The Experts below are selected from a list of 1023 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
R M Doerflinger - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The problem of deception in embryonic stem cell research.
Cell proliferation, 2008Co-Authors: R M DoerflingerAbstract:The field of embryonic stem cell research has been plagued by exaggeration and misrepresentation, as three major journals have had to retract significant claims about progress in this field. This problem is exacerbated by the politicized climate in which the research is conducted and defended; it may also lie deeper, in a Utilitarian Ethic that in principle could justify unEthical actions for admittedly worthwhile long-term goals. Such an Ethic risks undermining the credibility of science, which must show a commitment to the facts that is independent of social and political goals.
John E. Roemer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Once More on Intergenerational Discounting in Climate-Change Analysis: Reply to Partha Dasgupta
Environmental and Resource Economics, 2013Co-Authors: John E. RoemerAbstract:Discounting the utilities of future generations in many problems, such as climate-change analysis, has several justifications, only one of which can be supported by Ethics which postulate that every individual, no matter when born, has an equal right to well-being. That justification is that future generations may not exist. In an earlier article published here, I explained this view, and criticized economists who deviate from it: the practical aspect of this deviation is to choose discount rates which are far too high, thus relegating future generations to lower utility than they a priori have a right to. As well, many economists continue to rely upon a Utilitarian Ethic, a reliance which is independent of the discounting issue, but which I also criticize. Dasgupta responded to my article; the present article is a response to Dasgupta. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
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Once More on Intergenerational Discounting in Climate-Change Analysis: Reply to Partha Dasgupta
2013Co-Authors: Cowles Foundation, John E. RoemerAbstract:Abstract Discounting the utilities of future generations in many problems, such as climate-change analysis, has several justifications, only one of which can be supported by Ethics which postulate that every individual, no matter when born, has an equal right to well-being. That justification is that future generations may not exist. In an earlier article published here, I explained this view, and criticized economists who deviate from it: the practical aspect of this deviation is to choose discount rates which are far too high, thus relegating future generations to lower utility than they a priori have a right to. As well, many economists continue to rely upon a Utilitarian Ethic, a reliance which is independent of the discounting issue, but which I also criticize. Dasgupta responded to my article; the present article is a response to Dasgupta
Devellennes Charles - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Jean Meslier: the exemplar of radical Enlightenment political thought
Ashgate, 2016Co-Authors: Devellennes CharlesAbstract:The radical Enlightenment is the left wing of political thought emerging from the second half of the seventeenth century. Who better to symbolise this movement than Jean Meslier, an atheist priest born in 1664 in the Champagne region, and often interpreted as one of the earliest advocates for communism? Of course, there are important nuances to draw within Jonathan Israel’s ‘Radical Enlightenment’ thesis and the thought of this particular curé, and questions to be raised about the ‘communist hypothesis’ raised by Meslier’s commentators. In the first instance, this chapter will discuss Israel’s thesis of the ‘radical Enlightenment’, in particular what it says about the political dimension of the radicals of the period. We will see that the radicals represent the left wing of political thought in their time, and that Meslier clearly fits this description. Because he remains little known, we will introduce Meslier and his work briefly, and the importance of Bayle’s influence on the curé, as well as Voltaire’s distortion of his work in his editions of Meslier’s works. Then we will discuss Meslier’s political thought per se, showing the importance of atheism as a critical tool in his philosophy, and the development of his Utilitarian Ethic. Finally, we will see that Meslier’s supposed ‘communism’ has more to do with French intellectual debates of the 1960s, and that his radical politics is best understood in terms of radical republicanism, for which Israel’s framework proves most helpful
Charles Devellennes - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Jean Meslier: the exemplar of radical Enlightenment political thought
2016Co-Authors: Charles DevellennesAbstract:The radical Enlightenment is the left wing of political thought emerging from the second half of the seventeenth century. Who better to symbolise this movement than Jean Meslier, an atheist priest born in 1664 in the Champagne region, and often interpreted as one of the earliest advocates for communism? Of course, there are important nuances to draw within Jonathan Israel’s ‘Radical Enlightenment’ thesis and the thought of this particular cure, and questions to be raised about the ‘communist hypothesis’ raised by Meslier’s commentators. In the first instance, this chapter will discuss Israel’s thesis of the ‘radical Enlightenment’, in particular what it says about the political dimension of the radicals of the period. We will see that the radicals represent the left wing of political thought in their time, and that Meslier clearly fits this description. Because he remains little known, we will introduce Meslier and his work briefly, and the importance of Bayle’s influence on the cure, as well as Voltaire’s distortion of his work in his editions of Meslier’s works. Then we will discuss Meslier’s political thought per se, showing the importance of atheism as a critical tool in his philosophy, and the development of his Utilitarian Ethic. Finally, we will see that Meslier’s supposed ‘communism’ has more to do with French intellectual debates of the 1960s, and that his radical politics is best understood in terms of radical republicanism, for which Israel’s framework proves most helpful.
Sarah A. Bekessy - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The Ethics of offsetting nature
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2015Co-Authors: Christopher D. Ives, Sarah A. BekessyAbstract:Biodiversity offsetting is transforming conservation practice around the world. Development activities that degrade or destroy biodiversity at one location are now increasingly acceptable because of compensatory environmental gains generated elsewhere. This change represents a major shift in how nature is protected, and yet its philosophical justification has received little attention. We argue that biodiversity offsetting aligns most easily with a Utilitarian Ethic, where outcomes rather than actions are the focus. However, offsetting schemes often neglect to account for the multiple values that people assign to biodiversity – including unique, place-based values. Furthermore, the implications of defining nature as a tradeable commodity may affect our sense of obligation to protect biodiversity. Ironically, offsetting may exacerbate environmental harm because it erodes Ethical barriers based on moral objections to the destruction of biodiversity. By failing to consider the Ethical implications of biodive...
