Philosophy
Another question from C.Ewing:
- Zoos And Moral Responsibility
An interesting question from Lee:I posted a link to a diary on DailyKos asking people to petition Mayor Bloomberg to maintain funding to the Bronx Zoo. I included a link where one could donate to the zoo itself. A friend replied, somewhat facetiously,...
- Agap? And Our Mett? Obligation
Guest post from C.Ewing: Linkage and here. Recently, I had a discussion with TR about the linear assumption people seem to have. That is, if one appears to be acting in a kind way (performing a kind action) then we tend to assume that this relates back...
- On The Self-righteousness Of The Fit
There is a certain sense of moral superiority among those who do everything needed in order to keep themselves in good physical shape. Working out is hard and painful. It takes discipline in the gym and more importantly, to get to the gym. Not eating...
- What Are The Most Pressing Moral Issues Today?
Regular readers know I've been working on a book called Was It Morally Good for You, Too?: A How-To Guide to Ethics in Sex, Politics, and Other Dirty Words. The idea is to present a readable, funny, but robust framework in which to meaningfully discuss...
- Sins Of The Left: The Moral Poverty Of Ethical Subjectivism
Since my discussion of libertarianism has been getting some attention from the folks who have ventured over from Pharyngula, here's the companion piece about the problems with ethical subjectivism. There is also a nice post on a similar issue at Philosophy,...
Philosophy
Moral Obligation and Surrogate Motherhood
Another question from C.Ewing:
This brought up the periodic question you seem to have of just where the moral imperative line is drawn. It seems to me that "super" just can't be applied to ethical mandates. At any given time you either are or are not meeting your ethical obligations, and often enough times we all fall short, but we weigh what seems "most" important, and those which we deem too bothersome, we let slide. Of course, in this process it seems obvious that we're opting not to do things that ultimately we really know we should be doing.
This, however, seems an exceptional case. When your friend wants a bit or your ice cream, even if you really loves you some ice cream, you let him or her have a taste. You let your little brother (thanks, Mike) borrow your SNES on Saturday morning, even when you would rather sleep, because you know he just has to beat that next level. We will readily be "put out" so to speak, when we are able to do so, because we know we can do so, and should. But this is all stuff. These are mere inconveniences at best.
But can you be obligated to "loan" your body? This seems downright bizarre. On the one hand, when a couple really wants a child, our hearts ache for them. I'm not even a parent, and I sympathize with the plight of a childless would-be mother. But it seems--at least, I think--a different sort of case here. Surely, we should always do what we can. But giving someone a lift home from the bar, and loaning out your womb seem to be wholly different things. Are they? Do we draw the line when it comes to borrowing bodies? The only things I can think of which are similar to this are organ donation and giving blood. But giving blood is, again, seemingly just an inconvenience, save for those few of us who have genuine health related issues with doing so. Organ donation occurs post-mortem, and so that hardly seems an issue unless religious questions come into play (same with blood in some cases). But, foregoing Jehovah's take on this: what about your womb? If it's not otherwise occupied, is there any way in which we can fathom an obligation for surrogation? Sorry, I just had to use that one.
- Zoos And Moral Responsibility
An interesting question from Lee:I posted a link to a diary on DailyKos asking people to petition Mayor Bloomberg to maintain funding to the Bronx Zoo. I included a link where one could donate to the zoo itself. A friend replied, somewhat facetiously,...
- Agap? And Our Mett? Obligation
Guest post from C.Ewing: Linkage and here. Recently, I had a discussion with TR about the linear assumption people seem to have. That is, if one appears to be acting in a kind way (performing a kind action) then we tend to assume that this relates back...
- On The Self-righteousness Of The Fit
There is a certain sense of moral superiority among those who do everything needed in order to keep themselves in good physical shape. Working out is hard and painful. It takes discipline in the gym and more importantly, to get to the gym. Not eating...
- What Are The Most Pressing Moral Issues Today?
Regular readers know I've been working on a book called Was It Morally Good for You, Too?: A How-To Guide to Ethics in Sex, Politics, and Other Dirty Words. The idea is to present a readable, funny, but robust framework in which to meaningfully discuss...
- Sins Of The Left: The Moral Poverty Of Ethical Subjectivism
Since my discussion of libertarianism has been getting some attention from the folks who have ventured over from Pharyngula, here's the companion piece about the problems with ethical subjectivism. There is also a nice post on a similar issue at Philosophy,...