#319 Jeff McMahan: The Ethics of Killing; Abortion, Euthanasia, Suicide
RECORDED ON JANUARY 25th, 2020.
Dr. Jeff McMahan is White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford. He specializes in Practical Ethics, Political Philosophy, and Ethics. He’s the author of books like The Morality of Nationalism, The Ethics of Killing: Problems at the Margins of Life, and Killing in War.
In this episode, we talk about the ethics of killing. We first clarify what is death and what constitutes an act of killing. We discuss the connection between psychological capacities and moral status, and the notions of personal identity, egoistic concern, and the interest in one’s future. We address abortion and infanticide. We then get into a discussion surrounding how we decide that a life is worth living. We also include topics like personality variability, and end-of-life cases life euthanasia and suicide. We talk about what is a “good life” for people and other animals. Finally, we explore what is ethically different between killing and letting die.
Time Links:
What is death?
What constitutes an act of killing?
How to evaluate different types of killing
Psychological capacities and moral status
Personal identity and egoistic concern
Interest in one’s future and continued existence
Abortion and infanticide
How to decide if a life is worth living
Different outlooks on life – optimism vs. pessimism
Personality, preferences, euthanasia, and suicide
There is not one single “good life”
A good life for nonhuman animals
What is ethically different between killing and letting die?
Follow Dr. McMahan’s work!
Follow Dr. McMahan’s work:
Faculty Page: http://bit.ly/367MzFG
PhilPeople page: http://bit.ly/2GjzJbE
Personal website: http://bit.ly/36atClp
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/2MNC1Ud
The Ethics of Killing: Problems at the Margins of Life: https://amzn.to/38BPs1K
Killing in War: https://amzn.to/36re5gj