The flu paradox: is the WHO focusing too little on flu?
The WHO is in the news these days thanks to the H1N1 epidemic (alias the swine flu, or the Colbert flu), and it is doing an admirable job coordinating various national agencies in fighting a pandemic. Historically it has been at the forefro…
Read MoreIan Plimer’s climate change skepticism
Well known Australian geologist and climate skeptic Ian Plimer has recently released a new book in which he continues to push the case for climate change skepticism, entitled Heaven and Earth: Global Warming the Missing Science, and publish…
Read MorePandemic ethics: The boy who cried ‘flu’!
The headlines in the last week have been dramatic. California has declared a state of emergency. The World Health Organisation has raised its pandemic alert status to level 5 – its second highest level. The UK government is about to post le…
Read More2009 Uehiro Lectures: Allen Buchanan on The Ethics of Biomedical Enhancement
Professor Allen Buchanan, James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy, Duke University will give a series of three lectures 'Beyond Humanity? The Ethics of Biomedical Enhancement' on Tuesdays May 5, May 12 and May 19 16.30 – …
Read MoreEpistemic duty and conspiracies against the laity 2
Conspiracies against the laity frequently operate with an inverted morality. For example, honour among thieves includes the obligation not to snitch, that is to say, not to tell the truth about the wrongdoing of each other. By contrast, the…
Read MoreIntuitive pirates: why do we accept file sharing so much?
Piracy is in the headlines, whether in Somalian waters or Swedish cyberspace. A Stockholm court this friday found four men guilty of promoting copyright infringement by running the popular file-sharing site The Pirate Bay and sentenced them…
Read MoreAn earthquake in the theodicy doctrine
On April 6, a strong earthquake struck several Italian cities, causing hundreds of deaths and destroying thousands of homes.Such violent and destructive phenomena always arouse dismay and amazement. Many date the birth of modern athe…
Read MoreTortured logic
A leaked report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has concluded that medical personnel were involved in interrogation and torture performed overseas by the CIA according to reports in the New York Times. The practices r…
Read MoreBe mindful of results, not the method
David King warns that we should modify society, not childrens' brains. This is a response to a recent Radio 4 documentary on "the criminal mind", which discussed recent evidence for biological underpinnings of some forms of an…
Read MoreEcclesiastical gaydar: should churches be allowed to discriminate priests?
Melbourne's Catholic Churches have decided to test potential priests for sexual orientation, banning those that appear to be gay. This is in accordance with the Vatican recommendation that even celibate gays should not be allowed in the…
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