Reason as logic, or reason as motive, or reason as a way of life? They don't have to give me a reason. I can write my own damn reason. And that is better than the half-baked tolerance that comes from no longer caring. (George Smiley)
These are links to my published articles.
My philosophical work is mostly in metathics and normative ethics. In metaethics I have defended a form of constructive expressivism.I explain it in these papers:
1. Humean Constructivism in Moral Theory*
2. What is Moral Inquiry?
3. The Primacy of the Passions
4. The Politics of The Self
5. Achieving Objectivity
6. The That
I have in recent years been especially interested in moral epistemology. I explore it in these papers:
2.What is Moral Inquiry?
3 The Primacy of the Passions
6. The That
7.Scepticism about Intuition
8. Moral Inquiry and Mob Psychology
9. Gibbardian Humility: Moral Fallibility and Moral Smugness
When I was younger I wrote more about moral pscyhology
10. Actions, Motives and Causes: Critical Study of Mete, Motivation and Agency
11. Belief, Desire and Motivation: An Essay in Quasi-Hydraulics
12. The Exernalist and the Amoralist*
13. Moral Deviants and Amoral Saints
I have published a number of papers engaging with rival views and critical concerns.
14. Error Theory
15. Michael Smith
16. Michael Smith again (the Strength/Certainty Objection)
17. Crispin Wright
18. Sam Harris and Richard Boyd
19. Philippa Foot and Other Aristotelians
20. Derek Parfit
21. Ralph Wedgwood
22. David Enoch
23. Terence Cuneo (Companions in Guilt)
24. Michael Huemer (More Companions in Guilt)
25. Andy Egan (Smugness Objection)
26. Cian Dorr (Wishfulness Objection)
I have also written about moral responsibility
27. Compatibilism and Contractualism: The Possibility of Moral Responsibility
28. On the Alleged Shallowness of Compatibles
29. Contracting Responsibility
I have written about why I am not a consequentialist
30. Consequentialism and Cluelessness
31. Review on Notre Dame Phiosophical Reviews of Allan Gibbard: Reconciling Our Aims
About the ethics of imposing risks:
32.Contractualism and Risk Imposition*
About why we care about our survival as a species:
33. On Becoming Extinct*
And about why we might be careful what we wish for when we think about immortality:
34. Immortality: A Letter*
And about whey we should be careful what we wish for when we think about Ai 'liberating' us from the need to work:
35. On Becoming Redundant
In this paper, which was great fun to write, I defend affirmatory cherry-picking against Clemenceau and Wallace.
36. La Révolution est un Bloc: Wallace on Affirmation and Regret
This was my first published paper. I wouldn't write it the same way now. But I still think it is right:
37. Beliefs About Other Minds: A Pragmatic Justification
My philosophical work is mostly in metathics and normative ethics. In metaethics I have defended a form of constructive expressivism.I explain it in these papers:
1. Humean Constructivism in Moral Theory*
2. What is Moral Inquiry?
3. The Primacy of the Passions
4. The Politics of The Self
5. Achieving Objectivity
6. The That
I have in recent years been especially interested in moral epistemology. I explore it in these papers:
2.What is Moral Inquiry?
3 The Primacy of the Passions
6. The That
7.Scepticism about Intuition
8. Moral Inquiry and Mob Psychology
9. Gibbardian Humility: Moral Fallibility and Moral Smugness
When I was younger I wrote more about moral pscyhology
10. Actions, Motives and Causes: Critical Study of Mete, Motivation and Agency
11. Belief, Desire and Motivation: An Essay in Quasi-Hydraulics
12. The Exernalist and the Amoralist*
13. Moral Deviants and Amoral Saints
I have published a number of papers engaging with rival views and critical concerns.
14. Error Theory
15. Michael Smith
16. Michael Smith again (the Strength/Certainty Objection)
17. Crispin Wright
18. Sam Harris and Richard Boyd
19. Philippa Foot and Other Aristotelians
20. Derek Parfit
21. Ralph Wedgwood
22. David Enoch
23. Terence Cuneo (Companions in Guilt)
24. Michael Huemer (More Companions in Guilt)
25. Andy Egan (Smugness Objection)
26. Cian Dorr (Wishfulness Objection)
I have also written about moral responsibility
27. Compatibilism and Contractualism: The Possibility of Moral Responsibility
28. On the Alleged Shallowness of Compatibles
29. Contracting Responsibility
I have written about why I am not a consequentialist
30. Consequentialism and Cluelessness
31. Review on Notre Dame Phiosophical Reviews of Allan Gibbard: Reconciling Our Aims
About the ethics of imposing risks:
32.Contractualism and Risk Imposition*
About why we care about our survival as a species:
33. On Becoming Extinct*
And about why we might be careful what we wish for when we think about immortality:
34. Immortality: A Letter*
And about whey we should be careful what we wish for when we think about Ai 'liberating' us from the need to work:
35. On Becoming Redundant
In this paper, which was great fun to write, I defend affirmatory cherry-picking against Clemenceau and Wallace.
36. La Révolution est un Bloc: Wallace on Affirmation and Regret
This was my first published paper. I wouldn't write it the same way now. But I still think it is right:
37. Beliefs About Other Minds: A Pragmatic Justification
Here is my entry on Moral Naturalism in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
And my entry on Reasons for Action: Justification vs. Explanation also in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Here is a link to my pages on Flickr.
