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4On Being Me: A Personal Invitation to Philosophy (review)The Philosophers' Magazine 90 129-130. 2020.
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9The Wisdom of Frugality: Why Less is More - More or LessPrinceton University Press. 2016.From Socrates to Thoreau, most philosophers, moralists, and religious leaders have seen frugality as a virtue and have associated simple living with wisdom, integrity, and happiness. But why? And are they right? Is a taste for luxury fundamentally misguided? If one has the means to be a spendthrift, is it foolish or reprehensible to be extravagant? In this book, Emrys Westacott examines why, for more than two millennia, so many philosophers and people with a reputation for wisdom have been advoc…Read more
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Relativism and the Critique of ReasonDissertation, The University of Texas at Austin. 1995.In this work I examine the nature of, the motivations for, and some important objections to a relativistic conception of truth and rationality. I define relativism, in its most general form, as consisting of two claims: the truth value of all judgements is relative to some particular standpoint; no standpoint is supremely privileged over all others. These theses constitute the doctrinal kernel of most forms of contemporary relativism, and understood properly, I argue, they represent a coherent p…Read more
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37The Virtues of Our Vices: A Modest Defense of Gossip, Rudeness, and Other Bad HabitsPrinceton University PressThe book contains chapters on rudeness, gossiping, snobbery, humour, and respect for beliefs.
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89The little thingsThe Philosophers' Magazine 26 20-21. 2004.This article argues that the supposedly small moral issues in everyday life are worthy of philosophical attention since they reveal much about character, values, and the complexity of moral judgements.
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41The Contemporary Relevance of Socrates' question to EuthyphroThink 2 (5): 69-72. 2003.Emrys Westacott explains one of the most famous and ubiquitous of all philosophical dilemmas
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48RelativismPhilosophy Now. 2001.An allegorical elucidation of cognitive relativism which compares our criteria for judging a belief rational or true to recipes for making bread.
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91Does Surveillance Make Us Morally Better?Philosophy Now 79 6-9. 2010.The article examines how surveillance may on the one hand discourage us from doing wrong while at the same time making us less moral in another sense, since it encourages us to avoid wrongdoing purely out of self-interest.
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14The Placebo EffectPhilosophy Now 55 50-54. 2006.A humorous short story about a company that tries marketing a placebo as a more expensive drug on the grounds that doing this will both maximize their profits and benefit the greatest number, since research shows the placebo to be highly effective if marketed as something else
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52The joy of living StoicallyThe Philosophers' Magazine 58 119-120. 2012.Review of William Irvine's 'A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy'
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165. Why Should I Respect Your Stupid Opinion?In The Virtues of Our Vices: A Modest Defense of Gossip, Rudeness, and Other Bad Habits, Princeton University Press. pp. 215-260
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16Depths of the mundaneThe Philosophers' Magazine 49 89-92. 2010.Why eschew luxury? The traditional arguments for frugality typically focus on what is good for the individual. Some see frugality as morally valuable because it tends to be associated with other virtues such as wisdom, honesty, or sincerity. Some find the natural, uncluttered, focused character of a simple lifestyle aesthetically appealing. The most common argument, though, is that simple living is the surest route – some even say the only route – to happiness.
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102. The Ethics of GossipingIn The Virtues of Our Vices: A Modest Defense of Gossip, Rudeness, and Other Bad Habits, Princeton University Press. pp. 53-99
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19Galahad vs OdysseusPhilosophy Now 90 20-25. 2012.The article identifies two basic views of cheating and gamesmanship in sport: the Galahadian view which sees such practices as fundamentally dishonourable; and the Odyssean view which sees them as legitimate strategies for winning. There are pragmatic arguments on both sides, but on balance the Galahadian perspective is preferable in most sports. A similar conflict of outlooks occurs in fields beyond sport also: e.g. over whether someone holding a bad mortgage should keep paying or default.
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121. The Rights and Wrongs of RudenessIn The Virtues of Our Vices: A Modest Defense of Gossip, Rudeness, and Other Bad Habits, Princeton University Press. pp. 13-52
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16Relativism, Truth, and Implicit CommitmentsInternational Studies in Philosophy 32 (2): 95-126. 2000.
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133. On Snobbery: Is It Sinful to Feel Superior?In The Virtues of Our Vices: A Modest Defense of Gossip, Rudeness, and Other Bad Habits, Princeton University Press. pp. 100-161
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30Doing Philosophy (review)Teaching Philosophy 33 (3): 340-343. 2010.Review of 'Doing Philosophy: A practical guide for students' by Claire Saunders et al.
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87Teaching Mill's On LibertyTeaching Philosophy 20 (3): 301-310. 1997.Mill’s On Liberty is a seminal text in modern social/political philosophy, but there are several dimensions to this text that frequently confuse undergraduates. First, Mill’s uses of “utility” are not obviously consistent. Second, Mill offers varied formulations of his harm principle which are potentially conflicting. Third, lacking a greater context for the work, students sometimes mistake Mill’s goal for an attempt to draw a line between actions that should and should not be legal. This paper …Read more
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97The Ethics of GossipingInternational Journal of Applied Philosophy 14 (1): 65-90. 2000.When is gossiping morally acceptable? In order to explore and develop a principled answer to this question, I pose the problem in a simplified, abstract form: What considerations govern what it is permissible for A to say to B about C? My approach involves first constructing a decision tree out of questions that apply general moral principles to any particular case. These principles filter out talk which, under normal circumstances, would be widely regarded as impermissible, such as breaches of …Read more
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61Review essay : Hilary Putnam, words and life, ed. James Conant (cambridge, ma: Harvard university press, 1994Philosophy and Social Criticism 24 (1): 103-108. 1998.
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66How not to accuse someone of prejudiceThink 14 (41): 21-29. 2015.In discussions of racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice, two kinds of fallacious reasoning sometimes appear: the and the. The first fallacy treats someone's subjective response to a comment as sufficient evidence of prejudice or insensitivity. This fails to acknowledge that the reasonableness of the response is always an open question. The second fallacy involves dismissing what people accused of prejudice say in their defence on the grounds that the privileged always speak that way. This…Read more
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Areas of Specialization
Metaphysics |
Normative Ethics |
Areas of Interest
Applied Ethics |
19th Century Philosophy |
Philosophy, General Works |