Rethinking Altruism Essay Example for Free

Rethinking Altruism Essay In answering the question of whether altruism exists or not, C. Daniel Batson together with his colleagues believe that altruism does exist. On the other hand, Robert B. Cialdini and his colleagues argue that there no such thing as genuine altruism, let alone altruism as we commonly it. Those propose that altruism exists suggest that human beings are oftentimes inclined to help other individuals out of genuine altruism primarily because of our empathy towards others. On the other hand, those who argue that there is no such thing as altruism tell us that it is not enough for people to simply have empathy to help others, especially those who are in dire need of help. More to empathy, Cialdini and his colleagues suggest that people sometimes help other individuals in order gain something in return—and that â€Å"something† is making the self feel better after doing the presumed altruistic deed. In the end, it signifies that at the bottom of altruism rests the inclination to satisfy ourselves such as our conscience through charitable decisions or actions. The concept of empathy—or the act of immersing into another person’s perspective and experiencing compassion along the way—is at the heart of the position of Batson and his colleagues. That is, people can be altruistic if they are able to empathize with those they help. Conversely, the lack of empathy can hardly push people to become altruists at some point in time. I think it is possible for people to empathize or to put their feet into the shoes of others, so to speak. Sometimes people may want to share the burdens of others and, after a while, they end up helping them anyway. The certainty of whether helping these people is an altruistic deed depends on whether or not those who empathized and helped expected something in return or anything at all. This leads us to the other side of the debate, namely the argument that empathy is never enough as people may help others so that they will feel better or be removed of any form of guilt or a heavy conscience. Cialdini and his colleagues propose that empathy is never sufficient in motivating people to help others. In effect, they are suggesting that our efforts to feel the suffering of others as if it was our own and to resolve the problem of other people without expecting anything in return cannot be maintained. Rather, it is the nature of human beings to do something because they are expecting something in return. I think that is true in so far as my experiences are concerned. I have personally experienced situations wherein I felt that I needed to help other people including my friends and my relatives. I tried to help them to the best of my abilities not out of altruism but out of one basic reason: I did not want to feel guilty if I am not able to help them at the end of the day. Although my conscience is pricked each time I am compelled by my sentiments to help them, my conscience is exactly the reason why I push myself to offer my assistance. I did not want to have a heavy conscience for not being able to be of any help. From that, I can say that I was not really being altruistic. Rather, I was seeking to evade a moral failure to help much as I was seeking to avoid keeping a heavy conscience. On the other hand, Batson and his colleagues maintain that there are times when people become altruistic in their deeds. Because of our empathy towards others, we are inclined to help others without expecting anything in return. I think that is partly true in times when our friends or our close relatives are the ones who need our help. We hardly refrain from helping them essentially because they are dear to us. As for strangers seeking our help, perhaps that is an entirely different matter. I think we are less inclined to help strangers because we barely have any idea about their identity unlike our friends and close relatives. I think that this disparity will only reaffirm the position that empathy is never sufficient and that human beings are generally far from being altruists. Since we are more inclined to provide our help to our friends and close relatives than to strangers, I think it is only safe to assume that the reason why we help them is because of our â€Å"ties† or relationship with them. The lack of an apparent connection with others does not strongly encourage us to be unselfish individuals who could only care about the welfare of others and whose personal welfare only comes secondary. I find it difficult to see myself empathizing with strangers because I barely know who they are. I may be able to relate to their experience or suffering but that is just it. Conversely, I am unable to completely empathize with them because I do not have a close association with them. Because we do not have any strings attached, so to speak, I am not inclined to help strangers. More importantly, I think that people are not genuinely altruists. On the contrary, people are still human beings who seek to preserve their own welfare whether or not other people will benefit from such an attempt. The main reason why we help others even though it might lead to our own suffering is that we seek to avoid carrying the burden of a heavy conscience or of the thought of not being able to help someone when they needed help the most. We can hardly stand seeing a person who is drowning because we fear our conscience will come to haunt us and deprive us of peace of mind. We can hardly stand watching someone be mugged to demise by street criminals because we fear that the same thing might happen to us with no one to help us. In other words, we want to help others because we expect something in return, be it in the form of the same help when we experience the same things or in the form of a conscience that is light. Reference Nier, J. (2007). Does True Altruism Exist? In Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Social Psychology (2nd ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Manipulative Advertising Essay -- essays research papers

Manipulative Advertising According to Tom L. Beauchamp, manipulative advertising â€Å"limits free and informed action† (472). It is sort of like convincing customers to purchase something, but it is based on incorrect or inconclusive information. â€Å"Advertisers use attractive rates, enticing images, and a variety of forms of suggestion to hinder or block reasoned choice† (479). One example is â€Å"phony discounting where retailers present fake percentage markdown from suggested retail prices that are imaginary or artificially inflated† (472). The customers are mislead into thinking they are actually receiving a bargain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Use advertisements to manipulate people is sinister because â€Å"normal† people’s freedom to choose freely is taken away. The important thing to remember is that it is not what was said and or done by the advertiser, but how a person (people) respond to what is trying to influence them. It is somewhat like lying, but it is the truth stretched out so far that it never seems to reach a lie. Some advertisers do lie and are held accountable in the sense that their business suffers because of it, but for the most part manipulative advertising is very common and well practiced especially in the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A very sad point concerning manipulative advertising is that advertisers, advertise to everyone including those very vulnerable people. Children as well as those with a weak state of mind, such as the ment...

Integration Review Essay

l. Abstract. After listing author, publisher, and date summarize what you have read as if you were the author boiling down the book into 500-750 tight words. Prove that you comprehend the readings by writing a no nonsense summary. The abstract is not a commentary or listing of topics, but rather a gut-deep insightful `precis` of the longer more elaborate book. Abstract equals boil down David Entwistle, Wipf & Stock Publishers, August 2004. Perhaps one of the widely used reference-textbooks in undergraduate and graduate levels throughout the United States, the Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity tackles hard questions that plague many Christians and Mental Health Practitioners concerning the role of Psychology in today’s modern and largely Un-Christian world. The book presupposes on what Science and Christianity have in common. Eliminating the arguments on either side to a unified whole and working on it with the eyes of a surgeon, the logic of a philosopher-lawyer, the questioning stance of a scientist, and the heart beliefs of a Christian psychologist, Dr. Entwistle succinctly and ably placed almost all the puzzles in place regarding what is usually regarded as equally competing views on humanity. There is a need for integration; not only for its theoretical applicability but also for its practical usefulness. One of the premises that cannot be argued away at the outset is that the Bible is the only authoritative source for faith and practice. Here, both Christianity, for which it must, and psychology at the basic level must agree. Mainstream psychology or science generally, as we know, does not know that, much more recognize the Bible as authority or as absolute standard. This premise is true for all instances, and the author carefully was able to establish this in his treatise. No doubt as to his grasp of the doctrines contained in the Scriptures that are sufficient to life and its sustenance. Starting with differentiating that which is wholly a biblical worldview and vigilantly avoiding the â€Å"roadblocks† that the readers might mistake as something else other than the essentials of Christian beliefs, the author nudges in graduated measures to a clearer understanding of where he intends his reader to reach: which is the integration of these two distinct paradigms. For the author, looking at psychology and/or human behavior and its complexities as a faithful Christian, human individuals are understood as well as coined by different terminologies other than their biblical counterparts. To arrive to a common understanding of the fundamentals of Christianity and to relate that to social science is not an impossible task at all despite the â€Å"wide chasm† that had been erected by certain schools of thoughts coming from either side. Presuppositions or philosophical conceptualizations are the pillars of any worldview, and to successfully establish a new one requires that changes or reinforcements be made at this plane. The integrative approaches were framed at this level so as to remove mental oppositions as they arise every time in one’s thoughts. When this is not adequately laid down, no audience can align their thoughts or understanding with what the author (i. e. , David Entwistle) tries to convey. According to the author, social science and the basic principles of the Bible do not antagonize scientific findings, in most occasions. They do not come in conflict with each other in most of the ideals. For instance, the psyche or soul and its make up; rather science in a way confirms (as if it needs confirmation) what the Bible long declares. The issue then is not accepting a secular psychology nor accepting a liberal theology; rather it is the accepting of psychology as a discipline science. Narrowing it down, psychology simply tries to study the human mind and how it functions. The Christian mind is the focus of most of the New Testament doctrine and principles. Its sanctification and renewal is one of Christianity’s lifelong primary objectives; and it is definitely God’s objectives as well as declared clearly in the Scriptures. It is His will for the people’s lives to have their minds changed or renewed. In this standpoint, science very well is able to relate its findings with how the mind works and how man relates these workings in his milieu and/or community. Dr. Entwistle puts aside every seemingly combatant view against psychology in general, and against seemingly narrow Christianity as well; so as to remove doubts to the a feasible and possible integration of psychology and Christianity. Declaring pitfalls of immature faith and pop psychology which respectively, easily captivate enthusiasts and followers alike, the approaches that the author actually took was to set aside what competing worldviews were there and faithfully move to abide to the demands of the Scriptures at the same time embracing the plausible scientific evidences that are emerging in psychology and examining these in the light of a complete revelation of the message of the Scriptures.

Personal Statement Athletic Trainer - 885 Words

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