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Emrys Westacott

Alfred University
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University of Texas at Austin
Department of Philosophy
PhD, 1995
Homepage
Tinkertown, New York, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Metaphysics
Normative Ethics
Areas of Interest
Applied Ethics
19th Century Philosophy
Philosophy, General Works
  •  63
    Thinking Through Philosophy: An Introduction
    with Chris Horner
    Cambridge University Press. 2000.
    Chris Horner and Emrys Westacott present a clear and accessible introduction to some of the central problems of philosophy through challenging and stimulating the reader to think beyond the conventional answers to fundamental questions. No previous knowledge is assumed, and in lively and provocative chapters the authors invite the reader to explore questions about the nature of science, religion, ethics, politics, art, the mind, the self, knowledge and truth. Each chapter includes inset boxes pr…Read more
    Philosophy, General Works
  •  35
    The Placebo Effect
    Philosophy Now 55 50-54. 2006.
    A humorous short story about a company that tries marketing a placebo as a more expensive drug on the grounds that doing this will both maximize their profits and benefit the greatest number, since research shows the placebo to be highly effective if marketed as something else
    Applied EthicsApplied Ethics, Miscellaneous
  •  37
    2. The Ethics of Gossiping
    In The Virtues of Our Vices: A Modest Defense of Gossip, Rudeness, and Other Bad Habits, Princeton University Press. pp. 53-99. 2011.
    Ethics
  •  75
    Relativism
    Philosophy Now. 2001.
    An allegorical elucidation of cognitive relativism which compares our criteria for judging a belief rational or true to recipes for making bread.
    Epistemic Relativism, Misc
  •  145
    Does Surveillance Make Us Morally Better?
    Philosophy Now 79 6-9. 2010.
    The article examines how surveillance may on the one hand discourage us from doing wrong while at the same time making us less moral in another sense, since it encourages us to avoid wrongdoing purely out of self-interest.
    Ethics
  •  48
    5. Why Should I Respect Your Stupid Opinion?
    In The Virtues of Our Vices: A Modest Defense of Gossip, Rudeness, and Other Bad Habits, Princeton University Press. pp. 215-260. 2011.
  •  135
    The little things
    The Philosophers' Magazine 26 20-21. 2004.
    This article argues that the supposedly small moral issues in everyday life are worthy of philosophical attention since they reveal much about character, values, and the complexity of moral judgements.
    Value Theory, Miscellaneous