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358Quicksand in the contract groundPhilosophical Studies 44 (1). 1983.In his book, The Grounds of Moral Judgment, Russell Grice argues for a thesis he calls "the contract ground thesis," which connects the interest of members of a group in making a contract to the existence of an obligation and reason to abide by that contract. This thesis has been challenged by Jesse Kalin and subsequently defended by Grice. We show that Grice's defense fails--the contract ground thesis is without justification.
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419Minimizing maximinPhilosophical Studies 37 (4). 1980.In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls provides several arguments contractors in the original position using maximin reasoning, which leads directly to the difference principle. These arguments are inadequate to support the claim that maximin reasoning is the uniquely rational approach to choice in the original position.
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490Daddy Dilemmas: Untangling the Puzzles of PaternityCornell Journal of Law and Public Policy 13 (29): 29-80. 2003.Though most children can easily answer the question, "Who's your daddy?", the concept of paternity is complex and multifaceted. Courts have stumbled in answering it. In order to ground paternal rights and obligations in a satisfactory way, we need to disaggregate the various elements of stereotypical paternity. It is not sufficient merely to separate social from biological paternity. The latter concept, itself, is complex. We need to separate the procreative element of paternity from the genetic…Read more
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811What’s Special about HumeanismNoûs 33 (1): 30-45. 1999.One of the attractions of the Humean instrumentalist theory of practical rationality is that it appears to offer a special connection between an agent's reasons and her motivation. The assumption that Humeanism is able to assert a strong connection between reason and motivation has been challenged, most notably by Christine Korsgaard. She argues that Humeanism is not special in the connection it allows to motivation. On the contrary, Humean theories of practical rationality do connect reasons an…Read more
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19Review of Timothy Macklem, Beyond Comparison: Sex and Discrimination (review)Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews 2004 (5). 2004.
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396Providing for RightsDialogue 27 (3): 489-. 1988.Gauthier's version of the Lockean proviso (in Morals by Agreement) is inappropriate as the foundation for moral rights he takes it to be. This is so for a number of reasons. It lacks any proportionality test thus allowing arbitrarily severe harms to others to prevent trivial harms to oneself. It allows one to inflict any harm on another provided that if one did not do so, someone else would. And, by interpreting the notion of bettering or worsening one's position in terms of subjective expected …Read more
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75Human reproductive interests: Puzzles at the periphery of the property paradigmSocial Philosophy and Policy 29 (1): 106-125. 2012.Research Articles Donald C. Hubin, Social Philosophy and Policy, FirstView Article
Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Practical Reason, Misc |
Reasons |
Moral Reasoning and Motivation |
Family Ethics |
Parenthood |