Blog Profile / Atheist Ethicist
| URL : | http://atheistethicist.blogspot.com/index.html | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Academics / Philosophy | |
| Posts on Regator: | 1232 | |
| Posts / Week: | 4.5 | |
| Archived Since: | February 23, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
The Nonidentity Problem
There is a problem in the philosophy of morality called The Nonidentity Problem. A member of the studio audience, Evan Dawson-Baglien, asked that I discuss it in the context of future desires. that a member of the studio audience put...Show More Summary
Future Desires Do Not Count
Future desires do not count. This is not to say that future desires do not matter. They matter to some people. In fact, they happen to matter to many of us. When I say that future desires do not count, this is to be taken as reporting the real-world fact that a future desire is not a reason for action that exists. Show More Summary
The Value of More Possible Worlds
As a follow up to my last post, I gave been asked to compare another pair of possible worlds. [B]etween the following [pair] of worlds, which would desirism recommend ("neutral" or "toss a coin" is also an option)? (A-life = almost all...Show More Summary
The Value of Possible Worlds
As a follow up to yesterday’s post, I have been asked [B]etween the following [pair] of worlds, which would desirism recommend ("neutral" or "toss a coin" is also an option)? (A-life = almost all desires fulfilled; B-life = hardly any...Show More Summary
On Population Ethics
I have been asked the following question from the studio audience. What's your view on it? Should we maximize fulfilled desires in the world; fulfilled desires minus unfulfilled ones; or should we minimize the number of unfulfilled ones?...Show More Summary
On Guns and Drugs
I have been asked, What is the [desirism] perspective on gun control? Which is a subject I have been thinking about recently along with... What is the [desirism] perspective on marijuana legalization? Because it strikes me that the two questions are similar. Show More Summary
Some Thoughts on Criminal Justice
I am going to use a comment I got from my previous post to continue my discussion on criminal justice. I have been questioning the "right to remain silent" - arguing that where it is permissible to compel Person A to provide information...Show More Summary
The "Right" to Remain Silent
I am having trouble coming up with a moral case for a "right to remain silent". If Person A can be compelled to come to court and provide information relevant to the guilt or innocence of Person B, from where comes the moral objection...Show More Summary
Miranda Rulings, Plea Bargaining, Justice, and the 5th Amendment
I am going to do something new with this blog for a while. I am accustomed to writing about things which I have considered, and about which I have drawn conclusions. I want to spend done time on issues where I am puzzled to some extent. Let us begin with the issue of Miranda rights. Show More Summary
Boston Bombings: Do Not Exploit
Boston Bombings: Do Not Exploit The second principle I would like people to keep in mind in the wake of the attacks in Boston is, "Do not exploit the attacks to promote a personal or tribal agenda." Already, as the Friendly Atheist shows,...Show More Summary
Boston Bombings: Do Not Overreact
Don't Overreact Drunk drivers, and drivers who try to operate electronic devices while driving, probably killed more Americans yesterday than terrorists. And the former are active every day. Two expected reactions to yesterday's attack in Boston will likely be fear ("I am in danger. Show More Summary
Moral Condemnations and Tribal Identities
Yesterday, I wrote about hundreds of thousands of arrogant, ignorant, semi-barbarians gathering at a rally in Bangladesh demanding that atheist bloggers be rounded up and executed. I did not write about arrogant, ignorant, semi-barbaric...Show More Summary
Arrogant, Ignorant, Semi-Barbaric Protestors in Bangladesh
Arrogant, Ignorant Semi-Barbarians Hundreds of thousands of arrogant, ignorant, semi-barbarians rallied to demand the beheading of atheist bloggers in Bangladesh. http://www.arabnews.com/news/447251 At the start, my opening statement might be taken as an example of mindless name-calling. Show More Summary
Free Will and Violent Acts of Punishment
How would free will justify violence? There is a widespread belief that morality requires free will. It makes no sense to punish somebody for doing something when the forces of the universe - over which he had no control - dictated that he must or could not perform that action. Furthermore, punishment is often violent. Show More Summary
The Moral Irrelevance of "Choice"
Pedophiles ought to be free to have sex with children. After all, pedophilia is not a choice. No person would choose pedophilia. If you think it is a choice, when did you chose not to be a pedophile? We can only guess at the number of...Show More Summary
Steven Pinker and Attaching Sentiments
Steven Pinker has proposed abandoning morality and replacing it with a project of attaching human sentiment to that which promotes human flourishing and minimizing harm. I have been arguing that we keep morality and understand it asShow More Summary
Steven Pinker and the Concept of "Harm"
Steven Pinker and the Concept of Harm Steven Pinker proposed replacing "morality" with a project of directing our sentiments towards that which maximized human flourishing and minimized harm - a project that people for 200 years have...Show More Summary
Steven Pinker and the Concept of "Flourishing"
According to Steven Pinker, we should abandon morality and attach our sentiments to that which promotes human flourishing and minimizing harm. This invites me to ask three questions: (1) What is value? (2) What is “human flourishing”? (3)...Show More Summary
Steven Pinker - Human Flourishing and Harm
As I wrote yesterday, Steven Pinker claims that we ought to abandon morality and, instead, replace it with a system where we attach our sentiments to that which promotes human flourishing and minimizes harm. There are elements in this...Show More Summary
Steven Pinker: Abandoning Morality
Stephen Pinker and others like him are in the recess of setting moral philosophy back 300 years. I mean this as a literally true statement. David Hume published his work "A Treatise on Human Nature" 275 years ago. His work, and the work...Show More Summary