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56On the Uses and Disadvantages of the Ticking Bomb Case for LifeInternational Journal of Applied Philosophy 26 (1): 19-28. 2012.The ticking bomb case is meant to challenge absolute prohibitions on the use of torture. In “Imaginary Cases,” Michael Davis attempts to show that such cases can only be legitimately employed within certain limited parameters. In this paper, I explain how the ticking bomb case, suitably revised, does not run afoul of Davis’s prohibition on impossible content. The fact that torture could elicit the necessary information is enough; we need not stipulate a guaranteed result. I also defend philosoph…Read more
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43Ethics beyond the Academy: Service-Learning as Professional DevelopmentTeaching Philosophy 33 (2): 149-171. 2010.In addition to preparing students for graduate school or emphasizing transferable skills that are useful in any career, philosophy departments ought to give majors the education and work experience that will train them to become ethics officers outside of academia. This is a growing field that allows students to engage non-philosophers in setting corporate policies and addressing morally significant social issues. Using a course in medical ethics as an example, I show how incorporating service-l…Read more
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28Santayana’s Troubled Distinction: Aesthetics and Ethics in The Sense of BeautyOverheard in Seville 16 (16): 25-34. 1998.
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41Kant and Applied Ethics: The Uses and Limits of Kant's Practical PhilosophyWiley-Blackwell. 2011._Kant and Applied Ethics_ makes an important contribution to Kant scholarship, illuminating the vital moral parameters of key ethical debates. Offers a critical analysis of Kant’s ethics, interrogating the theoretical bases of his theory and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses Examines the controversies surrounding the most important ethical discussions taking place today, including abortion, the death penalty, and same-sex marriage Joins innovative thinkers in contemporary Kantian scholar…Read more
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14The Teleology of Reason: A Study of the Structure of Kant’s Critical Philosophy by Courtney D. Fugate (review)Journal of the History of Philosophy 53 (4): 788-789. 2015.
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48J.G. Fichte, Walter E. Wright (ed.), The Science of Knowing: J. G. Fichte's 1804 Lectures on the Wissenschaftslehre (review)Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews 2005 (11). 2005.
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53Jean-Christophe Merle, German Idealism and the Concept of Punishment (review)British Journal for the History of Philosophy 18 (5): 953-956. 2010.
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115The Decomposition of the Corporate Body: What Kant Cannot Contribute to Business EthicsJournal of Business Ethics 74 (3): 253-266. 2007.Kant is gaining popularity in business ethics because the categorical imperative rules out actions such as deceptive advertising and exploitative working conditions, both of which treat people merely as means to an end. However, those who apply Kant in this way often hold businesses themselves morally accountable, and this conception of collective responsibility contradicts the kind of moral agency that underlies Kant's ethics. A business has neither inclinations nor the capacity to reason, so i…Read more
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849Kant on sex and marriage: The implications for the same-sex marriage debateKant Studien 101 (3): 309-330. 2010.When examined critically, Kant's views on sex and marriage give us the tools to defend same-sex marriage on moral grounds. The sexual objectification of one's partner can only be overcome when two people take responsibility for one another's overall well-being, and this commitment is enforced through legal coercion. Kant's views on the unnaturalness of homosexuality do not stand up to scrutiny, and he cannot (as he often tries to) restrict the purpose of sex to procreation. Kant himself rules ou…Read more
Ellensburg, Washington, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Applied Ethics |
Normative Ethics |
19th Century Philosophy |
Philosophy of Law |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |