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16Social Distance Warriors Should Not Be Regarded as Moral Exemplars in a Pandemic Nor as Paragons of Politeness: A Response to ShawJournal of Bioethical Inquiry 21 (1): 11-14. 2024.In a recent article, Shaw contrasts his own supposed good behaviour, as that of a self-proclaimed “social distance warrior” with the alleged rude behaviour of one of his relatives, Jack, at social events in the former’s house in Scotland in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. He does so to illustrate and support his claims that it was wrong and rude to fail to comply with the governmental advice regarding social distancing because we had a responsibility “to minimize risk” and not wrong n…Read more
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10The Medicalization of Cyberspace, by Andy Miah and Emma RichHuman Reproduction and Genetic Ethics 15 (1): 40-40. 2009.
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15Exploitation, Criminalization, and Pecuniary Trade in the Organs of Living PeopleJournal of Bioethical Inquiry 18 (2): 229-241. 2021.It is often maintained that, since the buying and selling of organs—particularly the kidneys—of living people supposedly constitutes exploitation of the living vendors while the so-called “altruistic” donation of them does not, the former, unlike the latter, should be a crime. This paper challenges and rejects this view. A novel account of exploitation, influenced by but different from those of Zwolinski and Wertheimer and of Wilkinson, is developed. Exploitation is seen as a sort of injustice. …Read more
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281No two sets the same? Applying philosophy to the theory of fingerprintsPhilosopher: Journal of the Philosophical Society of England 83 (2): 12-18. 1995.
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34Murder, abortion, contraception, greenhouse gas emissions and the deprivation of non-discernible and non-existent people: a reply to Marquis and ChristensenJournal of Medical Ethics 45 (6): 415-416. 2019.Marquis’s account of the ethics of abortion is unsatisfactory but not as Christensen implies baseless. It requires to be amended rather than abandoned. It is true, as Marquis asserts that murder and abortion both might deprive people of something of value to them, in particular, the life of a sort that might have been to them worth living. However, it is mistaken to conclude, as Marquis does, that murder and abortion are thereby morally equivalent. Not all deprivation is wrongful. Not all that i…Read more
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157Assisted suicide and the killing of people? Maybe. Physician-assisted suicide and the killing of patients? No: the rejection of Shaw's new perspective on euthanasiaJournal of Medical Ethics 36 (5): 306-309. 2010.David Shaw presents a new argument to support the old claim that there is not a significant moral difference between killing and letting die and, by implication, between active and passive euthanasia. He concludes that doctors should not make a distinction between them. However, whether or not killing and letting die are morally equivalent is not as important a question as he suggests. One can justify legal distinctions on non-moral grounds. One might oppose physician- assisted suicide and activ…Read more
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24Thomas, Znaniecki, and Popper on FalsificationJournal of the History of Ideas 37 (3): 547. 1976.
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Sraffa, Wittgenstein and the Nature of Economic TheoryDepartment of Economics, Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Strathclyde. 1990.
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15Tobacco, taxation, and fairnessJournal of Medical Ethics 28 (6): 381-383. 2002.The author defends himself against an attack by Smith and Bopp on his views on smoking and taxation. The theory that, on the grounds of equity and/or fairness, smokers should pay via taxation on tobacco for the health care costs of treating smoking-related medical conditions is discussed and shown to be defective. It is argued that the fundamental mistake that Smith and Bopp make is to confuse and conflate the separate issues of whether particular taxes are fair and whether they are justifiable.…Read more
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78Moral duties and euthanasia: why to kill is not necessarily the same as to let dieJournal of Medical Ethics 37 (12): 766-767. 2011.David Shaw's response to Hugh McLachlan's criticism of his proposed new perspective on euthanasia is ineffectual, mistaken and unfair. It is false to say that the latter does not present an argument to support his claim that there is a moral difference between killing and letting die. It is not the consequences alone of actions that constitute their moral worth. It can matter too what duties are breached or fulfilled by the particular moral agents who are involved
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184Defending commercial surrogate motherhood against Van Niekerk and Van ZylJournal of Medical Ethics 23 (6): 344-348. 1997.The arguments of Van Niekerk and Van Zyl that, on the grounds that it involves an inappropriate commodification and alienation of women's labour, commercial surrogate motherhood (CSM) is morally suspect are discussed and considered to be defective. In addition, doubt is cast on the notion that CSM should be illegal
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13The religious beliefs of students and the teaching of medical ethics: a comment on BrassingtonJournal of Medical Ethics 34 (5): 396-398. 2008.It has recently been suggested by Brassington that, when students in classes in medical ethics announce that some view that they wish to express is related to their religious convictions, the teacher is obliged to question them explicitly about the suggested link. Here, a different conclusion is reached. The view is upheld that, although the stratagem recommended by Brassington is permissible and might sometimes be desirable, it is not obligatory nor is it, in general, likely to be optimal
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50A Drunk Driver, a Sober Pedestrian and the Allocation of Tragically Scarce and Indivisible Emergency Hospital TreatmentHealth Care Analysis 7 (1): 5-21. 1999.Le Grand describes a situation where a drunk driver, who has medical insurance, is the cause of an accident in which he and a sober pedestrian, who has no medical insurance, are both equally and seriously injured. At the private hospital to which they are both taken, there is available emergency treatment for one of them only. Who should receive it? The issues raised by Le Grand's example are shown to be more interesting, more complex and less clearcut than Le Grand suggests and implies. In part…Read more
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36Surrogate motherhood: beyond the Warnock and Brazier reportsHuman Reproduction and Genetic Ethics 11 (1): 12. 2005.
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34Book reviews : Witch-hunting, magic and the new philosophy: An introduction to debates of the scientific revolution 1450-1750. By Brian Easlea. Sussex and new jersey: The harvester press and humanities press, 1980. Pp. 283. $42.50 (review)Philosophy of the Social Sciences 14 (4): 577-580. 1984.
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16Gellner on relativism in the social sciencesPhilosophy of the Social Sciences 18 (1): 113-117. 1988.
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88Babies, Child Bearers and Commodification: Anderson, Brazier et al., and the Political Economy of Commercial Surrogate Motherhood (review)Health Care Analysis 8 (1): 1-18. 2000.It is argued by Anderson and also in the BrazierReport that Commercial Surrogate Motherhood (C.S.M.)contracts and agencies should be illegal on thegrounds that C.S.M. involves the commodification ofboth mothers and babies. This paper takes issue withthis view and argues that C.S.M. is not inconsistentwith the proper respect for, and treatment of,children and women. A case for the legalisation ofC.S.M. is made
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16Unique persons and the replicable gene-sets of their reproducible bodies: a defence of human cloningHuman Reproduction and Genetic Ethics 11 (2). 2005.
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24The ethics of and the appropriate legislation concerning killing people and letting them die: a response to MerkelJournal of Medical Ethics 43 (7): 482-484. 2017.
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81Why I don't believe in moral values: a comment on CulyerJournal of Medical Ethics 29 (4): 242-242. 2003.In his paper , Culyer talks about “values” and “value judgments” in relation to equity.1 He says: “The focus is on equity in the allocation of health care resources .... These are value laden questions because any idea of “equity” must embody value judgments about what it is that makes for a good society”. He says too: “Equity in health care policy, as in other arenas of policy, is a question of ethics and therefore of values”.I disagree with this way of talking: it suggests a sort of “postmoder…Read more
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6Posthumous insemination and consent: the continuing troubling case of Mr and Mrs BloodHuman Reproduction and Genetic Ethics 9 (1): 7-12. 2001.
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212Rather than to focus upon a particular ‘right to life’, we should consider what rights there are pertaining to our lives and to our living. There are different sorts. There are, for instance, rights that constitute absences of particular duties and rights that correspond to the duties of other agents or agencies. There are also natural and non-natural rights and duties. Different people in different contexts can have different moral duties and different moral rights including rights to life. The…Read more
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170Exploitation and commercial surrogate motherhoodHuman Reproduction and Genetic Ethics 7 (1): 8--14. 2001.Various authors, for instance Elizabeth Anderson, Rosemary Tong, Mary Warnock and Margaret Brazier have argued that commercial surrogate motherhood is exploitative and that it should be prohibited. Their arguments are unconvincing. Exploitation is a more complex notion than it is usually presented as being. Unequal bargaining power can be a cause of exploitation but the exercise of unequal bargaining power is not inevitably or inherently exploitative. Exploitation concerns unfair and/or unjust s…Read more
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20Tibbetts's Theory of Rationality and Scottish WitchcraftPhilosophy of the Social Sciences 12 (1): 75-79. 1982.
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28Surrogate Motherhood, Rights and Duties: A Reply to Campbell (review)Health Care Analysis 9 (1): 101-107. 2001.In a recent article in Health Care Analysis (Vol. 8, No. 1),Campbell misrepresents our specific arguments about commercialsurrogate motherhood (C.S.M.) and our general philosophical andpolitical views by saying or suggesting that we are `Millsian'liberals and consequentialists. He gives too the false impressionthat we do not oppose, in principle, slavery and child purchase.Here our position on C.S.M. is re-expressed and elaborated uponin order to eliminate possible confusion. Our general ethical…Read more
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22Justice and the NHS: a comment on CulyerJournal of Medical Ethics 31 (7): 379-382. 2005.The nature and significance of equity and equality in relation to health and healthcare policy is discussed in the light of a recent article by Culyer. Culyer makes the following claims: the importance of equity in relation to the provision of health care derives from the human need for health in order to flourish; and for the sake of equity, equality of health among the members of particular political jurisdictions should be the aim of health policy. Both these claims are challenged in this pap…Read more