Suggested readings, 10 January 2021

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

Kenan Malik, “Is the world waking up to collective action's possibilities?” 3 Jan, The Observer.

"In a year that saw the consolidation of authoritarianism across the globe, events from Argentina to India revealed the potency of collective action. Signs of hope for 2021."

Julian Baggini, “It ain’t easy being natural.” 4 Jan, The Philosophical Inquirer.

"I have come to believe that the conceptual confusions surrounding naturalness are largely the result of a deep-rooted separation of humanity and the rest of nature in Western thought. If we see human beings as being fully part of nature, then we lose the motivation to determine where the boundaries of the natural are. Instead, we might think of the contrast between what enhances or brings out the best on the natural world and what makes it worse. With this as our priority we might prefer modern medicines and wines that draw skilfully on modern techniques and interventions over so-called 'natural' remedies and wines."

Frances Williams, “Long COVID: who is at risk?” 4 Jan, The Conversation.

What we’ve learned so far about long COVID.

Ralph Leonard, “Get ready for the post-pandemic party.” 7 Jan, UnHerd.

"Some predict, or rather salivate over, an explosion of decadence and debauchery -- a 'roaring twenties' of the 21st century. Epidemiologist Dr Nicholas Christakis certainly thinks such an era is on its way, arguing in his recent book, Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live, that the rest of the 2020s will be defined by 'sexual licentiousness' as people will be 'relentlessly seeking social interaction'".

Catherine Wilson, “Why Epicureanism, not Stoicism, is the philosophy we need now.” 6 Jan, New Statesman.

"What would an Epicurean world look like? It wouldn’t be based, as our world is, on the value of the speed and efficiency of output – the transformation of raw materials into consumer products and consumer products into rubbish, at whatever human cost. It would be focused on enhancing another form of utility, the creation of good experiences and the minimisation of pain."

Michael Huemer, “The Prime Fallacy: Misunderstanding Appearance.” 9 Jan, Fake Nous.

"I think this practice of treating an inclination as an appearance, or adopting a belief because it feels good, is incredibly common. When we consider a political question, we just do this automatically. It may be the source of the vast majority of ideologies, and religions, and philosophies."

Comments

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...

Should we repeal the Eighth Amendment?

Ireland will have a referendum on whether abortion should be permitted on 25th May. A referendum has to be held in order to alter the constitution. In 1983 voters approved of the Eighth Amendment – which created a constitutional recognition that gives equal status to the unborn and the mother – but requests to have it repealed have been steadily increasing in the past number years. In January, the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said Ireland’s abortion laws are “too restrictive and need to be reformed”. If the amendment is repealed, the government may introduce legislation permitting unrestricted abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. At present, terminations are only permissible when the life of the mother is at risk, and under law anyone who seeks an abortion could potentially face 14 years in prison. Opponents of abortion, to be sure, see this as a moral horror, but the 12-week limit being proposed is fairly similar to abortion laws across Europe. Abort...

Intuitions and Ethics

A version of this article was printed in Humanism Ireland , May-June, Vol. 146 (2014) The notion that our moral intuitions possess epistemic authority has been associated with a number of philosophers within the canon of Western thought. Roughly speaking, these thinkers have argued that our intuitions have recourse to a unique authority of perception that yields special access to a sphere of moral legitimacy. Others, however, have claimed that our intuitions are incredibly diverse and often conflict with each other—for example, your intuition says assisted suicide is morally permissible and my intuition says it’s wrong. But it seems the two contrasting intuitions cannot both be right. At the same time, most of us think our own moral intuitions are right : they do not seem inconsistent to us, and we have a strong sense to believe them. Accordingly, they strike us as correct. Undoubtedly, moral intuitions can be shaped by our particular culture, environment or co...

Nothing as It Seems

Search This Blog