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Critical Response
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Critical Response
Evil is divided into two broad categories by philosophers discussing theodicy. The two forms of evil are moral evil and natural evil. Philosophers define moral evil as evil arising from individuals exploring their freedom through wrongdoings. On the contrary, natural evil is defined as the evil that does not straightforwardly involve creaturely action that is blameworthy. The concept of free choice has attracted loads of discussion on how it affects theodicy. In their discussion, both Michael Murray and Michael Rea note that the concept of free will creates an argument concerning two forms of evil that arise from its existence. The two forms include the moral evils and the consequences of the evils. The inception of the two forms of evil, in turn, takes the concept of God’s will into further questioning. Arguments are raised on why God does not block the consequences of committing evil despite individuals seeking forgiveness. Murray and Rea question why a murderer has to be constantly reminded of his sinful past by the presence of a grave despite God forgiving them. In discussing the free will theodicy, they conclude that God allows evil and sometimes their consequences to linger since freedom is His choice of approaching things. Murray and Rea also discuss the natural law theodicy in which they note that the concept argues human life is dependent on naturally set laws to dictate the way of life. However, they note that in a scenario where various natural laws intersect, natural evil is the result of choosing whether to kill one to save many or to save one and kill many. Finally, they discuss soul-making theodicies that argue that pain and suffering are a necessity for there to be meaning in life. The argument provides that pleasure has no meaning if pain and suffering are non-existent.
Murray and Rea provide decent arguments on the concept of evil in society by citing various philosophers and their ideologies. Free will theodicy, natural law theodicy, and soul-making theodicy are the three philosophical concepts adopted in discussing why evil exists. They both try to evaluate evil by analyzing the defined concepts surrounding the moral issue while also critiquing each of them is trying to fix loopholes and question the uncertainty. While the free will theodicy gives birth to two forms of evil, moral evil out of the free will and the consequences of the evil, the concept fails to address why God does not provide salvation for evildoers who come clean repent for their sins. Questions are raised to ask why some people have to live with the consequences of their sin. In the natural law theodicy that gives birth to the concept surrounding natural evil, the effectiveness of natural law in the world is put into question with other individuals asking why God does not save people from natural evil. The last concept used is the soul-making theodicy that provides evil as a necessity for human experience. Soul-making theodicy issues a dilemma in which avoidance of evil can prove costly in losing valuable friendships and even potential love mates.
Nevertheless, for people trying to define the concept of evil, Murray and Rea fail to deliver their final thoughts and which stance they take in the matter. Reading through the paper leaves a philosopher with more questions than answers. The reasoning behind the concepts is also based on people with religious beliefs. People with contemporary religious beliefs and other non-traditional religions and atheists might find it hard to understand or accept the discussion. An approach that suits such people should be established to create balance and increase participation in making a final decision.
Diabetes Prevention
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Diabetes Prevention
Diabetes is a condition caused by high blood sugar due to the malfunctioning of the pancreas leading to a low or insufficient production of insulin. Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the body fails to produce insulin and therefore the patient is required to inject insulin into his body frequently. Type 2 is where the body produces insulin but the cells fail to efficiently use the insulin produced (Peacock 2000).
Diabetes can be prevented by regular exercise which helps to keep the body fit and maintain a steady flow of blood. Keeping the muscles active improves its ability to absorb glucose and use insulin. Body exercise also helps the body to burn up excess fats that may interfere with the production of insulin by the pancreas. Resistance training mixed with aerobics exercise helps the body to maintain a normal blood sugar level. Reducing the time spent watching television goes a great way in the prevention of diabetes. Statistics say that men who watch 40 hours of television per week have a threefold increase in risk of diabetes.
Maintaining healthy eating habits also helps to prevent diabetes. Cutting down on some foods like processed and red meat will help to reduce the risk of diabetes. The high iron content in the red meat reduces the effectiveness of insulin and also destroys the cells that are responsible for the production of insulin. Besides the iron, red meat also has preservatives which have high levels of nitrites and sodium that could lead to the development of diabetes. Such foods can be substituted with healthy fats and proteins especially white lean meat. Healthy fats are the poly unsaturated liquid vegetable oils and oils from seeds and nuts.
Eating whole grain foods provides the body with necessary nutrient for the production of insulin by the pancreas rather than eating fast foods which may raise the blood sugar levels. It is also advisable to always look for the word “whole” in the packaging of food products. Whole grains have fiber which slows down the rate at which the digestive enzymes breaks down starches to glucose (Woodruff, Sandra 2004). This causes slower increase in blood sugar and therefore the stress on the body’s insulin production mechanism.
Studies show that smoking is highly related to diabetes. This is mainly due to the interrelation between smoking and insulin sensitivity. Smoking cessation significantly increases the insulin sensitivity and therefore it is a preventive measure of diabetes.
Heavy alcohol consumption reduces insulin sensitivity in a person according to studies conducted to investigate the outcome of alcohol consumption to blood sugar levels in the body. Abstaining from alcohol reduces the chances of suffering diabetes by 30 to 40 percent(Petit, Christine 2002). Replacing sugary drinks and beverages with treated water, tea and coffee helps prevent diabetes. This is mainly because coffee and tea are free from calories and good substitutes for sugared beverages.
Weight control is an important way to prevent diabetes. Statistics show that people who are obese have 20 to 40 percent higher chances of developing diabetes whereas an 8 to 10 percent weight loss cuts your probability of developing diabetes by half (Petit, Christine 2002)
Conclusion
In the words of Dr. Smith, a renowned specialist in diabetes studies, the best way to prevent diabetes is to stay lean by every means and also stay active. Avoiding inactivity and watching your dietary habits go a long way to ensure that you can live a healthy life without the risk of developing diabetes. It has also been proven that the above measures are not to be considered in isolation. However, they are to be considered and applied together so as to maintain physical health as well as keep diabetes at bay.
Works Cited
Peacock, Judith. Diabetes. Mankato, MN: LifeMatters, 2000. Print.
Petit, William A., and Christine A. Adamec. The encyclopedia of diabetes. New York: Facts on File, 2002. Print.
Woodruff, Sandra L., and Christopher D. Saudek. The complete diabetes prevention plan: a guide to understanding the emerging epidemic of prediabetes and halting its progression to diabetes. New York: Avery, 2004. Print.
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even though the returns of education in the lower income group are very high
it does not mean that there has to be returns for every qualification. McIntosh (2004) uses the recent happenings in analyzing the impact of other vocational training in the labor market. This study is of interest in this context since students from low-income households are more likely to be in the category of low-achieving school-leavers. He looks at cohorts that were entitled to leave school between 1993 and 1995 and considers outcomes up to when these individuals were 25 years of age.