Are biotechnological advances fueled by the quest to improve the happiness of humankind or to procure greater profits?

The ethical issues of biotechnology: Religious culture and the value of life

From Current Sociology

Human society faces many sensitive problems over the value of life as a result of the advancement of bioethics and medical technologies.  Over the last 2 decades many countries have strengthened policies promoting bioscience and advanced medicine. One of the most notable areas is progress in decoding the human genome, increased knowledge about genes, and manipulation and use of the human germline (embryos, sperm and eggs) by technological intervention. This progress has caused concern for some as important questions have been raised about the value of life and unease has been expressed over the potential direction of science and technology. It is argued that the globalized competition in science and technology makes it necessary to transcend the views concerning the value of life propagated by particular religious cultures.  This article investigates how the value of life is conceptualized by religious cultures in regard to the emerging threats.

A tale of ‘shacking up’: forces affecting cohabitation

Shacking up: an autoethnographic tale of cohabitation

From Qualitative Inquiry

There is little doubt the landscape of family life has changed over recent decades. As divorce rates thrive and step families are far more common, family relationships may be more complex for many compared to previous generations. This paper is an autoethnographic account of the author’s experience of cohabitation with her partner and his two children. She tries to move beyond her personal experience and comment on the larger social, cultural, and political forces affecting cohabiting families.

British ethical foreign policy may be able to justify the intervention in Afghanistan but can it defend the invasion of Iraq?

The politics of ethical foreign policy: A responsibility to protect whom?

From European Journal of International Relations

With the 9/11 anniversary just a few days ago, plus the recent publication of Tony Blair’s autobiography, once again there is much public debate regarding the justification and achievements of the foreign policy implemented over the last decade leading to the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.

This article recognizes how ethical foreign policy persists as a problem of international relations, especially regarding humanitarian intervention. The study finds Britain’s ethical framework, the ‘doctrine of international community’, which justifies interventions in Afghanistan, is undone by the anomalous, yet exemplary, invasion of Iraq.