The Worst Form of Government? (Forum for Philosophy)
Winston Churchill famously described democracy as ‘the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried’. While not exactly a resounding endorsement, something like this sentiment is strongly held by most people in Western societies. Those who challenge it are branded ‘extremists’ or ‘ideologues’, with special suspicion […]
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Evolution and Moral Progress (Forum for Philosophy)
It now seems hard to deny that at least some of our moral beliefs have been shaped by natural selection. What does this mean for the objectivity of ethics and the possibility of moral progress? Does evolution mean that morality is an illusion? Are we locked into ‘tribal’ ways of thinking, or […]
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How (Not) to Make Everyone Better Off (Forum for Philosophy)
Policymakers often aim for so-called ‘Pareto improvements’—changes that make at least one person better off and no one worse off. This may sound innocuous, but is it always a sensible idea? Philosopher Anna Mahtani argues that there is more to the notion of a Pareto improvement than meets the […]
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London under Attack: The Moral Complexities of WWII Bombings (Forum for Philosophy)
In June 1944, London was targeted by German terror bombing. The British War Cabinet faced an ethical dilemma: Should they attempt to use double agents to redirect the raids away from Central London and towards less populated areas? Or should they let events take their course? Ethicist […]
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Jeff McMahan (Oxford): “Liability, Proportionality and the Number of Aggressors”
Auguste Comte Memorial Lecture 2015
Jeff McMahan is White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford and the author of The Ethics of Killing: problems at the margins of life and Killing in War.
Panel Discussion on Happiness and Wellbeing
On 12 February 2015 the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, together with the LSE Choice Group, hosted a panel discussion on the topic of happiness and wellbeing. Dr Saamdu Chetri, Executive Director of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Centre joined economist Paul Anand and philosopher Alex Voorhoeve to explore the policy significance of […]
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