Title: Practical Reason and the Satisfaction of Desire Location: Teams (online only) Abstract: I have a desire for dulce de leche ice-cream (or that I myself eat ice-cream) but there鈥檚 no ice-cream nearby. A heavenly angel takes pity on me and decides she will help me out. She conjures the ice-cream and quickly shoves it…
Title: Compromises and Lesser-Evil Compromises in Ending Wars. Abstract: Contemporary conflicts often lack a clear end-state, posing challenges to the traditional notion of victory in just wars. This ambiguity calls for a revaluation of war鈥檚 objectives, suggesting that wars should end without a clear victory. In this paper, I will explore various moral and non-moral…
This talk is part of our series on Climate Ethics Title: Is despair about climate breakdown rational? Abstract: Both within the wider climate and environmentalist movement as well as in academic circles, it has become a common assumption that, in order to maintain and sustain actions against the climate crisis, we need to avoid despair.…
Location: Edgecliffe G03 Title: The Continuum Argument Is Invalid Abstract: Derek Parfit argues by means of something he calls a 鈥榗ontinuum argument鈥� that a particular appealing premise in population axiology implies a conclusion that he and many others consider repugnant.聽He treats this as a paradox, and takes up the challenge of resolving it. He looks…
Title: The Formality of the Humean Authoritative Ought Abstract: There are different things we ought to do. There is what we ought to do insofar as we are seeking to advance our long-term interests. There is what we ought to do insofar as we are trying to do our job well. There is what we…
Title: The Permissibility of Collective Defence Agreements Abstract: Collective defence agreements (CDAs), of the sort that exist between, for example, NATO members, EU members, and African Union members, are a prime example of a prominent deterrence mechanism. They promise a degree of assistance that will make it almost impossible for an adversary to win an…
This talk is part of our series on Climate Ethics. Title: Ethical births, ethical deaths: Climate anxiety in Britain through the life course Abstract: This paper is based on anthropological research conducted with climate activists on the topic of climate anxiety in Britain. Drawing on themes of kinship and its relationship to mental health and…
Title: Consent, Intent, and Communication What is consent? I will assume that it is a normative power 鈥� a power to alter rights and duties directly. If this is right, how is consent exercised? I will argue that consent is exercised through the execution of intentions to alter practical reasoning. Successful communication is not needed…
Title: Pleasure Fundamentalism Abstract: Pleasure fundamentalism is the view that moral value is the same thing as pleasure and this explains all other moral facts. This talk presents two arguments for pleasure fundamentalism and discusses the form of naturalism they arise from. According to the Reliability Argument, all processes generating moral belief are unreliable, except…
Title: Beyond Institutional Denial: A Global Constitutional Convention for Future Generations Abstract: Humanity is in deep institutional denial. Current institutions are failing future generations, in part because there is a governance gap when it comes to promoting intergenerational concern. This gap facilitates a tyranny of the contemporary that puts the young and other future generations…
Title: About Climate Justice: What Does it Mean and What Lies Ahead? Abstract: In July 2023, Europe reached scorching milestones with relentless heatwaves and Scotland had its hottest June ever. Several regions grappled with unprecedented rainfall, triggering ecological and socioeconomic upheaval. However, impacts aren’t equally distributed, those who contribute minimally to carbon emissions, find themselves…
Title: Strip-searching as Abjectification: Racism and Sexual Violence in British Policing Abstract: Co-authored with Tom Kemp (Criminology, University of Nottingham), this paper examines police strip-searching practices in the UK. Drawing on newly acquired Freedom of Information data, publicly available testimonies, thematic analysis of official literature and media reports, and first-hand experience, we advance three arguments.…