Ignition issue #1 by Henok Ghebrenigus

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS WALDORF – MORE THAN MAINSTREAM EDUCATION BRAIN VS CONSCIOUSNESS OUT OF YOUR DEBT WHAT THE FRACK!? ADVERTISEMENT FRIEND OF FOE? IN LOVE WITH EYP MY CHILD OR YOURS? THE HIDDEN SECRET OF LANGUAGE

IGNITION MEDIA TEAM OF LNC’14 Issue No. 1 August 2014 Editors Henok Ghebrenigus Karim Ben Hamda Editorial Assistant Anastasia Lvova Design Gatis Bērziņš Video Editor Giedrė Kazokaitė

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Journalists Annika Ader Niks Bērziņš Laine Melkerte Caroline Opperman Judīte Petroviča Anette Piirsalu Florian Schinnerl Anna Elīna Vītola

EDITORIAL Dear participants, When striving to improve the academic quality of a session, media teams often focus on the session topics. Unfortunately this approach rarely succeeds. We truly believe Ignition can have a constructiverole in improving the academic quality of 12th National Conference of EYP Latvia. During the session we aim to engage our audience by providing them with resources that fall out of the scope of the topics of the session. We want to provide you with in depth articles about topics that will not be debated during General Assembly. By supplying you with content that reaches further than the limits set by the topics, we desire to further your overall development, rather than your specific knowledge of a topic. While this may not have a direct impact on the debates, we believe that it will expand all of your horizons of all participants. At the core of deliberative democracy is political conversation. We feel that it is our responsibility as a media team to facilitate open discourse throughout the session. What we would like to achieve is for all participants to engage in discussions with each other.

YO TH UR LA E H S? NG ID UA DEN GE SE CR ET OF

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With love, On behalf of Ignition Media, Karim and Heno

THE ROAD

TO SUCCESS

WE ALL LIVE FOR SOMETHING. WHETHER IT IS AN AMBITIOUS CAREER WE ASPIRE TO ACHIEVE, TO ESTABLISH A FAMILY, OR MAYBE THE WISH TO TRAVEL THE WORLD. HOWEVER, SUCCESS IS NEVER DERIVED FROM HOPEFUL THINKING, NOR FROM BEING A COUCH POTATO. It is an early winter morning. Your alarm goes off at 6 am and it is time to wake up and get ready for school. Your bed is warm, you are still dreamy and life seems impeccable. You wonder if you could stay in bed forever, but then it is time to ask yourself – what am I doing and where am I going? Then you get out of the warm bed, your feet touch the cold floor and it is a fresh start. You can congratulate yourself, as you have just stepped out of your comfort zone. We often hear people talking about comfort zones, but for some it is still uncertain what a comfort zone is and how we create one on a day-to-day basis. When we talk about comfort zones we refer to a state of feeling safe. A comfort zone is a place where you feel confident about your skills and where there is no doubt in your mind that you will overcome any challenge that comes your way. We create comfort zones on a daily basis, for example, whenever we get used to the things we do routinely. Through that we create a state of mental security. A routine is a safety net, and as such it keeps you in the same spot, hereby stopping you from growth or personal development. As the research scientist, Ran Zilca, also wrote for Psychology Today, arguing that being very comfortable will diminish the desire and the ambition one needs to go after ones dreams. Having skills for a situation where you face no challenges makes the person bored, apathetic and relaxed. However, as mentioned before, a safe place or a comfortable position never leads to success. Steve Jobs would perhaps never have become the face of Apple, had he not stepped out of the environment he had been used to and left the company to work on his own projects. In order to succeed you have to work on your strengths and weaknesses and welcome challenges that scare you. For instance, try taking up a new after-school activity or choose the most difficult topic for a presentation. Being extremely ambitious is a virtue we share in EYP. We come together to spread ideas and thoughts we have nurtured in order to challenge ourselves and make ourselves grow. By attending EYP events we also enlarge our comfort zone. Try to let go of your subconscious voice, the fear of failure or ridicule. Do not feel ashamed of doing something wrong because without mistakes you shut the door for progress and success. Make the most of the platform that you have been given and step out of your comfort zone.

JUDĪTE PETROVIČA

WALDORF – MORE THAN MAINSTREAM EDUCATION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY A PHILOSOPHER NAMED RUDOLF STEINER SUGGESTED A NEW LINE OF THOUGHT CALLED

ANTHROPOSOPHY.

CLAIMS

THE EXISTENCE OF A CONNECTION BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY AND SCIENCE. TODAY IT IS THE BASIS FOR AN ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION SYSTEM CALLED THE WALDORF EDUCATION SYSTEM, WHICH DOES NOT HAVE THE BEST REPUTATION. When most people who are acquainted with the Waldorf school system, they think of children who have problems with learning and children who cannot behave properly. All prejudices aside, the Waldorf schools provide a good alternative to mainstream learning. Unfortunately, most people are not familiar with the exact way the system works. The general idea of the Waldorf system is to educate students in all aspects, be it practical, intellectual or artistic, while also developing morally responsible individuals. To properly achieve this, there are three stages of learning that fit the respective stages of a child’s development. Waldorf students learn many different things, from smiting and agriculture to wood and needlework. They also get introduced to cultural education in the form of expressive dance, theatre and painting. However, they do not have all those subjects simultaneously over several years, as one is used to seeing in conventional schools. Instead, they have blocks of concentrated learning within a shorter period of time. Additionally, they have to do internships in different disciplines, such as agriculture, the industrial sector and social institutions. Moreover, the education at a Waldorf school is more personal than in an average state school. The principle of teaching is quality over quantity. This pressure off of students, because they are not graded, even though there are exams. This contributes to a better learning environment for students. The Waldorf education system has been proved to work. Studies in Austria, New Zealand and Australia showed that Waldorf students are more motivated and have better grades for both science subjects and artistic activities. Furthermore, they are more likely to contribute to society by doing voluntary work. They also tend to have a more peaceful and moral mind set. However, there are a few other studies that have shown that Waldorf schools are bad at assessing students’ progress, which may be a result of the low-pressure learning environment. In conclusion, it can be said that the Waldorf system is not without its flaws. It could learn from the mainstream education systems when it comes to organisation and student assessment. But apart from that, the system has many factors that perfectly satisfy the needs of today’s society.

FLORIAN SCHINNERL

BRAIN VS CONSCIOUSNESS

Free will is generally perceived as the idea that we could have done something differently in our past. If you went to a burger place last night, you were free to choose a pizza place. You put on sneakers, but you could have worn slippers. You chose one, but you could have chosen another instead. Free will is the idea that we are the conscious authors of our decisions and actions. A lot of medical professionals have researched the existence of free will. They have proven that a decision such as pushing a green button rather than a red one is not a conscious decision. They concluded that when a decision is made and detectable in the brain, it can take up to five seconds for that decision to appear in the part of the brain we associate consciousness. This essentially implies that with the right equipment it is possible to find out what someone will decide, before that person is conscious of that decision. Therefore it is safe to say that we are not the conscious authors of our thoughts and decisions. Decisions such as imagining a book without any other limitations, is not a free choice. Although it feels like a free process, no one can explain why he imagines a specific book instead of any other. Thoughts appear in our consciousness and when given the task to imagine a book, only a few books pop up. The argument here is that it is not one’s free decision to have something pop up in one’s consciousness. It is not a free choice from all the possible alternatives if you do not know all other alternatives at that moment. A lot of people doubt the relevance of this topic, since it seems to have no practical use. They often claim that nothing changes for regular people and claim that the illusion of free will is all someone needs. However, I argue that this topic is relevant enough to discuss outside of coffee shops and classrooms. If someone is attacked by a bear, no one will blame the animal. We do not punish animals for the crimes they have committed. We do not assume it was the bear’s free decision to attack someone. The bear was just being a bear. It is important to realise that it is the same for human beings. A serial killer does not make a conscious decision to make a career out of torturing and killing people. It is not his fault, he is just very unlucky to have the wrong combination of genes, upbringing and possibly some other external influences. If a tumour is

FREE WILL IS A CONCEPT THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED VAST

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MAJORITY

CENTURIES, RESPECTED

AND

THE

PHILOSO-

PHERS HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT IT. NIKS BERZINS ARGUES AGAINST THE EXISTENCE OF FREE WILL.

found in a serial killer’s brain in the region most associated with aggression, then we exonerate that person from guilt. The offender is seen as a victim of biology. One could argue that that tumour is just a very specific case of how the chemical processes in our brain influence our decisions. We need to shake the ideas of retribution and punishment because bad people supposedly deserve it. We need to provide treatment for these people, and do everything we can in order to rehabilitate them. If one believes this to be true, the element of hatred towards human beings is removed completely. This is not however a deterministic view on the world. If you decide to sit around in bed all day and wait for things to happen to you, it is itself a decision. If you would try this you would soon come to a conclusion that it is not that easy to just sit around in bed and do nothing. Eventually the urge to do something would be/will be overwhelming, and having that urge is in no way a free decision. If we view ourselves as a system that is open to external influences, we can realise that it is indeed possible to change. You can never be the person you were yesterday, because the things that happen in life alter your state of mind, and influence every single decision made. We are not the conscious authors of our decisions, and yet our future is not set in stone. A myriad of external influences can push you one way or the other, thus change is possible. It’s just not your conscious self that will cause that change.

NIKS BĒRZIŅŠ

OUT OF YOUR DEBT HIGHER EDUCATION IS MOSTLY VOLUNTARY. THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN ACQUIRE IT AND ALSO FINANCE IT. WHILE MOST UNIVERSITIES IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA) ASK TUITION FEES, EUROPE HAS EITHER VERY LOW FEES, OR NO FEES AT ALL. WHAT COULD BE THE BENEFITS OF AN AFFORDABLE HIGHER EDUCATION? Norway, Finland, Austria and most recently Estonia do not ask for tuition fees from students studying at university. The main argument for this is equality and accessibility of education for all. Students should not be limited by their economic situation to have an education. Another argument for a free tertiary education is that students will not have to work and study at the same time to pay for their studies. They can concentrate on their studies and be more successful. Although some students still have to work to pay for their living costs, this depends on government support. Having a job while studying could also seduce a young student to quit their studies for a job with a higher salary. The pay may be good at that point, but later on in life it will not be sufficient and then they will not have as many opportunities seeing as they have not obtained a degree. Studying for free would also reduce the amount of students with a loan debt, which is a big problem in the United Kingdom and the USA. Tuition fees do have some positive sides. Universities have more resources to improve their facilities with new working tools and technology. They can also hire highly qualified staff and contribute to scientific research. Freedom in acquiring their funding helps universities to stay competitive. A university degree is a valuable thing. On average, people with a higher education earn more money later in life than people without one. This means that it is an investment that pays off, and that a student investing in it will take studying more seriously. This would also ensure more dedication to studies and a higher graduation rate. Countries that provide the opportunity to study at university for free still differ in how it is implemented and what the reasoning behind it is. A free higher education is greatly beneficial, but it should be kept in mind that the manner in which it is carried out determines how beneficial it will actually be for the students and the country. It seems that there is no right or wrong answer to the question on whether or not to pay for a university degree. The goal is to have an arrangement that would benefit society the most. This results in countries using different systems consistent with their needs and current situations. The important thing to consider is that society is changing constantly and education needs to keep up.

ANNIKA ADER

WHAT THE FRACK *! WIRELINE TRUCK

WIRELINE TRUCK GROUND WATER TABLE

UNDERGROUND LAYERS

SHALE FORMATION

GEOPHONES

FRACTURES MICROSEISMIC EVENTS

A REVOLUTION IN THE AMERICAN ENERGY MARKET. A DROP OF TWO THIRDS IN GAS PRICE DUE TO AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE. IT HAS RECENTLY SPARKED AN INTENSE DEBATE AMONG THE WORLD’S SUPERPOWERS: FRACKING. Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, is a way of extracting natural gas from shale deep in the ground. The gas is extracted by drilling the rock and injecting high pressure fluid in the layers of soil. The fluid creates small cracks in the shale that are kept open by the sand inside. Then the gas is stored and delivered to gas companies. Fracking is a two-sided coin. It has changed the American energy market, by lessening its dependence on imported energy. This has made the market more secure. However, fracking is a relatively new technology and the long term environmental effects are not clear yet. Additionally, fracking has caused a large number of groundwater contaminations. European countries such as the United Kingdom and Poland have been exploring the possibility of using shale gas as an alternative energy source. Consequently, this has ignited the controversial debate concerning fracking. The current crisis in Ukraine has brought attention to the European Union’s dependency on imported energy and now it is striving to become more secure and energy-independent. Environmentalists and people living near fracking wells, however, have voiced major concerns about the consequences. The potential risk associated with fracking is worth mentioning. The large amounts of chemicals that are injected into the ground and the problems that arise when drilling for shale gas deposits necessitate further research into the process. Since this method of drilling for gas is not widely used in Europe, the implementation of the method also requires a lot of financial resources and development of infrastructure. This might mean that it is not cost-efficient at the time being.

JUDĪTE PETROVIČA

FLORIAN SCHINNERL

ADVERTISEMENT FRIEND OF FOE? THE HISTORY OF ADVERTISEMENTS IS AS OLD AS THE CALENDAR. HOWEVER, IT HAS EXPERIENCED MAJOR CHANGES OVER THE CENTURIES AND NOWADAYS WE CANNOT SPLIT THE ADVERTISEMENTS FROM A STORY WITH A MUCH DEEPER MEANING BEHIND IT. We cannot imagine our lives without advertisements anymore. They are literally everywhere: in the streets, on TV and radio and sometimes they even interrupt our music sessions with annoying and distracting methods. On the other hand, it also helps us when comparing products and sometimes successful commercials make us laugh as well. The first advertisements date back to the Roman Empire, when specific signs gave information of what was sold inside the building they were on. Up until the 19th century the advertisements had only one purpose: to give information about products by providing plain facts. They were usually dreary, monotonous and very similar to each other. However, this changed in the beginning of the 19th century, when the philosophy of advertising was modified. The old advertising techniques were transformed to what we call modern advertising within the period from the 1820s until 1880s. Advertisers realised that they wanted to address the public directly and make their products more approachable. This was the time when individual sellers started to need advertisement companies. Taking into consideration the developments in technology and media, the possibilities for advertising increased drastically. When radio and television showed up in the majority of households, commercials were sometimes more entertaining than the TV shows. Usually the housewives were the ones to watch TV while taking a break from chores, which is why a lot of domestic supplies became popular due to their effective advertisements.

Since advertisements became a part of everyday life, it also started to take control and change society’s perception of what is wrong and what is right. In 1915 the company Gillette was concerned with complete neglect of a very considerable portion of the market: women. They were not the core users of Gillette, so the company came up with an ad campaign led by a slogan “The underarm must be as smooth as face”. The success of this campaign was hidden in the sleeveless dresses that were the latest trend in fashion back then. Before the campaign, shaving was considered to be necessary for men only. However, this ad campaign was so successful that it managed to invent the idea that smooth skin is more beautiful than hairy skin. Nowadays it has become a must for a woman to shave in order to show that she takes care of herself. Apart from taking control over deciding what the beauty ideal is, ad companies were gradually turning from selling a product to selling an idea. For example, Coca-Cola has been one of the most discussed brands regarding their ad campaigns. Their slogans, such as “The Only Thing Like Coca-Cola is Coca-Cola Itself” or “What You Want is a Coke”, are good examples to explain the strategy of advertising. With such slogans consumers feel like they are going to get something unique, thus they become unique themselves. Nevertheless, it can also make them believe that Coca-Cola actually is really tasty or it eases one’s thirst, since they were promising that in the ad. It is not about whether it is true anymore, because people will believe what they want to believe. Although selling an idea has been common for quite a long time, advertising companies have taken it to a completely new level. In their commercials, Volkswagen showed how a single look at one’s mobile phone while driving can easily turn into a car crash. People were gathered in a cinema, where they were watching a video with a person driving a car. When everyone in the audience received a text and looked at their phones to see the message, a loud sound filled the whole room and the person in the video had driven into a tree. Even though, this is a Volkswagen advertisement, the logo appeared only at the very end of the commercial. Even the car used in the video had its logo hidden. Such a commercial makes the audience understand two things – using a phone while driving is dangerous and Volkswagen really cares about their customers’ safety. While the first realisation may leave a greater effect at first, remembering such a commercial may play a significant role when deciding what car to buy in the future. Sometimes a thought pops-up in my mind: is there a limit to the creativity of advertising companies aiming to sell their product? Whenever I think that the answer to that question is a yes, they usually come up with a new sensation. Producing advertisements seems similar to producing music. Although there may be some limits, such as the number of music keys or the number of words in a vocabulary, people still come up with new songs and new advertisements to entertain, amaze and shock the public. Advertisements are affecting our lives, regardless of what we might want. And the worst or best thing is that they have become so well hidden that we cannot even forcefully ignore or boycott them, as they are literally everywhere. Think about it; can you imagine New York Times Square without the advertisements? Although ads can be quite annoying when listening to Spotify or being forced to watch a shampoo commercial in the middle of your favourite film, they have also managed to make people think and to enrich our lives.

LAINE MELKERTE

IN LOVE

P Y E H T I W What is the European Youth Parliament (EYP)? For me there is no possible way to answer this question. Some people describe it as a way to get to know themselves, and some people call it an educating differently, for some it is a memorable party. There is no reason to disagree with any of them. The thing is that EYP is the perfect combination of academic experience and fun, which eventually results in a life changing experience. I am sure that there is no place where you can meet so many different and yet so interesting people as in EYP. People you may share hobbies and personal beliefs with. And this is why you have to socialise, socialise and socialise. This session is about stepping out of your comfort zone and talking with random people. Because later on, trust me, they will become your best friends. Do not be afraid to be open to new friendships because they could be ones that will not disappear. There are many ways an EYP friendship can be one of the strongest you have ever come across. Let me tell you a story about my last national session where I was a delegate with more than 80 other young and bright minds, just like you. At that session I met one of the most inspiring people I have ever had the opportunity to talk to. A complete stranger became a true friend, with whom I now share my best memories with. Do not be afraid to start a conversation with whoever is around you. You never know, this may be a kindred spirit standing right next to you. Of course, the session is not only about getting to know others. Also, it is about each and every one of you discovering yourselves. You might be scared of the potential stressful situations. After experiencing General Assembly (GA) stress will not be your enemy anymore. Many young people have a fear of standing out. Look at all the crazy stuff the officials do, and realise that there is nothing to be scared of. We all have our fears, but that does not mean that we can let them play with us. I would like to call this session a multi-tutorial on how to gain confidence and be sociable. But most importantly, it is a place to find out what your strengths and weaknesses are, and to learn how to perfectly deal with them. Simply remember to never be scared of anything you are facing.

WHAT IS EYP? WHY SHOULD I TAKE A PART IN IT? IS IT WORTH IT? THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS MOST OF US HAVE HEARD AT LEAST ONCE AT A SESSION. AND THEN, ONCE YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED IT, IT BECOMES AN ADDICTION, AN INDESCRIBABLE PART OF YOUR LIFE YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT. SOUNDS LIKE LOVE, DOESN’T IT?

You can solve any task, if you believe in yourself. There may be many speeches to write on the last night before GA. I know that it may seem crazy, but try to push yourself to your limits and you will see EYP- magic happen. Lack of sleep and energy is more than worth the satisfaction you will feel later. That is what EYP is about. It is about pushing you to limits you never thought you would reach, and I am sure that it is needless to describe how much you will value this experience later in your life. But the best part is that in the end you will find out that this experience has changed you. You will realise that even the weirdest energiser can open an absolutely new world. You learn that being different is nothing but awesome because this is the place where being yourself is the best way to go. Once you have seen how different people are here, you will understand that there is no right or wrong and that we are all winners. So all I can say is this: try to meet as many people as you can. Be passionate about your topic, whatever it is. Play as many weird, unusual games as you can. Enjoy every single part of the session because you will miss it. And do not worry, coffee will help you fight off the sleep. So in the end, you may ask me: what is EYP love? And yet again there is no answer to that question because for everyone it is something different. For some of us it may be an opportunity to debate or see different cultures. To others this may be the place to find true love. Simply enjoy the adventure of EYP and see where it takes you.

ANNA ELĪNA VĪTOLA

MY CHILD

R YOURS?

THERE ARE SEVERAL ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE WILLING TO CONCEIVE A CHILD WHILST BEING UNABLE TO DO THAT THE NATURAL WAY. ALTERNATIVES SUCH AS ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION, IN VITRO FERTILISATION (IVF) AND ADOPTION ARE THE MOST COMMON. ASTONISHING CASES OF HUMAN ERROR IN IVF PRACTICES HAVE APPEARED. LEGAL PROCEDURES EXISTS TO DETERMINE PARENTHOOD IN SUCH CASES, YET IT REMAINS A DIFFICULT MORAL DEBATE. The story of the birds and the bees is familiar to everyone. Reproduction is a natural process for every living creature. Nowadays it is very common that people consciously decide they want to have a child and they start trying. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to conceive a child through intercourse. Luckily, society has progressed to give the possibility of having children to women, who are unable to conceive naturally. These alternatives include artificial insemination, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and adoption. The difference between the first two and adoption is the biological parenthood. It must be noted that all three alternatives have the potential for human error. This article will look into alternative ways of having a child. Possible complications and possible disastrous scenarios will be discussed. Questions about who the rightful parents are and who is responsible, will be raised. The applicable legal rules and decisions will be examined. In summation, a conclusion will be drawn regarding the pros and risks of alternatives to intercourse.

ALTERNATIVES FOR THE FAMILY Alternatives forEXPANDING expanding the family There are several alternatives for conceiving a child other than intercourse, one of which is artificial insemination. Artificial insemination is seen as a fairly simple process during which the woman’s egg cell is fertilised with semen from either her partner or a donor. Before the insemination, the semen is usually washed and concentrated to raise its effectiveness. Sometimes medical conditions prevent sperm from reaching the egg. If artificial insemination is ineffective, IVF might be a solution. In vitro means outside the body, thus the fertilisation of the egg takes place outside the woman’s body. Eggs are retrieved from inside the womb and fertilised in a lab with semen from either their partner or a donor. It develops into an embryo and is then inserted back into the uterus of the woman. Another way to realise the dream of having your own child is adoption. In Europe there is no common legislation regarding international adoption. Each country applies its own laws, which means that country-specific procedures and requirements for adoption must be investigated. However, all EU countries share certain principles that are specified in international conventions on adoption. These common principles include the following: a court or administrative authority must permit the adoption, living biological parents should voluntarily agree to the adoption and the ruling of the adoption must be in the best interest of the child. On top of that, in most European countries the child will be able to take on his or her adoptive parents’ surname and nationality, as well as receiving the same inheritance rights as a biological child.

HUMAN Human ERRORS errors Mixed sperm from a poorly sterilised pipette caused a Dutch white woman to give birth to one black and one white child in 1993. She had received the semen by IVF. Yet today mistakes are still made at IVF clinics. Recently two couples experienced a horrible mix-up of embryos at an IVF clinic in Spain. Both couples had decided to have an IVF treatment. However, the women’s names were so similar, that the embryos got exchanged by mistake. This was only recognised after nine months of pregnancy when the children were born. The pregnancy did not succeed for couple A, who actually carried couple B’s embryo. On the contrary, couple B gave birth to twins. Subsequently, couple A being the biological parents of those twins, took couple B to court. There is always room for human error concerning alternative ways for becoming parents. Humans are not perfect, and neither are the things they do. During procedures of artificial insemination and IVF one moment of inattention can cause parents to give birth to a child that is not biologically theirs. This may cause stress and difficulties for the parents and potentially also for the child. Therefore, a standardised legal procedure determining parenthood is needed. Actual PARENTHOOD parenthood ACTUAL The moral debate over who the rightful parents are in similar situations is an understandably controversial one. Fortunately, mistakes are not made that often with artificial insemination or IVF. Nevertheless, it is every couple’s nightmare. On top of that, there has to be legislation dealing with the cause of such an emotionally charged incident. The abovementioned Dutch woman was allowed to keep her child, due to the biological father not claiming paternity. In the case of the Spanish couples a judge had to decide their fate. The couple giving birth to the twins were allowed to keep them, even though they were not biologically theirs. Seeing as human error is unfortunately inevitable, legislation on such cases does exist. Under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, a woman who has a child born through IVF, is the “legal mother”, even if it is not genetically hers. Paternity, however, is “open to legal interpretation”.

CONCLUSION All in all, the three alternatives, adoption, artificial insemination and IVF each have advantages and disadvantages. Adoption takes away the possibility of having a child carrying your genes, while artificial insemination and IVF bring the risk of mix-ups. Most parents want biological children and therefore choose either artificial insemination or IVF over adoption. It might seem that the aggravations and eventual legal decision after a mix-up in IVF clinics are even worse. On the other hand, it does not happen that frequently. Nevertheless, enough cases have proven that it should definitely be handled with more care. More attention should be drawn to this issue in order to assure children are kept united with their biological parents without any legal issues.

CAROLINE OPPERMAN

THE HIDDEN SECRET OF L A N G UAG E

The idea that the language people speak affects the way they think became really popular in the 20th century. According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, the semantic structure of a language shapes or limits the ways in which a speaker forms conceptions of the world. In 1929 Sapir argued that: “Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, (…) but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society”. His student Whorf extended his idea in the 1930s, stating that we categorise objects in the scheme laid out by language, and that if we do not subscribe to these classifications we cannot talk or communicate. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis consists of two principles: linguistic determinism and linguistic relativity. According to determinism, language may determine our thinking patterns and the way we view the world. However, relativity states that different language speakers view the world differently. So in other words, according to determinism a language does exert great influence on patterns of thinking, but according to relativity linguistic structure does not constrain the process of thought in general, but only influences what people routinely think. There are many good examples that show links between both language and psychology and behaviour. In Pormpuraaw, an Australian Aboriginal community, one does not refer to an object to be on either the left or the right, but rather as northeast or southwest. In fact, about a third of the world´s languages use absolute terms rather than the relative ones that we use in English, Latvian, Estonian, etc. As a result, speakers are remarkably good at being oriented and staying on track even in unfamiliar landscapes. Another example: in English it is often said that somebody broke a vase even though it was an accident, but Spanish and Japanese speakers say that the vase broke itself. That means that English speakers are more likely to remember who accidentally broke the vase than Spanish and Japanese. Moreover, English criminal justice is also bent more towards punishing transgressors rather than restituting victims. Language can also have a big influence on acknowledging genders. A study has shown that children who grew up speaking Hebrew became familiar with their genders a year earlier than children who grew up speak-

THE QUESTION OF WHETHER LANGUAGES SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK GOES BACK CENTURIES. CHARLEMAGNE HAD PROCLAIMED THAT TO HAVE A SECOND LANGUAGE IS TO HAVE A SECOND SOUL. HOWEVER, WE OFTEN SEE A LANGUAGE ONLY AS EITHER A WAY OF COMMUNICATION, OR A WAY TO EXPRESS OUR THOUGHTS. AFTER ALL, THAT WAS THE INITIAL PURPOSE AND THE REASON BEHIND THE EXISTENCE OF LANGUAGES IN THE FIRST PLACE. STILL, COULD LANGUAGE HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON OUR LIVES BY INFLUENCING OUR CULTURE, MANNERS AND THE WAY OF THINKING?

ing Finnish. It is due to the fact that in Hebrew gender marks are very common in contrast with Finnish which does not mark gender at all. Some of the aforementioned examples may not seem to be of great importance, but in fact the influence of the language goes even deeper. Keith Chen, an Associate Professor of Economics, published a study showing that languages also have a big influence on countries’ economies. For example, Estonians and Chinese save 20% more than Greeks and Indians. While economists have examined a lot about what drives people to save more, these international differences have still remained unexplained. Nevertheless, the study showed that there is a clear connection between the amount of income people save for the future, and the way they talk about the future. “Futureless languages” like Estonian and Chinese use the same phrasing to describe the events of yesterday, today and tomorrow. At the same time, in “future languages” past, present and future form are separated and speakers use different phrases in different tenses. According to the study, when people speak about the future as more distinct from the present, it feels more distant. Therefore, they are less motivated to save money now, than to enjoy monetary comfort years later. Speakers of such languages save less, retire with less wealth, smoke more, practice more unsafe sex and are more obese. One might think that such differences can also come from a country´s level of development, education level, major religion etc. However, this effect persists even after cross referencing a speaker’s education, income, family structure and religion. As mentioned in the beginning, many people never really think about the languages they speak and the majority never even notices the ways in which mother tongues influence our thinking. As a speaker of a small language like Estonian, I truely believe that our mother tongue is a great part of our identity. Language has a great influence on our way of thinking and behaviour. A language is not only the uniting factor that creates our nations and countries but it also has a great influence on our behaviour and decisions.

ANETTE PIIRSALU