PEA Soup

Central APA Ethics-Related Talks

Below the fold are most of the ethics-related sessions at the upcoming Central Division APA.  If I've missed any session that you think should be added to the list, please feel free to add it in the comment section.

Click here for a copy of the list in text (.rtf)  format.

Click here for the full meeting program.

Below the fold are most of the ethics-related sessions at the upcoming Central Division APA.  If I've missed any session that you think should be added to the list, please feel free to add it in the comment section.

Click here for a copy of the list in text (.rtf)  format.

Click here for the full meeting program.

Marginal Cases and Early Term Fetuses

The marginal cases argument (MCA) has been used very effectively in defense of the direct moral standing of sentient non-humans. Any being that has direct moral standing is such that our treatment of them matters directly, independently of how it affects others. Direct moral standing is worth wanting: it ensures protection against, among other things, cruelty, mistreatment, destruction and exploitation, etc. Probably works of art and other possessions have no more than indirect moral standing; certainly normal adult humans have direct moral standing.

The is-ought gap

In another thread, A.N. Prior's attempted refutation of the is/ought gap came up. Here's one of Prior's examples:

a. Tea-drinking is common in England.
b. Therefore, tea-drinking is common in England, or all New Zealanders ought to be shot.

(a) entails (b), (a) is descriptive, and allegedly, (b) is evaluative.

There's an unjustly neglected article by Toomas Karmo ("Some Valid (but no Sound) Arguments Trivially Span the Is-Ought Gap", Mind [1988]: 252-7) that responds to this sort of example and provides a general proof of a version of the is-ought gap. Karmo's argument goes roughly like this:

What is a Categorical Imperative?

I’ve been struggling with the question, What feature must a requirement exhibit in order to qualify as a categorical imperative?

Practical Reason Conference

There will be a conference on practical reason in Bowling Green April 7-9. Featured speakers are: Michael Bratman, Stephen Darwall, James Dreier, Elijah Millgram, Peter Railton, Joseph Raz, Michael Smith, and Gary Watson. For details check here: http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/phil/reasonconf/schedule.htm

Call for Papers: Ancient Philosophy and Bioethics

Studies in the History of Ethics, a web-based, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing high quality research and reviews in the history of ethics, announces a special call for papers for a symposium to be published in summer 2006.

                      TOPIC
Bioethics: Perennial Questions, Ancient Insights

Authors are invited to submit manuscripts of 4,000-10,000 words that explore the relationship between ancient Western philosophy and philosophical questions in bioethics. The editors are interested in historically-oriented manuscripts that address such topics as:

Welcome Robert N. Johnson!

Robert N. Johnson has kindly accepted our invitation to become the latest contributor to PEA Soup. Robert is an Associate Professor at the University of Missouri. He has for sometime been a regular commentator here at PEA Soup. And we're very glad to have him on board as a contributor as well.