Suggested readings, 4 October 2020

Here are some interesting articles I've read over the past week that I think are worth checking out.

James Harold, “Is it rational to condemn an artwork for an artist’s personal immorality?” 3 Oct, OUP Blog.

Should we appreciate art created by bad people?

Shane Timmons, “The pandemic isn't down to one reckless group - it's because of the contagiousness of Covid-19.” 2 Oct, Journal.ie.

"Social disapproval of non-compliance is important for maintaining the high levels of cooperation we’ve seen in Ireland, but it should be proportionate to the transgression and come from appropriate sources."

Jeff McMahan, “How Britain and the US became trapped in the nationalism of decline.” 2 Oct, New Statesman.

Philosopher Jeff McMahan argues that the contempt shown by Britain and the United States for international law is a betrayal of the postwar order they both helped to create.

Mariana Mazzucato, Reda Cherif and Fuad Hasanov, “How to End the Pandemic This Year.” 1 Oct, Project Syndicate.

Even without a vaccine, the Covid-19 could be ended within months through an effective universal testing programme.

Tom Chivers, “Has Covid become less dangerous?” 30 Sep, Project UnHerd.

The virus hasn't really changed, but death rates have declined largely because doctors are dealing with it better and it is now mostly infecting younger people.

Fintan O'Toole, “My father wanted to die and I promised to help him.” 29 Sep, Irish Times.

"Many people are instinctively repelled by the idea of legalising assisted dying – but if you ask them what they want for themselves if terminal illness makes their lives unbearable, they too want this choice."

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Should We Use Neuroenhancement Drugs to Improve Relationships?

A version of this article was printed in Humanism Ireland , July-August, Vol. 147 (2014) L ove, it is fair to say, is probably the strongest emotion we can experience. It can come in many different forms: love of one’s parent, sibling, or child. Though most people consider romantic relationships—which include companionship, sexual passion, intimacy, warmth, procreation and child-rearing—as the most significant component of one’s life; and it is probably the thing we find discussed more than anything else in novels, films and music. Committed romantic relationships tend to occur within the institution of marriage—something that is ubiquitous to most, if not all, cultures. Indeed, relationships today, which are primarily love-driven, are not just confined to marriages, as many couples sustain relationships outside of wedlock. Being in a love-driven relationship is considered important for most people, as it contributes to happiness—something we a...

Is Adult Incest Wrong?

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A Critique of Abortion and Infanticide

Not many ethical issues are as vigorously fought over as abortion these days. Unsurprisingly, the standpoint of the different sides—put simply, those who are in favour of abortion and those that are against it—have not achieved much in shifting the beliefs of their opponents. Abortion was illegal in almost all western states until the late 1960s; in 1967 Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) changed its laws to permit abortion on broad social grounds. In the Row v Wade 1973 case, the United States Supreme Court held that women have a constitutional right to abortion in the first six months of pregnancy. Many other western nations like France and Italy have subsequently liberated their abortion laws. Ireland and Northern Ireland, however, have held out in opposition to this movement. Abortion in Ireland remains illegal under the 1861 Offences against the Person Act and in 1983 an amendment to Ireland's constitution states that an embryo, from the p...

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