Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

In reply to Michael Brazier. Agreed. Anti-Jewish as well. The basic premise behind laicite seems to be that in any case where religious people gather and express themselves in specifically religious fashion for religious ends “in public,” t…

“A fetus in the womb isn’t a potential human being. It is actually a human being, clearly distinct from both its parents (and all other instances of the species.)” That a fetus in the womb has a unique DNA distinct from its mother is not in…

In reply to Michael Brazier. “A fetus in the womb isn’t a potential human being. It is actually a human being, clearly distinct from both its parents (and all other instances of the species.)” That a fetus in the womb has a unique DNA disti…

Andrew Jason Cohen has responded to my first comment on his post at PSL, and I’ve just responded to his response. More comments on abortion and other topics forthcoming across the long weekend. LikeLike

Fair enough, then, we end up agreeing on the first point. On the second point: I haven’t read Kukathas’s book or the paper of your own that you cite. So that’s on my to-do list. What I say below is based on the summary of Kukathas’s book, the abstract of your paper, and what you…

In reply to radgeekdotcom. Yes, an ectopic pregnancy does involve an actual human being distinct from its mother. The problem is that, having grown in the wrong place, the fetus will kill its mother well before it’s able to survive outside her, s…

In reply to radgeekdotcom. The risks of driving a car are quite low (about 1 in 10,000 chance of death, according to a quick Internet search) and can be mitigated by prudent behavior (careful driving and regular car maintenance.) So one can’t say…

In reply to Michael Brazier. Michael Brazier: [RISK] Therefore every woman who engages in sexual relations has, in that very act, already accepted the risk that her projects and ambitions will be seriously disrupted by pregnancy. Sure, in the typical c…

Michael Brazier: [INDIVIDUATION] A fetus in the womb isn’t a potential human being. It is actually a human being, clearly distinct from both its parents (and all other instances of the species.) Well, maybe. (Certainly, I have no basic objection to ca…