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Moral Demandingness and Modal DemandingnessJournal of Ethics and Social Philosophy. forthcoming.My aim is to propose a better way to understand moral demandingness: a counterfactual view that requires us to consider the demands that moral theories make across other possible worlds. Seemingly, the demandingness of any moral theory or principle should be evaluated in terms of that theory’s general demandingness. This, in turn, implies that we ought to be concerned about the possible demandingness of moral theories and not just about how demanding they actually are. This counterfactual view m…Read more
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1If a Fox Could TalkIn The Ethics of Fur: Religious, Cultural, and Legal Perspectives, Lexington Books. 2023.Wittgenstein’s statement that “if a lion could talk, we would not understand him” seems to be in contradiction with his general understanding of how language works. Some scholars, such as Gary Levvis, have sought to explain Wittgenstein’s point by emphasizing certain features of animals that may prevent us from understanding them. Levvis (1992, 160) suggests that, "If Wittgenstein’s view is correct, then the assignment of rights to animals becomes tricky. I would suggest that before an individua…Read more
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188A couple of reasons in favor of monogamyJournal of Social Philosophy 55 (1): 106-123. 2024.Recent work by philosophers such as Harry Chalmers and Hallie Liberto has called into question the moral permissibility of monogamy. In this article, I defend monogamy on a number of grounds, including practical reasons and reasons relating to commitment, specialness, and jealousy. I also attempt to reframe the debate about monogamy as not just relating to the permissibility of restricting one’s partner but as equally about one’s freedom to leave a relationship. Finally, I make a case against Li…Read more
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310The Philosopher as Moral Activist: A Call for Ethical Caution in PublicationEssays in Philosophy 21 (1): 46-75. 2020.It is normal to think that philosophers’ first dedication is to the truth. Publishers and writers consider ideas and papers according to criteria such as originality, eloquence, interestingness, soundness, and plausibility. I suggest that moral consequence should play a greater role in our choices to publish when serious harm is at stake. One’s credence in a particular idea should be weighed against the potential consequences of the publication of one’s ideas both if one turns out to be right an…Read more
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2194Why Monogamy is Morally Permissible: A Defense of Some Common Justifications for MonogamyJournal of Value Inquiry 54 (4): 539-552. 2020.Harry Chalmers argues that monogamy involves restricting one’s partner’s access to goods in a morally troubling way that is analogous to an agreement between partners to have no additional friends. Chalmers finds the traditional defenses of monogamy wanting, since they would also justify a friendship-restricting agreement. I show why three traditional defenses of monogamy hold up quite well and why they don’t, for the most part, also justify friendship-restricting agreements. In many cases, mono…Read more
APA Central Division
Areas of Specialization
Applied Ethics |
Animal Ethics |
The Meaning of Life |
Demandingness of Consequentialism |
Areas of Interest
Ethics of Love |
Normative Ethics |
Emotions |
PhilPapers Editorships
Demandingness of Consequentialism |
Monogamy and Non-Monogamy |