David Jensen’s paper in the latest JME considers a possible Kantian argument against the use of genetic enhancement for the sake of comparative advantage in one’s children. Essentially, the argument rests on the idea that the maxim describing such a course of action would not be universalisable; universalised, it would be self-defeating, since the very […]
Latest articles
Conscientious Objection and What Makes a Medic
Francesca Minerva has drawn my attention to this paper by Sophie Strickland, currently available as a pre-publication download via the JME homepage, concerning conscientious objection among UK medical students. Students were invited to respond to a set of questions in an online poll to determine whether there were procedures to which they’d object, and in which […]
Morality as a Biological Phenomenon?
Does oxytocin come as a liquid? I can only assume that it does, and that it’s possible to drown in a vat of it. I’ve come to this conclusion after reading this interview with Patricia Churchland in The Chronicle of Higher Education. It ought to come as no surprise to those who’re familiar with Churchland’s […]
Long-Term Care: Dilnot and Justice
Andrew Dilnot’s report into social care is published today; the full document is here, (2.3 Mb) and Dilnot’s covering letter to the Chancellor and Health Secretary is available here. I’ve not had a chance to read the report in any particular detail yet, but one of the most widely talked-about features (since significantly before the […]
IVF, Abortion, and Mail Mendacity
Much as I try to avoid the Daily Mail, it seems never to be too far out of my view; and it’s not uncommon that people bring it to my attention for one reason or another. On this note, I’m dubiously grateful to Muireann Quigley and Sorcha Uí Chonnachtaigh for pointing me in the direction […]
Should Organ Donation be Compulsory?
Channel 4 is currently mid-way through a series of short talking-head films on the question of whether organ donation should be compulsory: as I write this, two have been broadcast, with another five to come. The first one is by John Harris, rehearsing familiar arguments about the permissibility of mandated donation (as he did here) […]
Three Quiet Cheers for Uterine Transplants
Charles Foster’s post over at Practical Ethics about the news of the womb-transplant surgery that’s slated to take place in the near future is on the money in many respects. Foster points out that [p]redictably the newspapers loved it. And, equally predictably, clever people from the world’s great universities queued up to be eloquently wise […]
Pratchett and Assisted Dying: A Question of Balance?
If you’ve not yet seen “Choosing to Die”, Terry Pratchett’s film about Dignitas from Monday night, I recommend that you go and watch it now. (I don’t know if it’s available outside the UK: I’m sure it’ll appear on YouTube soon, though; or, if you’re outside th UK, get a Brit to download it and […]
Couldn’t find the language – the positive counterparts of risk and hazards
By David Hunter Continuing my recent theme of the impact of language on ethics and decision making I’m presently writing a paper on the use of claims based on justice to object to new technologies such as human enhancement or synthetic biology. In the process of writing this paper I’ve encountered a rather odd gap […]
Symposium on Public Health and Political Philosophy
We are happy to announce a symposium on Public Health and Political Philosophy hosted by the Centre for Professional Ethics at Keele and funded by the Wellcome Trust. The symposium will run from 10 – 5 on the 17th of June and is at Keele University. (Directions to Keele can be found here: http://www.keele-conference.com/21/directions ) […]