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167A Moral Predicament in the Criminal LawInquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 58 (2): 168-188. 2015.This essay is about the difficulties of doing criminal justice in the context of severe social injustice. Having been marginalized as citizens of the larger community, those who are victims of severe social injustice are understandably alienated from the dominant political institutions, and, not unreasonably, disrespect their authority, including that of the criminal law. The failure of equal treatment and protection and the absence of anything like fair and decent life prospects for the members…Read more
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9Chloe and Fern, Cam and Donna: The denial of moral demand‐rights. Comments on Margaret Gilbert's Rights and Demands: a Foundational InquiryPhilosophy and Phenomenological Research 106 (2): 505-511. 2023.
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124XIV—Psychopathic Agency and Prudential DeficitsProceedings of the Aristotelian Society 113 (3pt3): 269-292. 2013.Philosophical discussions of psychopathy have been framed primarily in terms of psychopaths' conspicuous moral shortcomings. But despite their vaunted ‘egocentricity’, another prominent trait in the standard psychopathic profile is a characteristic failure to look after themselves; in an important way, psychopaths appear to be as careless of themselves as they are of others. Assuming that the standard profile is largely correct, the question is how these moral and prudential deficits are related…Read more
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27Soft Libertarianism and Hard CompatibilismThe Journal of Ethics 3 (4): 353-368. 1999.In this paper I discuss two kinds of attempts to qualify incompatibilist and compatibilist conceptions of freedom to avoid what have been thought to be incredible commitments of these rival accounts. One attempt -- which I call soft libertarianism -- is represented by Robert Kane's work. It hopes to defend an incompatibilist conception of freedom without the apparently difficult metaphysical costs traditionally incurred by these views. On the other hand, in response to what I call the robot obje…Read more
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481La responsabilité et les limites du mal. Variations sur un thème de StrawsonLes ateliers de l'éthique/The Ethics Forum 7 (1): 146-178. 2012.
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14Gregory S. Kavka 1947-1994Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 68 (5). 1995.
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100The Problematic Role of Responsibility in Contexts of Distributive Justice (review)Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 72 (2). 2006.It would be surprising if our idea of ourselves as responsible agents did not have a significant place in our understanding of one another as members of a political community with common claims and obligations. We see this idea at work, for example, in disputes about the extent to which the poor are or are not responsible for their lot or smokers for their ill‐health. Its most common use, it seems, is to explain and justify differences in shares of economic and other social goods. We see this us…Read more
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14Promises, reasons, and normative powersIn David Sobel & Steven Wall (eds.), Reasons for Action, Cambridge University Press. 2009.
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558Skepticism about weakness of willPhilosophical Review 86 (3): 316-339. 1977.My concern in this paper will be to explore and develop a version of nonsocratic skepticism about weakness of will. In my view, socratism is incorrect, but like Socrates, I think that the common understanding of weakness of will raises serious problems. Contrary to socratism, it is possible for a person knowingly to act contrary to his or her better judgment. But this description does not exhaust the common view of weakness. Also implicit in this view is the belief that actions which are contrar…Read more
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285Agency and answerability: selected essaysOxford University Press. 2004.Since the 1970s Gary Watson has published a series of brilliant and highly influential essays on human action, examining such questions as: in what ways are we free and not free, rational and irrational, responsible or not for what we do? Moral philosophers and philosophers of action will welcome this collection, representing one of the most important bodies of work in the field.
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168The Work of the WillIn Sarah Stroud & Christine Tappolet (eds.), Weakness of will and practical irrationality, Oxford University Press. 2003.The first part of the essay explores the relations between the will and practical reason or judgement. The second part takes up decision in the realm of belief, i.e. deciding that such and such is so. This phenomenon raises two questions. Since we decide that as well as to, should we speak of a doxastic will? Secondly, should we regard ourselves as active in the formation of our judgements as in the formation of our intentions? The author's answer to these two further questions is ‘no’ and ‘yes’…Read more
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5Robert J. Richman, God, Free Will, and Morality Reviewed byPhilosophy in Review 5 (5): 213-218. 1985.
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189Soft libertarianism and hard compatibilismThe Journal of Ethics 3 (4): 351-365. 1999.In this paper I discuss two kinds of attempts to qualify incompatibilist and compatibilist conceptions of freedom to avoid what have been thought to be incredible commitments of these rival accounts. One attempt -- which I call soft libertarianism -- is represented by Robert Kane''s work. It hopes to defend an incompatibilist conception of freedom without the apparently difficult metaphysical costs traditionally incurred by these views. On the other hand, in response to what I call the robot obj…Read more
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Areas of Specialization
Philosophy of Action |
Normative Ethics |
Social and Political Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
Philosophy of Action |
Normative Ethics |
Social and Political Philosophy |