Dax's Case Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dax's Case - Research Paper Example In the meantime, all efforts to keep him alive must be done, even if these methods were against Dax’s will and even if these methods caused him considerable pain and suffering (Burns, 2005). In understanding Ada’s position, the normative ethics is the most appropriate theory which can be used. Normative ethics â€Å"is devoted to identifying the conditions under which actions are morally right, or motives and intentions are morally good† (Shafer-Landau and Cuneo, 2007, p. 1). It is concerned with a person’s actions being morally right and good. In the case of Ada, she believed that it was morally right and proper to keep Dax alive for him to fulfill his duties to God. Normative ethics is focused on identifying the conditions where actions are deemed right, and motives are deemed wrong (Shafer-Landau and Cuneo, 2007). In this case, Ada’s actions are deemed right because they are focused on God’s will and on saving a person’s life; and Dax’s insistence on giving up his life is deemed wrong because they violate God’s will and are focused on robbing a person of his life. Ada’s actions are therefore – base d on her point of view – morally right and protected by God. Cowart’s friend and attorney, Rex Houston became his decision-maker when he became physically incapacitated. Houston wanted to keep Dax alive because of the lawsuit filed he filed against the oil company; and there was no financial benefits for Dax if he died (Burns, 2005). Houston was able to gain financial benefits from the oil company and these proceeds were used to pay for Dax’s medical and legal responsibilities. The teleological theory can be used in order to justify Houston’s actions. Teleological is derived from the Greek word â€Å"telos† which means â€Å"ends† (Wittjen, 2003). This theory considers, more than anything else, the end goals of certain actions, or in some instances, the consequences of one’s actions. For Houston,

Postmodernism as Artistic Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Postmodernism as Artistic Movement - Essay Example The essay "Postmodernism as Artistic Movement" focuses on postmodernism in the context of art. The sublime element, as a part of postmodernism concept, is without definite form and is indefinable thus it cannot be given a specific visual form. However, the visual form must suggest some element of the sublime. This is because every visible form is capable of suggesting some deeper meaning to different audiences at varying levels regardless of the original intentions of the artist. This is because art is understood to exist as a constant interaction between the artist and the viewer, between what the artist created and how the viewer interprets this creation based on individual experience, understanding and context. The postmodern movement brought these ideas forward. â€Å"The political and the aesthetic are inseparable, simultaneously present, faces of the postmodern problematic†. These ideas can be discovered by examining the philosophy behind the movement and applying them t o the artwork of a contemporary artist such as Jenny Holzer. Artists today attempt to convey a sense of the incommunicable in their work without depending on the traditional symbols and treatments of realist art. Philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard wrote that the â€Å"only definition† of realism is that â€Å"it intends to avoid the question of reality implicated in that art†. The problem with realism is that the artist tends to â€Å"pursue successful careers in mass conformism by communicating by means of the correct rules.