President Obama made an address on September 10th to the nation of Syria. The first point of criticism is that the speech is over-dramatic and theatrical – it just seems so obviously rehearsed. Obama takes on the role of actor, more than President here; making emotional arguments instead of rational ones. The second point of…
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The whole concept of virtual reality – especially full immersion in a virtual, artificial world – has been a favourite topic of many science fiction writers. The idea has also featured in many speculative and philosophical questions, such as: What is reality? How do we distinguish reality from illusion? And so on. Loosely defined, virtual…
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November this year, Uruguay is about to make a big step in the movement to end the prohibition of drugs. It is set to become the first country to fully legalise, not just decriminalise, cannabis. All drugs have been decriminalised in Uruguay for the past 30 years. At the end of July Uruguay’s House of…
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For some, the question of whether we have moral obligations to the dead seems easy. How can we have duties towards people who do not exist? However, the debate is a bit more nuanced and complex than that. For example, some ethicists argue that we have moral obligations towards future generations, even though, like the…
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Contrary to the paranoia expressed by anti-immigration groups such as Migrant Watch UK, there are good reasons to support immigration in the UK. One reason is based on libertarian principles. The other reason is based on utilitarian considerations – the economic benefits that immigrants can stimulate. One of our basic freedoms is freedom of movement.…
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