Peter Singer to release new book on altruism
“Doing the Most Good” is an apology for “effective altruism”. A new book by utilitarian philosopher and bioethicist Peter Singer will be released in April....
Doctors under the black flag of the Islamic State
Health care workers face agonising dilemmas. Looking for dramatic examples of dilemmas in medical ethics? Try being a doctor in territory ruled by the Islamic...
That eminent utilitarian Mr Spock
Was he the world's most famous spokesman for the creed of Jeremy Bentham? Peter Singer is often described as the most influential philosopher alive. (This...
Does religion have a role in bioethics?
The notion that religious convictions have no place in medicine or bioethics is widespread and growing. The notion that religious convictions have no place in...
Should we rethink our rescue intuitions?
How do our rescue intuitions apply to clinical practice, questions an ethicist in this month's edition of AJOB. The rescue instinct is a principle deeply...
How will conscientious objectors fare in Canada?
It's shaping up as a major issue among doctors in Canada after last week’s Supreme Court ruling which legalised it. Conscientious objection to “physician-assisted dying”...
US public and scientists see world through different glasses
A Pew report finds significant differences in views on 13 science-related issues Despite similar views about the overall place of science in America, the general...
Mario Cuomo, bioethicist
A tough politician, he also influenced debates on abortion, the death penalty and euthanasia. Three-term New York governor Mario Cuomo was a skilled politician who...
The Optimist: I have lived in a golden age, says US bioethicist
Arthur Caplan’s brisk summary of the history of bioethics in the latest issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics is decidedly upbeat. Arthur Caplan’s canter...
The Pessimist: Editor of leading bioethics journal mourns “failure” of bioethics
Julian Savulescu's sombre lament for the field he loves. “Both bioethics and medical ethics together have, in many ways, failed as fields,” laments the editor...
Raise your hand if you are a courageous, individualistic thinker
The ratio of liberals to conservatives in social psychology is absurdly lopsided, says a leading academic. A couple of years ago, one of the stories...
Where are the true utilitarians who have not bent the knee to Baal?
Nothing has done more to tarnish the prestige of utilitarianism in recent years than academic interest in trolley-ology. Nothing has done more to tarnish the...