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Representative Robots: Can AI Systems Act in Our Name?

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · 7d

In “Representative Robots: Can AI Systems Act in Our Name?,” Isaac Taylor argues that in principle it is possible for AI systems to act in our name, as our representatives.

Using AI systems to make decisions in the place of humans promises greater efficiency, but some authors raise a number of ethical worries about this. The undermining of responsibility, the removal of ...

Why Riot? An Expressive Theory of the Justification of Rioting

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · 7d

In “Why Riot? An Expressive Theory of the Justification of Rioting,” Edmund Tweedy Flanigan argues that riots as a form of protest are subject to expressive norms that may license its characteristic harms.

#poliphil #PolTheory #moralphil

Political rioting is a durable feature of societies across time, space, and political structure. It is also highly morally contentious. Among those who take rioting to be justifiable, the dominant app...

What Indirect Affirmative Action Can Do

𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Aug 13

In “What Indirect Affirmative Action Can Do,” @drbengtson.bsky.social argues that “indirect affirmative action” is often justified by considerations of equal opportunity and integration as well as strategic considerations.

#poliphil #moralphil #PolTheory

Affirmative action is under pressure in the United States. At the moment, affirmative action is both legally prohibited and politically ill advised. For an egalitarian, this is not good news. What to ...

Preference and Prevention: A New Paradox of Deontology

𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Jun 10

In “Preference and Prevention: A New Paradox of Deontology,” Richard Yetter Chappell argues that even those who accept, for themselves, deontic constraints against serious wrongdoing cannot, if they care enough about others, always want others do to so.

#moralphil

It’s commonly thought that we can reasonably oppose serious wrongdoing. For example, deontologist bystanders may prefer that an agent allows the killing of five rather than wrongly killing one as a me...

The Representation-Enabling Approach to Campaign Finance Reform

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Jun 6

Ryan Pevnick, “The Representation-Enabling Approach to Campaign Finance Reform,” argues that campaign finance rules in rep democ should be guided by anti-corruption & equal opp for influence, but also effective accountability, electoral selection, & voter competence.

#poliphil #PolTheory #polisky

There is broad disagreement about campaign finance reform, in part, because there is disagreement about the goals that should guide it. The most common approaches focus on the importance of preventing...

What is the Point of Solidarity?

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · May 30

In “What is the Point of Solidarity?,” Juri Viehoff argues that solidarity is the practice that uniquely brings our moral and personal reasons into greater harmony.
#poliphil #moralphil #PolTheory

In response to activist movements like Black Lives Matter and global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, philosophers have shown a renewed interest in the value and practice of solidarity. However, ...

Manipulation and Practical Agency

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · May 22

In “Manipulation and Practical Agency,” Massimo Renzo defends a novel formulation of the view that manipulation is wrong b/c it impairs practical reasoning, against accounts like Gibert’s which dispense with a distinctive non-moral feature upon which its wrongness supervenes.

#moralphil #philsky

Philosophers typically argue that manipulation is wrong because it impairs our practical reasoning. Recently, Sophie Gibert has challenged this view, proposing instead a reductive account of the wrong...

Reparations, Recognition, and the Restoration of Relational Equality

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Mar 14

New article by Alexander Motchoulski, “Reparations, Recognition, and the Restoration of Relational Equality,” defending a relational-egalitarian theory of reparations for historical injustice.

#philsky #polisky #moralphil #PolTheory

I argue for the relational egalitarian theory of reparations for historical injustice, which holds that 1) reparations are owed to persons who are public social inferiors in part because they are memb...

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Feb 26

F&E would also like to extend it thanks to Sophia Moreau for her eight years of service as an Associate Editor. While we will miss her in this capacity, we are very pleased that she will continue on our masthead as a member of the Editorial Board.

Thank you Sophia!

Academic website with links to working papers and curriculum vitae.

𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Feb 25

Second, Johanna Thoma, Chair of Ethics at the Universität Bayreuth, will join us in September.

Johanna is a recipient of numerous awards testifying to the excellence of her work at the intersection of philosophy, economics, & public policy.

Welcome Johanna!

#philsky #moralphil

Johanna Thoma

Visit the post for more.

johannathoma.com

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Feb 24

F&E is extremely pleased to announce the addition of two new Associate Editors to our team.

First, Sean Ingham from UC-San Diego, a superb political theorist working at the intersection of democratic theory and formal political theory.

Welcome Sean!

#philsky #PolTheory #polisky #poliphil

Sean Ingham

www.seaningham.org

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Feb 14

freeandequaljournal.org/news/784/

<em>Free & Equal </em>Announces Early Career Essay Prize

Free & Equal: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs is pleased to announce a $2000 prize for the best essay published by an early career scholar in legal, moral, …

Free & Equal Launches Essay Prize - Daily Nous

𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Feb 11

We define early-career scholars as those no more than 10 years from receiving a postgraduate degree. The awardee will be determined by a committee of Associate Editors for the journal. The award’s recipient will be announced in early 2027.

The editors of Free & Equal: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs, the open-access journal created last year by the former editorial team of Philosophy & Public Affairs, is announcing an essay prize...

dailynous.com

Supposed Corpses and Correspondence

𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Feb 11

Announcing a $2000 prize for the best essay published by an early-career scholar in legal, moral, or political philosophy published in F&E in 2025-26. No need to nominate your article: any eligible article will be considered a candidate.

#PolTheory #philsky #moralphil #legalphilosophy #polisky

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Feb 5

In a new article, “Supposed Corpses and Correspondence,” Elise Sugarman explores the relation between the mens rea and actus reus requirements for liability, using “corpse” cases to challenge the existing contemporaneity and causal theories.

#philsky #polphil #legalphilosophy

The correspondence requirement is a fundamental doctrinal principle in Anglo-American criminal law. It maintains that, in general, a particular relation between mens rea and actus reus is necessary f...

The Power of Care: Reply to Sliwa

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Jan 29

F&E practises “triple anonymous” peer review. What does this mean? Some mistakenly think it refers to 3 referee reports. Rather, it means:

1. our refs don’t know authors’ identities;
2. vice versa;
3. our editors, including editor-in-chief & managing editor, don’t know authors’ identities

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Reposted by 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs

Open Library of Humanities @openlibhums.org · Jan 9

Very pleased to announce the publication of the first two articles of @freeandequal.bsky.social / Free & Equal: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs! Check them out: freeandequaljournal.org/articles/

Image of a text: a screenshot of a list of journal published articles at Free & Equal: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Jan 8

F&E has received 151 submissions in 2024—from Sept 13, the day we launched, to Dec 31. That’s roughly 42 submissions per month. We are very grateful indeed to the academic community for this tremendous support in the transition to the new model.

#philsky #poltheory #moralphil #polisky

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Jan 7

Our second article has also gone live: David Morgan’s “The Power of Care,” on the nature of excuses, is a reply to @pasliwa.bsky.social’s 2019 “The Power of Excuses” (published in PPA before we resigned en masse from Wiley).

#philsky #moralphil #polphil

Nina Simone sang: "I’m just a soul whose intentions are good." Paulina Sliwa (2019) defends a subtle, worked out picture on which Simone’s excuse turns out to be the basic form of an excuse. But good ...

Tipping Points: Abuse and Transformative Discovery

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𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 & 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭: A Journal of Ethics and Public Affairs @freeandequal.bsky.social · Jan 6

Very pleased to announce the publication of the first article in our journal’s new incarnation!

Mark Schroeder’s “Tipping Points: Abuse and Transformative Discovery” explores the nature of attributive responsibility.

#philsky #PolTheory

This paper explores how philosophical accounts of the nature of persons and attributive responsibility can help us to make sense of the kinds of characteristic errors that people make in interpreting ...