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2026 Uehiro Lectures: Miranda Fricker on Moral Pressures: Bending Time, Shaping Wills 

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By Kartik Upadhyaya (Research Fellow, the Oxford Uehiro Institute) From the 1st to 8th of this June , Miranda Fricker, Silver Professor of Philosophy at NYU and Co-Director of the New York Institute of Philosophy, joined a glittering list of moral thinkers by delivering Uehiro’s Annual Lecture Series at Keble College’s H B Allen Centre. Description… Read More »2026 Uehiro Lectures: Miranda Fricker on Moral Pressures: Bending Time, Shaping Wills 

Can Pornography be Feminist in a Mass Market Economy?

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Undergraduate Highly Commended paper in the 2026 National Uehiro Oxford Essay Prize in Practical Ethics. By Leela Kainth. Mainstream pornography refers to conventional, mass-marketed, sexually explicit material produced at commercial scale, typically for consumers to masturbate to. This is distinct from so-called ‘feminist pornography’, which self-consciously aims to resist these norms through alternative representations and… Read More »Can Pornography be Feminist in a Mass Market Economy?

Is Prostitution Just a Job?

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Undergraduate Finalist paper in the 2026 National Uehiro Oxford Essay Prize in Practical Ethics. By Ethan Beri. Despite being the “oldest profession”, prostitution is still hotly debated, both in the academy and in public discourse. Prostitution is often considered worse than other jobs, in part because it wrongs the prostitute: a woman who sells sex… Read More »Is Prostitution Just a Job?

Photo by James Forsdyke.

‘It’s Physical, Not Intellectual’: The Ethics of Correcting Assumptions About Disability

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Graduate Highly Commended paper in the 2026 National Uehiro Oxford Essay Prize in Practical Ethics. By James Forsdyke. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2446-4586 In this paper, I will discuss ethical considerations when it comes to correcting assumptions about people with physical disabilities. In particular, I will discuss the assumption some individuals make that physical disabilities are necessarily accompanied… Read More »‘It’s Physical, Not Intellectual’: The Ethics of Correcting Assumptions About Disability

Mental Health Chatbots: on Truth and Bullshit

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By Dr Jeremy Gauntlett-Gilbert; Consultant Psychologist and student, MSt Practical Ethics Chatbots are increasingly being used to deliver an AI version of psychological therapy. Internationally, there is pressure on mental health services and a shortage of human therapists. Mental health providers have a keen interest in such AI technological solutions that might offer treatment “at… Read More »Mental Health Chatbots: on Truth and Bullshit

Profiting from Misery: Is There Something Different About Healthcare Data?

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By Dr Jeremy Gauntlett-Gilbert – student on the MSt Practical Ethics programme The advent of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence has opened up new possibilities for health research. Specifically, these techniques could be let loose on ‘big data’, such as the collective data of healthcare organisations (including the NHS), and would likely reveal new insights… Read More »Profiting from Misery: Is There Something Different About Healthcare Data?

Bring Back Shame: Does the Ethical Value of Shame Justify Shaming?

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Undergraduate Highly Commended paper in the 2025 National Uehiro Oxford Essay Prize in Practical Ethics. By Nicole Chinenyenwa Oboko. I  have always been told that if a person has nothing nice to say, they should say nothing at all. For most of my life, I’ve upheld this belief. A decent person, as part of a decent… Read More »Bring Back Shame: Does the Ethical Value of Shame Justify Shaming?

Italian Prime Minister Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama shake hands with the countries' flags behind them.

What are the Ethics of Sending a Person to a Country They are not From?

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Written by Eliora Henzler, MSt in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford EXTRATERRITORIAL MIGRATION MANAGEMENT How can states ethically justify deporting individuals to third countries? In October 2024, a ship of the Italian coast guard disembarked in the port of Shëngjin, in Albania. After a few days, it began a voyage in the opposite direction. Italy… Read More »What are the Ethics of Sending a Person to a Country They are not From?

Humanizing Chatbots Is Hard To Resist — But Why?

Written by Madeline G. Reinecke (@mgreinecke) You might recall a story from a few years ago, concerning former Google software engineer Blake Lemoine. Part of Lemoine’s job was to chat with LaMDA, a large language model (LLM) in development at the time, to detect discriminatory speech. But the more Lemoine chatted with LaMDA, the more… Read More »Humanizing Chatbots Is Hard To Resist — But Why?

NEW PUBLICATION: AI Morality

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Edited by David Edmonds, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Oxford Uehiro Centre, this collection of lively and accessible essays covers topics such as healthcare, employment, autonomous weapons, online advertising and much more. A philosophical task force explores how AI is revolutionizing our lives – and what moral problems it might bring, showing us what to… Read More »NEW PUBLICATION: AI Morality