Books
- Posted by Andrew Bailey on Monday, September 27, 2004 at 8:05 PM
| 
0 Comments |
- Wittgenstein the Man
- Reading Roundup 2006
- Knowledge and Lotteries
- Objects and Persons
- Reading Roundup 2005
- The Metaphysics of Free Will: An Enthusiastic Review
- Fashionable Nihilism
- Fashionable Nihilism Returns
- A Treasure Trove
History
- Posted by Andrew Bailey on at 8:02 PM
| 0 Comments |
- Hume on Liberty and Necessity
- Augustine on Illumination
- The Transcendental Deduction
- Substance Monism
- The Function Argument
- The Formal Distinction
- Plato and Aristotle on Change
- Two Philosophers
- Russell on History
- Contemporary Modest Foundationalism
- A Defense of Common Sense
- The Problem of the Criterion
- Aurelius: A Grand Quotation
- Augustine on Evil
- Thomas and His Ways
- Aquinas' Lesser Way: A Revised Critique
Misc. Philosophy
- Posted by Andrew Bailey on at 8:02 PM
| 0 Comments |
- Writing
- Pretty Cool
- The Application Process: More Thoughts
- Analytic Philosophy and Nonsense
- Graduate School Applications
- Analytic Philosophy Generator
- Why Philosophical Blogging?
- Nonsense in the Academy
- "That Guy" in Philosophy Class
- The Rising Dualist Tide?
- Analysis (The Journal)
- Philosophy Publication (Part I)
- Philosophy Publication (Part II)
- The State of Ancient Philosophy
- Philosophical Pedagogy (Part I)
- Philosophical Pedagogy (Part II)
- Abortion: Two Arguments
- Publishing Philosophy
Political Philosophy
- Posted by Andrew Bailey on at 8:01 PM
| 0 Comments |
- On Reynolds and the Religious Right
- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Illegal Immigration
- A Sort of Neutrality
- Theories of State (Part I)
- A Broken Window
Metaphysics and Epistemology
- Posted by Andrew Bailey on at 7:57 PM
| 0 Comments |
- What is it Like to be a Dualist?
- Where I Stand
- Contradictory Beliefs
- What is it Like to be a Dualist?
- Warrant and Uniqueness
- The Maxim and Determinism
- Is Justification Closed Under Simplification?
- Warrant: A Unique Epistemic Good
- Warrant and Uniqueness
- BonJour vs. Externalism
- Spaced Out Souls
- Global Supervenience: A Fly in the Ointment?
- Physical Properties and Closure
- The Supervenience of the Physical on the Mental
- A Causal Argument for Physicalism
- Theological Determinism, Part I
- Theological Determinism, Part II
- Jackson on Possible Worlds
- Why Compatibilism?
- The Logic of Moral Responsibility (Part I)
- The Logic of Moral Responsibility (Part II)
- The Logic of Moral Responsibility (Part III)
- In Defense of Frankfurt
- Physicalism
- Near-Total Dominance of M&E?
- Why Free Will?
- Some Unsound Arguments for Incompatibilism
- Bibliography: The Principle of Alternate Possibilities
- Bibliography: Epistemology and Metaphysics of Modality
- Anselm and the 'Greater Than' Relation
- Closure Principles
- Can Rejecting PAP Get the Compatibilist Anywhere? (Part I)
- Can Rejecting PAP Get the Compatibilist Anywhere? (Part II)
- Foreknowledge and Alternate Possibilities
- A Possible Worlds Puzzle
- Beta
- Kripke's Argument for Property Dualism
- Potential Personhood and Abortion
- Possible Worlds and Modal Logic (Part I)
- Possible Worlds and Modal Logic (Part II)
Abortion: Two Arguments
- Posted by Andrew Bailey on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 at 1:22 AM
| 0 Comments |
Two considerations suggest to the Christian that abortion is in fact morally permissible. First, church history seems to stand firmly against the view that all fetuses are persons. Two notable examples are Aquinas and Augustine. In his Enchiridion, Augustine notes: “But who is not rather disposed to think that unformed fetuses perish like seeds which have not fructified?” Aquinas stands with the majority on this issue as well, holding fetuses in the first trimester to be merely vegetative souls, and hence, not fully human (failing to possess the rational component essential to humanity). Thomas did condemn abortion as a cover for sexual sin, of course, but not as murder per se. With over 91% of current abortions taking place in the first trimester, Thomistic dogma suggests a broad permissibility. Furthermore, it was not until 1588 that the Roman Catholic Church first declared abortion murder. If church history is any evidence in such questions, then, the proponent’s absolutist position seems doubtful. Condemning all abortions simply doesn’t take into account relevant data.
Second, Some biblical data hints that abortion is morally permissible. Consider the following argument:
(1) God would never prescribe any impermissible moral act.
(2) God has prescribed abortion.
(C) Abortion is not an impermissible moral act.
In defense of (2), I offer the following analysis: God, in some instances, commands abortion. In Numbers 5 an unfaithful wife is brought before the priest and is made to drink prepared water. If she had not "defiled herself" she could still conceive children; however, if she had "defiled herself," then the water would, "become bitter, and her belly [would] swell, her thigh [would] rot," an ancient near-east euphemism for miscarriage.
Clearly, the miscarriage is artificially induced and thus is an abortion commanded by God to maintain the holiness of His people. What this entails, then, is that any categorical statement of moral impermissibility regarding abortion is false.
