Harvey Weinstein and the Ring of Gyges
Written by Roger Crisp At the start of book II of what is perhaps the most famous work in western philosophy, Plato’s Republic, one of the characters in the dialogue, Glaucon, tells Socrates the story of a Lydian shepherd, Gyges. Gyges, hav…
Read MoreBlade Runner 2049, Parfit and Identity
Julian Savulescu Contains spoilers for both Blade Runner films. This is a longer version of a shorter piece without spoilers, Blade Runner 2049: Identity, Humanity, and Discrimination, in Pursuit Blade Runner 2049, like the original…
Read MoreCross Post: Sex Versus Death: Why Marriage Equality Provokes More Heated Debate Than Assisted Dying
Written by Julian Savulescu A version of this article has been published by The Conversation Epicurus wrote: “Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist. ”…
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A Fundamental Problem with Moral Enhancement
by Joao Fabiano Moral philosophers often prefer to conceive thought experiments, dilemmas and problem cases of single individuals who make one-shot decisions with well-defined short-term consequences. Morality is complex enough that such si…
Read MoreFlu Vaccination for Kids: a Moral Obligation?
Written by Ben Bambery and Julian Savulescu Rosie Anderson, aged 8, died from influenza infection last Friday the 15th of September. Her tragic death followed the recent death of young father, Ben Ihlow, aged 30, who died suddenly on Father…
Read MoreJudges Are Paid To Express Opinions
Introduction In a series of five harrowing judgments, the President of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, expressed his frustration with the system that endangered the life of a child who was the subject of care proceedings. He was forth…
Read MoreCross Post: UK Gene Editing Breakthrough Could Land an Aussie in Jail for 15 Years: Here’s Why Our Laws Need to Catch Up
Written by Dr Christopher Gyngell Research Fellow in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and Professor Julian Savulescu Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics,Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Childrens Researc…
Read MoreOrgan Donation: Presumed Consent and Focusing on What Matters
Recent newspaper reports covered the story of Jemima Layzell, a 13 year old who died suddenly of a brain aneurysm in 2012. According to reports, shortly before Jemima died, the subject of organ donation had come up in discussions with her f…
Read MoreIllegal Strikes and Political Obligation – What Reasons Do We Have To Obey The Law?
The issue of public sector pay rises has been at the forefront of political discussions in the UK in recent months. The controversy can be traced back to at least 2013, when the government placed a 1% limit on such pay rises, a figure that …
Read More‘Being a burden’: an Illegitimate Ground For Assisted Dying
The issue of the legality in England and Wales of physician-assisted suicide has recently been revisited by the Divisional Court. Judgment is awaited. The judgment of the Court of Appeal, granting permission for judicial review, is here. Th…
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