The Nature of the Neutral Question - Essay Example

January 9, Neutral Question Introduction A neutral question requires a true or correct answer. The paper delves on the issue of neutrality. The paper focuses on the different concepts of the neutral question’s environment. Technically, there will be no such thing as neutrality-based question. Discussion of Neutrality Concepts All questions that generate a true or correct answer are a neutral question (Benjamin, 2012). For example, the question “Ireland a part of the United Kingdom?” is a neutral question because the answer is yes. Similarly, the question “How many hands does a baby have?” is neutral question. The universally accepted answer to the question is two hands. Math questions are generally neutral questions. The question “what is the sum of ten cows and fifteen cows?” is neutral question. The question generates the universally accepted 25 cows answer. However, logic-based questions are culturally relevant (Muller, 2014). What may logically generate a true answer in one group or community may not generate a similar true answer in another community. This usually occurs when language is concerned in the questioning process. Pointing silently to a picture of a tree to persons from different countries will generate different neutrality true answers from a Japanese, French or U.K. citizen. Mr. F. Moghaddam emphasized that indigenous knowledge may not be universally true (Muller, 2014). Indigenous people’s entrepreneurship concepts differ from the Western entrepreneurship culture (Vaughan, 2013). In fact, Ms. C. Odora-Hoppers espoused the indigenous people’s concept of what is true (neutral question) should be respected by the Western world (Odora-Hoppers, 2002). During the … times, the acceptable answer to the question “does the sun revolve around the earth?” is yes. Scientific knowledge during that time period espoused the earth is the center of the universe. During our current generation, the neutral answer to the same question is no. current scientific research affirms that the earth revolves around the sun. Stating that the outcomes of a scientific process research should be the neutrality true answer is questionable (Gauch, 2012). If the research methodology is erroneously implemented, then the outcome of the scientific process may be wrong. If the research population is wrongly selected or wrongly handled, the outcome of the scientific process may be unintentionally erroneous. Similarly, the scientific method may generate culturally-biased outcomes (Gauch, 2012). Mr. F. Boas reiterated culture affects behavior, including the trueness (neutrality) of a question (Douglas, 2011). Mr. Goldsmith reiterated observed data may be subjective, leading to a corrupted neutral question (Goldsmith, 2015). In a scene where the scientific research focuses on determining the best qualified leader, several research respondent groups may have different concepts of who qualifies as a group leader. One group’s leadership culture may choose a leader who can bring everyone together to act cooperatively as group. The second group’s leadership culture may choose the new leader based on seniority. A third group’s leadership culture may choose the brightest member as the new group leader. The scientific research findings cannot espouse that the third group’s leadership culture selection is the only neutrally correct answer. Specifically, the scientific method researchers must not force the first group to implement the second group’s method of electing the group leaders. Logically, scientific method research can generate a neutral (true) question (Gauch, 2012). A research method that asked if a frog can breathe underwater for three hours is a neutral question. The researchers can place the frog under the water for three hours. If the frog lives, then the neutrally correct answer is yes. Likewise, the question giver must be intently neutral in the giving of the question and seeking of the answer (Gauch, 2012). In a math test, the question giver asks the equivalent of 72 inches. The biased question giver indicates that he wants all test answers to be in feet. When the answer is given is 2 yards, the question giver marks the answer as false. Even though the given 2 yard answer is equivalent to the question giver’s preferred 6 feet answer, the question giver will not accept the 2 yard answer. However, 2 yards is logically equivalent to 6 feet. Ethics Knowledge Area Applying the above concept of neutral questioning, morality or ethics questions are grounded on the participants’ cultural upbringing. The church teachings are grounded on culture-specific logical processes (christianity.stackexchange.com, 2014). What may be ethically right in one group or community may not be accepted as ethically right by another opposing group or community. However, if both the person asking the question and the person giving the answer belong to one group, the group cultures’ acceptable answer is the neutrality acceptable answer. In terms of one area of knowledge (Ethics), there is no neutral question. Every individual’s cultural background and biases pertaining to ethics concepts contribute to the absence of any neutral question. If one person asks the question whether it is ethically correct to eat human flesh, there is no one correct universal answer. Thus the question is not a neutral question. What may be ethically correct in one group may not be ethically correct in another group. A very good ethical question is cannibalism. Some groups espouse cannibalism. Cannibalism is the eating of one or more parts of the human person. However, other groups detest eating human flesh or any human internal organs. If one person from a group that espouses cannibalism as unlawful will affirm that the answer from a person who belongs to a group or community that legally practices cannibalism as cannibalism is lawful will be a self-serving one-side wrong answer. Mr. Prinz insisted that morality is a culture-based conditioned neutral answer to a neutral-based question (Prinz, 2014). Further, a very good ethics question case is the Armin Meiwes (42 yrs old) cannibalism case. Germany does not outlaw cannibalism. Consequently, the German society allows the eating of human flesh. However, most of nations prohibit cannibalism. Cannibalism is the killing and eating of human flesh. Armin Meiwes was a homosexual German computer expert. He advertised in the internet he needed a willing cannibalism victim to be eaten. Another German citizen, Bernd J. Brandes (43 yrs old) accepted Meiwes’ invitation to be a willing cannibalism food for Meiwes. Consequently, Meiwes was charged in a German court for sexually motivated murder. However, he was not charged for cannibalism. The court’s sentence was life imprisonment (Hickey, 2012). Furthermore, other examples prove cannibalism is an accepted ethical standard in many societies. In 2008, the Warlord Charles Taylor ordered his soldiers to eat the flesh of both the enemies and the captured United Nations peace keepers. Some groups in Australia, Canada, and our United Kingdom do practice cannibalism. As expected, some isolated groups in Russia and China enjoy cannibalism activities. Historic records show the famous explorer James Cook was killed and eaten by the Hawaii natives during 1779. One controversial former Irish nationalist, British consul Roger Casement, recorded seeing Congolese natives eating the uncooked bleeding flesh of the killed enemies. Casement was later executed as a traitor for seeking Germany’s support for the Irish rebellion (Cohen, 2013). Art Knowledge Area In terms of another area of knowledge (Arts), there is no neutral question. Similarly, each person’s cultural background and biases pertaining to arts theories contributes to the absence of any neutral question. Asking the question whether a particular art piece qualifies as masterpiece art, the answer is not universally accepted. Different groups or societies have different concepts of art. Consequently, some of the different groups disapprove the art forms of other groups, including the Dada art form. In politics, Kuhn emphasized the neutral question concept includes the use of paradigms in the American political system (Marcum, 2005). Further, dadaism art movement cropped up during the 20th century. The same art movement wanted to add variance to the current world’s art concepts. The movement never intended to replace the current art concepts. They wanted society to include other art forms in their art itineraries. Exhibit 1 Duchamp’s Fountain Further, the Dada movement leaders espoused art to be without any strict rules or boundaries. The founders abhorred societies’ control of cultures and ethical standards. They wanted freedom to do whatever they want in the realm called art. Consequently, the founders believed that anyone can draw, paint, sketch, or make any art masterpiece (Brill 72). Furthermore, Marcel Duchamp, one of the founders of the Dada art movement, uses ordinary objects or scenes as art themes. One of Duchamp’s art masterpieces focuses on a most used object, the urinal (Exhibit 1). He emphasized the importance of the urinal to making life more enjoyable, comfortable, and clean. Duchamp named the urinal Fountain (Duchamp 1). Duchamp shows the urinal hides the foul odor of human urine, benefiting human society. Typically, a normal person would not pay £10 to visit the London museum just to see the picture of urinal. Instead, the museum visitor is willing the same amount to see Picasso’s art masterpieces. Mr. K. Popper’s falsification theory affirms that science’s neutral question progresses through trial and error (Gorton, 2012). However, Verkauf feels Dada artists are unnecessarily shocking contemporary society. Verkauf insisted that the Dada art pieces are without any sense of reality. The same critic affirmed the art pieces do not have any artistic quality (Brill 72). Conclusion Accordingly, the neutral question needs a corresponding true/ correct reply. Culture affects the neutrality of the question. Different groups offer different logic-based neutrality answers. Scientific method processes affect the neutrality of the questions. Evidently, there may never be such things as neutrality-based questions. References: Benjamin, B. (2012). Conversation Transformation. London: McGrawHill Press. Brill, Dorothee. Shock and Senseless in Dada and Fluxus. New Hampshire: UPNE Press, 2010. Cohen, R. (2013). A Muscle Odyssey. London: Troubador Press. Douglas, C. (2011). A Genealogy of Literary Multiculturalism. Cornell: Cornell University Press. Duchamp, Marcel. Fountain. Tate. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. < HYPERLINK "http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573" http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573 > Gauch, H. (2012). Scientific Method. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Goldsmith, E. (2015, January 5). Retrieved January 9, 2015, from http://www.edwardgoldsmith.org: http://www.edwardgoldsmith.org/887/is-science- neutral/ Gorton, W. (2012). Karl Popper and the Social Sciences. New York: SUNY Press. Juodovitz, Dalia. Drawing on Art: Duchamp and Company. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010. Print. Hickey, E. (2012). Serial Murderers and Their Victims. London: Cengage Learning Press.(2014). Christianity. Retrieved January 9, 2015, from http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/36055/how-does-the-catholic-church- explain-passages-that-seem-to-use-culturally-specif Marcum, J. (2005). T Kuhns Revolution. London: A & C Black Press. Muller, L. (2014). A Theory for Indigenous Australian Health and Human Service Work. London: Allen & Unwin . Odora-Hoppers, C. (2002). Indigenous Knowledge and the Integration of Knowledge Systems. Lawrenceville: New Africa Books. Prinz, J. (2014, November). https://philosophynow.org/. Retrieved January 9, 2015, from https://philosophynow.org/issues/82/Morality_is_a_Culturally_Conditioned_Response Vaughan, G. (2013). Social Psychology. London: Pearson Press. Read More