Here is a video of New Jersey governor Chris Christie slaying a spider:
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) does not approve. Do they have a leg to stand on?
Author: Benjamin Studebaker
Do We Have Obligations to Future People?
Today I would like to attempt to answer one of the most difficult questions in political theory, the question of the extent to which the interests of future people ought to be considered. Why is it so difficult? Because there are many seemingly horrific answers that are unusually easy to get to. That said, I think I have found a workaround.
My Tesco Trolley Adventure
Today was a beautiful spring day, so I went out for a walk around Warwick. The university has some great scenic paths, and I like going for walks in nice weather. I was in such a splendid mood, I found myself humming Frank Sinatra. I’m not an ear buds guy, I like to listen to the world around me and hum my tunes. As I was wandering about, enjoying myself, I stumbled upon a Tesco trolley. “Trolley” is the British word for “cart”. Tesco is a British supermarket chain. I’ve been at Warwick for three years, and in that time I have seen many Tesco trolleys in places they do not belong. People go to Tesco, they buy things, they take the trolleys back to the residence halls to carry the things home with them. But then, they do a curious thing. Instead of taking the time to bring the trolleys back to Tesco, they dump them in the wilderness. In the three years I’ve been at Warwick, I have many times noticed this, but I have never once done anything about it. Today was different.
Leftism and Determinism Part II
Yesterday I made the argument that core of the modern left’s political philosophy, that all people are worthy of equal concern, is reliant on determinism. I pointed out that this means that determinism is not merely an innocuous plaything for armchair philosophers, but a substantive moral position in its own right. This obliges us to take it out of its philosophical box and bring our worldview into consistency with it. I then posed two questions, which I intend to attempt to answer today:
- What other elements of our philosophy do we have to bring into consistency with determinism?
- Does determinism necessarily leave us with a bleak or depressing account of life?
Leftism and Determinism Part I
A thought occurred to me today–it is impossible to be a leftist without also being a determinist. Here’s why.
Benjamin Studebaker 