Civil War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Civil War - Research Paper Example Immediately after the war, Northern Union implemented strategies meant to ensure restructuring and integration of the Southern states into the larger confederacy. Historical facts from the war documents indicate that the Reconstruction attempts met stiff resistance from the southern insurgency movements (Jerry 34). The northern confederacy wanted to restructure governance structures within the south in order to end slavery. On the other hand, Southern states wanted to continue propagating and practicing slavery. In the middle of contentions was the black American population, who were enslaved and forced to work as farm laborers by white farmers in the south. In this case, the two parties strived to address their concerns, and this lead to a 12 year of Reconstruction efforts within the south. The entire civil war took place within southern states. Upon its completion, communities within the states witnessed substantial social, political and economic damages within their settings. The war ended after the northern Union defeated the Southern insurgency alliance. After the war, southern states, especially Louisiana became dysfunctional and riddled with social predicaments including poverty. Most white settlers in the south had lost their property like farm crops and processing factories to war destructions. In addition, most families in the south had their men killed as a result of heavy casualties from the fights (Smith 45). Others were maimed and disabled by the Northern Union forces. In this context southern families would experience the toughest times in their history attributed to casualty and property destruction after the war. Apart from poverty, there was a pronounced degree of mental illnesses witnessed among war veterans in the southern region. Thousands of soldiers became addicted to morphine; hence could not be productive to the society after the war. White settlers in the south lost the slave labor force; thus they could no longer engage in extensive a gricultural services. Approximately 90% of Black Americans lived in the South during the war (Jerry 23). After the black liberation from slavery by Northern Union soldiers, Southern farmers felt the economic gap left by slave workers in their farms. At this juncture, we can acknowledge the fact that Southern states suffered substantial damages after the civil war. With respect to Reconstruction, Southern alliances saw the move as an insult from the north, given that the southern states had already suffered great loss after the war. On the other hand, Northern alliance wanted to further their ambitions aimed towards abolition of slavery in the south. In this regard, Southern states interpreted the reconstruction move as an attempt by north to further injure damages already inflicted to the south. Therefore, reconstruction efforts met stiff resistance, especially on the efforts directed towards abolition of slavery. Reconstruction started in the time when Abraham Lincoln was the US pr esident. Lincoln sought support of the congress and executive arms of the cabinet in striving to formulate policies meant to oversee Reconstruction strategies. At the inception stages, Reconstruction started gaining momentum when black Americans moved from their slavery masters, into independent settlements. In addition, African Americans started receiving political recognition, which granted them freedom to participate in elective politics. Despite Lincoln’s efforts in implementing strategies, the president met stiff resista

Defining Humanities Essay Example for Free

Defining Humanities Essay Humanities is the study of language, philosophy, communication, environment, history, religion, sociology, arts, culture, education and ethics. The word humanities originally comes from the Latin word, â€Å"humanus. † The word humanus means â€Å"human. † To be â€Å"human† is to possess the qualities and attributes of man. Being human also has the feelings and dispositions proper to man. However, humanities as the study of the different cultural aspects analyzes man’s weaknesses in life and how each can be improved. Culture includes speech, knowledge, beliefs, arts, technologies, ideals, and rules. To be cultured means to be refined and well versed in arts, philosophy, and the languages. It is also to be learned about great men and leaders in the past. Culture should regulate the type of behavior considered appropriate to an individual. Its teaching is essential for one to obtain the proper knowledge in his efforts to achieve the status of being a cultured man. On the other hand, understanding man and his affairs rather than just a body of accepted facts and theories is a purpose for humanities. It has various meanings in different historical periods, but it is only the same. This sums up to remind everyone about humanity. Humanities dealt with philosophy and theology in the 12th, 13th centuries and Renaissance period. This was the study of disciplines among languages, fine arts, music, and philosophy. Recognizing literature defined humanities in the past. There were different types of performing arts such as music, dance, theatre, philosophy, and religion. Humanities supported various categories of literature. Each and every one of these types were study academically. in the early centuries. Humanities is still an ongoing study of today and the future.

The Concept and Debate of Transhumanism

The Concept and Debate of Transhumanism Faiza Hossain Introduction: As human beings, we are obsessed with progressing and improving ourselves. Whether it be physically or mentally, this idea of being better is apparent. [DS1]Transhumanism is an extreme form of improving oneself[DS2].   Whether it be being induced with artificial blood, or inserting a microchip into the brain, transhumanism is about making the ordinary, extraordinary! But, is it ethically right and beneficial to test on humans? Should we be messing around with the natural creation of our bodies? And can transhumanism be a danger to society? These major ethical questions will be answered in this research paper, where the core value of what a transhuman is, will be exposed[DS3]. Is transhumanism really beneficial and ethical for human beings? The definition of Transhumanism is the belief or theory that the human race can advance beyond its present physical and mental limitations, especially by the use of science and technology. We are living in generation, where technology is rapidly evolving and improving. This advancement of technology has benefited people, especially in the transhumanist area. This can be portrayed by the living example of Jesse Sullivan; who is titled as the worlds first Bionic Man1. Sullivan lost his arm in an accident however, The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, gave him the opportunity to replace his arms with robotic prosthetics. The procedure included connecting his nervous system to the robotic arm, allowing him to lift objects by the power of thought. This procedure proves that the marriage of technology and biological components is possible, and really is beneficial to mankind. An arm cant be grown, but technology has given individuals a second chance and an opportunity to have a better quality of life. Another way in which machinery has positively changed a persons life is the story of a stroke patient who trialled the BrainGate2 System. A brain-computer interface used a 4mm-wide chip1, which was implanted in the brain. The significance of this chip was the ability to read signals from neurons which were in charge of motion controlling (e.g., the movement of muscles) and interpret the signals, using a computer, into the physical movement of, such as, a robotic arm and hand. After five years, the chip is still fully working, and the patient is able to carry out daily tasks, which we take granted for, such as raising a cup of coffee to her mouth. This astonishing piece of technology has also given this patient a better quality of life, and furthermore, proves that the study of transhumanism is vital, to help those who need it. Although a robotic arm may be perceived as artificial, and unnatural, technology is allowing people to be happier, even after a traumatic event. The future of transhumanism includes the invention of artificial blood, which improves your stamina. Having a microchip inside your brain, which allows you to communicate telepathically, and being able to become smarter, passively, by storing information into this chip. The possibilities to the way the study of transhumanism can benefit us, is endless. Is human testing, justifiable? When it comes to the study of transhumanism, a controversial question always arises; should scientist be allowed to test on human subjects? This concern is portrayed by numerous people (such as religious followers), and what some people claim, is holding scientists and technology back, from rapidly progressing[DS4].   Research involving human subjects is not intrinsically ethically dubious. Human testing does have ethical concerns, however, these concerns can be met and eased out. There is a huge importance for human testing as it will create a huge improvement in the quality of lives and number of lives saved through such research 3, and this can be seen from earlier examples of patients receiving robotic arms. Human testing is vital for the progression of the future. When conducting experiments on human test subjects, it is essential that the experiment is carried out ethically. This includes asking the participants permission, fully explaining what the procedure will be, making necessary medical check-ups, and making sure he/she will be safe. Furthermore, external judgement is used to measure the safety of the experiment, and in this case, the Research ethics committees (RECs) are widely used to assess and review trial designs.4 The importance of these committees is to overview, and evaluate the practices the researcher will conduct on the participant. The committee include both professional and lay perspectives as to whether the research is ethically acceptable. This portrays that a lot of extensive background checks are carried out, and the safety of the participant is a priority[DS5]. PRECAUTIONARY VS PROACTIVE RESEARCH Scientists, especially those in the transhumanism field, are aware of the cautionary and proactive research. We should not reject the products of applied science; neither should we implement powerful new technologies without foresight and proactive preparation.   (www.extropy.org)5. Being a proactive researcher, is about taking risks, but doing it for the benefit of making progress in technology. Relying on the evidence from past experiments, and written text books, will not help transhumanism evolve into what it can be fully capable of. Making the robotic arms, was a proactive choice made by scientists, and now, people are reeking the benefits from this. Imagine, what more we can unveil, if scientists keep making this proactive choice. An alternative response for research is known as the precautionary principle. The precautionary principle, proposed as a new guideline in environmental decision making6, has four main mechanisms: taking actions to prevent any uncertainties; shifting the burden of proof to the proponents of an activity; finding lots of alternative routes to possibly harmful actions, and getting more public participation in decision making before and during research. The precautionary principle highlights this tight, challenging linkage between science and policy.6 Although precautionary research is much safer for the participant, the problem with the unwillingness to take risks, means progress is made slower in the technology field. This slows down our advancement for a better future and means people who need these revolutionary machinery in their day to day life (such as robotic legs and arms), have to wait longer[DS6]. THE NEGATIVES ABOUT TRANSHUMANISM       The main problem with the idea of transhumanism that many face, is if technology is being exploited for our selfish desires? The idea of wanting to live longer, or be smarter   and stronger, are selfish desires that people want to achieve, and some perceive as unnatural. As all living things are mortal, the study of transhumanism, is fascinating; a topic in transhumanism includes finding ways to cheat death. Being immortal sounds amazing, but is it realistic? If everyone in this world was immortal, then there will be over population7, food shortages, increased global warming and negative climate change. Furthermore, due to overpopulation, there may be a rapid spread of disease, water may run out and fossil fuel will be used up a lot quicker. The world we live in, cannot provide for the immortal. Transhumanist are optimist that through their technological findings, they can help third world countries such as India, by -skipping industrialization and go straight into late capitalist, post- industrial societies (Munkittrick). However, from the extremely high pollution levels seen by third world countries such as India and Brazil, this transition is not at smooth, and if anything, is more damaging to the earth. The concept of skipping industrialization, for these third world countries, seems very unrealistic, and nothing but a utopian view. One last negative attitude towards transhumanism, is that it will create a segregation between societies. It is evident, that when technology that can make you smarter or live longer is achieved, the privileged few will be able to have accesses to these traits, which will create and further distance between people; based on their wealth. Although transhumanism will allow us to benefit traits which will benefit us in the future, it is also possible that there will be more inequality between people and also, earth is not equipped to allow living space for immortal living species. MY METHODOLOGY My report is solely based off secondary research. I have been able to carry out secondary research by reading and actively unpicking online journals and articles (based on transhumanism), visit official which profession transhumanist have written papers and pieces based on this topic. Furthermore, the use of critiquing text was used, and looking at real life examples of cyborgs was evident. As my research only consisted of secondary data, this meant that a research budget was not necessary, as I [DS7]was not required to do any primary research. TRANSHUMANISMà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦A BETTER FUTURE? In conclusion, clearly the study of transhumanism has benefited people in this century. Technology is rapidly evolving and it is fitting the needs of people, whether that be the likes of a robotic arm. Transhumanism is breaking the boundary of people with disabilities, and in this context, closing the inequality gap that many disabled people feel[DS8]. However, if this research is mistreated, many people will get severely hurt, and it can totally flip, and instead, creates a larger inequality between people[DS9]. The future of transhumanism is looking bright, and with technology progressing this far, cures for diseases can be found much quicker, and ground breaking technology, can be used to help third world countries. It is the optimism of the people and scientist, which is needed, if we are to make the future a better place. I truly believe there is a place for transhumanism and cyborgs in the future, but it is up to us to be open minded for this change. REFERENCES[DS10] JESSE SULLIVAN Lanxon, Nate. Practical Transhumanism: Five Living Cyborgs. WIRED UK. N.p., 2016. Web. 6 Sept. 2016. Transhumanist Values. Nickbostrom.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 6 Sept. 2016. Theconversation.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Sept. 2016. Gorski, David. Theconversation.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Sept. 2016. 5. Transhumanisms Extropy Institute Transhumanism For A Better Future. Extropy.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Sept. 2016. 6. D Kriebel, M Stoto. The Precautionary Principle In Environmental Science.. Environmental Health Perspectives 109.9 (2001): 871. Web. 7 Sept. 2016. 7. The Problems With Transhumanism. Psychology Today. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Sept. 2016. [DS1]This is very bold statement. In the future, try to find any research that can support this claim. [DS2]This another example where you should use a reference to support the statement. [DS3]A lot of assumption were made in this paragraph. It will be a good practise in the future to the use a reference to support what you are saying. [DS4]Reference? [DS5]Good demonstration of ethical understanding, but the referencing format used was not Harvard referencing. [DS6]Good points laid out in this section. [DS7]Avoiding writing academic report in first person, always write them in third person. [DS8]The context of this statement is not clear. [DS9]Which research, in what way will it flip, and what source do you have to support this statement? [DS10]The format used is not Harvard referencing.

Point Of View Essay :: essays research papers

In the short story "Through the tunnel", Doris Lessing describes the adventure of Jerry, a young English boy trying to swim through an underwater tunnel. Throughout the story, the author uses the third person omniscient point of view to describe the boy's surroundings and to show us both what he and the other characters are thinking and what is happening around them. By using this point of view, the author is able to describe the setting of the story, give a detailed description of the characters, and make the theme visible. By using the third person omniscient point of view, the narrator can give us a detailed and unbiased description of his/her surroundings while still retaining part of the character's view of reality. When the narrator says "It was a wild-looking place, and there was no one there" we are given the mother's view of the boy's beach, which in her opinion is "wild looking". This gives us a clear picture of the setting. Additionally, the sentence "He went out fast over the gleaming sand, over a middle region where rocks lay like discolored monsters under the surface, and then he was in the real sea - a warm sea where irregular cold currents from the deep water shocked his limbs" clearly describes the beach where the boy is swimming and how it is seen by him. With the addition of words like "discoloured monsters" and "real sea" we can tell what the boy's feeling are toward his beach which he considers scary but at the same time challeng ing. By using the third person omniscient point of view, the narrator is able to render the characters with information related both from direct description and from the other character's revelations. This way, the description remains unbiased, but at the same time coherent with how the various characters see it. For example, after the narrator tells us that "He was an only child, eleven years old. She was a widow. She was determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion.", we are able to understand why the boy is so emotionally attached to his mother and, at the beginning, unwilling to ask her for permission to go to his beach and, later in the story, unwilling to let her know about his adventure through the tunnel. This also explains why the mother let him go without questions, even if she was very worried about him. Point Of View Essay :: essays research papers In the short story "Through the tunnel", Doris Lessing describes the adventure of Jerry, a young English boy trying to swim through an underwater tunnel. Throughout the story, the author uses the third person omniscient point of view to describe the boy's surroundings and to show us both what he and the other characters are thinking and what is happening around them. By using this point of view, the author is able to describe the setting of the story, give a detailed description of the characters, and make the theme visible. By using the third person omniscient point of view, the narrator can give us a detailed and unbiased description of his/her surroundings while still retaining part of the character's view of reality. When the narrator says "It was a wild-looking place, and there was no one there" we are given the mother's view of the boy's beach, which in her opinion is "wild looking". This gives us a clear picture of the setting. Additionally, the sentence "He went out fast over the gleaming sand, over a middle region where rocks lay like discolored monsters under the surface, and then he was in the real sea - a warm sea where irregular cold currents from the deep water shocked his limbs" clearly describes the beach where the boy is swimming and how it is seen by him. With the addition of words like "discoloured monsters" and "real sea" we can tell what the boy's feeling are toward his beach which he considers scary but at the same time challeng ing. By using the third person omniscient point of view, the narrator is able to render the characters with information related both from direct description and from the other character's revelations. This way, the description remains unbiased, but at the same time coherent with how the various characters see it. For example, after the narrator tells us that "He was an only child, eleven years old. She was a widow. She was determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion.", we are able to understand why the boy is so emotionally attached to his mother and, at the beginning, unwilling to ask her for permission to go to his beach and, later in the story, unwilling to let her know about his adventure through the tunnel. This also explains why the mother let him go without questions, even if she was very worried about him.

Explain, with specific examples from the novel, How the writer’s :: Free Essay Writer

Explain, with specific examples from the novel, How the writer’s descriptions of location and setting reflect the changes inJane Eyre’s character. In this essay I will explain how Charlotte Bronte manages to change the mood and feelings in Jane Eyre’s character by the description of the location and setting. Throughout Jane Eyre, as Jane herself moves from one physical location to another, the settings in which she finds herself vary considerably. Bronte makes the most of this by carefully arranging those settings, to match the differing circumstances Jane finds herself in at each. In this novel, Charlotte Bronte uses violence throughout the book to keep the reader interested and also at the same time it creates a good springboard for emotional and dramatical scenes. This is a great way for Bronte, to express the different changes in Jane Eyre’s mood and feelings. The first occurrence of this is when Jane physically quarrels with her cousin John. This leads to Jane being locked up in the Red Room in which her uncle died. This represents violence because of the physical fighting and that the room is also red, which some people think represents violence. Also, in the book Charlotte Bronte uses the technique of pathetic fallacy to represent Jane’s moods e.g. ‘the cold winter wind had brought with it’s clouds so sombre, a rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question’ (chapter 1, Page 9). This is a description of the weather at Gateshead, showing that Jane’s inner mood is blank and miserable. She feels unsure about her future, by not having a bare insight into her life. As a young girl, Jane Eyre feels trapped at Gateshead, as if it is her whole world. In the first chapter, Charlotte Bronte makes a very good attempt at describing Jane’s fear of John Reed, ‘He bullied and punished me; not two or three times in the week, but continually: every nerve I had feared him, and every morsel of flesh on my bones shrank when he came near’ (Chapter 1, Page 12). This is a description of Jane’s fear that she has of John. This shows that Jane could not be very happy and would be frightened most of the time because of the bullying and punishing John gave to her continually. Also in the first chapter, Jane is excluded to the breakfast room and she went behind a closed curtain reading quietly which was very enjoying for her, ‘I was then happy: happy at least in my way’. This shows Jane’s happiness when she is reading a book, In my own opinion I think Jane gets happy because

The Pursuit of Happyness

â€Å"The Pursuit of Happyness† The movie it’s about a man called Christopher Gardner that lives with his wife and son in a small apartment. They have a low budget and are going thru a very difficult time economically and it could come to a point where they can lose everything and even get apart. This man invested the family savings in this kind of machines called â€Å"Bone Density scanner’’ thinking he was going to invest and earned a lot of money to maintain his family. They thought it was going to be a great result, but it turned out the opposite way. In life not everything that seems bright as gold.The Gardner family where trying to survive the most that they can. While the days were passing it was getting worst and worst. Chris Gardner has big dreams for him and his family but it doesn’t seem to come together for him. This financial thing that were going on suddenly breaks the family starting with troubles in the relationship with his wife th at leaves him and his son and moves to New York. His wife wanted to take their son with her because she said that every children should be with their mom, but Christopher said that it’s very true, but he said that he could take better care of him than her because his used to it.After that he loses his wife, lost his bank account, and credit cards. He was searching for jobs all over but he couldn’t find anything, until finally he decided to do an stockbroker internship position at Dean Witter, competing for one career for six months with getting any salary at all with twenty other candidates for that position and only one of them was going to get the job. He was doing the best he could to fight for what he wanted. He was being a father and a mother at the same time it was not easy as it seemed to be. Meanwhile, they were homeless and he was going thru all the difficulties with his son Christopher Jr.Even thou they were struggling Chris was determined to make it and not giving up, in another words with the little that they had they were trying to survive. What it seemed impossible turned possible because after all the hard work and the difficult times that they were going thru, all that turned out to be a wonderful result for their lives because he finally got the job, from all twenty candidates he got to be the chosen one. Chris and his son’s lives change from the darkness past to a brightness present. In conclusion, this movie it’s amazing and great.It inspired me a lot because it teach me that no matter what are you going thru or what you face in life there’s nothing impossible and giving up is not an option. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, what it matters it’s how many times you stand up and keep moving forward. Life could give you so many challenges, but it’s up to you how you decided to face it and deal with it and besides that it’s the result that you are going to obtain. These word s of the movie â€Å"Don’t ever let somebody tell you†¦You can’t do something† â€Å"You got a dream†¦ you got to protect it.People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you, you can’t do it. If you want something go get it. Period† they inspired me a lot because you can’t let anyone bring you down and tell you that you’re a nobody and that you can’t do anything just because they haven’t gotten what they wanted or their dreams come true. We have to stand up, be strong, and demonstrate that we are better than them and that we could do anything that step in our ways without the help of anybody. I leave with this saying â€Å"What it looks impossible for man, it’s possible for God†. The Pursuit of Happyness â€Å"The Pursuit of Happyness† The movie it’s about a man called Christopher Gardner that lives with his wife and son in a small apartment. They have a low budget and are going thru a very difficult time economically and it could come to a point where they can lose everything and even get apart. This man invested the family savings in this kind of machines called â€Å"Bone Density scanner’’ thinking he was going to invest and earned a lot of money to maintain his family. They thought it was going to be a great result, but it turned out the opposite way. In life not everything that seems bright as gold.The Gardner family where trying to survive the most that they can. While the days were passing it was getting worst and worst. Chris Gardner has big dreams for him and his family but it doesn’t seem to come together for him. This financial thing that were going on suddenly breaks the family starting with troubles in the relationship with his wife th at leaves him and his son and moves to New York. His wife wanted to take their son with her because she said that every children should be with their mom, but Christopher said that it’s very true, but he said that he could take better care of him than her because his used to it.After that he loses his wife, lost his bank account, and credit cards. He was searching for jobs all over but he couldn’t find anything, until finally he decided to do an stockbroker internship position at Dean Witter, competing for one career for six months with getting any salary at all with twenty other candidates for that position and only one of them was going to get the job. He was doing the best he could to fight for what he wanted. He was being a father and a mother at the same time it was not easy as it seemed to be. Meanwhile, they were homeless and he was going thru all the difficulties with his son Christopher Jr.Even thou they were struggling Chris was determined to make it and not giving up, in another words with the little that they had they were trying to survive. What it seemed impossible turned possible because after all the hard work and the difficult times that they were going thru, all that turned out to be a wonderful result for their lives because he finally got the job, from all twenty candidates he got to be the chosen one. Chris and his son’s lives change from the darkness past to a brightness present. In conclusion, this movie it’s amazing and great.It inspired me a lot because it teach me that no matter what are you going thru or what you face in life there’s nothing impossible and giving up is not an option. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, what it matters it’s how many times you stand up and keep moving forward. Life could give you so many challenges, but it’s up to you how you decided to face it and deal with it and besides that it’s the result that you are going to obtain. These word s of the movie â€Å"Don’t ever let somebody tell you†¦You can’t do something† â€Å"You got a dream†¦ you got to protect it.People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you, you can’t do it. If you want something go get it. Period† they inspired me a lot because you can’t let anyone bring you down and tell you that you’re a nobody and that you can’t do anything just because they haven’t gotten what they wanted or their dreams come true. We have to stand up, be strong, and demonstrate that we are better than them and that we could do anything that step in our ways without the help of anybody. I leave with this saying â€Å"What it looks impossible for man, it’s possible for God†.

Discipline Essay

Machiavelli has a theory that â€Å"ends justify the means† which means a person may do whatever they need to do as long as their outcome has some meaning. In sports some believe that taking steroids is the right thing to do. Then there is also the group that believes that taking steroids is morally wrong. From an ethical/moral standpoint, players who use steroids are cheating and living a lie, garnering success and prospering from illegal substances. Users who buy into Machiavelli’s theory go against society’s standards of rewarding hard work and discipline. When you take steroids you do not use hard work and discipline to reach your physical status. Taking steroids is a harm that reaches far beyond one’s body, but into one’s soul. It is morally wrong to cheat for a living. Those who oppose the illegality and immorality of performance-enhancing drugs maintain that professional athletes should have the right to use steroids because steroids are no different from any other technology or substance that enables athletes to compete at high levels. Although advances in technology in sports have been made that only allows the sports to become more competitive. One’s body is not a piece of equipment that can be used, abused, and replaced. Using enhancers such as, anabolic steroids, allows beings to become almost super human an act of immorality. In Steve Yuhas’ essay, â€Å"The Steroid Scandal in Baseball has been Overblown,† he explains a profound understanding that steroids cannot increase the abilities of an athlete. Overall steroids do not help the abilities taught to professional athletes or athletes in general. Yuhas states that â€Å"Yes, they can become stronger and their biceps may grow to the size of a normal person’s thigh, but that doesn’t make them able to hit a small ball with a thin bat and it certainly doesn’t make a football player throw more accurately or kick the ball through the uprights with more precision† (Yuhas 2). Abilities are taught and learned. Steroids do not help the ability of the athlete. He is a believer of Machiavelli’s theory; he believes that an athlete does not have to work hard to achieve a mentally and physically stronger body when they can just pop a pill to do the work for them. Yuhas’ argues, â€Å"There seems to be a [†¦] scale of morality involved in steroids that is absent from any other substance. Popping a pill to render a child more productive in school or to make a fat person thin is great; sucking the fat out of a woman’s behind or injecting a forehead with botox is simply cosmetic upkeep, but put something in your body that makes you more competitive in your livelihood and it is somehow morally corrupt† (Yuhas 2). Although Yuhas makes a substantial argument there is a thin line between what is morally wrong and what is right. Athletes use steroids to become stronger to earn more money and fame for themselves. Society looks upon steroid use as an immoral judgment. Steroid use for athletes is a selfish and greedy act. People may use botox to prevent â€Å"Father Time†, but that is not a reason for professional athletes, who are role models to so many, to use steroids. A human beings competitive livelihood is apparent to all. When someone wants to become the best they are willing to work hard for it and not cheat. When you use steroids you do not become the greatest athlete, but you do become the worst. Despite the recent problems with steroid use in professional sports, especially baseball, steroid restrictions have not been enforced hard enough on the athletes. Steroids used by one-person gives them an advantage over those who do not use performance enhancers. Due to steroid use, sports records held by elite athletes are being broken by false feats that are only achieved by using an enhancer, and enforcing steroid use in professional sports gives young athletes a better understanding of how dangerous enhancers actually are. Aside from personal harm to the user, steroid use is detrimental to fellow players as well as fans. Many things can be included as an immoral act but in today’s society steroid use is a main point on what is morally wrong. Baseball is an American pastime and ruining the game is a bad example to all Americans. Americans have a livelihood for competition, from clinching the World Series to who can belch the loudest. Our conscience urges competition to an extreme that makes the littlest of things very big. While performance-enhancing drugs enhance an athlete’s skill sets, they devalue and alter competition. When you go to a baseball game you only want to see a few things, which include that huge homerun by your favorite player and the win to your favorite team. Some would argue that using steroids will allow more homeruns to players and would make baseball games more entertaining. Well those few people may be right but then the game would not be competitive. If you go to a game and each team hits five to eight homeruns apiece the urge to see homeruns and watch the game would be ruined. Records are always broken, each decade a more outstanding athlete emerges and they begin at a record pace and break great athletic records. Records are something to glorify, Babe Ruth had the record homeruns in a season, then a few years later that was broken by another player, Roger Marris. As the game began to become more competitive in both aspects of pitching and hitting records were difficult to break. Hitters began to hit the long ball harder and further, the change in the athletes muscle mass was exponential but players and the MLB did not care. Baseball had many fans, as Mark McGwire had been his record-breaking homerun pace. His record was set by a lie as he attested to using steroids during that record breaking year and his lie caused much hurt to fans as it had embarrassed the franchise. Later Barry Bonds broke the record and broke the all time homeruns in a career passing Hank Aaron. Not long after that he was accused of using steroids and then again a franchise was embarrassed. The pressure on baseball players is indirect; it comes twice a month, on paydays. The big money goes to guys who hit thirty homers, not the ones who hit thirty doubles. It pays to be strong; it is almost like an animalistic behavior. Only the strongest survive. Are athletes the role models needed for American youth? Many young athletes have their favorite player in whichever sport they partake in. Seeing their idol admitting to using steroids could possibly corrupt their mind in believing that steroid use is the right thing to do to become a stronger and better athlete. Beyond any possible benefits of steroid use lies the dangerous issue of health. In many cases, athletes (especially young athletes) are so focused on success in a professional sport that they are ignoring the glaring consequences of steroid use. In actuality, the price of steroid use and abuse is high; much higher a price than any lucrative contract or marketing deal. â€Å"The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that heart attacks, strokes, and live cancer are the more serious life-threatening effects of steroid abuse. Side effects for male users include acne, hair-loss, development of breasts, shrinking testicles, and impotence. † (qtd. In Fletcher D4). Yet another way in which steroids harm the user is through increased susceptibility to injuries. One theory is that players are overwhelming their bodies with rapid muscle growth. Players who use steroids to gain a competitive advantage over peers and opponents pressure others, including youth, to use performance-enhancing substances. If they too want to win and remain competitive, they must use steroids as well. In baseball, as with all professional sports, income, fame, and marketability depend on success and impressive feats of athleticism. The pressure and increased incentive to â€Å"bulk up† is evident. â€Å"The average size of a major-league player was a pretty standard 6-foot-1, 185 pounds for at least 30 years, until the early 1990s. Today, the average player is 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, and most teams have players who weigh in at 240 pounds or more. † (West 22). Bigger players hit more home runs and sign lucrative contracts and endorsement deals. Because of this, more players want to be bigger. As more and more players are tainted by steroids it begins to affect more and more of the youth that watches sports. Steroids have directly affected the biggest fans in baseball, America’s youth. Besides cheapening statistics and athletic accomplishments, the use of performance-enhancing drugs has tarnished the general image of baseball. Instead of a game that encourages healthy competition, it is one that resembles a pharmacological trade show, where the effects of steroids are put on display. Baseball is known as â€Å"America’s pastime†. It holds a special place in American society. The values of society are reflected in the values of its most popular and revered cultural pastimes. When the message is sent that it is acceptable to have a drug problem in sport, it is akin to saying that this staple of American culture is reflective of a drug problem in society. Some would argue that baseball is a reflection of a culture mired in drugs and a society that is lacking quality role models for its youth. One of the biggest blows to baseball’s image came in August 2005 when slugger Rafael Palmeiro, who has collected over 3,000 hits and has hit nearly 600 home runs during his career, tested positive for steroids. † (Fletcher D1). The former first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles was booed relentlessly and was told by the team after the season he would no longer be part of the team. Palmeiro is since retired; his hall-of-fame numbers are still in question. As we have seen, the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport, specifically baseball, is an immoral practice. As seen steroid use does in fact directly affects fans and the teammates that the player plays with. Drug testing baseball players cannot be foolproof. In fact, all the testing does is keep players from using optimal dosages and encourage them to find ways to mask the drugs. The only infallible test for steroid use is a player’s moral compass. As soon as players identify not using steroids as a moral obligation, for both personal reasons and beyond, the game of baseball and its once-great warriors will return to the apex of the sporting world.