Organisational Learning Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organisational Learning - Case Study Example This is particularly demonstrated at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, as explicated by Jack Dwyer (2004). According to Dwyer, Eglin's Air Armament Center (AAC), under the leadership of Gen. Robert W. Chedister, has become a learning organisation in the true sense of the term. Making this possible, is the motivation and focus of each individual and each team within the AAC to use learning in order to increasingly produce results. This is the ultimate aim of the paradigm shift that Gen. Chedister is leading in his organisation. To facilitate the process of creating a learning organisation, Gareth Morgan (1997) suggests using metaphor in order to view the organisational structure. Whereas organisations during the Industrial Age were largely viewed in a mechanistic way, the human factor has increasingly imposed itself. Since the 1960s particularly, managers have increasingly begun to realise that job satisfaction and the meaning derived from the work day positively influences the quality of the work delivered. Hence the mechanistic metaphor for the organisation has also made way for a more organic, flexible, and generally humanistic view. within a certain environment that it influences and that influences the organisation in turn. As such, the organisation adapts and survives according to and in response to the changes in the environment. In this way, the mechanistic view of the organisation makes way for a much more flexible view, in which organisations are open systems that can adapt to change rather than being destroyed by it. At the basis of this is the recognition that an organisation is a combination of human, business, and technical needs. This is very important for the learning paradigm. Larsen et al. (1996) emphasizes that individual learning translates to the benefit for the organisational organism as a whole via systems thinking. Systems thinking entails that the individual focuses on a whole system, rather than only its parts. In this way, patterns of behaviour are derived from the systems observed at work, and team learning can ensue. This is why the vision of the workplace as an integrated organism is important. Each individual has a role to play, but these roles do not exist in isolation. Instead, each role affects each other role, and the organisation's success depends upon the quality of each individual's work. As mentioned above, understanding this integration provides the individual with meaning and motivation at the workplace. Understanding the effect of his or her own work on the performance and success of others, provides the individual with work satisfaction, and the motivation to deliver the best possible work. Innovation as Learning Paradigm According to Dwyer (2004), this is precisely Chedister's point of view. The latter recognises the current business environment as one that demands innovation in all aspects of the company, including training methods. Indeed, Chedister himself adheres to the organic, learning business metaphor by applying his own work experience to his plans for the future. It is his aim to create an integrated business model, by means of which Eglin's collective learning assets can be

Value of Time Essay Example for Free

Value of Time Essay There is a saying â€Å"Time and tide waits for none†. The saying is indeed true. Time waits for none. It comes and goes. Time is absolutely unbound able. Neither money nor position can buy it. Nothing on earth can subdue or conquer it. The most remarkable feature of time is its preciousness. Its value is unfathomable and its power is inestimable. Its potential is something which we cannot calculate. A minute is enough to win a victory. A second is enough to make you the richest man in the world. A fraction of a second can make a difference between life and death. Every moment brings with it thousands of golden opportunities. Every minute is a store-house of ‘chances’. Therefore, we must not allow such precious time to slip away. If we do so, we allow those golden opportunities and chances to slip away too. As we go through life, we realise for ourselves that, if there is anything in the world which will never come back, it is time. Once time crosses into the threshold of the past, it never again returns to the ‘present’. Those who have realised this basic truth of life, never allow time to pass away unused. To utilise time fruitfully, we must take concrete steps as to how we are going to use it and what we are going to do with it. Until and unless we set up a time-table for ourselves and make a general division of time for the various tasks and jobs at our hand, time will keep slipping away with its golden opportunities unnoticed. Unplanned living is the surest way to kill time. Those individuals who plan beforehand, seldom fail. They are able to start their work on time and are able to complete it in time. Having worked out every minute of the allotted time, they do not hurry. Planning and proper implementation of that always brings in success. Those who plan their living and activities seldom face heartaches, mental tensions and worries. A careful glance into the life history of successful men and women all over the world will reveal the basic truth that success is the outcome of planned utilisation of time. Therefore, if we want to succeed in life we ought to chalk out what we are going to do with the minutes, hours, days, months and years at our disposal. This is the first step to success. Secondly, work must never be postponed; tomorrow’ may never materialise. We can only be sure of the present’ which in our hands. Postponement and laziness are the ropes which strangle time. Thus, time can create us or destroy us. It all depends on how we utilise time.

Rational Choice Theory Essay Example for Free

Rational Choice Theory Essay â€Å"Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason. † As seen from Oscar Wilde’s famous quote, rationality is one of the most crucial and controversial subjects in studying human behavior. To study and examine this rationality, numerous scholars have tried to establish their own theories and generalize their explanation with empirical evidences from real world, which ultimately produces so called, the theory of rational choice. Rational Choice Theory is an approach to understand human behavior. The approach has long been the dominant paradigm in economics, but in recent several decades it has become more widely used in other fileds such as Sociology, Political Science, and Anthropology. The main purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of rational choice theory and briefly discuss its basic assumptions, critiques, political implication, and alternative explanations of individual choice mechanism. First of all, historical backgrounds of rational choice theory and its transition from the field of Economics to that of Political Science will be elaborated. Next, various definitions and meanings of the rational choice will be discussed. The basic assumptions of the rational choice approach with political implication will be followed. Several issues raised by rational choice theory will be followed after this discussion. This paper will suggest some of the main criticisms that have been levied against the rational choice approach. Limited empirical validity of rational choice theory and methodological individualism, which reveals innate problematic nature of the theory, will be discussed. Finally, alternative explanations of individual choice mechanism will sum up this discussion. Before elaborating its theoretical discussion, it is necessary to discuss historical backgrounds of rational choice theory. In the article, â€Å"A Genealogy of Rational Choice: Rationalism, Elitism, and Democracy†, Maloy introduces Skinner’s analysis of behaviorism as fundamental background for the discussion of rational choice theory. He argues that, â€Å"Skinner’s analysis deserves the attention of the recent debates around rational choice ecause it calls attention to the ineluctable ideological features of methodological debate† (Maloy 751). According to Maloy, Skinner could â€Å"clarify the sorts of normative force which attach to empirical theories in social sciences by a close textual analysis of some leading contributions to the behaviorist debate†, which ultimately enables the discussion of rational choice to be furthered applied into different fields of study (Maloy 751). Milton Freidman is another crucial figure that provides profound theoretical base for discussing rational choice theory. In â€Å"The Methodology of Positive Economics†, Friedman argues that people and firms make decisions that can maximize their profit under perfect information. He defended rational choice model by arguing that, â€Å"a theory should be judged by its predictive accuracy, not the realism of its assumptions† (Friedman 10). His argument provides theoretical foundations of rational choice theory in Economics, even though it is often criticized by later scholars because of its weak empirical validity and ceteris paribus nature. While rational choice theory has been dominant paradigm in Economics, it has become â€Å"adapted and adjusted in a number of ways to fit† different fields of study such as Political Science; Maloy explains that â€Å"the distinctiveness of the rational choice approach among political scientists consists, in general terms, in the use of economic models to explain and predict political behavior (Maloy 753). Maloy points out three prominent figures, Arrow, Downs, and Olson as rational choice founders especially in the field of political science. According to Maloy, Arrow’s work focuses on so called, â€Å"collective rationality whose underlying purpose is to measure collective choices using standards normally applied to individual choices (Maloy 753). Down uses Arrow’s collective rationality as the starting point of his study and â€Å"aims to articulate a behavior rule for democratic governments so that they could be included in economic theories of general equilibrium, alongside non-state agents like private firms and consumers (Maloy 754). Finally, Olson’s analysis has taken â€Å"the key elements of Arrow’s and Down’s constructs and applied them to a narrower field†; He argues that â€Å"as long as the service provided by a voluntary association is a public good on which an individual can ride-free, there is no incentive actually to take on the costs associated with joining, membership and participation, unless the marginal contribution of that individual appreciably advances the organizational cause† (Maloy 754). All three choice founders’ works have enabled rational choice theory to be in the central place of political discussion in â€Å"the creative and cross-disciplinary ways† (Maloy 755). By arguing that voting results have no specific social meaning, voting has no individual efficacy, and participation in interest group activity has no special individual efficacy, these rational choice founders could criticize unrealistic and irrational assumptions and norms of traditional democratic system and bring rational choice model to the place of political discussion from the field of Economics (Maloy 755). Rational Choice Theory generally starts with consideration of the choice behavior of individual decision-making units, which in economics are often consumers and firms. The theory suggests that the individual decision-making unit is certain larger group such as buyers or sellers in a particular market. Once individual behavior is set up, the analysis generally moves on to examine how individual choices interact to produce outcomes. Then, what does it mean by arguing that a choice is rational? In rational choice theory it means that an agent’s choices reflect the most preferred possible alternative among given opportunities. In other words, choices must reflect utility maximization. Elinor Ostrom defines rational choice theory as a guide to â€Å"understand humans as self-interested, short-term maximizers† in his work, â€Å"A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective Action† (Ostrom 2). In the article, â€Å"The Political Psychology of Rational Choice Theory†, William H.  Riker also suggests that â€Å"the rational choice model begins with the assumption that actors know what they want and can order their wants transitively† (Riker 25). â€Å"Transitively† here means that an agent of rational choice model can do so called, â€Å"a transitive ordering†; â€Å"To know what one wants requires one to choose the best from among several goals and, failing to attain it, to choose the second best, etc† (Riker 24). This formulation of ordering enables an agent to pursue the best option with given constraints that limit choices he or she can have. In their work, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory†, Coleman and Fararo define rational choice sociologically as they use the term, â€Å"models of purposive action†, rather than rational choice; â€Å"These models rest on the assumption that actors are purposive which means they act in ways that tend to produce beneficial results† (Coleman and Fararo 21). These several definitions point out that choices pursuing utility maximization and outcomes made by these choices are key elements in rational choice theory. Then how is different when rational choice theory is applied into the field of Political Science instead of other fields of study such as Economics and Sociology? According to Riker, Economists’ main concern for rational choice is â€Å"the process and outcomes produced by voluntary exchange, where of course, all participants benefit. On the other hand, â€Å"Politics mainly concerns processes and outcomes produced by group decisions which are practically binding on those who cannot resign from the group. Thus, there can be losers and winners in politics according to Riker’s argument (Riker 24). Although Rational choice theory has long been the dominant paradigm in Economics and other fields of study, it has been subject to vigorous criticism. In â€Å"Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory†, Don Green and Ian Shapiro raises several empirical problems that rational choice theory possess; they â€Å"conclude that a number of methodological deficiencies plague empirical applications of rational choice models. They argue that, â€Å"fundamental and recurrent methodological failings rooted in the universalist aspirations that motivate so much rational choice theorizing† (Freidman 59). According to Green and Shapiro, â€Å"these mistakes stem from a method-driven rather than a problem-driven approach to research, in which practitioners are more eager to vindicate one or another universalist model than to understand and explain actual political outcomes† (Friedman 59). Green and Shapiro’s argument can be summarized into three propositions; â€Å"there is a list of methodological characteristics that are undesirable in an empirical science and are thus to be avoided. † â€Å"Empirical applications of rational choice theory are more likely to commit these mistakes than other types of empirical analysis in political science. â€Å"These pathologies are not due to and historical coincidence, but are rooted in fundamental characteristics of rational choice theory, especially its universalist aspirations and the lack of specificity in the rational actor assumption† (Freidman 60). These propositions suggest that rational choice theory has its empirical limit for testing and predicting actual political outcomes. In detail, Green and Shapiro point out several problems of rational choice theory that possibly undermines the empirical validity of the theory itself. Post hoc theory development† known to statisticians as â€Å"curve fitting† is one of these problems that rational choice theory contains. Green and Shapiro â€Å"contend that rather than formulating bold predictions that are falsifiable by empirical evidence, rational choice theorist tend first to look at the empirical evidence, then design a rational choice model that fits it† (Friedman 5). Another problem raised by Green and Shapiro is rational choice theorists’ engagement in â€Å"arbitrary domain restriction† (Friedman 5). As discussed earlier, certain restrictions or constraints enable â€Å"a transitive ordering† in rational choice theory. Green and Shapiro argue that these constraints and restrictions are defined in ambiguous ways in rational choice model, which ultimately makes the empirical validity of the theory weakened. Green and Shapiro’s examination of the phenomenon of voting behavior is another major example that shows these problems rational choice theory innately possesses. â€Å"In a real-world election with a large electorate, it is instrumentally irrational for anyone to case a ballot, since no single vote has more than an infinitesimal chance of deciding the outcome. Whether one favors selfish or selfless ends, virtually any activity in pursuit of those ends would be more effective than the time spent on voting and on educating oneself about candidates and issues. Yet hundreds of millions of people do vote. For rational choice theory, this would appear to be a gigantic anomaly† (Friedman 6); As noted earlier, rational choice theory presumes that an agent of the model seeks best possible outcomes to maximize his or her utility in given constraints. However, according to Green and Shapiro, in a real-world voting behavior does not confirm this assumption of rational choice theory where voters cast a ballot without having enough time to assess or predict its possible outcome and realizing whether his or her action of voting maximize benefit or not. Another issue raised by Green and Shapiro is free riding problem; While voters can easily pursue a free riding action on the efforts of others to help the cause succeed, there is no need for people to devote resources of time and money to cause desired results. In other words, â€Å"rational choice theory would seem to be refuted not only by people who vote, but by those who contribute small amounts of money to political campaigns, attend rallies, and engage in other forms of collective action designed to secure goals whose achievement is independent of the efforts of any single participant† (Friedman 7). As seen from Green and Shapiro’s founding, most criticisms of rational choice theory seem to be that the assumptions of the theory are not literally and completely true. No model can pass such a test, as all theories abstract from reality in certain way. Determining the empirical validity of a model would therefore seem to involve an examination of both feasibility of assumptions and conformity with real-world data. The most basic assumption of rational choice theory is that the primary unit of analysis is the individual decision-maker. Those who believe that groups are fundamental have criticized this assumption. This issue of so called, â€Å"methodological individualism† are dealt in many contexts in the social sciences. In the book, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory: Advocacy and Critique†, Coleman and Fararo argues that models of purposive action or rational choice model can be useful in explaining and predicting human behavior. They further their argument by saying that â€Å"because the values and beliefs of individuals are shaped primarily by the socializing influences of society, especially as mediated through social relationships with significant other, an understanding of the culture and structure of societies and of the positions of individuals within them is necessary† (Coleman and Fararo 22). According to Coleman and Fararo, major problem for applying rational choice model particularly into Economics and Political Science, in which the primary interest has been in aggregate level outcomes, â€Å"is that the postulate of purposive action has been linked to arbitrary and narrow assumptions about what individuals value and believe† (Coleman Fararo 33). Also the assumption that human behavior is narrowly self-interested and the use of the term rationality to refer to the efficient pursuit of economic benefits has often produced incorrect assumption that rational choice model are innately egoistic; â€Å"that they regard individuals as calculating the expected benefit to themselves of alternative lines of action and acting accordingly (Coleman and Fararo 34). Recent empirical evidences suggest that human beings are capable of acting in ways for the interests of others or the social group above their self-interest, which implies that the assumption of individual’s pursuit of self-interest does not match with reality. Coleman and Fararo further their discussion of this â€Å"methodological individualism† by arguing that a social norm can be one primary example, which refutes the basic assumption of rational choice model. According to Coleman and Fararo, â€Å"When a social norm is know to have been violated, some type of formal or informal sanction will result† (Coleman Fararo 35). Formal sanction like a legal code or a set of rules and informal sanction like a disapproval or social ostracism would affect individual’s choice making process. Therefore, unlike the basic assumption of rational choice model suggests that human behavior is oriented from self-interest, by the effect of social norms and values, individuals can consequently act in altruistic or selfless way for pursuing the interests of groups they are involved in. Because of its limit and problematic nature of rational choice theory, the need for alternative explanation has become necessary for many scholars who criticize the theory. Dennis Chong provides some insights for the possible alternative of rational choice theory in his article, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory’s Mysterious Rivals†. According to Chong, even though Green and Shapiro’s critique against rational choice theory has failed to provide complete form of alternative explanation, there are some theoretical debates and discussions that suggest possible theoretical replacement or revision. Chong argues that, â€Å"Green and Shapiro occasionally allude to the influence of social-psychological and moral factors† such as group loyalties, emotions, political identities, ideology, obligation, and altruism (Friedman 47). As found in Coleman and Fararo’s arguments that institutional or social factors can affect individual’s choice making process, many scholars further their discussion of this social motivation as the alternative of rational choice theory. In his article, â€Å"When Rationality Fails†, Michael Taylor argues that social identification and intrinsic motivation can explain some of significant social phenomenon and collective action that has been ignored by rational choice theory; â€Å"If a person defines herself as a member of a group, or if her membership in a group is made cognitively salient, then she is more likely to observe the group’s norms and cooperate with group members in social dilemmas† (Friedman 230). For intrinsic motivation, Taylor explains that there are some activities that are intrinsically motivating people to be participated such as interesting work, volunteering, and political activities. In this case the activity itself or enjoyment of that activity is the reward for people. When extrinsic rewards like money are introduced, intrinsic motivation would diminish (Friedman 231). By suggesting the concept of social identification and intrinsic motivation, problems of rational choice model for explaining some collective action can be resolved. In this paper, a sense of how rational choice theory works and of its methodological foundations has been introduced. It has also been noticed that rational choice theory is not an ultimate answer. The theory is subject to a number of criticisms, but there is no doubt that its influence in various fields of study have brought tremendous amounts of theoretical debates, and increased the depth of economic, sociological, and political discussions. It is impossible to attain complete knowledge about anything, especially social phenomena. However, it is certain that rational choice approach is one of most crucial theoretical resources for human beings to explore and examine to gain this ultimate answer. It can be useful or misleading, depending on how it is treated. It is responsibility of remaining and future scholars and people to correctly apply and use this theory with open-minded attitude.

Greek and Roman Sports

Greek and Roman Sports Ancient Greek and Roman civilization have made many contributions to western civilization. Especially when it comes to politics, trade, and sports. From wrestling to javelin, ancient sports set the pace for some of the sports we have in our day and age, especially the Olympic Games. In Ancient Greek and Romans sports, athletes contested very hard and it was a public display that was a trait of the religious and social life of ancient Greece and Rome (Osborne 15). Ancient athletes trained and participated for physical exercise, competition, and to honor their gods. In this paper I will discuss the Greek and Roman attitudes toward sports. The ancient competition, physically, was relatively different from the sporting events we have now a days. There were far fewer events and only free Greek men (and sometimes boys) were allowed to compete because of the brutality. Also, there weren’t any team sports; every sport was one man against another/others, because they were more concerned about individual merit. Some of the different sports the Greek’s participated in where javelin, running (with and without armor), and discuss. Moreover, some of the more brutal sports they embarked on where wrestling, boxing, and pankration (a form of wrestling and boxing). Some of the games where brutal and you had to participate naked, but it intended on showing the beauty of the human body. The four main cycles of games were the Olympic Games, the Pythian Games, the Isthmian Games, and the Nemean Games (Kyle 48). Romans on the other hand based their sports around warlike displays, most notably the fights amongst gladiators. They included a gladiatorial combat, stage-plays, chariot races, athletic competitions, and a mock naval battle. Without a doubt, the Greek games depended for their entertainment value primarily on rivalry among athletes; while the Roman games were often describe by the staging of battles fought to the death and involved large numbers of human beings and also beasts (Kyle 184). The Roman sporting events I think were more brutal; especially when it comes to the fights amongst gladiators when most of the time they fought to their death. While on the other hand, the Greek’s were involved with the sports and the Roman’s simply watched them and cheered for the participant they wanted to win. In conclusion, the Greek and Roman sports helped create some of the sporting events we have today and definitely started athletic competition. We can clearly see the love for sports in Greek and the Romans. We learn that the ancient Greeks and Romans shaped their own idea about the meaning of life. The Roman games were radically different from the Greek games in several respects. However, their sports show the mindset of the people of that time. The Greeks were more interested in showing off the human body while the Roman’s were more inclined on massacring the human body. I think this shows that compared to the Roman’s, the Greek’s valued human life more. Without a doubt modern Americans would find much of these sports awfully violent; particularly the hundreds of gladiator fights and animal fights, with their many public deaths of both people and animals. Works Cited Osborne, Robin Studies in Ancient Greek and Roman Society. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Kyle, Donald G. Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World. New York: Blackwell Pub, 2007.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay -- Sir Gawain and the Green Knig

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain proves to be a hero and role model. Perhaps if Sir Gawain were living among us today, he would have his own line of action figures, comic books, and of course a line of chic evening wear! In lines 712 -762 in the Norton Anthology, we see that through dangerous foes and perilous weather, Sir Gawain leans on the strength of God to get him through his journey. Though he meets many dangers in the forest, he defeats them all, using skill and bravery. Traveling through horrid weather conditions, he keeps forging ahead, remaining true to his vow. And instead of blaming God, Sir Gawain leans on the solid foundation of his Christian beliefs. His journey to find the Green Chapel where he expects to meet his end, is not a easy one. He faces many perils and dangers. In lines 720 -723 we see quite clearly his tribulations: Now with serpents he wars, now with savage wolves, now with wild men of the woods, that watched from the rocks, both with bulls and with bears and with boars besides and giants that came gibbering from the jagged steeps. He f... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay -- Sir Gawain and the Green Knig Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain proves to be a hero and role model. Perhaps if Sir Gawain were living among us today, he would have his own line of action figures, comic books, and of course a line of chic evening wear! In lines 712 -762 in the Norton Anthology, we see that through dangerous foes and perilous weather, Sir Gawain leans on the strength of God to get him through his journey. Though he meets many dangers in the forest, he defeats them all, using skill and bravery. Traveling through horrid weather conditions, he keeps forging ahead, remaining true to his vow. And instead of blaming God, Sir Gawain leans on the solid foundation of his Christian beliefs. His journey to find the Green Chapel where he expects to meet his end, is not a easy one. He faces many perils and dangers. In lines 720 -723 we see quite clearly his tribulations: Now with serpents he wars, now with savage wolves, now with wild men of the woods, that watched from the rocks, both with bulls and with bears and with boars besides and giants that came gibbering from the jagged steeps. He f...

We Must Reform College Sports Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Argume

The current athletics systems in many large colleges are no longer beneficial to student-athletes or the academic premise the schools were founded under and are in need of intensive restructuring. Ernest Boyer, former president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching said, "I believe that the college sports system is one of the most corrupting and destructive influences on higher education" (1999). In fact, it is widely acknowledged that there is corruption by many college coaches in the areas of recruiting, eligibility, degree progress, and academic integrity of athletes. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), the national governing and accrediting agency for college athletics, possesses the duty of policing such offenses, but it is currently in a position to make huge profits off big-time sports, despite their continued claims of a non-profit status. The NCAA’s inconsistent enforcement of violations, seemingly based on the size of a progr am, has fueled many questions regarding the appropriateness of their role as a rules enforcement organization. The corruption by coaches and administrators, and academic ineligibility of many athletes has led people to wonder whether the amateur status of Division I athletes is still appropriate. The original intention of college athletics was to enhance the academic experience, and the NCAA came about due to the need to impose a set of regulations that would make college football safer. However, the big-time college sports of football and men’s basketball have become a multi-million dollar entertainment enterprise, and it appears that the NCAA has lost all concept of it’s mission: "to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educ... ...ronicle of Higher Education, 47, A51-A52. Suggs, W. (2000). A professor’s challenge to sports at Tennessee. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 46, A37-A38. Suggs, W. (2000). 10 years later, another look at big-time college sports. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 47, A69-A70. Suggs, W. (2000). A decade later, sports-reform panel plans another look at big-time athletics. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 46, A45-A46. Suggs, W. (2000). Knight commission gets an earful from critics of big-time college sports. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 47, A54. Suggs, W. (2000). NCAA adopts rules changes aimed at curbing abuses in men’s basketball. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 46, A54. Wyatt, J.B. (1999). Our moral duty to clean up college athletics. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 45, A56. http://www.NCAA.org/

Ethical Controversies Involved in the Use of Germ-line and Somatic Gene

Ethical Controversies Involved in the Use of Germ-line and Somatic Gene Therapies Abstract There are many sides to the issue of using germ-line and somatic germ therapies. Many people argue that it should be stopped completely, whereas others argue that both germ therapies should continue for the benefit of all people. There are other arguments that lie somewhere in between. Most of the controversy is caused by germ-line gene therapy because it can be passed on through generations. Somatic gene therapy has more support and funding but is still considered untrustworthy by many who believe it may also affect the germ-line in some cases. These moral arguments have called the stop to many cases and experiments, more so after a patient treated with gene therapy dies. In the ongoing fight for the elimination or continuation of gene therapy, there are four main positions (Sadler et al., 2005). One position is to bring an end to both germ-line and somatic gene therapy practices. This group argues that using gene therapy on humans is dangerous and that changing genes to attempt to make improvements is wrong. It is seen as creating the possibility to design children before birth and change mental and physical characteristics of the next generation, bringing an end to diversity (Sadler et al., 2005). In 2000, the American Association for the Advancement of Science banned â€Å"inheritable genetic modification† (Fischer, 2000). They believed that risks from the gene therapy procedures might not cause genetic problems for a few generations after the patient is treated. The AAAS suggested that trials and experiments with gene therapy be stopped. Another position in the gene therapy ethical argument is to proceed with all gene therapy... ...rapy investigations proliferate. Nature Medicine [On-line serial]. Vol. 6. Retreived July 21, 2005 from the Internet: http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v6/n3/full/nm0300_235a.html Nowak, R. (1995, March). Patent award stirs controversy. Science [On-line serial]. Vol. 267. Retreived July 21, 2005 from the Internet: http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/184/377/69240368w5/purl=rcl_EAIM_0 Sadler, T. & Zeidler, D. (2005). Negotiating Gene Therapy Controversies. The American Biology Teacher [On-line serial]. Vol. 66. Retreived July 21, 2005 from the Internet: http://www.bioone.org/bioone/?request=get-document&issn=0002-7685&volume-66&pa Shannon, T. (1999, March). Ethical issues in genetics. Theological Studies [On-line studies]. Vol. 60. Retrieved July 21, 2005 from the Internet: http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/184/377/69240368w5/purl=rcl_EAIM_0