•  9
    Are Capabilities Compatible with Political Liberalism? A Third Way
    Croatian Journal of Philosophy 21 (2): 237-250. 2021.
    This article explores the relationship between capabilities and political liberalism. There are two views about how they might be compatible: Sen claims capabilities should be seen as a revision of primary goods while Nussbaum argues capabilities should form part of an overlapping consensus. It is argued they are both right—and incorrect. Whereas Sen identifies where compatibility might best be found, it is Nussbaum’s conception of capabilities that is able to overcome Rawls’s objections to Sen’…Read more
  •  14
    Capabilities, Political Liberalism and Private Law
    Archiv für Rechts- und Sozialphilosophie 104 (4): 556-569. 2018.
    This article argues political liberalism can and should be revised to improve its relevance to the private law. This approach is not a rejection of political liberalism, but instead a restatement consistent with the fundamental tenets of Rawls’s theory of justice. The first part begins with a brief summary of Rawls’s political liberalism. The second part discusses the strategies used to demonstrate the relevance of Rawls’s theory to the private law. The third part examines how Rawls’s theory can…Read more
  •  10
    Global Justice and Stakeholding
    International Journal of Applied Philosophy 34 (1): 105-122. 2020.
    The orthodox position in global justice is to consider questions about international distributive justice from a perspective of what duties, if any, affluent states have towards people in severe poverty. The debate has focused on whether positive or negative duties are most relevant and how they should be applied. This article challenges this orthodoxy by defending stakeholder theory as a promising new approach overcoming limitations in current debates through promotion of the virtue of stakehol…Read more
  •  42
    More than Recognition
    The Owl of Minerva 51 (1): 59-86. 2020.
    Hegel’s project of reconciliation is central to his Philosophy of Right. This article argues that scholars have understood this project in one of two ways, as a form of rational reconciliation or a kind of endorsement. Each is incomplete and their inability to capture the kind of reconciliation Hegel has in mind is made apparent when we consider the kind of problem that the rabble creates for modern society, which reconciliation is meant to address. The article concludes that more than mutual re…Read more
  •  26
    Capabilities, Political Liberalism and Private Law
    Archiv Fuer Rechts Und Sozialphilosphie 104 (4): 556-569. 2019.
    This article argues political liberalism can and should be revised to improve its relevance to the private law. This approach is not a rejection of political liberalism, but instead a restatement consistent with the fundamental tenets of Rawls's theory of justice. The first part begins with a brief summary of Rawls's political liberalism. The second part discusses the strategies used to demonstrate the relevance of Rawls's theory to the private law. The third part examines how Rawls's theory can…Read more
  •  30
    Plato, Hegel, and Democracy
    Hegel Bulletin 27 (1-2): 24-50. 2006.
    Nearly every major philosophy, from Plato to Hegel and beyond, has argued that democracy is an inferior form of government, at best. Yet, virtually every contemporary political philosophy working today endorses democracy in one variety or another. Should we conclude then that the traditional canon is meaningless for helping us theorise about a just state? In this paper, I will take up the criticisms and positive proposals of two such canonical figures in political philosophy: Plato and Hegel. At…Read more
  •  31
    Reply to Redding, Rosen and Wood
    Hegel Bulletin 33 (2): 23-35. 2012.
    Hegel'sPhilosophy of Rightis more than a major work of political and legal philosophy; it is a battleground for two different interpretive approaches. MyHegel's Political Philosophy: A Systematic Reading of the Philosophy of Rightargues that these approaches are mistaken about their differences and that one approach offers a more compelling interpretation ofHegel's Philosophy of Rightthan the other. I will briefly outline my defence of the systematic reading of thePhilosophy of Rightbefore reply…Read more
  •  13
    Moral Frankensteins
    American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience 3 (4): 28-30. 2012.
    Moral enhancement techniques modifying brain processes to produce improved moral conduct present us with new challenges for how we grapple with the ethical questions raised. John Shook (2012) argues that we should greet these developments with some measure of skepticism and cynicism regarding their success and desirability. This commentary considers further Shook’s scepticism. It is argued that the issue of “moral enhancement” raises questions about which view(s) may benefit and the problems thi…Read more
  •  30
    Opening the Tomb of New Philosophical Accounts of Death
    Journal of Value Inquiry 52 (2): 149-151. 2018.
    Many efforts are directed towards philosophical accounts of life from life’s meaning to how it should be led. Often overlooked are no less important issues concerning the end of life. Questions like what is death?, is immortality desirable?, is death ‘bad’ for the person who dies?, can the dead be harmed or punished? and what, if any, obligations do we have towards the dead? – these are but a few key concerns deserving greater attention. This special issue brings together three contributions th…Read more
  •  20
    Vote Buying and Tax-cut Promises
    Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory 63 (146): 20-35. 2016.
    Both vote buying and tax-cut promises are attempts to manipulate voters through cash incentives in order to win elections, but only vote buying is illegal. Should we extend the ban on vote buying to tax-cut promises? This article will argue for three conclusions. The first is that tax-cut promises should be understood as a form of vote buying. The second is that campaign promises are a form of vote buying. The third conclusion is that campaign promises, including tax-cut promises, should not be …Read more
  •  68
    This is a review of Richard Lippke - "Rethinking Imprisonment".
  •  135
    Is eating meat ethical?
    Think 16 (47): 9-13. 2017.
    Eating meat can be ethical, but only when it does not violate rights. This requires that the ways in which meat is produced and prepared for human consumption satisfies certain standards. While many current practices may fall short of this standard, this does not justify the position that eating meat cannot be ethical under any circumstances and there should be no principled objection to its possibility.
  •  13
    The Legacy of John Rawls (edited book)
    Continuum International Publishing Group. 2005.
    This book fills the void, making a substantial contribution not only to work on Rawls's thought but to contemporary debates in ethics and justice as well.
  •  67
    Unlocking Morality from Criminal Law
    Journal of Moral Philosophy 14 (3): 339-352. 2017.
    This review article critically examines R. A. Duff and Stuart P. Green’s wide-ranging Philosophical Foundations of Criminal Law. The book captures well a crucial debate at the heart of its topic: is morality a key for understanding criminal law? I first consider legal moralism arguments answering this question in the affirmative and argue they should be rejected. I next consider alternatives to argue that philosophers of criminal law should look beyond legal moralism for more compelling theories…Read more
  •  26
    Not just war: Eisikovits on A Theory of Truces
    Journal of Global Ethics 13 (1): 4-5. 2017.
    More work has gone into thinking about the philosophical justifications for starting a just war than bringing political violence to an end. The papers in this special section explore themes in Nir Eisikovits’s groundbreaking book A Theory of Truces and why truces deserve greater philosophical attention. This introduction briefly raises these issues and provides an overview of the papers.
  •  57
    Hegel, Nietzsche, and Philosophy: Thinking Freedom (review)
    Philosophy 79 (1): 149-153. 2004.
    This is a book review of Will Dudley, "Hegel, Nietzsche, and Philosophy"
  •  20
    T.H. Green's Theory of Punishment
    History of Political Thought 24 (4): 685-702. 2003.
    Green agrees with Kant on the abstract character of moral law as categorical imperatives and that intentional dispositions are central to a moral justification of punishment. The central problem with Kant's account is that we are unable to know these dispositions beyond a reasonable estimate. Green offers a practical alternative, positing moral law as an ideal to be achieved, but not immediately enforceable through positive law. Moral and positive law are bridged by Green's theory of the common …Read more
  •  2
    Thom Brooks book review of Theodor W. Adorno, Metaphysics: Concepts and Problems (review)
    Philosophy in Review 23 (3): 160-163. 2003.
    Thom Brooks reviews two books by Theodor Adorno
  •  6
    Editorial
    Journal of Moral Philosophy 2 (3): 263. 2005.
  •  8
    New Waves in Gobal Justice (edited book)
    Palgrave-MacMillan. 2014.
    With essays ranging from climate change and global poverty to just war and human rights and immigration, leading future figures present an ideal collection for anyone interested in the most important debates in global justice.
  •  31
    A Critique of Pragmatism and Deliberative Democracy
    Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 45 (1): 50-54. 2009.
    Robert B. Talisse's A Pragmatist Philosophy of Democracy is a genuine tour de force. His aim is both to defend a particular view of pragmatism originating with the work of Charles Sanders Peirce and, at the same time, argue in favour of a new view of deliberative democracy developed from Talisse's Peircean pragmatism. The result is a stunning achievement with real persuasive power. In this article, I will focus on one worry, namely, that the picture of democracy on offer is incomplete. While Tal…Read more
  •  1
    Editorial
    Journal of Moral Philosophy 2 (1): 7. 2005.
  •  32
    Just War Theory (edited book)
    Brill. 2012.
    Just War Theory raises some of the most pressing and important philosophical issues of our day. This book brings together some of the most important essays in this area written by leading scholars and offering significant contributions to how we understand just war theory
  •  24
    From Syrian asylum seekers to super-rich foreign investors, immigration is one of the most controversial issues facing Britain today. Politicians kick the subject from one election to the next with energetic but ineffectual promises to ‘crack down’, while newspaper editors plaster it across front pages. But few know the truth behind the headlines; indeed, the almost daily changes to our complex immigration laws pile up so quickly that even the officials in charge struggle to keep up. In this cle…Read more
  •  207
    The Academic Journal Editor—Secrets Revealed
    Journal of Moral Philosophy 9 (3): 313-325. 2012.
    My advice for journal editors - and not only editors of philosophy journals - for how to edit journals. Secrets shared from over 10 years of experiences with different journals and publishers.