•  163
    Why we are responsible for our emotions
    Mind 95 (377): 37-56. 1986.
    It is often said that one cannot be held responsible for something one cannot help. Indeed, Ted Honderich, Paul Edwards, and C. A. Campbell have suggested that it is obtuse, barbaric, or a solecism to think otherwise 1. Thus, if (contra Sartre and others) one cannot help feeling one's emotions, one is not responsible for one's emotions. In this paper I will argue otherwise; one is responsible for one's emotions, even if one cannot help feeling them. 2 In particular, I will define a rather specia…Read more
  •  112
    Bad Samaritans, Aftertastes, and the Problem of Evil
    Philosophia 43 (1): 197-204. 2015.
    The paper argues first that, by not rescuing innocents in certain ways , God violates a weak Bad Samaritan principle that few would deny. This ‘Bad Samaritan argument’ appears to block the traditional free will defense to the problem of evil, since respecting the principle does not violate or show lack of respect for free will. Second, the paper articulates a version of the traditional argument from evil, the ‘Aftertaste argument’, that appears to close some of the traditional loopholes in the a…Read more
  •  69
    Morality and the Meaning of Life (review)
    Teaching Philosophy 18 (4): 372-374. 1995.
  •  57
    A New Model of Business
    Business Ethics Quarterly 4 (4): 459-474. 1994.
    The paper suggests replacing the shareholder/stakeholder distinction with a “Dual-Investor” model of business: stockowners provide the specific capital for business ventures, while society provides the “opportunity capital.” Thus society is an investor in every business venture. Dual-Investor theory provides a response (based purely on the ethics of investment) to Milton Friedman’s arguments that executives should maximize profit by any legal means, avoids recent criticisms by Kenneth Goodpaster…Read more
  •  52
    Losing the right to the truth
    Journal of Value Inquiry 33 (3): 389-403. 1999.
  •  44
    Engineering Codes of Ethics and the Duty to Set a Moral Precedent
    Science and Engineering Ethics 22 (5): 1333-1344. 2016.
    Each of the major engineering societies has its own code of ethics. Seven “common core” clauses and several code-specific clauses can be identified. The paper articulates objections to and rationales for two clauses that raise controversy: do engineers have a duty to provide pro bono services and/or speak out on major issues, and to associate only with reputable individuals and organizations? This latter “association clause” can be justified by the “proclamative principle,” an alternative to Kan…Read more
  •  43
    This volume brings together leading theorists to discuss the latest thinking on social justice - a central concern of contemporary politics and political philosophy. Contributors such as Carole Pateman, Raymond Plant and Chris Brown explore: * the origins of the concept * the contributions of thinkers such as Hume, Kant and Mill * issues such as international justice, economic justice, justice and the environment and special rights. By bringing together the latest applications of theories of jus…Read more
  •  41
    Why actions might be willings
    with Ron Talmage
    Philosophical Studies 38 (2). 1980.
  •  37
    Quoting and mentioning
    Philosophical Studies 43 (3). 1983.
  •  37
    The ethical engineer
    Temple University Press. 1993.
    Eugene Schlossberger has created a practical guide to ethical decision-making for engineers, students, and workers in business and industry.The Ethical Engineer ...
  •  36
    Supervision and the Logic of Resentment
    Philosophy of Management 9 (2): 65-80. 2010.
    Because resentment features prominently in work relations, supervisors should understand the nature of such emotions and how to address them. Popular wisdom’s insistence that emotions cannot be rationally assessed is mistaken. Emotions are judgments embodied in perceptions, dispositions, and “raw feels,” that reflect one’s worldview. At the core of paradigmatic resentment is the moral judgment that someone has betrayed one by unfairly rejecting one in a way that shows ill-will. Non-paradigmatic …Read more
  •  34
    Moral responsibility and persons
    Temple University Press. 1992.
    Schlossberger contends that we are to be judged morally on the basis of what we are, our "world-view," rather than what we do.In Moral Responsibility and ...
  •  33
    Book reviews (review)
    with Frederick Kraenzel and Robert Hanna
    Journal of Value Inquiry 21 (3): 235-247. 1987.
  •  32
    With Virtue for All
    Southwest Philosophy Review 5 (1): 71-76. 1989.
  •  32
    Setting Premiums Ethically
    International Journal of Applied Philosophy 20 (2): 331-337. 2006.
    Insufficient attention has been paid to the ethics of distributing costs of insurance risk. Seven approaches are articulated: the egalitarian model, the needs/ability model, the loss history model, the statistical model, the causality model, the moral fault model (avoidability interpretation and worldview interpretation), and eclectic models. The ethical dimensions of each model are explored. Although some reasons are given for preferring the eclectic model, the main purpose of the paper is to p…Read more
  •  30
    Aristotelian matter, potentiality and quarks
    Southern Journal of Philosophy 17 (4): 507-521. 1979.
  •  26
    Fallibilism and the Ideal Scientific Community
    Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 18 (3). 1982.
  •  25
    The responsibility of engineers, appropriate technology, and Lesser developed nations
    Science and Engineering Ethics 3 (3): 317-326. 1997.
    Projects importing technology to lesser developed nations may raise five important concerns: famine resulting from substitution of cash crops for subsistence crops, the use of products banned in the United States but permitted overseas, the use of products safe in the U.S. but unsafe under local conditions, ecological consequences of technological change, and cultural disruption caused by displacing traditional ways of life. Are engineers responsible for the foreseeable hunger, environmental deg…Read more
  •  22
    Dual-Investor Theory and the Case for Benefit Corporations
    Business and Professional Ethics Journal 35 (1): 51-72. 2016.
    Benefit corporations, whose chartered mission includes attending to specific and general social benefits, are sometimes criticized as monstrous hybrids trying to serve two incompatible purposes. Dual-Investor Theory, which regards society as an investor in every business venture, answers this objection by providing a natural and compelling rationale for benefit corporations. Several other objections to benefit corporations are articulated and addressed, including the problems of greenwashing and…Read more
  •  20
    Environmental Ethics
    Philosophy in the Contemporary World 8 (2): 15-26. 2001.
    This paper articulates a framework, “E,” for developing ethical claims about environmental issues. E is a general framework for constructing arguments and working out disputes, rather than a particular theory. It may be deployed in various ways by writers with quite different views to generate diverse arguments applying to a broad panoply of issues. E can serve as a common language between those who adopt anthropocentric and nonanthropocentric standpoints. E is anthropocentric in the sense that …Read more
  •  18
    Technology and civil disobedience: Why engineers have a special duty to obey the law
    Science and Engineering Ethics 1 (2): 163-168. 1995.
    Engineers have a greater responsibility than many other professionals not to commit civil disobedience in performing their jobs as engineers. It does not follow that engineers have no responsibility for their company’s actions. Morally, engineer may be required to speak out within the company or even publicly against her company. An engineer may be required to work on a project or quit her job. None of these acts, generally, are against the law. An engineer may be morally required to commit civi…Read more
  •  17
    Applying new theories about rights to pressing social issues, A Holistic Approach to Rights suggests major changes are needed in the ways we think about rights and formulating social policy
  •  12
    Aristotelian Matter, Potentiality and Quarks
    Southern Journal of Philosophy 17 (4): 507-521. 2010.
  •  12
    Environmental Virtue Ethics: An Aristotelian Approach
    Philosophy in the Contemporary World 8 (2): 15-26. 2001.
    This paper articulates a framework, “E,” for developing ethical claims about environmental issues. E is a general framework for constructing arguments and working out disputes, rather than a particular theory. It may be deployed in various ways by writers with quite different views to generate diverse arguments applying to a broad panoply of issues. E can serve as a common language between those who adopt anthropocentric and nonanthropocentric standpoints. E is anthropocentric in the sense that …Read more
  •  10
    With Virtue for All
    Southwest Philosophy Review 5 (1): 71-76. 1989.
  •  8
    The Ford Pinto’s fuel tank was prone to rupture in collisions above 20 mph, sometimes resulting in burn deaths. An infamous Ford memo estimated the cost of a shield correcting the problem at $11. Should Ford have installed the shield, holding public safety paramount, or, respecting consumer autonomy, have made the shield an option? Answering this question requires distinguishing between three kinds of autonomy: merechoice autonomy (deciding something for oneself, regardless of the content of the…Read more