Tag Archives: morals

More Handouts for the 1% (i.e. Salman Rushdie and Michael Moore)

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Jonathan

Salman Rushdie, joined by Michael Moore and 45,000 others, have signed an online petition to ask Jamshed Bharacha, the president of the Cooper Union (a private school in New York City), to reverse his decision to raise the monthly rent … Continue reading →

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Moral Absolutes

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Jonathan

I just read an essay by a guy named Jeremy Waldron who discusses “moral absolutes,” and attempts to defend his own “absolute” position against torture, i.e. the view that torture is always morally wrong, no matter the circumstances. He identifies … Continue reading →

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Illegality of Blackmail (a test)

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Jonathan

I’ve finished Leo Katz’s book. The basic question of the book is “Why is blackmail illegal?” It seems odd that it is illegal — so odd that lawyers have coined the term “The Paradox of Blackmail.” Consider the standard case: … Continue reading →

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Is what a politician does with his animals his own business?

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Jonathan

Some people (for convenience, I’ll use the word “liberals” to refer to those people) argued in the wake of the Weiner scandal that politicians’ personal lives should not be our concern. They can’t really believe that, though. Suppose a politician … Continue reading →

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“Statistical Evidence Paradox”: bogus

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Jonathan

Here is a criminal law version of [a] problem. Defendants are both hunters. They recklessly fire bullets in a direction where they heard a rustle even though they have good grounds for fearing that the rustle might have been caused … Continue reading →

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Chris Christie: a Sinner

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Jonathan

According to Chris Christie’s wife, “her husband’s family responsibilities preclude a run for the presidency.” According to many Republicans, Christie represents our country’s best hope for getting off of the path to ruin that Obama has charted for us. And … Continue reading →

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“Forgiveness”: A non-sequitur?

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Jonathan

I’m reading the book Ill-gotten Gains: Evasion, Blackmail, Fraud, and Kindred Puzzles of the Law by Leo Katz, and so far the book has been an interesting exploration of the question of whether and why it may be ok for 2 … Continue reading →

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Mickey Kaus

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Jonathan

asks a funny question: If a Tweet Falls in the Forest …: Hmm. You know those attractive women who want to friend you on Facebook? They may be fictitious “bimbots.” Which raises the question: What if Anthony Weiner had sent photos of his … Continue reading →

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One more round on Kervorkian

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Jonathan

Ross Douthat, responding to a blogger (called “Drum”) who raised basically the same objections as I did to his Kervorkian critique, writes: For Drum, though, a question: Assuming that the would-be suicide is of sound-enough mind and uncoerced, are there … Continue reading →

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Ross Douthat on Kervorkian

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Jonathan

Could it ever be more wrong to assist someone commit an act than to commit the act itself? It seems generally like it isn’t: the accomplice to the bank robbery is obviously less culpable than the robber. But Ross Douthat … Continue reading →

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