to Rousseau's cynical civil society. But amour proper already suggests a significant step out of th e state of nature (http://www.radicalacademy.com). Perhaps Rousseau's most important work is The Social Contract, which outlines the basis for a legitimate political order. Published in 1762 it became one of the most influential works of abstract political thought in the Western tradition. Building on his earlier work, such as the Discourse on Inequality, Rousseau claimed that the state of nature eventually degenerates into a brutish condition without law or morality, at which point the human race must adopt institutions of law or perish. In the degenerate phase of the state of nature, man is prone to be in frequent competition with his fellow men while at the same time becoming increasingly dependent on them. This double pressure threatens both his survival and his freedom. According to Rousseau, by joining together through the social contract and abandoning their claims of natural right, individuals can both preserve themselves and remain free. This is because submission to the authority of the general will of the people as a whole guarantees individuals against being subordinated to the wills of others and also ensures that they obey themselves because they are, collectively, the authors of the law. In the words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the general will is different from the will of all; the general will considered the common interest, while the will of all considered the private interest, a sum of