Philosophers Take on the World

This stimulating volume is a selection from The Practical Ethics Blog (www.blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk) consisting of over 60 contributions on a wide variety of issues such as crime and punishment, terrorism, guns and war, health and medicine, sex agenda, sport, language, moral emotions, animals and the future. They are reflections on news items, and are therefore intrinsically related to events rather than being constructed moral dilemmas using scenarios to test moral and ethical development. The authors probe issues of logic and consistency, stimulating readers to think more deeply about the matters in hand. One example is neuroscience and responsibility, with two entries about whether the brain is to blame for decisions. This is a slippery slope, already present in the law courts. Peter Singer discusses countering Islamic extremism with an appeal to reason recognising that some people may not be swayed by such arguments. Another essay takes as its point of departure a recent Australian study on homeopathy showing that all its putative effects can be explained as nothing more than placebo - a conclusion still hotly debated - but leading to the inference that the cheapest remedy should be used as cost is the most important factor if none of them works.