Janet Radcliffe Richards on the past, present and future of sex
In the last two centuries, there has been a massive shift in the legal, social and institutional norms surrounding sex – both in terms of women’s rights and regulation of sexual activity. And, undoubtedly, there will be more su…
Read MoreThe Bad Seed: Facts and Values in the Study of Childhood Antisocial Behaviour
Podcast of Uehiro Seminar given by Gwen Adshead ‘The Bad Seed’ was a popular 1954 novel in which a well brought up young girl begins to manifest behaviour characteristic of a criminal psychopath. As the plot develops, the girl’s mother disc…
Read MoreAbortion and the Senseless Death of Savita Halappanavar
On Wednesday morning, several media outlets, including the Irish Times, the BBC, and the CBC, reported that Savita Halappanavar, a Hindu woman living in Ireland, had died from blood poisoning after doctors in a Galway hospital refused her r…
Read MoreThis company is employing children? Let’s boycott their products! Or better not?
Regularly, media reports reveal that Western companies have children working in their manufactures in Third or Second World countries – may it be for clothing, furniture or, as recently, technical gadgets. Such reports are often followed by…
Read MorePVS Patients Communicate: BBC Report
A BBC Panorama Report to be broadcast later tonight, follows several patients in persistent vegetative state. It highlights the cases of two Canadian patients, Scott Routley and Steven Graham, who, whilst appearing to be in persistent vege…
Read MoreGrowing Babies: The Ethics of Artificial Wombs
Earlier this year, scientists published a study that detailed the successful use of an artificial uterus to bring shark embryos to term. Once ‘birthed’ the shark pups showed no detrimental effects as a result of having gone through developm…
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The ethics of a chemical break-up
UPDATE: AUDIO NOW AVAILABLE HERE. Forthcoming talk: If I could just stop loving you: Anti-love biotechnology and the ethics of a chemical break-up Date & Time: 30th Nov 2012 4:00pm-5:30pm Description: Abstract: “Love hurts” – as the s…
Read MoreObama’s debt to Rawls?
Anyone who doubts the ability of philosophy to influence ‘real world’ politics should study the text of Obama’s victory address. They should then read John Rawls’s Political Liberalism. (That’s if they haven’t done so already, of course.) …
Read MoreHARMFUL HEADLINES: The ethics of reporting health findings
Sabrina Stewart is a student at Dartmouth College who is visiting the Uehiro Centre this term. Newspaper health sections yield many headlines and subsequent articles that do not accurately reflect the research publication that is being repo…
Read MoreFifty shades: should BDSM become part of general sexual education?
“BDSM [Bondage, Discipline, Sadism, Masochism] might be mainstream now, but it has a new PR problem. I blame Christian Grey.” writes ‘sexual submissive’ Sophie Morgan in an article in the Guardian. I started reading E.L. James’ Fifty Shades…
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