Monday, January 13, 2014

Introductions

Let's introduce ourselves, Spring 2014 Bioethics collaborators. This class was originally scheduled to return in '15 but popular demand (from the Biology Dept) expedited us. So, we're premature. Ready or not, here we go!

I invite you all to hit "comment" and reply by posting your own introductions telling us who you are and why you're here, and to ruminate as well in response to these questions:
Do you believe an intelligent and conscious living being (like yourself) bears any particular duties, responsibilities, or ethical obligations towards others, or towards life in general? What particular ethical obligations are incumbent on health care professionals? What connections do you see between healthy, happy, and meaningful lives?
Our first meeting will consist mainly of introductions. We'll not spend much time going over the syllabus or talking course mechanics, there's plenty of time for that later. But I do invite you to peruse the Quick Start Guide, Daily Participation Scorecard, and Syllabus page links on our course blogsite (in the right margin). Let me know what's especially unclear.


I'm Dr. Oliver, aka James P., aka Phil, aka (despite my best efforts to discourage it) "Dr. Phil." I live in Nashville with my wife, younger daughter, two dogs (Angel and Lilli), and a cat named Zeus. Older Daughter is a college freshman a couple hundred miles away.

My office is in James Union Building 307-B. Office hours are MW 1-2,TTh 4-5, & by appointment.. On nice days, office hours will be outdoors (my door will direct you). 

I've been at MTSU for over a decade, teaching philosophy courses on diverse subjects including atheism, childhood, happiness, the environment, the future, and bioethics.

My birthday is Feb.14, we'll observe it on the 13th: bring cake and candy to class that day. Also a cure for aging if you've got it. (Last year someone brought biscuits and jam from the Loveless. That helped.)

My Ph.D. is from Vanderbilt. I'm originally from Missouri, near St. Louis. I'm a Cardinals fan. My undergrad degree is from Mizzou, in Columbia MO. (I wish my schools weren't in the SEC-I don't approve of major collegiate sports culture or of violence in football, but don't get me started.)

My philosophical expertise, such as it is, centers on the American philosophical tradition of William James. Last year a student asked me to respond to a questionnaire. I did, and have continued to reflect on its excellent questions. "It was an honor..."

I post my thoughts regularly to my blogs Up@dawn and Delight Springs, among others, and toTwitter. Follow me if you want to. But of course, as Brian Cohen said, you don't have to follow anyone. (Extra credit if you get that reference... and real extra credit if you realize that my "extra credit" is usually rhetorical.)

Enough about me. Who are you? (Where are you from, where have you been, what do you like, who do you want to become,...?) Why are you here? (On Earth, in Tennessee, at MTSU, in philosophy class)? More specifically: as a bioethics student and a living being, what ethical obligations towards your fellow living beings and the systems that support them do you acknowledge? Do you think our form of life has a future? What are your thoughts on the other questions posed at the beginning of this post?

Hit "comments" below and post your introduction, then read your classmates'... and bear in mind that this is an open site. The world can read it. (The world's probably busy with other stuff, of course.)

25 comments:

  1. As I have already mentioned today in class, I am a Junior with Pre-Med concentration; I am Biochemistry major and Mathematics minor. I was born and lived most of my life in Ukraine. My goal is to become a doctor, ultimately an orthopedic surgeon (however, I do realize that goals usually change). I am taking this course because I enjoy discussions and listening to viewpoints other than my own.
    Why am I here, on Earth? To me, it is just because I am. I do not think there is any specific purpose for the human species. We are lucky(really lucky) to be where we are today. Apart from unique characteristics that each human has, there is one that I think is commonly shared by all and that is the drive to survive and progress. And that is why we will have a future. Every intelligent and conscious living being should have respect for a single life of another human being. The meaning behind this idea is not only to not cause harm to someone else, but the opposite, to induce the health and happiness of everyone, including those who are yet to be born. While people may share different opinions, perhaps not complementary to mine in any way, I think that health care professionals should have not deviate too drastically from my view on how humans should live.

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    1. I love your Why am I here answer :D
      I think the purpose of life is to live...whatever that means to whoever. I look forward to the dynamics of the class this semester. Gonna be interesting indeed.

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  2. Greeting everyone. As I mentioned on yesterday, I am a freshman majoring in Biology with a concentration of Pre-Med. I was born and raised in Memphis, TN. My long term goal is to attend medical school and become an anesthesiologist. I took this course to learn new things I'm sure I don't know. I am interested in learning what bioethics is all about.
    Why am I here? I'm here because I'm blessed. As Nikita said ,all humans should be lucky to be where they are today. I'm here because I plan on turning all my dreams into reality. I want to grow. My main reason for being here is to enhance my knowledge and become successful. In my opinion, I feel as though everyone has a purpose; sometimes people just haven't figured theirs out. I just happen to know I'm here to progress. Whether my life go as planned or not, I am confident to know I will have a great outcome.

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    1. Sorry guys. I meant *Greetings*

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  3. My name is Meredith Holt, and I am from a tiny Tennessee town. I am majoring in Biology, with aspirations to eventually work in health care in some capacity. I chose this class because it will provide a beneficial ethics background for a career in health care, and because it will give me the opportunity to ponder more ambiguous and esoteric concepts. I suppose I am selfish in that I usually spend my thoughts on things that are directly impacting my life at the present time. However, thinking about the reasons behind ideas is important for understanding why they are what they are, and I know this class will allow me to contemplate such things in a way that should help me in my future vocation.
    The optimistic, religious side of me believes that humans are here for a purpose. We are here to help each other in accordance with the theme found in Alexus’s and Nikita’s posts: progress. I think people should try to leave the world better than it was before, even if it is just in one tiny niche of existence. I think that health care professionals should embody the values of progress and altruism. I would also hope that anyone who embodies said values would derive a sense of happiness and meaningfulness from them.

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  4. Hey everyone, my name is Maiki Egawa. My first name is pronounced "Mikey" (Yes, my official name is a nickname) or you can call me Mike. I am Japanese, but I was born and raised in Tennessee. I am a biochemistry major with a Pre-Med concentration. There are a few reasons why I chose to take bioethics. First, it's different from many of the classes I have taken in the past. It's a class where I can think for myself and have my own views. Second, I believe it will benefit me later down the road in my medical career since ethics is important in the health care profession. Last, I think it will be interesting to listen to what others have to say about a certain topic.
    As to why we exist, there are countless answers; however, I believe that each and every one of us are here with a purpose. That purpose may be unknown for the most of one's lifetime, or it may always be a mystery. Someone, somewhere at some time affects others no matter if it is positively or negatively. This is where I'd like to tie-in what Nikita had said about humans having the drive to survive and progress. We all understand how precious life is. Therefore, we're here to help others out. This doesn't have to be seen only from a medical standpoint. It can be applied to numerous aspects that enhance the ability to survive in peace. To sum it all up, I don't think our presence on this Earth is coincidental. There has to be a reason behind our existence whether we know it or not.

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  5. My name is Sharon Alyssa Branning but I prefer to be called Alyssa. I'm not sure why my parents thought it would be a good idea to name me Sharon. It's a little outdated if you ask me. I am a senior Biology major with a pre-med concentration. Originally, I am from Gainesville Florida but decided to move here for the simple fact that I have a better educational opportunity here. After my time at MTSU I plan to attend medical school and eventually become a pediatrician. If that doesn't work out, I'll probably just go live in a cave somewhere. I am here on Earth because at one point in time my parents really liked each other and decided to procreate. Generally, people tend to take a religious standpoint on why they feel they are here and what the purpose of creation is. I personally don't feel any particular way. I view most answers as a possibility but can't seem to wrap my mind around any specific explanation in particular. I just accept the fact that I am here. My ethical obligations and duties toward life in general is to put my own personal beliefs aside and simply treat others with respect.

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  6. Hello everyone,
    I'm Cameron Preston and I'm one semester away from graduating at MTSU. I'm majoring in aerospace with a concentration in dispatch. My dream job is to be an air traffic controller close to family and the south. My brother is a controller in Atlanta but will soon be transferring to Denver. He is the one that inspired me to go to school for an aerospace degree. I recently chose to minor in philosophy after taking an introduction class and loving the material. I think I like philosophy because it asks why instead of mindlessly following the majority. It has already taught me to find the true reasons in my beliefs. As a conscious living being, I believe we are to refrain from harming one another. I think as long as a person is not hurting anyone else with their actions, they should be able to do as they please. I don't see why we, as society, prevent people from doing what they want if no one is suffering from their actions. Anyways, I'll leave it short for now.

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  7. Hello,
    I am Kristen Bayliss. I am a sophomore in years but a junior in hours. I am currently a chemistry major with a pre med focus. I hope to one day become an anesthesiologist but I keep in mind that that may change as I get further along in school. I am in this class, honestly, as a last minute decision. I could not get into a class that I needed and my advisor suggested I take a course in ethics because it would be beneficial when I take the MCAT and also for my career.

    Why am I here? Well I believe that most of the reason I am here is because God needs me to be here. He has a purpose with me being here and is leading me on the path of finding that purpose. As of right now, I believe that my purpose is to one day help people which is why I am going into the medical field. I am unsure if there is more to it or if I am here for another purpose as well, but only time will tell I suppose.

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  8. Greetings everyone. I'm Emily Laffey from small town Columbia, Tennessee. Currently I'm an undeclared junior, solely taking this class based on interest, desperately trying to figure out what exactly it is I want to major in and do with my life, which ultimately leads to the question why am I here, existing on this Earth. Sadly I have answers for neither yet,but I do agree with Maiki, that we are all here for a specific reason with a specific purpose, even if we are unclear of what it is. I believe everything in the grand scheme of things is interdependent on everything else and in the popular cliche everything happens for a reason. Vagueness, ambiguities, unanswered questions, and mysteries derived from searching for our purpose on Earth motivate us as human beings to grow, while creating ourselves in the meantime. Then hopefully by the end of it all, even if it takes the whole lifetime, we will eventually discover our reason of existence.
    Going back to my belief that everyone is interdependent on one another, I do believe that living beings should be held to ethical obligations and responsibilities to help others general well being, leading to happy, healthy, meaningful lives. With that being said, I also believe that everyone has their own perspective and view points on what exactly "ethical obligations are" or what they owe to society, building the debates and questions about Bioethics. As many uncertainties as there are in life, every living being, diverse as they are, have one universal thing in common, a future.

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    1. I like you, Emily. Your frank openness about indecision makes me want to hug you :) I also strongly agree with your opinions on interdependence and pluralism.

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  9. Hello everyone!

    My name is Logan Smith. I'm a Senior from La Vergne, TN majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I intend to continue my education in medical school, and even though I haven't found a specialty that I am passionate about, I have taken special interests in Emergency Medicine and Endocrinology based on my shadowing experiences. I decided to take this class in order to broaden my understanding on the subject of ethics and to familiarize myself with the differing viewpoints and controversial aspects of healthcare. Aside from school, I highly enjoy physical activity, reading, and spending time with my friends and family!

    As to why I am HERE on this planet, I believe that my purpose is to gather a body of knowledge and experiences, and later use this accumulation of information to have informed discussions with other men and women in order to leave positive lasting impacts on them, as well as to continue my development as a human being. I believe that we are on this planet, scientifically, as the product of millions of years of evolution, and as sentient beings, we must respect the predecessors that we developed from. I believe that all life is meaningful, and in order to continue, we have to manage the systems that support us and not recklessly live above the web of life. Our form of life has the possibility of a future, but not if we continue to destroy what we developed from.

    As intelligent beings, I think we do have obligations towards other forms of life and to not thoughtlessly inhibit their ability to survive. When I become a physician, I will use the knowledge gathered through my schooling and practice to inform my patients of healthy life style choices and how negative choices will impact them with the ultimate goal of helping them leading a healthier life. As healthier human beings, they will ideally be able to live with less physical stress, allowing them to become happier with their bodies and ideally their lives. When someone is emotionally stable and physically healthy, I believe that they have the perfect environment to find and create meaning in their lives.

    There's still much to learn and discuss before life is done, so I look forward to diving into Bioethics with you all!

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    1. Your bottom paragraphs = much yes and agreement :P

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  10. Salutations, I am Evan Mason, a Premed major. I am a scientist, a philosopher, biologist, and a chemist. I plan to aid people with all forms of diseases and disabilities to improve their quality of life in all aspects. Medicine is a discipline of science dedicated to protecting and aiding those who are suffering. I am here for several reasons, first and foremost to improve the quality of my ethics education, ethics and the ideas behind it are incredibly interesting and will be helpful in the medical field. As well the MCAT will have an ethics section and a general course like this will aid me in covering these questions.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. If you are a philosopher, I'd love to hear you elaborate :D

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  11. hello my name is elijah and im going to be brief because i just typed out a lot of stuff to have my comp die and lose what i wrote. here are the highlights of what i said. I'm a chemistry major, looking forward to talking about issues with educated open minded individuals (hopefully). talk to me about the preds and we will be friends. In corporate america the medical field is about money and power, however the individuals working in it are generally hard working caring people that want to improve the lives of others. I am here because of science and luck. man thumbs are cool :). see you guys in class.

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    1. Specifically men's thumbs? Women, Gorilla, Lemur etc. thumbs= not cool? :P

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  12. Last minute posts FTW! (I suppose)
    Hail, students of Bioethics! My name's Kat, and I'm a senior, Philosophy major, English minor. Graduation could not come sooner.

    I'm really looking forward to this class' discussions. I'm in the class for a few reasons. First, that it's with Dr. Oliver, and he was the first professor to introduce me to Philosophy in his 1030 class years ago. He's a great teacher that has always inspired me to further understand those around me alongside developing my own perspective. If not for Dr. Oliver, I would not be as pluralistic nor as humanistic as I am today :) Thanks, Phil! Second, this class seems prudent to understanding ethics on a global level. I'm excited to move away from the typical ethical questions about abortion and assisted suicide (though I don't doubt that these will come up at some point) in order to make way for bigger, more complex dilemmas about life in general and our obligations towards one another as well as to the intricate Earth ecosystem as a whole.
    I feel as though the human race has evolutionarily developed an obligation both towards one another and the rest of the planet. When we shifted from hunting and gathering to a more stationary society, bringing along the development of more complex technology/tools/agriculture, the "survival of the fittest" notion applied to a much larger group of people than a single individual/family/nomadic tribe/etc. We no longer used the Earth as it presented itself and began manipulating the land to better suit our needs in a much more stationary lifestyle. This not only means that we must work together in order to maintain the societal system we're continually developing, but also that we must be caretakers for the Earth around us that we no longer allow to flourish on its own. We are obligated to make sure that each person has a better opportunity to a longer, healthier life, and we must balance this with keeping our ecosystem just as healthy in order to guarantee survival for future generations. Either the latter, or we've got to start colonizing other planets...
    I don't want to go off on even further tangents about health care and how much I strongly dislike the way the medical industry has gotten way off track, but you can get where I'm getting at if I put it like this: We've lost sight of the purpose of health care and the focus has turned towards profits and prescriptions. I feel as though any health care professional is obligated to help their patients find the simplest, most natural/beneficial method of assisting the body with its OWN recovery. If any particular person in the field thinks this is not correct, I don't think that they're in the right place. By choosing to be in health care, you've chosen to care for the health of others. It's pretty self explanatory to me, I'm not sure why or how people have gotten so far off from that.

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    1. Health, Happiness, and Meaning: We must be moderately healthy to be happy and able to find meaning (otherwise, we're preoccupied with survival). We need meaning and happiness in our lives in order to drive us to want to stay healthy. Personally, I need to understand happiness to help give life a fuller meaning, as well as look deeper into what makes my life meaningful in order to obtain happiness. However, these are not necessarily the only ways to find either meaning or happiness, nor are they contingent upon one another. I can be happy without meaning, and find meaning without happiness...etc. You get the idea.

      And finally (after a tome of a comment), do we have a future? I think that's why we're trying to figure out these bioethical questions now more than ever before...Our future on Earth is not definitively determined. If we don't find solutions to some of our self-created disastrous problems, we're bound to either ruin the planet around us or ourselves. Especially with hot button issues like the processed food industry, obtaining clean drinking water, excessive deforestation, over population, etc.
      After all of this, I'll stop typing and look forward to seeing you all this afternoon :P

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  13. Hello all! My name is Mitch Merryman. I am a junior here at MTSU. My major is Biology with a concentration in Genetics and Biotechnology (minor in chemistry). I am definitely and introvert, but I will crack jokes from time to time, so be prepared. I am from Hartsville, TN. Coming to Murfreesboro was a huge culture shock to me. The thought of, "I now go to a school with 27,000 people!" was pretty terrifying seeing that I came from a county that had 7,000 people in it total. I saw more people on campus than I had ever really seen before. But I wouldn't change a thing, because being here at MTSU has truly opened my eyes to the huge and exciting world in which we live.
    Why am I here? Philosophical answers are not really my thing so I will answer simply. I am here because this is where I want to be. I am here on this earth because...I don't really know why. And I am ok with that. I am content to live my life day to day not knowing what will come next. I feel that is what makes life exciting and worth living.

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  14. Hello Everyone! I am Dustin Wells. I am a Senior here at MTSU. I am currently studying music. I plan on also majoring in philosophy. I find the metaphysics to be very interesting. I studied to become a concert pianist before I transferred to MTSU for the commercial songwriting program. Alongside writing and performing music I also have starting writing novels for fun. In my free time I play video games and watch debates, news, and cool people on YouTube. I have had fun so far while being at MTSU with some setbacks, but nothing that major. Overall things are going great and I want to make this my best semester since arriving.

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  15. Hey class,
    I'm Joseph Kidd. I'm doing poli sci with a concentration in pre-law, international relations, and a minor in philosophy/ Mandarin. I'm taking this class because I love all things science related, and biology and ethics are two of my favorite fields. I think people like Richard Dawkins and Niel Tyson are the shiz, I think science trumps faith invariably (and I'm happy to discuss/ debate this issue), I think politics is very interesting but also depressing, and I'm pretty cynical when it comes to this topic. Intelligence is underrated, I abstain from most social media, pop culture infuriates me... but all things considered we are all incredibly lucky to exist as human beings, in the present era, in a semi-free country, with access to education and the brilliance of thousands of years of geniuses from whom we can learn. Identity is fluid, and I'm absolutely convinced that at a different moment, in a different setting, in a different mood, I would have written something completely different; but as it is, here's my brief intro.

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  17. Hey class,
    I am Lamonteze Pannell. I am a freshman here at MTSU. I am a Mass Comm major in the EMC concentration field. I find myself in this class because it was a general ed course which i need in order to graduate. Even though philosophy is not high on my list, I am here to learn about the great people who thoughts and beliefs helped shape the world into what it is today. I am from NashvilleTennessee. I have lived there all my life. I graduated from Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School. When I first became interested in the field of media production, which led me to choosing MTSU as my college school to better my education. At Pearl-Cohn me and nine other classmates won back to back Midsouth Student Emmy Awards in 2012 and 2013 for Best Sports Broadcast for filming football and basketball which were produced the same way you would see it on TV. I look forward to gaining knowledge on what philosophy is all about.

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