Does it make sense to say that a fetus has a right to life Explain the Essay

Does it make sense to say that a fetus has a right to life Explain the general beliefs about the nature of rights which underp - Essay Example This is an interesting debate since it brings out the most intriguing debates on abortion and its legality. This paper will bring out the philosophical arguments that surround the notion of life and juxtapose them to each other in an attempt to reach a conclusion. It will be an effort when one can claim that fetus acquires the right to life in the process for pregnancy and that there is no outright black or white answer to the question of whether fetus has a right to life. To begin with, the central issue in this question is the status of the fetus. There are in total three different philosophical grounds for this debate: the liberal, the conservatives, and the moderates. Let the paper begin with the liberalist’s argument on the topic. Mary Ann Warren, a famous liberalist on this notion, analyses the concept of personhood. Her claim is that if one assumes fetus to be a person, then it justly proves its right to life but then the whole question boils down to the definition of p ersonhood. Therefore, Warren suggests a five-point postulate, which is agreed upon by pro-life and pro-abortion alike (Baumgardner, 15). First, a person is conscious of objects and events, which exist externally and internally with respect to his being particularly, the ability to sense pain. Second, a person can exercise reasoning, which means that one has a capacity to solve complex problems. Third, a person can carry on activities on motivation derived by his own self. Fourth, a person has an ability to communicate and lastly, a person is the one who possesses self-concept and self-awareness. Using this as a criterion, warren argues that despite the fact that the fetus will eventually grow up to be a person fulfilling all these standards, it does not, in its present status possesses any moral status and thus a right to life. However, one cannot ignore that this definition of personhood and demolishing fetus from being considered a person legally provides just grounds for infantic ide. Thus, the argument of personhood becomes illogical and irrelevant until a divine ‘rationale’ is introduced. Hence, this definition of personhood denies the potentiality and eccentricity of the fetus. Now the paper turns to conservatives. These people argue that a fetus has a moral status since the day of conception. John Noonan, a pro-life activist defies the argument of stages of development of fetus. He contends that these stages do not exist in real and that the human development takes place with continuity. He notes that whether the fetus is a result of rape or not planned or is a sufferer of any defect, these exceptions should not be exempted from the rule. The only way this school of thought permits abortion is when the embryo poses danger to the life of mother. Between these polar and raging extremes lies the moderate school of thought. Jane English, a famous proponent of this view suspects the concept of personhood explained by Warren and takes into conside ration both the views and gives her decision in favor of what US Supreme Court decided a in the case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973 (Romaine, 105). Her basic

Why do different theories of the firm exist Essay

Why do different theories of the firm exist - Essay Example This paper examines a couple of firm theories with the objective of examining their fine and major points and in an attempt to discover what factors have prompted existence and development of multiple theories of the firm. This is achieved through a literature review that incorporates a wide ranging discussion on the main issues as outlined above. In addition, this paper extends the literature review in an attempt to find empirical basis for the existence of the multiple theories of the firm. In order to do this, the paper examines the literature studies that examine such secondary data evidence either cross sectional or case study based. There is a wide body of research that deals with the issue of firms and theories of firms both in the realms of economics and management. Sagi & Pataki (2006) give out the classical economic firm theory in following words, "Classical firm theories in modeling offer strategies start from profit maximization revenue, i.e. P>MR=MC".However, these authors discredit the relevance and universal applicability of this model and went on to explain the further developments in the firm models that increasingly took into account more variables ,essentially focusing on firm behaviours as an economic decision maker. ... rs discredit the relevance and universal applicability of this model and went on to explain the further developments in the firm models that increasingly took into account more variables ,essentially focusing on firm behaviours as an economic decision maker. However, this paper has emphasis on examination of firm theories that lean more towards more elaborate and comprehensive models that are more management oriented in the sense of having a strategic management bias. The advantage of doing this is evident in that such models reveal more of the strategic management processes that reveal the cross section of today's large sized, globalized and information technology assisted business organizations, one such model is the Resource based model of the firm behaviour. Citing appropriate literature resources Kotelnikov (2007) explains the concept of the resource based model of firm behaviour in following words, "The currently dominant view of business strategy - resource-based theory or resource-based view (RBV) of firms - is based on the concept of economic rent and the view of the company as a collection of capabilities. This view of strategy has a coherence and integrative role that places it well ahead of other mechanisms of strategic decision making. (Kay John)". Using more literature resources Kotelnikov further explains the model as follows, "Each organization is a collection of unique resources and capabilities that provides the basis for its strategy and the primary source of its returns. In the 21st-century hyper-competitive landscape, a firm is a collection of evolving capabilities that is managed dynamically in pursuit of above-average returns (Markides C.C). Thus, differences in firm's performances across time are driven primarily by their unique resources