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Virtue Ethics And The Likelihood Of Invertebrate Suffering, Jeffrey A. Lockwood 2020 University of Wyoming

Virtue Ethics And The Likelihood Of Invertebrate Suffering, Jeffrey A. Lockwood

Animal Sentience

Mikhalevich & Powell (2020) review evidence that invertebrates have the capacity to suffer. If they do, then, according to utilitarians (those advocating “the greatest good for the greatest number”) and deontologists (those advocating rights and corresponding duties), research practices and funding policies should be required to protect invertebrates. But if the evidence is mistaken, then, according to utilitarians and deontologists, our constraints would be unjustified and even morally suspect. Virtue ethicists, in contrast, endorse acting rationally in an effort to cultivate the virtues — even if the basis for our action is mistaken. Virtue ethics seems more compelling than the …


On The Possibility Of Invertebrate Sentience, David DeGrazia 2020 George Washington University

On The Possibility Of Invertebrate Sentience, David Degrazia

Animal Sentience

Mikhalevich & Powell (M&P) set up the basic criteria for according moral status equitably, including the capacity for affect. They argue persuasively against assuming that all invertebrates are insentient and hence ineligible for moral consideration. In addition to the relatively clear case of cephalopods, various arthropods may prove to be sentient. We should be aware of various sources of prejudice that M&P discuss and not assume that it would be absurd to attribute sentience and moral status to certain invertebrates.


Political Philosophy As Love Of Wisdom, Bas van der Vossen 2020 Chapman University

Political Philosophy As Love Of Wisdom, Bas Van Der Vossen

Philosophy Faculty Articles and Research

The traditional view holds that political philosophy should aim at the truth. By contrast, Avner de Shalit argues that political philosophers should do something different. According to him, they should work in direct consultation with “the people” in order to think through their theories about political institutions. This article defends the traditional aim of truth-seeking and shows the mistakes in De Shalit’s alternative approach


The Prince -- Brief Synopsis -- Powerpoint, Zach Davidson 2020 CUNY Guttman Community College

The Prince -- Brief Synopsis -- Powerpoint, Zach Davidson

Open Educational Resources

This is a very brief PowerPoint covering some key ideas in Machiavelli's THE PRINCE.


The Incoherence Of Moral Relativism, Carlo Alvaro 2020 CUNY New York City College of Technology

The Incoherence Of Moral Relativism, Carlo Alvaro

Publications and Research

This paper is a response to Park Seungbae’s article, “Defence of Cultural Relativism”. Some of the typical criticisms of moral relativism are the following: moral relativism is erroneously committed to the principle of tolerance, which is a universal principle; there are a number of objective moral rules; a moral relativist must admit that Hitler was right, which is absurd; a moral relativist must deny, in the face of evidence, that moral progress is possible; and, since every individual belongs to multiple cultures at once, the concept of moral relativism is vague. Park argues that such contentions do not affect moral …


Ecological And Evolutionary Dynamics Of Elephant Rewilding, Lysanne Snijders 2020 Wageningen University & Research

Ecological And Evolutionary Dynamics Of Elephant Rewilding, Lysanne Snijders

Animal Sentience

Baker & Winkler make a thought-provoking contribution to the discussion of what role captive animals could play in nature conservation and how we could get there through rewilding. There certainly is potential for captive Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, to become targets of conservation efforts, but there are also many questions: (1) How much do (behavioral) traits of captive-origin animals differ from their free conspecifics? (2) What predicts the likelihood and strength of social reintegration of captive animals into free populations? (3) How much of an Asian elephant’s functional role in the environment can captive animals still fulfill and how …


Philosophy, Ecology And Elephant Equality, Rebekah Humphreys 2020 University of Wales

Philosophy, Ecology And Elephant Equality, Rebekah Humphreys

Animal Sentience

The considerable conservation research on environmental problems and climate change tends to focus on species “biodiversity” rather than individuals. Individuals of the same species get categorized as “wild” or “captive”, with the latter often omitted from conservationists’ concerns. But wild and captive animals, although they may require different treatment, have comparable interests as individuals. Equity requires taking this into account in conservation efforts.


Does Sentience Come In Degrees?, Andrew Y. Lee 2020 Australian National University

Does Sentience Come In Degrees?, Andrew Y. Lee

Animal Sentience

This commentary is about whether sentience, or what philosophers call “phenomenal consciousness,” comes in degrees.


The Noxious Market Of Division 1 College Football, Bryan Carlen 2020 Claremont Colleges

The Noxious Market Of Division 1 College Football, Bryan Carlen

CMC Senior Theses

This paper is made up of four sections. The first will explain Satz’ framework for identifying and treating noxious markets, as well as how it was developed, and the second will make the case for viewing D1 football as a labor market. The second section will lay out who’s involved, what their incentives are, and what they must do to earn these incentives. The third section will then apply Satz’ framework to the market at hand, as well as address a gap in her theory regarding her concept of weak agency. The paper will then conclude with policy guidelines that, …


Let’S Get Radical: Extending The Reach Of Baylean (And Forstian) Toleration, Chandran KUKATHAS 2020 Singapore Management University

Let’S Get Radical: Extending The Reach Of Baylean (And Forstian) Toleration, Chandran Kukathas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In The Right to Justification Rainer Forst tells us that that social context in which humans find themselves is called ‘political’ when it is ‘an order of justification’ – an order which consists of norms and institutions that are to govern their lives together in a justified or justifiable way.² The most important normative concept that applies to this order, he tells us, is that of justice. Justice ‘overarches’ every form of political community, demanding reasons why some have rights, and asking how it is determined who possesses what claims, and how persons stand in relation to one another as …


Profile Evidence, Fairness, And The Risks Of Mistaken Convictions, Collin O'Neil, Marcello Di Bello 2020 CUNY Lehman College

Profile Evidence, Fairness, And The Risks Of Mistaken Convictions, Collin O'Neil, Marcello Di Bello

Publications and Research

Many oppose the use of profile evidence against defendants at trial, even when the statistical correlations are reliable and the jury is free from prejudice. The literature has struggled to justify this opposition. We argue that admitting profile evidence is objectionable because it violates what we call “equal protection”—that is, a right of innocent defendants not to be exposed to higher ex ante risks of mistaken conviction compared to other innocent defendants facing similar charges. We also show why admitting other forms of evidence, such as eyewitness, trace, and motive evidence, does not violate equal protection.


Clinician Experiences With Religious, Spiritual, And Nonreligious Beliefs In Psychotherapeutic Interactions, Carolyn Rochelle Cowl-Witherspoon 2020 Walden University

Clinician Experiences With Religious, Spiritual, And Nonreligious Beliefs In Psychotherapeutic Interactions, Carolyn Rochelle Cowl-Witherspoon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Psychologists are ethically bound to respect the belief systems of their clients while practicing within appropriate boundaries of competence regardless of whether they hold different beliefs than their clients. Further, though there may be a disparity between clinicians’ and clients’ beliefs, most clients expect meaningful integrations of religious and spiritual beliefs, values, and traditions into psychotherapeutic interactions. To meet the needs and expectations of a religiously or spiritually oriented client base, psychologists must maintain appropriate levels of competency within this complex domain. But clinicians are hindered by inaccurate, incomplete, or inconsistent levels of education and training specific to the ethically …


Reevaluating Politicized Identity & Notions Of An American Political Community In The Legal & Political Process, Marvin L. Astrada JD, PhD 2020 New York University - Washington, D.C.

Reevaluating Politicized Identity & Notions Of An American Political Community In The Legal & Political Process, Marvin L. Astrada Jd, Phd

Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality

No abstract provided.


Against Bloom: A Defense Of Smithian Fellow-Feeling, Damian Thomas Masterson 2020 University at Albany, State University of New York

Against Bloom: A Defense Of Smithian Fellow-Feeling, Damian Thomas Masterson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In his 2016 book, Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion, Paul Bloom argues that “if we want to be good caring people, if we want to make the world a better place, then we are better off without empathy.” I’ve specifically chosen this formulation of Bloom’s position because it gets at the issue I will most directly challenge him on - that we would, or even could, be better off without empathy. The position I will defend is that our empathy plays an indispensable role in the development of our moral conscience, and an ongoing role in the cultivation …


The Obligation Of Promises, Toan Tran 2020 University at Albany, State University of New York

The Obligation Of Promises, Toan Tran

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In my dissertation I discuss the historical and philosophical significance of the commonplace moral phenomenon of promising and I lay out the essential features of a promise. I claim that promises have five features; they produce a moral obligation, they are directed toward another individual who holds the right to demand action and is the one wronged in case of failure, they are successful only if there is uptake, and finally that they are self-imposed. My discussion of the puzzle created by these features starts in David Hume and extends into David Owens. The need to resolve this puzzle in …


Escaping The Snowstorm: Legal Rights And Economics In The Developing World, Zane Tolchinsky 2020 Claremont Colleges

Escaping The Snowstorm: Legal Rights And Economics In The Developing World, Zane Tolchinsky

CMC Senior Theses

In this thesis, I seek to provide a framework for developing nations making policy-decisions about legal rights, as in the realm of Rawlsian ideal theory, prescriptions for governments not living in conditions of moderate scarcity is lacking. I first springboard off Stephen Holmes and Cass R. Sunstein’s conclusion that “all legal rights are positive,” from their book, The Cost of Rights, to argue for the value of considering the economic implications of rights protections. I then propose that Holmes and Sunstein’s conclusion means that we can think of legal rights as goods to be purchased by governments. Next, I …


The Racial Offense Objection To Confederate Monuments: A Reply To Timmerman, Dan Demetriou 2020 University of Minnesota - Morris

The Racial Offense Objection To Confederate Monuments: A Reply To Timmerman, Dan Demetriou

Philosophy Publications

The reply essay (1000 words) to Travis Timmerman's "A Case for Removing Confederate Monuments" in Bob Fisher's Ethics, Left and Right: The Moral Issues That Divide Us volume. In it, Demetriou explains why he thinks the mere harm from the racial offense a monument may cause does not justify removing it.


Ashes Of Our Fathers: Racist Monuments And The Tribal Right, Dan Demetriou 2020 University of Minnesota - Morris

Ashes Of Our Fathers: Racist Monuments And The Tribal Right, Dan Demetriou

Philosophy Publications

In this chapter Demetriou sketches a rightist approach to monumentary policy in a diverse polity beleaguered by old ethnic grievances. He begins by noting the importance of tribalism, memorialization, and social trust. He then suggests a policy which 1) gradually narrows the gap between peoples in the heritage landscape, 2) conserves all but the most offensive of the least beloved racist monuments, 3) avoids recrimination (i.e., “keeps it positive”) and eschews ideological commentary in new monuments or revisions to old ones, 4) as much as politically feasible, recognizes only the offense of willing tribemates, and 5) responds to aesthetic and …


Bachelor Of Social Work Students’ Experience Of Moral Reasoning At An Evangelical Christian University, David Scott King 2020 Walden University

Bachelor Of Social Work Students’ Experience Of Moral Reasoning At An Evangelical Christian University, David Scott King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scholars have documented a lack of effective education and training for integrating faith and social work practice. Also, researchers have identified challenges regarding conflicting philosophical paradigms in social work and cultural changes among emerging adults affecting evangelical Christian universities teaching faith integration. However, little information is available regarding the experiences of students and conflicts between social work values and their religious beliefs. This study was an investigation of the experiences of social work students when considering value conflicts between their religious beliefs and social work practice. The research questions examined the moral reasoning of students at an evangelical university considering …


Living With Moral Schizophrenia, Rachel Hecke 2020 Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois

Living With Moral Schizophrenia, Rachel Hecke

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

A response to Michael Stocker's essay titled "The Schizophrenia of Modern Ethical Theories". When attempting to follow an ethical theory, a dilemma is created between one’s justifications for action according to their chosen moral theory such as duties and obligations, and the motivations or desires behind the action. Although this dilemma can lead to a divide in one's psyche, especially in regards to personal relationships, this schizophrenia isn't all that bad to endure.


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