Philosophy & Ethics

Researching Just War: Why is Jus Post Bellum underdeveloped? Questions of Literature Review

I've been researching the Just War tradition lately specifically jus post bellum with intent to submit a paper in January or so. So far I find the research and sources pretty satisfying and enlightening. But a series of questions and comments keep cro ...

Blog Post - Sina Kashefipour - Dec 5 2009 - 8:46pm

Podcast Teaser: Love, A Skeptical Inquiry

[from guest blogger and podcast co-host  Julia Galef] Hey there, rational readers! I’m honored to be Massimo’s guest blogger and co-host of the upcoming Rationally Speaking podcast for the  NYC Skeptics. Since our second episode is scheduled to air the we ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Dec 10 2009 - 11:13am

Just War and Afghanistan

Found this article in Dissent magazine interesting: "Is Obama's War in Afghanistan Just?" by Michael Walzer. The core of Walzer's argument is that the decision to go to war in ...

Blog Post - Sina Kashefipour - Dec 12 2009 - 8:37pm

Too Many Antibiotics? Thank Your Lawyer

A new study suggests that the increase of MRSA in healthcare settings results from clinicians who prescribe antibiotics more often and more broadly than clinical circumstances and evidence-based guidelines warrant because of medical liability concerns. So ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 19 2009 - 1:15pm

Death of Man

For many the turbulence of life are inexplicable and profoundly frustrating our faith in goodwill. What is the essence of personal meaning in a world where human relations are becoming increasingly fragile? What is the meaning of this world when only one i ...

Blog Post - Ayad Gharbawi - Dec 28 2009 - 12:22pm

Countries to avoid- a new entry

Note to self. The list of countries to avoid visiting grows in 2010 with the entry of Ireland, a green country where people speak with a funny accent and drink good spirits. These are not at all reasons to avoid a visit. Instead, I find it sufficient the n ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Jan 2 2010 - 5:45pm

Concern Who It May

Concern Who It May When should one use 'who', and when 'whom'?  A simple enough question on the face of it, but in practice a path through a quagmire. Generally, making a choice between 'who' and 'whom' in construct ...

Article - Patrick Lockerby - Jan 10 2010 - 5:35pm

Mailspam, Webspam, And Freedom Of Speech.

Mailspam, Webspam, and Freedom of Speech. "given that the e-mail system has gone largely unchanged since 1965, perhaps we should be grateful that it works at all. "-  David A. Karp PCmag.com Spam is the biggest single threat to the continued ope ...

Article - Patrick Lockerby - Jan 14 2010 - 2:16pm

How Cultural Values Shape The Debate Over HPV Vaccination

 People's tendency to match their risk perceptions about policy issues with their cultural values may explain the intense disagreement over proposals to vaccinate young girls against human-papillomavirus (HPV), according to a new study in Law and Huma ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 14 2010 - 6:21pm

Shame Theory- Part I- The name of the game.

    “Humans should be ashamed of themselves.” This will be a predominant message of 2010. I know this is an accurate prediction because I'm one of the people who is going to be spreading the message. There seems to be a controlled shift in popular Wes ...

Blog Post - Brian Taylor - Jan 17 2010 - 3:33pm