Philosophy & Ethics

Why My Vote Doesn't Count or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Electoral College

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Blog Post - Anonymous - Jan 3 2009 - 7:14am

No Theory Of Everything Is Possible

Pierre-Simon  de Laplace, the 18th century French astronomer who proposed one of the early theories of the formation of the solar system, famously postulated a “Demon” who had enough information to know what would happen in any place in the universe at an ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Oct 23 2008 - 11:53am

Ethical? 50 Percent Of Surveyed Doctors Give Placebos Without Telling Patients

If a doctor believes an antibiotic or sedative is not needed and instead provides a placebo to a patient, is the physician protecting public health or subjectively disregarding the ethics of full disclosure? You decide. Many rheumatologists and general int ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 23 2008 - 9:20pm

Diabetes- Treatment Spending Doubled But Benefit Hasn't Kept Pace

People tend to want to correlate more money to better results?  It doesn't matter if it's education or science or highways.   But it isn't always the case.   Expensive new medicines plus more patients have caused American to double spending ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 27 2008 - 5:04pm

Drug Companies Illegally Promote Off-Label Drug Use, Allege Two Doctors

Off-label prescription of a drug is generally legal, but promotion of off-label uses by a drug manufacturer is illegal. In an article in this week's PLoS Medicine, two physician researchers describe the techniques that they say drug companies use to c ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 28 2008 - 12:27am

Negative Campaign Ads In Presidential Campaigns Are The Norm, Not The Exception

The 2008 presidential campaign, as reflected in candidates' television spots, has been one of the most negative campaigns in history. A University of Missouri professor analyzed this year's candidates' television spots, including last night& ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 31 2008 - 9:25am

Organ Donation- Is Mandatory Unless You Opt Out A Good Solution?

A system of presumed consent for organ donation- where people have to opt out of donating their organs when they die- is the best way to tackle a growing waiting list for transplant, according to Dr John Troyer, an expert in organ donation and the illegal ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 31 2008 - 10:36pm

Sex On TV Linked To Teen Pregnancy

It seems like common sense, right?    We don't allow cigarettes on TV because the risk to impressionable younger people is greater than it is with adults.    Adolescents who have high levels of exposure to television programs that contain sexual conte ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 3 2008 - 11:24am

Governments Should Do More To Protect Freedom Of Speech From Islamic Extremists, Says New Report

Muslim reformers and critics of Islam around Europe are being silenced by Islamic extremists, according to a new report by the Centre for Social Cohesion. The report warns that unless European governments take urgent action to protect these individuals an ...

Article - Anna Ohlden - Nov 9 2008 - 10:34pm

Remembrance Day (repost)

(Repost from one year ago on the older Genomicron-- this got a nice response from readers and family, so I am posting it once again.) In Canada, as in many countries around the world, November 11 is a day of remembrance for the sacrifices made during warti ...

Blog Post - T. Ryan Gregory - Nov 11 2008 - 1:20pm