If Santa is a bad boy who keeps his presents back? I was just told that a couple of farms that increase their income by being Christmas winter lands have come under criticism for the treatment of reindeer. They are worried about reprisals from animal activists. Oddly a story in the Telegraph goes the other way: showing how seals may commit harm. But would they be doing wrong? If animals are to be treated as moral patients, should they — are they — also moral agents?
PHi1010 Summary
Just a quick summary of what is going on in the class at the moment,
Lectures: we are looking at the definition of knowledge and explicitly knowing = perceiving. This is a form of empiricism, or naive empiricism, where knowledge Continue reading "PHi1010 Summary"
READ THIS PHI 1010, 2003, 3001
If you are now reading this, it means you have clicked through from Blackoard. The idea of this page is to augment lectures and tutorials with follow up comments and ideas. Continue reading "READ THIS PHI 1010, 2003, 3001"
Hobbes’s compatibilism
As a follow up to today’s discussion, there is a quotation which goes against my interpretations. Continue reading "Hobbes’s compatibilism"
PHi3001 Rousseau
Below you will find an extract from the Social Contract. This is a must-read text for anyone. It is as problematic as it is inspiring and contains the very famous phrase “compelled to be free”. Continue reading "PHi3001 Rousseau"
STAGE 2 phi2003 Cannibalism CLICK HERE
Cannibalism (from Caníbales, the Spanish name for the Caribs, a West Indies tribe that formerly practiced cannibalism) is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh or internal organs of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy. A person who practices cannibalism is called a cannibal.
Problems with utilitarianism: the case of chemical weapons tetsing
Utilitarianism holds a very powerful sway over our contemporary practical reason, whether we like it or not we tend to think in terms of welfare and cost-benefit analysis at the level of policy and law, if not at the level of individual actions. Given recent use of chemical weapons, Continue reading "Problems with utilitarianism: the case of chemical weapons tetsing"
Free canonical texts
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. Many of the historical texts are available online for free Continue reading "Free canonical texts"
PHi3001 STAGE 3 CLICK HERE
We’ve started looking at the concepts of power (the ability to determine how one behaves) and authority (the right to determine how one behaves), or illegitimate (bully) versus legitimate (parents) uses of power. Continue reading "PHi3001 STAGE 3 CLICK HERE"
Free music…
Well, not really, but just some videos.
Since in stage 3 we are talking about resistance and political action, and I have listed four forms of resistance (critique, civil disobedience, terrorism and revolution), Continue reading "Free music…"