Oxford Debates Cont’d – Proposer’s Closing Statement
Part of the debate "The NHS should not treat self-inflicted illness"Proposer: Dr Mark Sheehan Closing Statement What is most difficult about topics such as this one is that there are clear intuitions on both sides. These intuition…
Read MoreOxford Debates Cont’d – Opposer’s update 2
Part of the debate "The NHS should not treat self-inflicted illness" Opposer: Charles FosterUpdate 2 Dr. Sheehan has fairly and inevitably surrendered. The motion as it stands is wholly unarguable. But he contends that there are s…
Read MoreWho defines a Jew?
by David Edmonds Here are some of the relevant facts about a landmark legal ruling last week – involving a dispute that illustrates an irresolvable tension within multi-culturalism. JFS is a Jewish ‘faith school’ in N…
Read More‘But it will happen anyway’
When the ethical implication of some scientific or technological advance are debated, it is common for someone to remark that it’s a waste of time to debate whether this technology should be pursued—it will be developed anyway, won’t it, an…
Read MoreOxford Debates Cont’d – Proposer’s update 2
Part of the debate "The NHS should not treat self-inflicted injuries" Proposer: Dr Mark SheehanUpdate 2 As Foster suggests we must be clear about the motion. So what might it mean to 'not treat self-inflicted illness'? If …
Read MoreHow bad are heatwaves and flu epidemics?
The UK health media is currently focused on two natural threats to public health: one from swine flu, and the other from the heatwave currently affecting the country. Both flu epidemics and heatwaves frequently cause many deaths. For exampl…
Read MorePandemic ethics: Party to the flu (or vigilante vaccination)
A public health expert has warned yesterday against the idea of swine-flu parties, arguing that it may undermine the fight against the emerging pandemic. But others, including James Delingpole in the Telegraph have embraced the idea, hoping…
Read MoreDon’t be Evil — and prove it.
A new angle has recently come to light regarding the unrest in Iran: well known western companies provided the technology the government are using to eavesdrop on its citizens. The Washington Times and Wall Street Journal have reported on t…
Read MoreOxford Debates Cont’d – Opposer’s update 1
Part of the debate "The NHS should not treat self-inflicted injuries" Opposer: Charles FosterUpdate 1 It simply won't do to underplay the practical difficulties posed by this motion. The motion is not 'The NHS should not t…
Read MoreTrackr the Most Cloneworthy Dog: Best Friends Again?
According to recent media reports, a competition to find the world’s most cloneworthy dog has been organised by the American firm BioArts International http://www.bioarts.com/about_us.htm. BioArts has a subsidiary, Encore Pet Science, which…
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