•  9
    In Memoriam
    Philosophy in the Contemporary World 27 (2): 100-105. 2021.
  •  8
    In the original publication of this article, the title of the article has been publihsed incorrectly. Now the same has been corrected and publihsed in this Correction.
  •  3
    Review of Forgiveness and Revenge, by Trudy Govier (review)
    Essays in Philosophy 4 (2): 187-190. 2003.
  •  21
    The Use of Lethal Drones in the War on Terror
    In David Boonin (ed.), Palgrave Handbook of Philosophy and Public Policy, Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 135-145. 2018.
    I evaluate one intuitive argument for, and one against, the use of lethal drones by the United States in its War on Terror. The Lesser Evil Argument appeals to those who think it perverse to reject weapons that enable a more limited use of force. But if harms on all sides and longer-term consequences are considered, the argument is much less persuasive. The Targeted Killing Argument is intuitive to those who consider drone strikes against terrorist suspects named in intelligence reports to vi…Read more
  • The Nature of Action: A Causal Account
    Dissertation, Stanford University. 1992.
    The problem of the nature of action is to say what else there is to action besides the occurrence of the event brought about in acting. My approach is to distinguish action from non-action on the basis of a special mental cause of the physical event brought about in acting. ;I begin with accounts that make do only with reasons, i.e. beliefs and desires, as the mental causes sought. But the belief-desire model of action does not give the necessary condition for action because non-intentional acti…Read more
  •  8
    Cross-Cultural Biotechnology: A Reader (edited book)
    with Stella Gonzalez Arnal, Donald Chalmers, Margaret Coffey, Jo Ann T. Croom, Mylène Deschênes, Henrich Ganthaler, Yuri Gariev, Ryuichi Ida, Jeffrey P. Kahn, Martin O. Makinde, Anna C. Mastroianni, Katharine R. Meacham, Bushra Mirza, Michael J. Morgan, Dianne Nicol, Edward Reichman, Susan E. Wallace, and Larissa P. Zhiganova
    Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 2004.
    This book is a rich blend of analyses by leading experts from various cultures and disciplines. A compact introduction to a complex field, it illustrates biotechnology's profound impact upon the environment and society. Moreover, it underscores the vital relevance of cultural values. This book empowers readers to more critically assess biotechnology's value and effectiveness within both specific cultural and global contexts
  •  63
    Virtue Ethics and Nonviolence
    In Andrew Fiala (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Pacifism and Nonviolence, Routledge. pp. 168-178. 2018.
    In this paper, I discuss virtue ethics in relation to the rejection of the use of lethal violence. I argue that, given how I apply virtue ethics, a person of good character will have a very strong intrinsic desire to avoid the killing of another human being, so that only in rare circumstances where the alternative to violence is immensely evil would the use of violence to prevent the evil be the morally appropriate choice for the person to make. I first give a brief summary of a neo-Aristotelian…Read more
  •  30
    Review of “Forgiveness and Revenge” (review)
    Essays in Philosophy 4 (2): 13. 2003.
    This is a book review of Forgiveness and Revenge by Trudy Govier.
  •  142
    Intention and responsibility in double effect cases
    Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 3 (4): 405-434. 2000.
    I argue that the moral distinction in double effect cases rests on a difference not in intention as traditionally stated in the Doctrine of Double Effect (DDE), but in desire. The traditional DDE has difficulty ensuring that an agent intends the bad effect just in those cases where what he does is morally objectionable. I show firstly that the mental state of a rational agent who is certain that a side-effect will occur satisfies Bratman's criteria for intending that effect. I then clarify the n…Read more
  •  31
    Reasoning without Comparing
    American Philosophical Quarterly 47 (2): 153-164. 2010.
    My paper critiques the comparability requirement that practical reason is limited by the possibility of comparing alternatives. I describe methods of reasoning that are compatible with choice between incomparable options, and discuss a mistake about intention that supports the view that comparing alternatives is the only way to choose rationally. I then explain how a model of rational choice that prescribes the comparison of alternatives invents unacceptable concepts to make comparability poss…Read more
  •  31
    Autonomy, Humane Medicine, and Research Ethics: An East Asian Perspective
    In Michael C. Brannigan (ed.), Cross-Cultural Biotechnology: A Reader, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 127-137. 2004.
    In Chinese Confucian medical ethics, the principle of autonomy has not been recognized. Instead, the basic values of medical practice are compassion and humaneness. Patient autonomy however lies at the foundation of Western medical ethics in general and research ethics in particular. In the modern world of biotechnology, what happens when medical research is carried out in an East Asian society? Should the society adopt principles of Western medical ethics? Or can resources to ensure ethica…Read more
  •  54
    The Ethics of War and Law Enforcement in Defending Against Terrorism
    Social Philosophy Today 28 101-114. 2012.
    There are two contrasting paradigms for dealing with terrorists: war and law enforcement. In this paper, I first discuss how the just war theory assesses the military response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. I argue that the ethical problems with the U.S. attack on Afghanistan in response to 9/11 concern principles of jus ad bellum besides just cause. I show that the principles of right intention, last resort, proportionality and likelihood of success were violated. Furth…Read more
  •  57
    Moral Reasoning and Decisions on the Ground
    Philosophy in the Contemporary World 19 (2): 15-25. 2012.
    In this paper, I examine the difference between decision-making by soldiers and commanders, compared with leaders of the nation. Decision-making in the armed forces is prudential reasoning concerned with the best means to achieve given military objectives. I argue that those in the military cannot rationally make the moral choice to risk the lives of their own soldiers or jeopardize their mission in order to protect the lives of enemy civilians. This does not vindicate the realists who deny that…Read more
  •  77
    Active Voluntary Euthanasia and the Problem of Intending Death
    Journal of Philosophical Research 30 (9999): 379-389. 2005.
    In this paper, I discuss an example from Buchanan of active voluntary euthanasia (AVE). I first refute objections to the intuitive permissibility of the killing described in the example. After explaining why the killing is intentional, I evaluate Buchanan's solution to the ‘problem of intending death’. According to Buchanan, what justifies a physician in intentionally bringing about a patient's death by AVE is a principle that embodies the values of patient self-determination and well-being. …Read more
  •  27
    This introduction by the editor to the essays in Moral Psychology Today describes what philosophy of action is about, followed by brief synopses of each essay in the volume.
  •  48
    Should Human Genes Be Patented?
    Philosophy in the Contemporary World 12 (2): 30-36. 2005.
    The ethics of gene patenting is concerned with whether human genes are the kind of thing that is appropriate for patenting, and whether it is ethical to do so. Is genetic technology a special case compared to other medical technology that have been patented? Much of the debate has revolved around the benefits and harms of allowing gene sequences to be patented. In this paper, I am concerned with a non-consequential consideration: Can someone patent my genes? If genes are the common property…Read more
  •  65
    Just war, noncombatant immunity, and the concept of supreme emergency
    Journal of Military Ethics 11 (4): 273-286. 2012.
    The supreme emergency exemption proposed by Michael Walzer has engendered controversy because it permits violations of the jus in bello principle of discrimination when a state is faced with imminent defeat at the hands of a very evil enemy. Traditionalists among just war theorists believe that noncombatants should never be deliberately targeted in war whether or not there is a supreme emergency. Pacifists on the other hand reject war as immoral even in a supreme emergency. Unlike Walzer, neithe…Read more
  •  71
    A not-so-simple view of intentional action
    Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 80 (1). 1999.
    The Simple View (SV) holds that for someone to intentionally A, he must intend to A. Critics of SV point to intentional actions which, due to belief-conditions or consistency constraints, agents cannot intend. By recognizing species of intention which vary according to the agent's confidence in acting, I argue that the stringency of consistency constraints depends on the agent's confidence. A more sophisticated SV holds that the species of intending is related to the degree of intentionality of …Read more
  •  50
    A Reappraisal of the Doctrine of Doing and Allowing
    In Joseph Keim Campbell, Michael O'Rourke & Harry S. Silverstein (eds.), Action, Ethics, and Responsibility, Mit Press. pp. 25-45. 2010.
    Warren Quinn and Philippa Foot have given versions of the Doctrine of Doing and Allowing justifying a moral distinction between doing something to bring about harm, and doing nothing to prevent harm. They argue that it is justified to allow one person to die so that one can save a larger number of people, but not to kill one person to achieve the same purpose. In this chapter, I show that the examples typically used to support the DDA do not in fact do so. Contrary to the deontological ethics…Read more
  •  23
    The Ethics of War and Law Enforcement in Defending Against Terrorism
    Social Philosophy Today 28 101-114. 2012.
    There are two contrasting paradigms for dealing with terrorists: war and law enforcement. In this paper, I first discuss how the just war theory assesses the military response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. I argue that the ethical problems with the U.S. attack on Afghanistan in response to 9/11 concern principles of jus ad bellum besides just cause. I show that the principles of right intention, last resort, proportionality and likelihood of success were violated. Furthermo…Read more
  •  136
    Non-Intentional Actions
    American Philosophical Quarterly 32 (2). 1995.
    The aim of the paper is to show that there are actions which are non-intentional. An account is first given which links intentional and unintentional action to acting for a reason, or appropriate causation by an intention. Mannerisms and habitual actions are then presented as examples of behavior which are actions, but which are not done in the course of acting for a reason. This account has advantages over that of Hursthouse's "arational actions," which are allegedly intentional actions done fo…Read more
  •  42
    Editor's Introduction: War, Peace, and Ethics
    Philosophy in the Contemporary World 19 (2): 1-3. 2012.
    This is an introduction to a special volume of the journal, Philosophy in the Contemporary World, on "War, Peace, and Ethics" which contains ten original essays on a wide range of topics.
  •  19
    Review of "Who’s Afraid of Human Cloning?" (review)
    Bioethics 13 440-443. 1999.
    This is a book review of "Who’s Afraid of Human Cloning?" by Gregory Pence.
  •  58
    Despite criticism that dignity is a vague and slippery concept, a number of international guidelines on bioethics have cautioned against research that is contrary to human dignity, with reference specifically to genetic technology. What is the connection between genetic research and human dignity? In this article, I investigate the concept of human dignity in its various historical forms, and examine its status as a moral concept. Unlike Kant's ideal concept of human dignity, the empirical or re…Read more
  •  19
    Luck, Fairness, and Professional Mobility
    Philosophy in the Contemporary World 21 (1): 1-11. 2014.
    I compare the distribution of jobs and research opportunities in academic philosophy with how American society distributes economic rewards. In both cases, there is gross inequality and lack of upward mobility. Luck always plays a role in hiring decisions and the acceptance of papers by journals, but the entrenchment of luck has led to elitism which is unhealthy for the profession of philosophy, just as it is for the capitalist economy. I suggest some revolutionary steps to bridge the gap bet…Read more
  •  58
    In re-examining the concepts of desire, intention, and trying, David K. Chan brings a fresh approach toward resolving many of the problems that have occupied philosophers of action for almost a century. This book not only presents a complete theory of human agency but also, by developing the conceptual tools needed to do moral philosophy, lays the groundwork for formulating an ethics that is rooted in a clear, intuitive, and coherent moral psychology.
  •  152
    Beyond Just War: A Virtue Ethics Approach
    Palgrave-Macmillan. 2012.
    Are today’s wars different from earlier wars? Or do we need a different ethics for old and new wars alike? Unlike most books on the morality of war, this book rejects the ‘just war’ tradition, proposing a virtue ethics of war to take its place. Like torture, war cannot be justified. This book asks and answers the question: “If war is a very great evil, would a leader with courage, justice, compassion, and all the other moral virtues ever choose to fight a war?” A ‘philosophy of co-existence’ is …Read more
  •  57
    Wrongful Life, Wrongful Disability, and the Argument against Cloning
    Journal of Philosophical Research 32 (9999): 257-272. 2007.
    Philosophical problems with the concept of wronging someone in bringing the person into existence, especially the non-identity problem, have been much discussed in connection with forms of assisted reproduction that carry risks of harms either greater than or not otherwise present in natural reproduction. In this essay, I discuss the meaning of claims of wrongful life, distinguishing them from claims of wrongful disability. Attempts to conceptualize wrongful disability in terms of either the har…Read more