Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Will the Church finally rethink contraception?
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 09/03/2023
» Could the Roman Catholic Church be ready to reconsider its prohibition of the use of contraception? The fact that prominent Catholic conservatives have felt the need to speak out against such a possibility gives some grounds for thinking that, within the Church itself, and under the protection of Pope Francis, a movement for change is underway.
Quitting what you're doing while still on top
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 16/02/2023
» Last month, Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's 42-year-old prime minister, resigned from office, despite the support of a solid parliamentary majority and no challenge to her leadership from within her party. New Zealanders have to go back only six years to find a precedent. In 2016, John Key surprised everyone when, at the age of 55, he made way for his deputy to take over.
FTX saga shows not all ends justify means
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 30/11/2022
» In the wake of the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, and amid reports that FTX's founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, diverted billions of dollars of clients' funds, some observers have linked the alleged financial malpractice to ideas widely held within the "effective altruism" movement, which Mr Bankman-Fried says inspired him. More specifically, they point to the ethical view that the end justifies the means.
Who are the beneficiaries of 'free speech'?
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 10/11/2022
» How is it that a man who has banned 83 million people from Twitter can freely use the platform to post his messages denigrating women and supporting the brutal attack on the writer Salman Rushdie? I'm referring to the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose government is killing young women who want to be able to show their hair in public.
Research ethics on non-human subjects 'lacking'
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 12/10/2022
» In August, Springer Nature, the publisher of 3,000 academic journals, including the "Nature" portfolio of the world's most influential science journals, announced new ethics guidance for its editors, addressing the balance between academic freedom and the risk that publication of some research will harm specific groups of humans. The guidance also mentions, though much more briefly, research using animals.
Do we share a childish sense of morality?
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 10/09/2022
» Consider the following statements describing our moral judgements:
When vaccination is a 'crime'
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 10/03/2021
» On Dec 29 last year, Hasan Gokal, the medical director of the Covid-19 response team in Harris County, Texas (which includes Houston, the fourth-largest city in the United States by population), was supervising the administration of the Moderna vaccine, mostly to emergency workers. The vaccine comes in vials containing 11 doses. A vial, once opened, expires in six hours and unused vaccine must then be thrown away.
Pioneer's fallacies still relevant now
News, Peter Singer, Published on 14/08/2015
» In 1809, Jeremy Bentham, the founder of utilitarianism, set to work on The Book of Fallacies. His goal was to expose the fallacious arguments used to block reforms like the abolition of "rotten boroughs" -- electorates with so few electors that a powerful lord or landowner could effectively select the member of parliament, while newer cities like Manchester remained unrepresented.
Stopping needless animal abuse
News, Peter Singer, Published on 23/07/2015
» In May, Pope Francis released his historic encyclical, Laudato Si, or "Praise Be". He chose his papal name, he explains in the text, because he considers St Francis of Assisi to be "the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically". His namesake showed that concern for nature is inseparable from justice for the poor, social commitment and peace within oneself.