Anyone (I'm looking at you, Nates) care to defend Kant against these charges: http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2010/03/kant-on-killing-bastards-on.html I must confess that it's hard to square conventional wisdom that Kant is one of if not the greatest moral philosopher ever with moral beliefs like the ones expressed in these passages.
Tag: ethics
Suicide and Moral Blame
Suppose that you hear about two cases in which a physically healthy 30-year-old man is killed. All you know about the two cases is that in Case 1, the killing was a suicide, and that in Case 2, the killing was a homicide. If you're like me, it will seem natural to think that, absent … Continue reading Suicide and Moral Blame
Singer and Slote on Famine Relief
Check it out. http://www.philostv.com/peter-singer-and-michael-slote/
A Puzzle
Today in my Metaphysics seminar we discussed Derek Parfit's "Non-Identity Problem." It's a neat problem--here's what I hope is a faithful version of that problem. A 14-year-old girl is told by medical professionals that if she has a child before her 18th birthday, the child will have a 75% chance of being born with a … Continue reading A Puzzle
Rawls [2], “Two Concepts of Rules,” (1955)
In this essay Rawls introduces a distinction between justifying a practice and justifying particular actions within a practice. The distinction is important, for it shows how utilitarians might rebut the common criticism that they are committed to endorsing acts like punishing the innocent and breaking promises when doing so will maximize the good. The main … Continue reading Rawls [2], “Two Concepts of Rules,” (1955)
Rawls [1]: “Outline of a Decision Procedure in Ethics” (1951)
Most generally, this essay is about how to show that a given moral principle is 'objectively valid' and that actions in accordance with that principle are 'objectively right.' The central claim, so far as I can tell, is that a moral principle is objectively valid if it explains, better than any alternative principle, the "considered … Continue reading Rawls [1]: “Outline of a Decision Procedure in Ethics” (1951)
Summer Reading Project
Inspired by Josh, I've decided to undertake my own summer reading project: Rawls's Collected Papers. The plan is to read Rawls's essays in chronological order, beginning with "Outline of a Decision Procedure in Ethics" (1951) and ending with "The Idea of Public Reason Revisited" (1997). Why Rawls? I don't know Rawls as well as I … Continue reading Summer Reading Project
Original Positions 