Post No.: 0997 Fluffystealthkitten says: “Guns kill people” proclaim proponents of stricter gun control. “People kill people” proclaim opponents of it. Advocates of stricter gun control for civilians don’t hold that guns themselves do the killing but … Read More
Post No.: 0987 Fluffystealthkitten says: The notion of ‘murder’ – like all crime categories really – is socially constructed hence the existence of different legal codes in different times and places. The notion of ‘crime’ cannot exist without … Read More
Post No.: 0970 Fluffystealthkitten says: Knowing we’re under surveillance will ‘control us’ by making us modify our behaviours if we’re thinking of doing something illegal… but that’s the desired effect! There’s the ‘panopticon effect’ where, even though … Read More
Post No.: 0955 Furrywisepuppy says: States are responsible for the safety of their citizens – to actively protect them from harm. They cannot use the excuse of ‘we had nothing to do with that terror attack’ – inaction … Read More
Post No.: 0919 Furrywisepuppy says: Recommencing our discussion on moral obligations and community loyalty from Post No.: 0915 – your parents or adoptive parents may have spent a lot of energy and time raising you, but you never … Read More
Post No.: 0915 Furrywisepuppy says: A hot debate in philosophy concerns determining the essential telos or purpose of things e.g. is walking the course on foot an essential element of Tour-level golf? The telos is crucial because you … Read More
Post No.: 0900 Furrywisepuppy says: Different individuals or groups experience different fortunes and misfortunes in their lives through no credit or fault of their own, like being born into wealth or poverty due to one’s ancestors being the … Read More
Post No.: 0875 Furrywisepuppy says: Designers need to think hard to consider, not just how their technologies may be used, but how they may be abused. What we intend or hope for may precisely facilitate execrable behaviours, like … Read More
Post No.: 0839 Furrywisepuppy says: The comparative method in political science involves picking an independent variable(s) (e.g. GDP) then comparing two or more groups (e.g. countries) against each other to see how they fare according to some dependent … Read More
Post No.: 0830 Furrywisepuppy says: Economics is mainly about maximising utility, which is a consequentialist, utilitarian philosophy. An action or choice is good or bad depending on its net outcome. Law also generally serves society as a whole. … Read More
Post No.: 0813 Furrywisepuppy says: We could take a step back and question a broader assumption in law – should the intention of committing a crime matter at all or just the fact of the act itself? Absolute … Read More
Post No.: 0789 Furrywisepuppy says: The so-called ‘butterfly effect’, which stems from ‘chaos theory’, means that small things can lead to big consequences down the line. An imperceptible difference at one point in time can potentially generate a … Read More
Post No.: 0778 Furrywisepuppy says: In Post No.: 0770, we asked whether neuroscientific data could help improve our ability to detect lies and assess the minds of those accused of committing crimes in order to determine responsibility and … Read More
Post No.: 0770 Furrywisepuppy says: Present lie detector systems are nowhere near 100% accurate, yet governments and employers use them quite regularly to screen for candour or malfeasance. But will advances in neuroscience ever be able to unequivocally … Read More
Post No.: 0760 Furrywisepuppy says: At it’s most simplistic, law is a system of rules and standards that has been designed to guide behaviour. It’s usually shaped by morals, and customs like norms and etiquette. Law helps social … Read More
Post No.: 0748 Furrywisepuppy says: Shame can arise as a result of something that one has done to oneself, whereas humiliation can arise as a result of something that someone else has done to oneself. And bullies are … Read More
Post No.: 0729 Furrywisepuppy says: Life is just a series of projects – to maybe get married, raise a family, write a blog(!), finish a videogame, run a marathon, or just make tonight’s din-dins… and it feels like … Read More
Post No.: 0704 Furrywisepuppy says: Is it sensible to worry about dying?.. When we’re alive, we’re logically not dead. And when we’re dead, we logically won’t be around to experience it because we won’t be able to … Read More
Post No.: 0696 Furrywisepuppy says: ‘Speciesism’ is like racism, sexism or genderism but about the discrimination in treatment between different individuals belonging to different organism species (e.g. treating a sheep differently to a ferret). Does this accusation go … Read More
Post No.: 0662 Furrywisepuppy says: I personally think it’s fur to ask – is it egotistical of humans, and against the freedoms of companion animals like dogs, cats, horses and birds, to make companion animals obey humans? Or … Read More
