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Wall St, Charity, and Saving the World
Today I started writing for Quartz magazine, the Atlantic’s new on-line business magazine. My first article is on saving the world by funding charities rather than working for charities – a topic that I’ve written on previously for the Practical Ethics blog. The basic idea is that, often, one can do more good by choosing…
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The Ethics of Meatballs
In the light of the unfolding horsemeat scandal, it was only a matter of time before some equine entrails were uncovered in an Ikea meatball. This is a shame on many levels, not least for the poor pigs, cows, and horses whose flesh will now end up as landfill. I personally am quite partial to…
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Announcement: Student Prize Competition ‘Enhancing Humanity’s Collective Wisdom’
The Future of Humanity Institute’s second thesis prize competition for students focuses on a “big picture” question with important implications for practical ethics: how can we best prepare humanity to address the global challenges of the coming century?”. First prize £2000. Humanity has become more and more connected, from the national level to the personal. Yet are…
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If The Jury System Is The Best Option, Can We Make it Better?
By Julian Savulescu and Anders Sandberg Vicky Pryce, wife of disgraced ex-MP Chris Huhne, is back in court this week after the jury trying her case was discharged last week having failed to reach a verdict on her charges of perverting the course of justice. In 2003, Pryce accepted Huhne’s speeding points, but is claiming…
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The Way Forward: Mapping Brains and Finding Direction
According to a recent report in the New York Times, the United States government will soon announce plans to fund the Brain Activity Map. Modelled on the highly successful Human Genome Project, the Brain Activity Map is an effort to identify functional networks of neurons, possibly leading to a full understanding of how mental processes…
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Psychosurgery: avoiding old problems, facing new ones
Antonio De Salles, Professor of Neurosurgery – UCLA Lincoln Frias, postdoct UFMG-Brazil, International Neuroethics Society Jorge Moll, D’Or Institute-Brazil, International Neuroethics Society Psychosurgery has a bad name. The destruction or disconnection of brain tissue to treat mental illness was brought into disrepute by controversial figures of the past, who performed lobotomies with poorly defined clinical…
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The feminist case for gun rights
There has, in recent weeks, been a relatively vigorous debate over gun control in the US. This was undoubtedly precipitated by the horrendous Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, in which 20 children and 6 adults were gunned down, but the issue has long been simmering in a country alternately outraged by gun violence and resistant…
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Football scandal shapes the future of a one world government
A recent football scandal has broken to the surface of what is likely a deep swamp of corruption. At least 680 matches are dubious, probably many more. But how come law enforcement haven’t been able to stamp out this epidemic? Well, as stated: We are organized in Singapore, I flew from Budapest, the match is…
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Your password will probably be hacked soon, and how to (actually) solve the problem
By Brian D. Earp See Brian’s most recent previous post by clicking here. See all of Brian’s previous posts by clicking here. Follow Brian on Twitter by clicking here. Your password will probably be hacked soon, and how to (actually) solve the problem Smithsonian Magazine recently reported: “Your Password Will Probably Be Hacked Soon” and…
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Jeff McMahan and John Broome discuss the value of life and the badness of death
Wednesday the 6th of February saw two of the most prominent ethicists of our time engage in a (friendly) debate on two crucial, related philosophical questions: the value of life and the badness of death. (You can listen to the podcast of the debate here.) In a room filled to capacity at the Oxford Philosophy…