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32What does human evolutionary theory reveal about the origins of human nature and the constraints it imposes on human cognition, behavior, and society? “The whole field of human evolution is pregnant with philosophical questions of great interest”, Michael Ruse concludes in the final passage of The Philosophy of Human Evolution. This engaging and eminently readable romp through the philosophical landscape of human evolution fills a significant niche in the existing literature. There are numerous …Read more
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32An ethical and prudential argument for prioritizing the reduction of parasite-stress in the allocation of health care resourcesBehavioral and Brain Sciences 35 (2): 90-91. 2012.The link between parasite-stress and complex psychological dispositions implies that the social, political, and economic benefits likely to flow from public health interventions that reduce rates of non-zoonotic infectious disease are far greater than have traditionally been thought. We sketch a prudential and ethical argument for increasing public health resources globally and redistributing these to focus on the alleviation of parasite-stress in human populations
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30Précis of The Evolution of Moral Progress: A Biocultural TheoryAnalyse & Kritik 41 (2): 183-194. 2019.The idea of moral progress played a central role in liberal political thought from the Enlightenment through the nineteenth century but is rarely encountered in moral and political philosophical discourse today. One reason for this is that traditional liberal theorists of moral progress, like their conservative detractors, tended to rely on under-evidenced assumptions about human psychology and society. For the first time, we are developing robust scientific knowledge about human nature, especia…Read more
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25Is preventive suicide a rational response to a presymptomatic diagnosis of dementia?Journal of Medical Ethics 40 (8): 511-512. 2014.It may soon be possible to diagnose neurodegenerative disorders, such as early onset Alzheimer's disease, with a high degree of accuracy well before these conditions become symptomatic. In a carefully argued and thought-provoking piece, Dena Davis maintains that preemptive suicide may be a rational option for those confronted with a preclinical diagnosis of impending dementia, and consequently that withholding the results of dementia research until effective treatments become available constitut…Read more
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19Response to commentaries on Powell/Scarffe feature articleJournal of Medical Ethics 45 (9): 597-598. 2019.We are grateful for the thoughtful attention the commentators and editors have given our paper. They raise many substantive points that warrant a response, but for reasons of journal space our reply must be brief. In our paper, we argue for an amended hybrid account of ‘disease’ in human medicine that takes normative ethics seriously, guards against pernicious classifications of disease and reconnects the concept with the goals of healthcare institutions in which disease diagnosis is embedded. C…Read more
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16Reply to CommentsAnalyse & Kritik 41 (2): 287-300. 2019.Commentators on The Evolution of Moral Progress: A Biocultural Theory raise a number of metaethical and moral concerns with our analysis, as well as some complaints regarding how we have interpreted and made use of the contemporary evolutionary and social sciences of morality. Some commentators assert that one must already presuppose a moral theory before one can even begin to theorize moral progress; others query whether the shift toward greater inclusion is really a case of moral progress, or …Read more
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14Review of Donald P. o'mathuna, Nanoethics: Big Ethical Issues with Small Technology (review)Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews 2010 (8). 2010.
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11Religion, Intolerance, and Conflict: A Scientific and Conceptual Investigation (edited book)Oxford University Press. 2013.The relationship between religion, intolerance and conflict has been the subject of intense discussion, particularly in the wake of the events of 9-11 and the ongoing threat of terrorism. This book contains original papers written by some of the world's leading scholars in anthropology, psychology, philosophy and theology exploring the scientific and conceptual dimensions of religion and human conflict. The volume will be of great interest to academics across avariety of disciplines, including r…Read more
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7Breaking Evolution's ChainsIn Julian Savulescu, Ruud ter Meulen & Guy Kahane (eds.), Enhancing Human Capacities, Blackwell. 2011.This chapter critically examines the evolutionary assumptions that underlie the notion that nature is like a master engineer. It compares and contrasts intentional genetic modification (IGM) with unintentional genetic modification (UGM) as to their potential for improving human life. The chapter first argues for two main theses. First, UGM operates under constraints that severely limit its ability to realize what human beings rightly value, including their own survival and improvement. Because I…Read more
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2The Law and Philosophy of Preventive War: An Institution-Based Approach to Collective Self-DefenseAustralian Journal of Legal Philosophy 32 67-89. 2007.
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1The Nature of Species and the Moral Significance of Their ExtinctionIn Tom Beauchamp (ed.), Oxford Handbook on Ethics and Animals, Oxford University Press. forthcoming.
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Section II. Advancing the debate. Enhancing conservatism / Rebecca Roache and Julian Savulescu ; Maclntyre's paradox / Bernadette Tobin ; Partiality for humanity and enhancement / Jonathan Pugh, Guy Kahane, and Julian Savulescu ; Enhancement, mind-uploading, and personal identity / Nicholas Agar ; Levelling the playing field : on the alleged unfairness of the genetic lottery / Michael Hauskeller ; Buchanan and the conservative argument against human enhancement from biological and social harmony / Steve Clarke ; Moral enhancement, enhancement, and sentiment / Gregory E. Kaebnick ; The evolution of moral enhancement (review)In Steve Clarke, Julian Savulescu, C. A. J. Coady, Alberto Giubilini & Sagar Sanyal (eds.), The Ethics of Human Enhancement: Understanding the Debate, Oxford University Press. 2016.
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Adopting a Technological Stance Toward the Living World. Promises, Pitfalls and PerilsIn Sven Ove Hansson (ed.), The Role of Technology in Science: Philosophical Perspectives, Springer Verlag. 2015.
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