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74Degrees of PersonhoodJournal of Medicine and Philosophy 22 (2): 173-197. 1997.In this paper I argue that a Naturalist conception of personhood, such as the one defended by Derek Parfit, implies that there are degrees of personhood, i.e., that it makes sense to say one individual has a greater degree of personhood than another. I describe both criteria of general personhood, which distinguish between persons and non-persons, and criteria of particular personhood, which distinguish between one person and another. I examine some of the consequences for ethics, including the …Read more
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Development: Disorders of Childhood and YouthIn Jennifer Radden (ed.), The Philosophy of Psychiatry: A Companion, Oxford University Press. 2004.
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43Bridging the gap between philosophers of mind and brain researchers: The example of addictionMens Sana Monographs 9 (1): 193. 2011.Philosophers and psychologists have long tried to understand people's irrational behaviour through concepts such as weakness of will, compulsion and addiction. The scientific basis of the project has been greatly enhanced by advances in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. However, some philosophers have also been critical of the more general conclusions drawn by the scientists. This is especially true when scientific researchers start making claims that go to philosophical issues, such as fre…Read more
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73Medicating Children: The Case of RitalinBioethics 11 (3-4): 228-240. 1997.In response to recent concerns about the overmedication of children, this paper considers ethical and conceptual issues that arise in the issue of when children who are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder should be given stimulants such as the psychotropic drug Ritalin as part of their treatment. There is considerable resistance and worry about the possibility of overmedication. This is linked to the worry that the diagnosis of ADHD is overused, and the paper considers some r…Read more
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