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70TorTure WArrANTS, SeLF-DeFeNSe, AND NeceSSiTyPublic Affairs Quarterly 25 (3): 217-240. 2011.Ticking time-bomb cases famously—or infamously—invite us to imagine a scenario wherein the torture of one guilty terrorist will lead to the acquisition of information that can be used to save the lives of many innocents. Despite the contemporary focus on such cases, they have a long tradition, dating to the early 1800s. And, throughout their history, they have appeared in various guises, from the literary to the public to the philosophical. The principal moral question suggested by these cases i…Read more
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92Cycling - Philosophy for Everyone: A Philosophical Tour de Force (edited book)Wiley-Blackwell. 2010.Covering interesting and varied philosophical terrain, _Cycling - Philosophy for Everyone_ explores in a fun but critical way the rich philosophical, cultural, and existential experiences that arise when two wheels are propelled by human energy. Incorporates or reflects the views of high-profile and notable past-professional cyclists and insiders such as Lennard Zinn, Scott Tinley, and Lance Armstrong Features contributions from the areas of cultural studies, kinesiology, literature, and politic…Read more
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259Terrorism and TortureInternational Journal of Applied Philosophy 17 (1): 121-134. 2003.This paper investigates the moral permissibility of torture. After briefly considering some empirical evidence, it discusses the conflict between deontological and consequentialist approaches to torture. It is argued that, even if we are to take rights seriously, torture should at least be allowed if some conditions are satisfied. Finally, the paper discusses what those conditions should be and what sorts of torture are morally permissible.
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12A Guide to Philosophies of the Sciences (edited book)Wiley-Blackwell. 2009.A collection of essays discussing a wide range of sciences and the central philosophical issues associated with them, presenting the sciences collectively to encourage a greater understanding of their associative theoretical foundations, as well as their relationships to each other. Offers a new and unique approach to studying and comparing the philosophies of a variety of scientific disciplines *Explores a wide variety of individual sciences, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, …Read more
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26Response to Open Peer Commentaries on “The Coming Era of Nanomedicine”American Journal of Bioethics 9 (10): 1-2. 2009.This article draws out some key themes and offers responses to commentaries on "The Coming Era of Nanomedicine" (Allhoff 2009).
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120The War on Terror and the Ethics of ExceptionalismJournal of Military Ethics 8 (4): 265-288. 2009.The war on terror is commonly characterized as a fundamentally different kind of war from more traditional armed conflict. Furthermore, it has been argued that, in this new kind of war, different rules, both moral and legal, must apply. In the first part of this paper, three practices endemic to the war on terror -- torture, assassination, and enemy combatancy status -- are identified as exceptions to traditional norms. The second part of the paper uses these examples to motivate a generalized a…Read more
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68Physicians at War (review)International Journal of Applied Philosophy 24 (1): 101-114. 2010.This paper offers a brief examination of ethical health issues arising from military operations and outlines which, if any, of these ethical health issues apply to current Australian Defence Force (ADF) military operations. The transparency of military operations provided through real time global media reporting and the Internet, has raised public awareness of incidents that can be viewed broadly as ethical issues or dilemmas. While many of these issues are not new, it is the changing context of…Read more
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151What Is Modesty?International Journal of Applied Philosophy 23 (2): 165-187. 2009.This paper examines the virtue of modesty and provides an account of what it means to be modest. A good account should not only delimit the proper application of the concept, but should also capture why it is that we think that modesty is a virtue. Recent work has yielded several interesting, but flawed, accounts of modesty. Julia Driver has argued that it consists in underestimating one’s self-worth, while Owen Flanagan has argued that modesty must entail an accurate—as opposed to underestimate…Read more
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15Germ-line Genetic Enhancements and Rawlsian Primary GoodsJournal of Philosophical Research 32 (9999): 217-230. 2007.Genetic interventions raise a host of moral issues and, of its various species, germ-line genetic enhancement is the most morally contentious. This paper surveys various arguments against germ-line enhancement and attempts to demonstrate their inadequacies. A positive argument is advanced in favor of certain forms of germ-line enhancements, which holds that they are morally permissible if and only if they augment Rawlsian primary goods, either directly or by facilitating their acquisition.
Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Applied Ethics |
Normative Ethics |
Philosophy of Law |