The Crisis of Human Survival
The Crisis of Human Survival
Environmental Pollution1. Damage to The Ozone Layer Causes Radiation PollutionThe hole in the ozone layer above the North Pole is becoming larger, allowing large volumes of ultraviolet radiation to fall directly on the Earth's surface, causing destruction and harm to humanity, and resulting in skin cancer and other bodily ailments. At the same time, it reduces the rate at which green plants photosynthesise, thereby reducing oxygen content in the atmosphere.This has extreme negative effects on the Earth. Health organisations all over the world are continuously researching on ways of reducing such harmful effects on humanity. In a direct attempt to address the issue, many are actively looking into the effects of radiation, and taking measures to rectify the situation, such as through modifying the coolant compartments in automobiles and refrigerators, and setting up new guidelines for certain products.2.Acid RainThe emission of pollutants and toxic gases into the atmosphere has resulted in chemical reactions, which cause acid rain. Acid rain damages the environment by, for example, corroding the metals we use in car doors and buildings. It also harms human health; the first sign of prolonged exposure to acid rain is the onset of skin ailments.3.Agro-ChemicalsMany of the agricultural products, which we consume regularly, are sprayed with chemical pesticides that are harmful to humans. Some of these products may reach the consumer before an interval of time that is necessary for them to be safe and fit for human consumption. Consumers may unwittingly purchase these quick-to-the-market agricultural products, still tainted with chemicals, and expose their family to the harmful effects of these pesticides. Prolonged accumulation of these chemicals can cause irreversible damage to our health.4. The Contamination of Western MedicineFrequently, we see a new phenomenon. Whether is it among a family member or in the office, as soon as someone catches a cold or cough, it will inevitably spread quickly to someone else. Besides the highly contagious nature of the virus, the body's low resistance to viruses also plays a part. The abusive use of antibiotics has resulted in viruses' resistance to medicines as well as deterioration of the human body's immunity system. The rates of contagious diseases are thus on the rise.Air PollutionRapid worldwide industrialisation has increased the daily emission of toxic waste and gases. Vehicle exhaust fumes and dust are increasingly trapped in our environment and this is exacerbated in densely populated cities where smog blankets and traps polluted air.Tobacoo Smoke（Public Places）The harmful effects of nicotine found in tobacco smoke are well documented. Passive smokers who are exposed to tobacco smoke in public places can also suffer from the same ill effects as smokers themselves ? lung diseases, damages to our brain cells, heart problems, strokes, poor blood circulation and high blood pressure are some of the more well known illnesses associated with tobacco smoke.Indoor Air PollutionOn average, we spend 80% of our time indoors. The high cost of living and pressure for space have resulted in smaller living areas, with a higher tendency of congestion and poorer ventilation. Coupled with an enclosed indoor environment, these living conditions often come with pollutants such as cigarette smoke, dust, fungi and spores, droppings from dust mites, chemicals from photocopying machines and construction materials (glue, paint) and smoke from cooking. Sustained exposure to these elements can cause cancer, respiratory ailments such as asthma, hypersensitive rhinitis, hypersensitive dermatitis, and deterioration of the immune system.1. Cooking Smoke (Kitchen and Restaurant)Research reveals that cooking a meal is equivalent to smoking six cigarettes. Although the proportion of women in China who smoke is small, the mortality rate of these women who suffer from pulmonary diseases is high. Epidemiologists suggest that there is a strong correlationship between this and the inhalation of smoke and oily fumes while cooking.2. Recycling of Accumulated Carbon Dioxide (Office and Bedroom)Prolonged inhalation of carbon dioxide in an enclosed or badly ventilated office can result in fatigue and lack of concentration among office workers. Fatigue felt after a long journey in the car is also similarly caused by poor circulation of air where there is insufficient oxygen to replace the carbon dioxide.3. Bacteria and Fungus Found Living In Air Conditioners (Office Buildings, Hospitals, Homes, etc)It is essential to clean the filters of all air-conditioning systems regularly, be it centralised or single units. Filth in the units will lead to the growth of micro-organisms which will flow into the room through the inlet duct when the air-conditioner is switched on. Many cases of asthma today is closely related to allergy to these micro-organisms.4. Air Pollution by Chenical Substances (Home, Office)The scents and odours of household products like insecticides, detergents, deodorisers, mosquito coils, hair gels, hair sprays, glue, correction fluid, calcium carbonate, etc, are sometimes unhealthy. They may even be cancer-causing.The Change in Lifestyle1. Changes In DietIn the modern diet, chemical additives occupy nearly 65% of all daily food content. In addition, fashionable trends in fast food resulted in people taking in excessive animal fats and food with high cholesterol contents. Such changes in eating habits resulted in people consuming too much unhealthy products and thus health is affected.2. Lack of ExerciseOxygen is important to the body. With exercise, oxygen will help to strengthen cardiac and lung functions. Exercise will also help to burn excess fats and reduces intravascular LDL ( low density lipoprotein cholesterol) to prevent arteriosclerosis. Exercising will benefit the health but when done excessively, it will result in hypoxia and overproduction of free radicals causing physiological imbalance.3. Mental StressChanges in the present living environment: reductions in natural greens making way for the metropolis jungle, inter-personal relationships becoming increasingly superficial. As life's pressures build up, so does stress in the workplace. The world of feelings and EQ succumb to imbalance. Many modern people suffer from the sickness of melancholy and this constitutes another concern of living in the modern society.The Origin of Virus and AllergyMan's endless devastation to Mother Nature has resulted in severe environmental pollutions, and nature is reacting. The constant mutation of bacteria and virus variations, coupled with the bustle of world trade, has lent favor to virus broadcast. With developments in aviation and frequent travel, viruses are being disseminated at lightning speed across the globe. Strange illness abound, the pace of medical research cannot keep up with the unexpected speed of viral mutation. Plagues continue to endanger lives of humans and livestock. Life on earth is seriously threatened.In addition, while most allergies do not endanger life, they can cause a person to live unhealthily or become unhappy. An example is dust allergy. Asia has the world's highest incidences of asthma, 90% of such cases arises due to dust allergy. The common symptoms of dust allergy include: habitual early morning sneezes, running nose, blocked nose, cough, rhinitis, asthma, allergic conjunctivitis and uncommon dermatitis.The above-mentioned issues constitute factors that threaten the survival of humanity, cause deterioration of health and increase mental stress, leading to unhealthy and unhappy lives.Nur Syahid, a Natural Aromatherapist, specializes in Bio-Tech Aromatherapy including oxygen therapy, ozone therapy, health aromatherapy. 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Dogs Get More Human Every Day
Dogs Get More Human Every Day
First pet stores began selling clothes for pets. Then kennels upgraded from a wire cage to four-star hotels for man's best friend. Now you can even buy insurance for your four-legged friend. Everything from health insurance to third party insurance for the family pet is getting to be big business in the animal world.Pet owners can find insurance for a myriad of pet related problems. For example, assistance in finding Fido if he goes missing; third party insurance in case Rex gets a little perturbed and bites the neighborhood bully; life insurance. All are valid reasons to consider buying pet insurance. But like insurance for your family, you should research the different insurance companies thoroughly before plunking down your hard earned money. So how do you decide what insurance company to go with and what type of insurance you are likely to need? Easy?know your pet.Ask yourself these questions before you begin your research. What physical ailments is your pet's natural enemy? For example, German Shepards are prone to hip displasia as they get older so a good health plan is something you would want to consider.What percentage of the dog bites reported to the police are instigated by your breed? For instance, Pit Bulls are responsible for a good percentage of dog bites in the United States, though Rottweilers and German Shepards come in a close second. If you own one of these breeds, no matter how docile and kind you believe your pet to be, third-party insurance would be a good idea.Finally, will your dog be a show dog, watchdog, breeder or family pet? If he or she is a show dog, life insurance may be good idea. Since Fido is helping to put food on the table, life insurance would help cover those losses.Once you have the answers to these questions, begin your research. Go to any search engine on the Internet, type in "pet insurance" and you will be whisked away to an unlimited number of websites that sell what you are looking for. But like insurance for your family, some of the websites can be confusing. Ask your vet what company has given him the least amount of problems. Ask other owners of your breed what insurance company they use.There are so many insurance companies out there that offer a wide variety of insurance plans at a low price (some companies offer full coverage for as little as $9 a month) that you are likely to sign up for something you do not need. So the answer to the insurance question when buying a new pet is unfortunately the same as every other pet-related question?Research, Research, Research. Though in my personal opinion, unlike clothes for your darling Tinkerbelle (which I think is more embarrassing for the owner than it is for the animal), or over priced training (which you can do yourself if you are willing to put in the time) pet insurance is a necessary expense. If you don't believe me, wait until the bill comes due.You may use this article on your site as long as the 2 URL's are hyperlinked.Allen Shaw is a successful author who provides information on pet insurance and dogs."I am the news director at USA News Network and have been working as freelance writer for 2 years. I've been published in a few magazines, newspapers and websites and my specialty up to this point has been movie and music reviews."
On Being Human
On Being Human
Are we human because of unique traits and attributes not shared with either animal or machine? The definition of "human" is circular: we are human by virtue of the properties that make us human (i.e., distinct from animal and machine). It is a definition by negation: that which separates us from animal and machine is our "human-ness".We are human because we are not animal, nor machine. But such thinking has been rendered progressively less tenable by the advent of evolutionary and neo-evolutionary theories which postulate a continuum in nature between animals and Man.Our uniqueness is partly quantitative and partly qualitative. Many animals are capable of cognitively manipulating symbols and using tools. Few are as adept at it as we are. These are easily quantifiable differences - two of many.Qualitative differences are a lot more difficult to substantiate. In the absence of privileged access to the animal mind, we cannot and don't know if animals feel guilt, for instance. Do animals love? Do they have a concept of sin? What about object permanence, meaning, reasoning, self-awareness, critical thinking? Individuality? Emotions? Empathy? Is artificial intelligence (AI) an oxymoron? A machine that passes the Turing Test may well be described as "human". But is it really? And if it is not - why isn't it?Literature is full of stories of monsters - Frankenstein, the Golem - and androids or anthropoids. Their behaviour is more "humane" than the humans around them. This, perhaps, is what really sets humans apart: their behavioural unpredictability. It is yielded by the interaction between Mankind's underlying immutable genetically-determined nature - and Man's kaleidoscopically changing environments.The Constructivists even claim that Human Nature is a mere cultural artefact. Sociobiologists, on the other hand, are determinists. They believe that human nature - being the inevitable and inexorable outcome of our bestial ancestry - cannot be the subject of moral judgment.An improved Turing Test would look for baffling and erratic patterns of misbehaviour to identify humans. Pico della Mirandola wrote in "Oration on the Dignity of Man" that Man was born without a form and can mould and transform - actually, create - himself at will. Existence precedes essence, said the Existentialists centuries later.The one defining human characteristic may be our awareness of our mortality. The automatically triggered, "fight or flight", battle for survival is common to all living things (and to appropriately programmed machines). Not so the catalytic effects of imminent death. These are uniquely human. The appreciation of the fleeting translates into aesthetics, the uniqueness of our ephemeral life breeds morality, and the scarcity of time gives rise to ambition and creativity.In an infinite life, everything materializes at one time or another, so the concept of choice is spurious. The realization of our finiteness forces us to choose among alternatives. This act of selection is predicated upon the existence of "free will". Animals and machines are thought to be devoid of choice, slaves to their genetic or human programming.Yet, all these answers to the question: "What does it mean to be human" - are lacking.The set of attributes we designate as human is subject to profound alteration. Drugs, neuroscience, introspection, and experience all cause irreversible changes in these traits and characteristics. The accumulation of these changes can lead, in principle, to the emergence of new properties, or to the abolition of old ones.Animals and machines are not supposed to possess free will or exercise it. What, then, about fusions of machines and humans (bionics)? At which point does a human turn into a machine? And why should we assume that free will ceases to exist at that - rather arbitrary - point?Introspection - the ability to construct self-referential and recursive models of the world - is supposed to be a uniquely human quality. What about introspective machines? Surely, say the critics, such machines are PROGRAMMED to introspect, as opposed to humans. To qualify as introspection, it must be WILLED, they continue. Yet, if introspection is willed - WHO wills it? Self-willed introspection leads to infinite regression and formal logical paradoxes.Moreover, the notion - if not the formal concept - of "human" rests on many hidden assumptions and conventions.Political correctness notwithstanding - why presume that men and women (or different races) are identically human? Aristotle thought they were not. A lot separates males from females - genetically (both genotype and phenotype) and environmentally (culturally). What is common to these two sub-species that makes them both "human"?Can we conceive of a human without body (i.e., a Platonian Form, or soul)? Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas think not. A soul has no existence separate from the body. A machine-supported energy field with mental states similar to ours today - would it be considered human? What about someone in a state of coma - is he or she (or it) fully human?Is a new born baby human - or, at least, fully human - and, if so, in which sense? What about a future human race - whose features would be unrecognizable to us? Machine-based intelligence - would it be thought of as human? If yes, when would it be considered human?In all these deliberations, we may be confusing "human" with "person". The former is a private case of the latter. Locke's person is a moral agent, a being responsible for its actions. It is constituted by the continuity of its mental states accessible to introspection.Locke's is a functional definition. It readily accommodates non-human persons (machines, energy matrices) if the functional conditions are satisfied. Thus, an android which meets the prescribed requirements is more human than a brain dead person.Descartes' objection that one cannot specify conditions of singularity and identity over time for disembodied souls is right only if we assume that such "souls" possess no energy. A bodiless intelligent energy matrix which maintains its form and identity over time is conceivable. Certain AI and genetic software programs already do it.Strawson is Cartesian and Kantian in his definition of a "person" as a "primitive". Both the corporeal predicates and those pertaining to mental states apply equally, simultaneously, and inseparably to all the individuals of that type of entity. Human beings are one such entity. Some, like Wiggins, limit the list of possible persons to animals - but this is far from rigorously necessary and is unduly restrictive.The truth is probably in a synthesis:A person is any type of fundamental and irreducible entity whose typical physical individuals (i.e., members) are capable of continuously experiencing a range of states of consciousness and permanently having a list of psychological attributes.This definition allows for non-animal persons and recognizes the personhood of a brain damaged human ("capable of experiencing"). It also incorporates Locke's view of humans as possessing an ontological status similar to "clubs" or "nations" - their personal identity consists of a variety of interconnected psychological continuities.About The AuthorSam Vaknin is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He is a columnist for Central Europe Review, PopMatters, and eBookWeb , a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory Bellaonline, and Suite101 .Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.Visit Sam's Web site at http://samvak.tripod.compalma@unet.com.mk