Category: stage 2

PHI2003 Lecture 1 and next week

Today was an introduction that was perhaps less structured than I normally am, but it is good to get off with a discussion rather than a mere one way passing of information.  Next week, as you know, I’m off at a conference so the lecture will be rearranged for later in the term. However, have a look at the questions and the tutorial on cannibalism.  The crime is interesting because it involves killing for survival so is both necessary and abhorrent. It really does test our intuitions and leaves us somewhat conflicted.  Read the first few chapters of Hobbes’s Leviathan and then answer the questions from seminar 1.  When you’ve done that reply below with some of your own thoughts.

 

 

Welcome back and some free books

This is a repetition of some information I have already posted but it is very useful and hence worthy of the repetition. Books are really expensive and you might feel a little aggrieved when you’re asked only to concentrate on an extract, especially when you have bought it.  |However, many of the historical texts are available online for free in the form of etexts.  One should, of course, be very careful about both accuracy and also copyright.

Some good places to begin your search are:

http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/index.html

http://infomotions.com/alex2/

http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/

http://www.gutenberg.org

Or, just try typing ‘free etext’ plus title of the work and author into a search engine and see what happens. You may also want to try certain ebook suppliers who I do not want to advertise, companies that rhyme with Damazon and Poogle Play. They also offer free versions of books. I have also shared a wish list on Amazon of some of the texts available for free:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/39QXP5XJJJY4W

 For example, stage 1 should really all get a copy of Plato’s Theaetetus which has a very good introduction.

Sarin, chemical weapons and utilitarianism

An interesting history of the development of Sarin and other chemical weapons in The Guardian yesterday which shows the relationships between technology, war and production quite starkly. You can read it here: http://gu.com/p/3tp3b/. It may be useful information for  any of you thinking about doing projects in this area. Continue reading "Sarin, chemical weapons and utilitarianism"