Monthly Archives: July 2012

In the 1840s, Ignaz Semmelweis discovered that surgeons who had performed autopsies ought to wash their hands in an antiseptic solution before examining patients. He brought about a substantial reduction in deaths from septicaemia among women at the maternity hospital … Continue reading →

W. K. Clifford concluded in 1877 that “it is wrong, always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.”  Of course, we should add “or an acceptable substitute” but that does not change the spirit of the maxim. … Continue reading →

Libertarianism cannot justify the ownership of sources of resources.  The most that libertarianism can justify is property rights in the products of your labour.  When it comes to fields, say, if you stop using it to produce grain, you have … Continue reading →

I think we may need some new terminology.  We need to distinguish between what I shall call “evidential relativism” and “ideological absolutism.” An evidential relativist believes in accordance with the available evidence and changes his views as the evidence changes. … Continue reading →

The libertarian justification for the acquisition of property is that someone becomes the original owner of something when he mixes his labour with it.  Subsequently, he can transfer what he owns by sale, inter vivos gift, or testamentary gift. The … Continue reading →

In the Euthyphro, Socrates effectively asked:  “Is something good because God commands it?  Or does God command it because it is good?”  If the answer to the latter question is affirmative, then there are moral standards that are independent of … Continue reading →

I have restarted my blog. I realized after I had deleted the old blog that there were things I did want to say.  However, the important things were getting lost. I will add summaries of issues I covered in my … Continue reading →