•  3
    Equivocation
    In Robert Arp, Steven Barbone & Michael Bruce (eds.), Bad Arguments, Wiley. 2018.
    This chapter focuses on one of the common fallacies in Western philosophy called 'equivocation'. Patrick Hurley writes that the fallacy of equivocation “occurs when the conclusion of an argument depends on the fact that the word or phrase is used, either explicitly or implicitly, in two different senses in the argument”. This fallacy happens often within discussions and debates concerning the alleged tension between science and religion. The best way to avoid this fallacy is to take care to ensu…Read more
  •  2
    Weak Analogy
    In Robert Arp, Steven Barbone & Michael Bruce (eds.), Bad Arguments, Wiley. 2018.
    This chapter focuses on one of the common fallacies in Western philosophy called ' weak analogy'. As Patrick Hurley writes, the weak analogy fallacy “occurs when the conditions of an argument depend on an analogy (or similarity) that is not strong enough to support the conclusion”. Often, vegetarians and vegans will hear the following argument from analogy in defense of carnivorism: “Animals eat each other in nature, so it's permissible for us to eat them as well”. By focusing on the similaritie…Read more
  •  2
    False Cause
    In Robert Arp, Steven Barbone & Michael Bruce (eds.), Bad Arguments, Wiley. 2018.
    This chapter focuses on one of the common fallacies in Western philosophy called the false cause fallacy. This fallacy occurs when the “link between premises and conclusion depends on some imagined causal connection that probably does not exist”. There are three different ways an argument can commit the false cause fallacy: post hoc ergo propter hoc; cum hoc ergo propter hoc; and ignoring common cause. The chapter deals with post hoc ergo propter hoc. One example of the post hoc ergo propter hoc…Read more
  •  5
    False Cause
    In Robert Arp, Steven Barbone & Michael Bruce (eds.), Bad Arguments, Wiley. 2018.
    In general, the false cause fallacy occurs when the “link between premises and conclusion depends on some imagined causal connection that probably does not exist”. There are three different ways an argument can commit the false cause fallacy: post hoc ergo propter hoc; cum hoc ergo propter hoc; and ignoring common cause. This chapter focuses on one of the common fallacies in Western philosophy, 'ignoring common cause'. The commercial exploited the false cause fallacy to get consumers to buy its …Read more
  •  3
    False Cause
    In Robert Arp, Steven Barbone & Michael Bruce (eds.), Bad Arguments, Wiley. 2018.
    This chapter focuses on one of the common fallacies in Western philosophy: 'false cause'. In general, the false cause fallacy occurs when the “link between premises and conclusion depends on some imagined causal connection that probably does not exist”. There are three different ways an argument can commit the false cause fallacy: post hoc ergo propter hoc; cum hoc ergo propter hoc; and ignoring common cause. Like the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy, this fallacy is guilty of trying to establi…Read more
  •  3
    This chapter explores the phenomenon of dehumanization, and how it facilitates violence, in the episode “Men Against Fire.” After exploring the nature, and consequences, of the MASS Implant as a tool to see human beings as literal monsters, we consider some historical and contemporary examples of dehumanization, such as language and propaganda, that functions similarly by stripping away the humanity of marginalized groups. “Men Against Fire” simultaneously serves the function of a historical les…Read more
  •  4
    Pro‐Choice Philosopher Has Baby
    In Fritz Allhoff & Sheila Lintott (eds.), Motherhood ‐ Philosophy for Everyone, Wiley‐blackwell. 2010.
    This chapter contains sections titled: Pregnancy: Before and After McFall, Shimp, and Thomson's Ailing Violinist Pro‐Choice Does Not Mean Pro‐Abortion Notes.
  •  60
    Being Ethical: Classic and New Voices on Contemporary Issues (edited book)
    with Shari Collins, Jacqueline M. Gately, and Eric Comerford
    Broadview Press. 2016.
    This anthology takes a broad approach to ethics, incorporating traditional topics and texts while bringing in voices and themes that are too often excluded. A substantial section on ethical theory is provided, as are readings on topics such as oppression, sex, identity, the environment, life and death, war and terror, and caring for others. Accessible introductions and discussion questions are included throughout to contextualize material for the student reader without playing favorites among th…Read more
  •  4
    The Metaphysical Foundations of Reproductive Ethics
    Journal of Applied Philosophy 26 (2): 190-204. 2009.
    abstract Many bioethicists working in reproductive ethics tacitly assume some theory of diachronic personal identity. For example, Peter Singer argues that there is no identity relation between a foetus and a future individual because the former shares no robust mental connections with the latter. Consequently, abortion prevents the existence of an individual; it does not destroy an already existing individual. Singer's argument implicitly appeals to the psychological account of personal identit…Read more
  •  10
    This paper will explain three reasons why pro-choice advocates should move away from arguments in favor of abortion choice that is dependent upon the fetus’ non-personhood, and more towards generating arguments in favor of abortion choice that embraces a more respectful view of fetal life. First, the future of the legal right to an abortion in the United States may depend on generating an argument that does not rely on denying fetal personhood. Second, pro-choice advocates should be more respect…Read more
  •  24
    Mutual Scorn Within the Abortion Debate: Some Parallels With Race Relations
    Journal of Bioethical Inquiry 12 (2): 295-311. 2015.
    By emphasizing the parallels between both racial vilification and the vilification that takes place when we discuss abortion in our society, I hope to provide a new perspective on the way the United States converses about this divisive issue. This perspective, in turn, can help us see how we can move forward from the stagnate polemics that have permeated the abortion debate in the United States for the past 40 years
  •  8
    Expressions of Preference and Other Morally Problematic Instances of Prayer
    Journal of Religious Ethics 47 (4): 679-695. 2019.
    When considering the role of prayer in the lives of believers, most theists agree that one important effect is the psychological impact on the person who is praying. Nevertheless, the way many of us pray, by primarily or solely focusing on our welfare and the welfare of our loved ones, agitates the human tendency towards exclusion. If we take seriously God’s commandment to love the neighbor as the self, we should use prayer, instead, as a prime opportunity to help cultivate a moral character tha…Read more
  •  43
    David DeGrazia, human identity and bioethics
    Journal of Value Inquiry 43 (4): 537-546. 2009.
  •  7
    On 22 January 2019, New York state passed the Reproductive Health Act (RHA), which specifies three circumstances under which a healthcare provider may perform an abortion in New York: (1) the patient is within twenty-four weeks of pregnancy, (2) the fetus is non-viable, or (3) the abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s life or health. The first one, that of abortion being accessible within the first twenty-four weeks of pregnancy, is not unique to New York, as many other states allow med…Read more
  • 8 The Pro- Choice Pro- Lifer: Battling the False Dichoto
    In Sarah LaChance Adams & Caroline R. Lundquist (eds.), Coming to Life: Philosophies of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Mothering, Fordham University Press. pp. 169-192. 2013.
  •  11
    Sustaining a Pregnant Cadaver for the Purpose of Gestating a Fetus: A Limited Defense
    Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 26 (4): 399-430. 2016.
    Marlise Muñoz had told her husband, Erik, that if it were ever necessary, she opposed being kept alive through the use of artificial sustenance. Two days before Thanksgiving in 2013, Erik found his wife unconscious on their kitchen floor; she had, by that point, suffered from oxygen deprivation for about an hour. When she arrived at John Peter Smith Hospital, Muñoz was put on a ventilator as hospital workers sought to revive her. They did not succeed. She was declared brain-dead, meaning that sh…Read more
  •  175
    In 2008, many states sought to pass Human Life Amendments, which would extend the definition of personhood to encompass newly fertilized eggs. If such an amendment were to pass, Roe v. Wade, as currently defended by the Supreme Court, may be repealed. Consequently, it is necessary to defend the right to an abortion in a manner that succeeds even if a Human Life Amendment successfully passes. J.J. Thomson's argument in “A Defense of Abortion” successfully achieves this. Her argument is especially…Read more
  •  151
    Pleading Men and Virtuous Women
    International Journal of Applied Philosophy 21 (1): 1-24. 2007.
    Far too often in our society, the input of a potential father is not deemed relevant in a woman’s abortion decision. Men, however, can suffer emotional strains due to the abortion of their potential child, and given this harm it seems that morality must make room for a potential father’s voice in the abortion decision. I will argue that a man cannot have the right to veto a woman’s decision to procure an abortion, yet there may be times where a woman may exercise her right to an abortion in a ma…Read more
  •  37
    In Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence a company called Cybertronics is responsible for creating, building, and disseminating a large number of ‘mechas’ – androids built specifically to address a multitude of human needs, including the desire to have children. David, an android mecha-child, has the capacity to genuinely love on whomever he ‘imprints.’ The first of this kind of mecha, he is ultimately abandoned by his ‘mother’ Monica, and David spends the rest of the film searching fo…Read more
  •  5
    Civil Dialogue on Abortion
    with Jack Mulder
    Routledge. 2018.
    Civil Dialogue on Abortion provides a cutting-edge discussion between two philosophy scholars on each side of the abortion debate. Bertha Alvarez Manninen argues for her pro-choice view, but also urges respect for the life of the fetus, while Jack Mulder argues for his pro-life view, but recognizes that for the pro-life movement to be consistent, it must urge society to care more for the vulnerable. Coming together to discuss their views, but also to seek common ground, the two authors show how …Read more
  •  5
    Cloning and individuality: Why Kass and Callahan are wrong
    Monash Bioethics Review 30 (1): 65-88. 2012.
  •  19
    In this paper, I will examine the Supreme Court of the United States’ (SCOTUS) arguments in the majority decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and I will show how some of those arguments are flawed. Primarily, I will show that the right to bodily autonomy is a well-established right, both in the courts and in societal practices, and that the right to an abortion should be understood as an example of the right to bodily autonomy or bodily integrity. Second, I will examine the …Read more
  •  49
    Medicating the mind: a Kantian analysis of overprescribing psychoactive drugs
    Journal of Medical Ethics 32 (2): 100-105. 2006.
    Psychoactive drugs are being prescribed to millions of Americans at an increasing rate. In many cases these drugs are necessary in order to overcome debilitating emotional problems. Yet in other instances, these drugs are used to supplant, not supplement, interpersonal therapy. The process of overcoming emotional obstacles by introspection and the attainment of self knowledge is gradually being eroded via the gratuitous use of psychoactive medication in order to rapidly attain a release from the…Read more
  •  17
    Undocumented Immigrants, Healthcare, and the Language of Desert
    International Journal of Applied Philosophy 34 (1): 19-30. 2020.
    Arguments both in favor and against including undocumented immigrants in healthcare reform abound. However, many of these arguments, including ones that are favorable towards immigrants, are ethically problematic, and for the same reason; namely, that they either support or deny the inclusion of undocumented immigrants in healthcare reform based on their perceived level of desert, due to their alleged contribution to our social utility, or lack thereof. This encourages gauging the lives and wort…Read more
  • Revisiting the argument from fetal potential
    Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine 2 (1): 7. 2007.
    One of the most famous, and most derided, arguments against the morality of abortion is the argument from potential, which maintains that the fetus' potential to become a person and enjoy the valuable life common to persons, entails that its destruction is prima facie morally impermissible. In this paper, I will revisit and offer a defense of the argument from potential. First, I will criticize the classical arguments proffered against the importance of fetal potential, specifically the argument…Read more
  •  87
    Respecting human embryos within stem cell research: Seeking harmony
    Metaphilosophy 38 (2-3): 226-244. 2007.
    Many medical‐ethics advisory boards have concluded that human embryonic stem cell research can be conducted in an ethical manner. Yet, almost all the recommendations of the ethics advisory boards have included a rather obscure requirement: the embryos that are to be destroyed for stem cell research must be treated with profound respect. In none of these recommendations, however, do we see an adequate explanation of what proper respect for human embryos actually entails. In this essay I argue tha…Read more
  •  2
    Are human embryos Kantian persons?: Kantian considerations in favor of embryonic stem cell research
    Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine 3 (1): 4. 2008.
    One argument used by detractors of human embryonic stem cell research invokes Kant's formula of humanity, which proscribes treating persons solely as a means to an end, rather than as ends in themselves. According to Fuat S. Oduncu, for example, adhering to this imperative entails that human embryos should not be disaggregated to obtain pluripotent stem cells for hESCR. Given that human embryos are Kantian persons from the time of their conception, killing them to obtain their cells for research…Read more