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812Population and Having Children NowJournal of Practical Ethics 5 (2): 49-61. 2017.This paper aims to state the obvious – the commonsense, rational approach to child-producing. We have no general obligation to promote either the “general happiness” or the equalization of this and that. We have children if we want them, if their life prospects are decent – and if we can afford them, which is a considerable part of their life prospects being OK – and provided that in doing so we do not inflict injury on others. It’s extremely difficult to do this latter, but affording them, in r…Read more
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1481Resolving the Debate on Libertarianism and AbortionLibertarian Papers 8 267-272. 2016.I take issue with the view that libertarian theory does not imply any particular stand on abortion. Liberty is the absence of interference with people’s wills—interests, wishes, and desires. Only entities that have such are eligible for the direct rights of libertarian theory. Foetuses do not; and if aborted, there is then no future person whose rights are violated. Hence the “liberal” view of abortion: women (especially) may decide whether to bear the children they have conceived. Birth is a go…Read more
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66Reasons for Actions. By Richard Norman. Oxford, Basil Blackwell; Toronto: Copp Clark 1971. Pp. x, 181. £2.25Dialogue 11 (1): 140-145. 1972.
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63God by design?In Neil A. Manson (ed.), God and design: the teleological argument and modern science, Routledge. pp. 80--88. 2003.
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256Welfare and Wealth, Poverty and Justice in Today’s WorldThe Journal of Ethics 8 (4): 305-348. 2004.This article argues that there is no sound basis for thinking that we have a general and strong duty to rectify disparities of wealth around the world, apart from the special case where some become wealthy by theft or fraud. The nearest thing we have to a rational morality for all has to be built on the interests of all, and they include substantial freedoms, but not substantial entitlements to others' assistance. It is also pointed out that the situation of the world's poor is not that of victi…Read more
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36Moral issues (edited book)Oxford University Press. 1983.Though this moderately-priced anthology dates back to 1983, its lively articles are as relevant as ever. Topics covered include suicide, euthanasia, war, punishment,world hunger, abortion, sexual relations, equality, affirmative action, and future generations.
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58A Theory of Reasons for Action. By David A. J. Richards. Oxford and Toronto: Oxford University Press. 1971. xiv, 370. $15.50 (review)Dialogue 12 (1): 116-120. 1973.
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166Egalitarianism: Partial, counterproductive, and baselessRatio 10 (3). 1997.Egalitarians hold that some good things should, in principle, be distributed equally among all people. Which good things? Why just those and not others? Why are they to be equalized only among humans and not, say, between humans and cats? And why is the equalization to be confined within the borders of the author's State, rather than practiced over the whole human race (at least)? Those are all matters for the particular egalitarian to explain, as best he can. None, I think, can be explained sat…Read more
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299Libertarianism vs. Marxism: Reflections on G. A. Cohen‘s Self-Ownership, Freedom and Equality (review)The Journal of Ethics 2 (1): 1-26. 1998.Self-Ownership, Freedom and Equality is G.A. Cohens attempt to rescue something of the socialist outlook on society from the challenge of libertarianism, which Cohen identifies with the work of Robert Nozick in his famous book, Anarchy, State, and Utopia. Sympathizing with the leading idea that a person must belong to himself, and thus be unavailable for forced redistribution of his efforts, Cohen is at pains to reconcile the two. This cannot be done – they are flatly contrary. Moreover, equalit…Read more
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53Alan Gewirth's foundationalism and the well-being stateJournal of Value Inquiry 31 (4): 485-502. 1997.
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78John Stuart Mill as PhilosopherDialogue 32 (2): 315-. 1993.This critical notice of Skorupski's large work is for the most part strongly positive: "Both as a work of scholarship and as a contribution to philosophy in its own right, an outstanding work". There are careful and detailed discussions of Mill's semantics, logic, philosophy of mathematics, logic of the moral sciences, and ethical writings (but not on religion, democracy, or women). Some issue is taken with Skorupski's account of and support for Mill's utilitarianism; broad agreement is expresse…Read more
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128Book ReviewsSerena Olsaretti,, ed. Desert and Justice.New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Pp. 288. $65.00Ethics 115 (1): 151-157. 2004.
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64Silverstein on egoism and universalizabilityAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 47 (3). 1969.This Article does not have an abstract
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51In the Interest of the Governed: A Study in Bentham's Philosophy of Utility and Law (review)Philosophical Review 84 (3): 422. 1975.
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275Cohen’s RescueThe Journal of Ethics 14 (3): 263-334. 2009.G. A. Cohen’s Rescuing Justice and Equality proposes that both concepts need rescuing from the work of John Rawls. Especially, it is concerned with Rawls’ famous second principle of justice according to which social primary goods should be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution is to the benefit of the worst off. The question is why this would ever be necessary if all parties are just. Cohen and I agree that Rawls cannot really justify inequalities on the basis given. But he also thi…Read more
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136Reply to DworkinSocial Philosophy and Policy 1 (1): 41. 1983.My main complaint about Dworkin's papers on equality was that he had not said much by way of arguing for it. His intriguing response to this request provides a good start, and I shall confine this brief, further comment to what he says on that basic subject. Space considerations, alas, require me to ignore the other parts of his discussion. Dworkin distinguishes what he calls the “abstract egalitarian thesis” from his particular version of equalitarianism, equality of resources. His strategy is …Read more
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Hudson, William E. The Libertarian Illusion. Washington: CQ Press, 2008 (review)Reason Papers 30 113-120. 2008.
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64Communication and Human GoodSocial Philosophy Today 17 91-102. 2001.The invention of computers, and especially their communication capabilities is revolutionary in several ways. They show the paramount importance of communication in human life, as well as facilitating revolutionary improvements in virtually all areas of social life: business, the arts, agriculture, and others. They put in perspective the erroneous outlook of "materialism" -the idea that human well-being is a matter of accumulating material objects, with a corollary that we must be using up the m…Read more
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148Utilitarianism, group actions, and coordination or, must the utilitarian be a Buridan's ass?Noûs 10 (2): 173-194. 1976.
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University of WaterlooDepartment of Philosophy
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Areas of Specialization
| Value Theory |