Introduction In this paper, I defend the importance of narrative to moral philosophy, in particular to moral realism. Moral realism, for the purposes of this essay, is the claim that there are moral truths independent of human beliefs, attitudes, desires and feelings.i Contemporary philosophers typically focus on discursive arguments and exclude narrative. But narrative is considerably more pow...

The study was designed to provide quantifiable information on both within- and between-herd variation in pig growth rate from birth to slaughter and to examine how this was influenced by moving pigs at a common age to a common environment. Five litters were selected from each of eight pig herds in Northern Ireland with varying growth performance. All eight herds were offered the same nutritiona...

unassociated with mental aberrations ; alterations in the temper, for instance, or actual hallucinations, disordered appetites of all kinds, are accompaniments both of menstruation and pregnancy. The same is the case with the menopause. That of course is a natural process, and yet is only too frequently associated with all sorts of forms of nervous and mental disturbance. Perhaps of the three c...

Surely it is time for us all to make every effort to evolve as a species and become more fully human. To be fully human is to be humane. To be sub-human is to be inhumane. In order to evolve in this way and become more fully human we must defme and refine our ethical and spiritual responsibilities and sensibilities. And we must redefine what it means to be human. 'Ine origin of the word human i...

OBJECTIVE This paper seeks to evaluate the ability to deliver term pregnancies following uterine fibroid embolization, and to identify impediments to pregnancy in the embolization procedure. STUDY DESIGN Four physicians performed embolization procedures at various facilities. Patients were asked if fertility was an issue prior to embolization. We measured follicle-stimulating hormone levels b...

A large number of prosthetic heart valves (PHV) are being implanted in patients with both congenital and acquired valvular disease. Many of the recipients of such valves are women of childbearing age who desire to have children. The main issues involved with pregnancy in a patient with PHV include the selection of PHV in women during their childbearing age, risks to both the mother and the fetu...

Cravings for food as appetite and hunger is a healthy reflex reaction to the body’s need for nutriment, just as thirst is the subjective physiological reaction to dehydration. Hypothalamic neuro-peptides released in response to nutritional demands affect brain circuits driving hunger. Unusual cravings for non-nutritive foods or uncontrollable desires for odd choices or combinations of food may ...

BACKGROUND Cross-sectional data indicate an inverse relation between breakfast consumption and child weight. It has been suggested that skipping breakfast may adversely affect appetite in children, which could lead to overeating later in the day. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to test the effects of consuming breakfast compared with omitting breakfast on appetite ratings and energy intak...

A good deal of people’s waking time is, more or less directly, spent thinking about and dealing with desire. There is no question that desires are often benign, functional, and evolutionary adaptive for the individual. However, there are cases where desire stands in conflict with important (selfregulatory) goals or (moral) values. Prime examples include the exsmoker who, upon seeing other peopl...