Suppose a researcher who is personally in favor of small families (as a response to the problem of overpopulation) wants to conduct a survey to determine why some people want many children and others don’t. What personal-involvement problems would the researcher face and how could she or he avoid them?
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Title: Mitigating Personal-Involvement Bias in Research on Family Size Preferences
Introduction:
When conducting research on sensitive topics such as family size preferences, researchers must be aware of personal involvement bias, which occurs when the researcher’s personal beliefs and values influence the design, execution, or interpretation of the study. In the case of a researcher who personally favors small families to address overpopulation concerns, it is crucial to identify and mitigate potential personal-involvement problems to ensure the validity and objectivity of the research findings.
Identifying Personal-Involvement Problems:
Confirmation Bias: The researcher may unintentionally seek or interpret information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs regarding small families being the solution to overpopulation.
Sample Selection Bias: There may be a tendency to select participants or sources of information that align with the researcher’s personal views, potentially excluding diverse perspectives on family size preferences.
Questionnaire Design Bias: The questionnaire may inadvertently contain biased or leading questions that frame large families in a negative light or favor responses supporting small families.
Data Interpretation Bias: The researcher may be inclined to interpret the data in a way that supports their personal stance, potentially overlooking alternative explanations or contradictory evidence.
Mitigating Personal-Involvement Bias:
Self-Reflection and Awareness: The researcher should reflect on their personal views and beliefs to identify potential biases that may influence their research. Awareness of personal involvement is the first step towards mitigating its effects.
Objective Research Design: Create a research design that ensures objectivity and neutrality. This includes using validated measurement tools, avoiding leading or biased questions, and considering diverse perspectives in the sample selection process.
Peer Review and Collaboration: Seek input from colleagues or subject matter experts who have differing viewpoints to review research plans, questionnaires, and interpretations. This external feedback can provide valuable insights and help identify and rectify potential biases.
Transparency and Full Disclosure: Clearly state the researcher’s personal stance on family size preferences and disclose any potential conflicts of interest. This transparency helps readers understand the researcher’s perspective and encourages critical evaluation of the findings.
Triangulation of Data: Collect data from multiple sources and methods to ensure a comprehensive understanding of family size preferences. This reduces the risk of cherry-picking data that aligns with personal views.
Statistical Analysis and Reporting: Utilize appropriate statistical techniques to objectively analyze the data. Present all findings, including those that challenge the researcher’s initial assumptions, to provide a balanced perspective on family size preferences.
Replication and Peer Validation: Conducting replication studies by independent researchers can help validate the findings and ensure they are not solely influenced by personal biases.
Conclusion:
Personal-involvement bias can pose challenges when researching sensitive topics like family size preferences. By acknowledging personal biases, adopting objective research practices, seeking external input, and ensuring transparency, researchers can mitigate these biases and produce more reliable and unbiased findings. Ultimately, addressing personal-involvement problems leads to greater credibility and enhances the value of research on family size preferences by providing a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.
