[Resuming the Dostoevsky-Frank reading project after a 14 day hiatus] After Dostoevsky finished his Siberian prison term, he was transferred into the military, and lived a life that was at least nominally more free than that while in actual captivity. He was to serve for as long as the Czar desired. He tried to get himself … Continue reading Uncle’s Dream (and the Kant issue resolved!)
Category: Uncategorized
Rawls [7], “Distributive Justice,” (1967)
After a brief segue into the topic of legal obligation, Rawls is back to elaborating on his conception of justice as fairness. In "Distributive Justice" he has three aims: 1) Explain why the just society should not be structured by utilitarian principles; 2) Clarify the Difference Principle--what, exactly, it means to require that inequalities work … Continue reading Rawls [7], “Distributive Justice,” (1967)
An Unjust Law?
The French government is banning burqas. Story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/world/europe/14burqa.html Reasons President Sarkozy: "The burqa is not welcome in France because it is contrary to our values and contrary to the ideals we have of a woman’s dignity." I suspect I share Le Prez's ideals, but I share the concern expressed by the sole dissenter in … Continue reading An Unjust Law?
Rawls [6], “Legal Obligation and the Duty of Fair Play,” (1964)
Suppose we are legal residents of Arizona, and a law has recently been passed which demands of all legal residents that they report suspected illegal immigrants to the local authorities. (Never mind for the moment how such a law could possibly be enforced.) Suppose furthermore that I think this law is unjust, and, additionally, I … Continue reading Rawls [6], “Legal Obligation and the Duty of Fair Play,” (1964)
short story
here is a very short story by Russian writer Daniil Kharms: There lived a redheaded man who had no eyes or ears. He didn’t have hair either, so he was called a redhead arbitrarily. He couldn’t talk because he had no mouth. He had no nose either. He didn’t even have arms or legs. He … Continue reading short story
Welcome, Juan!
Let's welcome Juan to Original Positions. Juan is a Romanian, Philosopher, Cinephile, and All-Around-Interesting-Guy. I'm looking forward to your contributions, Juan!
soccer
Suppose you have cameras, and they stop the game after a goal scored from offside.I don't think it's feasible to stop the game after every offside signaling to check if it was really offside.But if the ball goes in the net,then the camera is useful. But how about a situation where there's an offside,it's not … Continue reading soccer
Rawls and Rationality
A propos of a recent thread on whether it is irrational to reject Rawls's two principles of justice, I thought I would offer my decidedly uninformed take on the issue. From my summer Rawls reading, I'm inclined (thus far) to conclude that Rawls did not think that one must accept his two principles of justice … Continue reading Rawls and Rationality
Debt, Stimulus, and Health Care Reform
Bloggingheads considers the long-term fiscal ramifications of legislation passed under the Obama administration.
Adventureland
A while ago, Josh recommended the movie, Adventureland. I had a chance to see it while home this week and was very impressed. (Imagine setting out to make a movie about a young man losing his virginity--how many generic pitfalls there must be.) My favorite line: --"They don't like people like me where I'm from." … Continue reading Adventureland
Original Positions 