Two papers of mine have recently been published.
With co-author Kacper Kowalczyk in The Monist, I respond to a recent argument from Richard Pettigrew that risk-averse altruists should increase the chances of human extinction in the near future. We argue that his risk principle (which is based on Lara Buchak’s) is undermotivated, especially when applied to future people. Moreover, even if the principle is justified, it probably does not imply that we should try to bring about human extinction sooner rather than later. Read the article here, and Pettigrew’s here.
Following a very stimulating ‘author meets critics’ session at last year’s PPE Society Annual Meeting, I have written a review of Jesse Spafford’s recent book, ‘Social Anarchism and the Rejection of Moral Tyranny’, for Mind. Spafford seeks to make a case for left-wing anarchism based on a deontological moral theory. I really enjoyed his book, but I think it ultimately fails; in particular, I worry that it has serious limitations as a guide to practical political action. Read my review here (let me know if you have paywall issues), Spafford’s book here (open access), and a shorter version of Spafford’s main idea here.
Nikhil Venkatesh 