The Oracle (E-Journal)
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103 research outputs found
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They Don’t Really Care About Us: The Virtuous Agent and Efficient Breach: Edited by Jasneet Butter
No full textThe relationship between law and morality is a rich and complicated topic. Seana Shiffrin argues that contract law and promissory morality diverge in some significant ways. Given the divergence, there is a question of how an agent ought to navigate areas of tension between the norms of contract law and the norms of promissory morality. Shiffrin argues that when tensions are problematic for an agent to cultivate moral virtues, contract law should at least carve out a space for the virtuous agent’s flourishing. This is the foundation that this paper builds on
Existence of Thought – Descartes’ Cogito Argument: Edited by Kai Zhang
No full textThis paper raises an objection and proposes a revision to Descartes’ cogito argument. Through this argument, Descartes asserts the existence of thought and, therefore, of himself as a thinking entity. This assertion serves as the basis for escaping the radical skepticism he imposes upon himself. In this paper, I will argue that Descartes’ original argument is guilty of begging the question, as it already assumes his existence. Moreover, a revision to the cogito, where only the existence of thought is asserted, is proposed. This revision of the cogito escapes the original objection and thus provides a stronger argument
Dangerous Plastic: The Commodification of the Intimate Body in the Age of Technology: Edited by Elias Yuan
No full textThe growing scholarly discourse concerning sexual consent coincides with the emergence of new/developing technologies in the consumer marketplace that hold the potential to influence both social and sexual norms. Among these innovations, the sex robot emerges as the epitome of the commodified intimate body. This essay explores the commodification of love—and its concomitant aspect of sex—in relation to technology, examining how romantic loneliness and capitalism transforms the intimate body into a marketable entity. From this understanding, the notion of the sex robot (and sexual activity with robots) is negotiated in its multifaceted forms: a type of artificial companionship, a case of sexual deviance/perversion, an act of masturbation, a curative balm for the ills of romantic alienation, and an instance of non-consensual sexual engagement. Through such an analysis, this essay advocates for an awareness of the potential risks posed by the sex robot industry, revealing the ways in which human robot sexual relationships often proliferate nonreciprocal intimate interactions as well as contribute to a dehumanization of the sexual body. By delving into the moral and ethical complexities of sex with robots, the essay effectively illuminates the implications that sex robots may have on human agency, relationship dynamics, and broader societal fabrics
Poverty, Coercion, & the Organ Trade: Edited by Aviral Dhamija
No full textThis paper is responding to one of the ethical arguments addressed in Janet Radcliffe Richards’ Consent with Inducements in regards to the permissibility of the organ trade. Specifically, this paper is a response to her claim that poverty cannot properly be considered to be coercive, due to the lack of a coercive agent. This paper argues that poverty ought to be considered coercive when viewed in the global context that the organ trade occurs within. Drawing on Nancy Scheper-Hughes’ anthropological works on the Israeli-Palestinian organ trade, this paper demonstrates how the state of poverty fits within Richards’ understanding of coercion
Can Matter Be Separated From the Laws of Nature? Edited by Lexi Bilous
No full textIf there are such things as miracles, then the debate arises of whether or not they violate the laws of nature. Those on the side of miracles being violations of the laws of nature turn to the distinction between matter and the laws of nature for support, while those on the opposing side claim that matter in itself is defined through the laws of nature. It seems that to engage in the debate, first the question of matter and whether or not it is separable from the laws of nature needs to be asked. After such a question is dealt with, only then can one turn to asking if miracles are violations of the laws of nature. In this paper, I will be examining the views on both sides of the debate, and I will try to prove that miracles do violate the laws of nature. In this paper, I will first explain the discourse around miracles and whether or not they are violations of the laws of nature while referencing other philosophers' thoughts on the matter. Robert A. Larmer argues that miracles do not involve violations of the laws of nature, because God could create or annihilate matter, resulting in a sufficient enough change to the world to cause a miracle, while leaving the laws of nature untouched. To this, Neil W. MacGill raises the objection that a change in the amount of matter will result in a change to the laws of nature. To this, Larmer essentially replies that a universe with more or less mass would have the same laws of nature. This essay will dive deeper into Larmer’s reply to MacGill, and I will put forth the case for why Larmer’s reply is rather unsatisfactory. I argue that what Larmer needed to do to put to rest MacGill’s objection was to show how the laws of nature are not dependent on matter. I will put forth my attempt to provide a satisfactory reply to MacGill’s objection. Regardless, such a reply will bring with it flaws of its own, which I will address. Without my counterpoint, MacGill’s objection still holds, which means that Larmer has yet to show how miracles do not violate the laws of nature. Insofar MacGill’s objection holds, Larmer has yet to prove that miracles do not violate the laws of nature. With this lack of sufficient explanation for the phenomenon, it can be concluded that miracles do in fact violate the laws of nature
