Thinking About the Ethics of Procreation in Terms of Risk

To the philosopher Rivka Weinberg, we need to think about the moral permissibility of procreation in terms of risk. In her book The Risk of a Lifetime: How, When, and Why Procreation May Be Permissible (2015), she presents a conservative position on the ethics of procreation, deviating from both the strong antinatalist position which says…

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The Anatomy of Cringe

What is the reason for the modern fascination with cringe? The past decade has seen the proliferation of cringe compilation videos (which can generate millions of views), as well as the growth of specific forums where such content is shared, like the various cringe-related subreddits: r/Cringetopia (1.7 million members, at the time of writing), r/cringepics…

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The Collaboration Between Farmers and Vegans

Animal agriculture is the second biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions (causing more emissions than all transport combined). Raising livestock is also a leading cause of deforestation, habitat loss, species extinction, water pollution, water consumption, and ocean dead zones. Many people, therefore, choose to give up animal products for environmental reasons, although ethical and health…

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Reconciling Ethics and Aesthetics in Architecture

Christine Murray, editor-in-chief of The Developer, a publication about making cities worth living in, wrote a piece for Dezeen on why architects must “choose ethics over aesthetics”. It is a provocative article, and one of the most thought-provoking points that Murray makes – which I was completely unaware of – is that “construction itself is…

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Mescaline, Veganism, and Schopenhauer’s Philosophy

A psychedelic experience can often be a chance to put our fundamental beliefs and opinions under the spotlight, whether intentionally or not. I’ve had a few experiences like this, particularly through solo experimentation with mescaline HCl, with the most profound experiences featuring major shifts in how I view myself and existence itself. In moments of…

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