RECOMMENDED READINGS ON SMOKING

PHIL 2320: SPRING (II) 2001: CONTEMPORARY MORAL PROBLEMS

Bob Corbett, instructor

• Cigarette smoking: atrributable morality and years of potential life lost &nsbp;&nsbp;Jama Journal
  
  20% of all U.S. deaths were due to smoking. More than one million years of potential life was lost before the age of 65. Twice as many males have died of smoking than women.
  
  Why? I think that the number of the deaths which were caused can easily be compared to casualties of a war or genocide, which I think brings smoking into a controversial category of death causing aspects of the human civilisation.
  
  Site recommended by Marko Grgas
  
  
• Introduction to the controversy of tobacco
  
     By Bryan Gibson
  
  The tobacco industry has denied the harmful aspects of smoking for years. The tobacco industry targeted teenagers with their advertisements. The purpose of this issue of JSI is to examine some of these perspectives in an attempt to suggest how we should approach the important question of how to deal with tobacco use in our society.
  
  Contributed by Marko Grgas
  
  
• Social patterns of smoking behaviour: trends and practice implications
  
  Robert E. Weiler
  
  Individuals are enticed to smoke due to their surrounding environment. The article also makes recommendations for political actions.
  
  Why? I liked it, because the article also put a blame on society as a whole, making me feel responsible as well.
  
  Site recommended by Camillo Spiegelfeld
  
  
• Family and peer influences on smoking behaviour among american adolescents
  
  From: Jama: Author: Min Qi Wang
  
  It talks about the age trend in smoking and how it is influenced by peers and family.
  
  Why? It can be compared to the previous article, putting the blame on society but narrowed down to the closest people around you such as your friends and family, making the guilty conscience even greater. Site recommended by Camillo Spiegelfeld
  
  
  
  
• "Protecting Children from Passive Smoking: The Risks Are Clear and a Comprehensive Strategy is Now Needed."
  
     By: Ashley, Mary J., and Ferrence Roberta. British Medical Journal August 5, 2000.
  
  This article is about the protection of people, especially of children, from passive smoking. It is about the dramatical restricion of smoking in our society and the positive consequenses of preventing children from second hand smoke for the whole society.
  
  I think this issue is relevant to the discussion whether smoking is morally acceptable or not. Not only children but also other non-smoker are often confronted with passive smoke in daily life. What I am even more concerned is that society ignores the rights of a very important group- the children. Babies and younger children often don't have the possibility to choose whether they stay in a room where others are smoking. Who asks them? Don't they have the right to escape the smoke? I think the question is not whether smoking is healthy, the question is, is it right to force others to suffer while they are eating, reading or doing other things.
  
  Site recommended by Andreas Wirth
  
  
• "Smoking in Public Should Be Restricted."
  
     By: White, Caroline. British Medical Journal March 21, 1998.
  
  This article is about the risks of smoking and passive smoking; in addition, it suggets that smoking should be completely restricted in public. Again, this article refers to the potential risk for children and especially unborn babies, if one of the parents or both smoke. It explicilty states that smoking represents a danger to health and that the tobacco industry has benn knowing this for 30 years.
  
  I think that the danger of smoking is often ignored. Many surveys show how dangerous smoking is but still nobody cares. Not only the smokers themselves risk a lot, but also the nonsmokers, who are forced to live with the blue fume in public, could be harmed in the long run. The point is that the risk of lung cancer dramatically increases if you live, for example, with a smoker together. Not only the health condition suffers but also the parants who smoke set a bad example for their children. Moreover, the tobacco industry admits that smoking is not healthy.
  
  
• "Donīt smoke",buy Marboro
  
  Written by William D Novelli. British Medical Journal, May 8, 1999.
  
  Philip Morris, one of the biggest cigarette companies announced that thy want to do a campaign to reduce young people's smoking. Is this a true intention or just a PR gag?
  
  I think it would be interesting to talk about this article in order to discuss the moralality and business ethics of big cigartte companies.
  
  Site recommended by Niko Fletcher
  
  
• "Relationship of passive Cigarrette Smoking to Other Media"
  
  Written by Ormer Cenker Ilicali;Nesil Ketes; Kemal; Deger;Ibrahim Savas
  
  Passive smoking as a serious risk factor for children. Research done,proving the fact that children are seriosly affected by passive smoking.
  
  The question of is it morally justified that parents smoke in front of their children althought they know it causes damage to them could be discussed in class.
  
  Site contributed by Niko Fletcher
  
  
• Blowing Smoke   By: Alice Trillin
  
  In her article Alice Trillin writes that celebrities and writers with the power to influence people should not smoke.
  
  I think this article is relevant because it talks about the influence that celebrities have on young people. Many people just start to smoke because they think it is cool. This article tries to make people aware of this problem.
  
  Site recommended by Julia Schmidt
  
  
• The tobacco war goes global
  
  This article is about the battle of the WHO against smoking. The article also deals with the social and economic riscs of smoking.
  
  I think this article seems relevant because it deals with the problems that are caused by smoking and smokers. It also deals with the problems of the nonsmokers and the differences between these two groups.
  
  Site recommended by Julia Schmidt
  
  
• Hazards of Smoking   By: Phyllis G. Cooper.
  
  Smoking is the major cause of death. It is also very hazardous for those who do not smoke or have specific illness already that smoking makes worse.
  
  This thesis is relevant to the smoking theme because it discussess most of the harmful effects of it on the users and non-users.
  
  Site recommended by Sylvia Bako
  
  
• Benefits of Quitting Smoking   By: Ann Carter.
  
  Quitting smoking saves people from getting sick and dying. This article introduces the positive and beneficial aspects of quitting smoking. The positive aspects clearly outweigh the negative consequences of not smoking. Smokers do hurt and make people ill other then themselves.
  
  Site recommended by Sylvia Bako
  
  
• "Conflict of ethics and practice in hospitalized patients who want to smoke"
  
  By James Chappell; Marlon Ilagan; Richard L. Allman; Etienne J. Phipps.
  
  The article discusses the morality of allowing patients in a non-smoking hospital to smoke if they want to. The case of a very ill patient, who was unable to move by himself to the designated smoking areas is discussed.
  
  I think this article is relevant to our discussion, as it goes into the patronizing aspects of not allowing patients, or people in general, to smoke. One of the big questions about smoking is, in my opinion, how damage caused to oneself and damage caused to others can be distinguished and perhaps regulated, which is also addressed in this article.
  
  Site recommended by Jani Moliis
  
  
• "Refusing to treat smokers is unethical and a dangerous precedent"
  
  By Matthew Shiu
  
  This article takes a stand on the debate on whether smokers should be allowed the same treatments as non-smokers. The main argument in the article is that once you start prejudging smokers, there are several other groups, such as drunk drivers that you would need to refuse treatment to.
  
  This article addresses the problem of smoking from a different angle than the first one. The question of whether self-inflicted damage, which smoking is, should be allowed to become a burden on the society through medical treatment is addressed. This article takes a strong stand for allowing treatment, but I don't think the question is as clear-cut as the author imposes it.
  
  Site recommended by Jani Moliis
  
  
• "Passive (Involuntary) Smoking   By: B.D.Schmidt
  
  This article talks about passive smoking, what it consists of and how harmful it can be.It especially notes how harmful it can be for children and which conditions can be worsened by it.
  
  Why it seems to be relevant for me is because it seems to be one of the good arguments against smoking, or at least against smoking where other people are around.This article shows that our smoking harms other people and whenever we do what can harm others, the question of morality of that act rises up.
  
  Site recommended by Petra Ljevak
  
  
• Depressive Symtoms and cigerrette smoking among Teens   By Alice T. D. Hughes, Elizabeth Goodman, and John Capitman
  
  I again thought this would be a good article relavent to our discussion on the topic because it trys to prove whether there is a correlation between smoking and depression. I feel this is important because if you are depressed are you really in the right state of mind to make a good judgement on the matter, like the suicide debate. The conclusion is a bit surprising though. I would have thought that depression leads to smoking but it is actually just the opposite according to the studies findings.
  
  Site recommended by April Charles
  
  
• Tobacco Smoking, genes and dopamine   By: Paul S. B. Clarke.
  
  This article is about whysome people are have more of a tendency toward addiction to nicotine. I feel this is relevant to our disscussions because if some people have a natural predispostion toward one way or the other than is it right or just to deal with tham all in the same way when arguing the moral debate about smoking.
  
  Site recommended by April Charles

HOME