Archive for the ‘Philosophy / History / Rants’ Category

Do we choose our beliefs?

Author, Adam.
Published, January 12, 2010.
Tags: belief, choice, choose beliefs, freedom, predestination, responsibility

Belief is not a simple matter. They come in all shapes and sizes. We believe in a whole raft of things, seen and unseen. Some are dictated from our particular up-bringing. Others are formed through popular opinion. Some derive through faith. Others derive from scientific rationalism. How much choice, however, do we have when it [...]

The way we essentialise other people

Author, Adam.
Published, May 23, 2009.
Tags: compassion, essentialise, humanity, karen armstrong, morality, reason, respect, tolerance

“We should recognise humanity wherever it occurs, and give its fundamental ingredients, reason and moral capacity, our first allegiance and respect.” - Martha C. Nussbaum.
It is difficult to talk about people in general terms without using stereotypes. If we were to clarify what we mean when we use such generalisations we would be forever bound [...]

Kevin DeYoung on bloggers fighting about stuff, and how not to be like them

Author, Simon.
Published, May 21, 2009.
Tags: blogging, debates, kevin deyoung

I know, I know. I should be writing an essay. But I like you and want to share good internet things with you. This is worth a look, if you have a few minutes. Kevin DeYoung has written an article, ‘Defining Discourse’, on what is wrong with bloggers/commentators, and how to clean things up in the “blogosphere”. [...]

Doctrine of Double Effect, Part 9: Questions over plausibility

Author, Simon.
Published, May 13, 2009.
Tags: DDE, doctrine of double effect, just war, military ethics

The conditions of the Doctrine of Double Effect take for granted that the negative consequences of our bomber’s actions are known by the bomber. Our bomber knows, then, that he is going to be killing civilians when he bombs the factory. Even though his principle aim was to destroy the munitions factory, he is still [...]

Doctrine of Double Effect, Part 8: Questions over intentionality

Author, Simon.
Published, May 13, 2009.
Tags: DDE, doctrine of double effect, just war, military ethics

Intentionality is a central issue in DDE, as is discrimination. If it was munitions workers who were killed when the factory was bombed, then civilians were obviously killed. The principle of discrimination comes immediately into play – civilians are discriminated from soldiers. Civilians have been killed, and this is a negative consequence.
If there is, in [...]

Doctrine of Double Effect, Part 7: Strategic Bomber, or Terror Bomber?

Author, Simon.
Published, May 6, 2009.
Tags: DDE, doctrine of double effect, just war, military ethics

Perhaps those civilians killed in the bombing (described in Part 6) were workers from the factory who were working at the time. Some scholars claim that there is a difference between unintentionally killing civilians during a raid on a munitions factory and intentionally bombing a housing estate. Predelli starkly labels the former a ‘Strategic Bombing’, and [...]

Doctrine of Double Effect, Part 6: DDE, conditions and considerations

Author, Simon.
Published, April 29, 2009.
Tags: conditions, DDE, doctrine of double effect, just war

The conditions of the Doctrine of Double Effect are as follows:
1. The agent acts with good intention, and attempts to bring about a good effect.
2. The agent does not want to bring about the predicted negative consequences and attempts to avoid or mitigate them as much as possible.
3. The agent treats the negative consequences neither as the end, nor [...]

Doctrine of Double Effect, Part 5: Strategic bomber example

Author, Simon.
Published, April 27, 2009.
Tags: DDE, doctrine double effect, just war

Our primary concern in this discussion is war. So, we will return to our faithful friend, the strategic bomber. Say that the strategic bomber from nation A, as described above, happened to know that, in bombing the military base, he would also hit a child-care centre. He is also aware that he would likely cause [...]

Doctrine of Double Effect, Part 4: More DDE and Aquinas

Author, Simon.
Published, April 23, 2009.
Tags: DDE, doctrine double effect, ethics, just war, Thomas Aquinas

It is important, here, to expand on Aquinas’ doctrine as he wrote it in Summa Theologica. Saint Aquinas wrote that:
proceeding from a good intention, an act may be rendered unlawful, if it be out of proportion with the end. Wherefore if a man, in self-defence, uses more than the necessary violence, it will be unlawful.  
Within [...]

Doctrine of Double Effect, Part 3: DDE and Aquinas

Author, Simon.
Published, April 23, 2009.
Tags: DDE, doctrine double effect, just war, Thomas Aquinas

Double Effect was first expressed as a doctrine by Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher, Thomas Aquinas (see picture). Aquinas, in his enourmous work, Summa Theologica, expressed the doctrine like so; that every action has more than one effect, and that it was possible for one to intend a good consequence, but through acting to bring [...]