Knowledge+Issues


 * Knowledge Issue**

-It is when there is conflict in knowledge. -A knowledge issue can be determined if there are two sides to a situation meaning there is no definite answer. -People can give different thoughts and opinions about certain issues (Debate). -It is how people treat/approach situations differently based on their personal background, assumptions, source of information, global importance, etc. -Why?
 * Definition**:

-Ways of knowing (Perception, Emotion, Reason, Language) -Personal background -Assumptions -Source of information -Global importance
 * Criteria**:

E**xample**: -Evolution -Religion


 * Class discussion**:

//Sperm Donation (New York Times article Sept. 6, 2011)//

Is this a knowledge issue? Yes? No? Why? What are the issues?
 * Controversial=Argument
 * Many perspectives and considerations
 * Spans history, usually
 * More global than local
 * Affects enormous amounts of people
 * Question or issue has many answers possible but not usually solvable
 * 1) Limits of how many children a donor can have?
 * 2) What should rules or limits be?
 * 3) Is a sperm donor a father? is there any responsibility?
 * 4) What makes a father? What makes a good family? Is blood necessary?
 * 5) Is sperm donation necessary or a good plan?
 * 6) Why would someone donate sperm in the first place?
 * 7) Is it fair for the donor children or in their best interest?
 * 8) How much information should be known by the donor families?
 * 9) Should genetic screening be done on the donor and how extensive?

//Perry's Merck Donations Raise Questions About Vaccine Mandate// http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-14/perry-s-merck-donations-raise-questions-about-vaccine-mandate.html


 * Controversial
 * Many perspectives from people, especially parents
 * The people do not know if the vaccine is really effective


 * Homework**:

__Vivisection__
 * The practice of performing operations on live animals for the purpose of experimentation or scientific research
 * People test cosmetics, medicines, surgical techniques, etc. on animals before using it on humans to see if there are any harmful effects

Pros and Cons: (http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=7) Arguments: (http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/0000000CAFA7.htm)

Articles: 1) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/beagle-factory-plan-to-test-coalitions-pledge-on-animals-2348916.html 2) http://thevarsity.ca/articles/47124 3) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2033229/Pups-kittens-clubbed-death-EU-lab-welfare-plans.html 4) http://www.animalconcerns.org/external.html?www=http%3A//news.scotsman.com/science/39Shocking39-surge-in-animal-experiments.6805547.jp&itemid=201107220039300.173301 5) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/health/20monkey.html?pagewanted=all 6) More articles: http://www.animalconcerns.org/topics.html?info=more&topicsku=2002130143145&topic=Vivisection&topictype=subtopic&startat=1&catid=10&category=Articles&do=catsearch
 * Britain plans to build the biggest beagle factory. They would bread beagles to use for scientific experimentation. The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection submitted a petition saying that the number of dogs used in experiments may increase due to availability.
 * A medical doctor says that animal models are not predictive of humans.
 * UK made a law that states that laboratory animals not needed for research may be clubbed to death instead of being put to sleep. The proposal covers very young animals like dogs, kittens, ferrets, and foxes, many of which are likely to have been bred specifically for use in experiments only to be killed because they are surplus to requirements. In other cases, the mother animal may have been pregnant already while being used for experiment.
 * Animal experimentation in Scotland has increased by 17% over the past year, and most of these experiments are carried out without anesthesia. There are other humane ways to approach scientific researches, which could also be cheaper, quicker, and more effective.
 * Monkeys are fattened up to study the twin human epidemics of obesity and diabetes. The overweight monkeys are also used to test drugs to cure these conditions. Monkeys resemble humans much more than lab rats, not only physiologically but also in some of their feeding habits (They tend to eat when they're bored even if they are not really hungry). These monkeys are kept in individual cages for months or years to also limit their exercise.
 * This experiment has already produced tangible results. Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, tested an experimental diet drug on monkeys, and after 8 weeks, the animal reduced their food intake 40% and lost 13% of their weight without apparent heart problems.
 * Another study was made with monkeys, to compare gastric bypass surgery with weight loss from forced dieting. For this experiment, they would have to kill the monkeys to examine their brains and pancreases.
 * Some monkeys receive daily insulin shots to treat diabetes, and some have clogged arteries. One monkey died of a heart attack at a fairly young age.
 * An animal's reaction to the drug may vary. A drug was tested on mice and rats that reduced their appetites but when they used the same drug on baboons, their food intake tripled.
 * There are ethical reviews before a study can begin. But an activist got a job in one of these facilities and had evidence of mistreated and unhealthy monkeys.
 * Some fetuses are taken from wombs and killed so their brains could be dissected. They found out that the diet induced chemicals changes in the brains of fetuses that might be responsible for the problems in the offspring.
 * Another laboratory doing the same research says that they cage their monkeys in pairs and only separates them during mealtime to record their food intake. They say that monkeys are social animals.

Question: Should society support the practice of vivisection?

__Abortion__
 * The termination of a human pregnancy

Pros and Cons: (http://wholeworldinhishands.com/world/abortionproscons.html)