The Critical Reading Response 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Critical Reading Response 2 - Essay Example In other words, global warming today is largely due to mans activities in which harmful gases were emitted into the atmosphere at unprecedented volumes, which trap the suns heat instead of reflecting it back to the outer reaches of space. Stronger typhoons, intense droughts and severe floodings in previously dry areas are clear manifestations of this altered weather pattern. Water supplies are drying up in some wet areas while existing water resources have become unusable due to pollution. In many low-lying areas, the rise in the earths surface temperatures have melted the ice caps and a serious consequence is that these low areas are now being inundated with seawater due to a rise in sea levels. Environmental experts are sounding an alarm about these changes and the culprit is Big Business which exploit and harm the environment with their activities. A rise in human populations also contributed to this degradation of the environment as people scramble to find new sources for food an d raw materials to be used in production. This paper re-examines the debate on what responsibilities should Big Business have today. The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is relatively new, because it was only in the last few years that it has gained prominence in business thought. Previously, most people think of CSR or giving back to the community as an added expense or an unnecessary cost that reduces profits and affects adversely the bottom line. Shareholders years ago did not give much thought to how their business activities affected the environment. Their only concern was how to maximize profits in pursuit of capitalist goals as an offshoot of the Industrial Revolution. The attitude before was to exploit the natural resources available to the maximum but today, a new reality has set in. People now realize that resources are finite; many kinds of resources are non-renewable and other resources are nearing

How Dogmatism, Rationalism, and Relativism Affect Ethical Thinking Essay

How Dogmatism, Rationalism, and Relativism Affect Ethical Thinking - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that dogmatism, as it can easily be understood from the name, stands for an approach according to which ethical thinking of a person is heavily influenced by dogma which is a predetermined set of idea that one is not able to change in any way. In other words, dogmatism provides a person with answers to a wide range of question and does not require one to critically examine each case. It is quite obvious that under these conditions a person can hardly experience any freedom in the course of ethical analysis of a situation. Contrary to the above-mentioned approach, rationalism urges a person to actively participate in the critical examination of the issues and claims that reason is the only viable way to verify the acquired knowledge. In other words, people are encouraged to use their mind to find answers to the questions with the help of their own reasoning. Thus, the biggest difference between the two approaches that were discussed so far might be exemplified in the following comparison: a person guided by dogmatism is similar to a train who follows the rails (dogma), while one who is guided by rationalism resembles a car which can go in multiple directions as long as the steering wheel (reasoning) is being turned. Finally, there is another approach which is different from the above mentioned too. It is called relativism and, as one can guess for the term, suggests that ethical thinking should be engaged rigid categories of right and wrong, but argues that the same action might be viewed in the different light according to circumstances. Continuing the comparison made in the previous paragraph a person who is guided by relativism travels on foot which means that one is able to visit territories which are out of reach of a vehicle and is not limited in one’s movements in any way since there is not seen to follow any rules.