http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress The New Zealand blog and podcast of Dr Glenn Peoples that discusses philosophy, theology, politics and social issues Fri, 18 May 2012 01:42:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Copyright © Say Hello to my Little Friend 2011 glenn@orcon.net.nz (Dr Glenn Peoples) glenn@orcon.net.nz (Dr Glenn Peoples) 1440 http://www.beretta-online.com/pics/feedpic.jpg http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress 144 144 The New Zealand blog and podcast of Dr Glenn Peoples that discusses philosophy, theology, politics and social issues. The New Zealand blog and podcast of Dr Glenn Peoples that discusses philosophy, philosophy, theology, politics and social issues philosophy, theology, religion, Christianity, philosophy, of, religion Dr Glenn Peoples Dr Glenn Peoples glenn@orcon.net.nz no no http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/do-babies-know-right-from-wrong/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/do-babies-know-right-from-wrong/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:25:24 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=3208 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/do-babies-know-right-from-wrong/feed/ 5 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/lawrence-krauss-on-god-and-morality/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/lawrence-krauss-on-god-and-morality/#comments Sat, 14 Apr 2012 03:49:55 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=3205 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/lawrence-krauss-on-god-and-morality/feed/ 55 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/occams-razor-and-the-moral-argument-for-theism/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/occams-razor-and-the-moral-argument-for-theism/#comments Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:15:57 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=3130 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/occams-razor-and-the-moral-argument-for-theism/feed/ 24 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/the-fall-and-rise-of-the-moral-argument/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/the-fall-and-rise-of-the-moral-argument/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:08:19 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=3030 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/the-fall-and-rise-of-the-moral-argument/feed/ 51 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/the-conditional-premise-of-the-moral-argument/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/the-conditional-premise-of-the-moral-argument/#comments Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:07:35 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2981 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/the-conditional-premise-of-the-moral-argument/feed/ 97 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/on-the-evolution-of-moral-beliefs/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/on-the-evolution-of-moral-beliefs/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:15:12 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2978 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/on-the-evolution-of-moral-beliefs/feed/ 27 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/brief-thoughts-about-god%e2%80%99s-freedom-to-command/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/brief-thoughts-about-god%e2%80%99s-freedom-to-command/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:36:00 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2955 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/brief-thoughts-about-god%e2%80%99s-freedom-to-command/feed/ 85 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/divine-command-ethics-ontology-versus-epistemology/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/divine-command-ethics-ontology-versus-epistemology/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:21:56 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2936 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/divine-command-ethics-ontology-versus-epistemology/feed/ 55 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/apologetics-315-interviews-glenn-peoples-on-god-and-morality/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/apologetics-315-interviews-glenn-peoples-on-god-and-morality/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:35:19 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2804 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/apologetics-315-interviews-glenn-peoples-on-god-and-morality/feed/ 1 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/auckland-anglicanism-same-sex-unions-and-ordination/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/auckland-anglicanism-same-sex-unions-and-ordination/#comments Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:03:05 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2799 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/auckland-anglicanism-same-sex-unions-and-ordination/feed/ 17 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/kant-there-is-no-such-thing-as-coincidental-righteousness/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/kant-there-is-no-such-thing-as-coincidental-righteousness/#comments Sun, 17 Jul 2011 07:58:15 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2684 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/kant-there-is-no-such-thing-as-coincidental-righteousness/feed/ 33 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/episode-041-the-epistemological-objection-to-divine-command-ethics/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/episode-041-the-epistemological-objection-to-divine-command-ethics/#comments Sat, 04 Jun 2011 13:21:08 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2585 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/episode-041-the-epistemological-objection-to-divine-command-ethics/feed/ 8 0:40:41 In Episode 41, I address a common objection to divine command ethics: Does the fact that non-believers can still know moral truths and live moral lives somehow show that morality is not in any way grounded in God’s will or commands? Here I sur[...] In Episode 41, I address a common objection to divine command ethics: Does the fact that non-believers can still know moral truths and live moral lives somehow show that morality is not in any way grounded in God’s will or commands? Here I survey some crude versions of this argument and then offer some comments on a more recent presentation of the objection by Wes Morriston.     If you liked this post, feel free to help support this project. Ethics, podcast Dr Glenn Peoples no no http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/apologetics-315-interviews-glenn/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/apologetics-315-interviews-glenn/#comments Tue, 03 May 2011 08:21:08 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2537 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/apologetics-315-interviews-glenn/feed/ 7 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/episode-040-god-and-the-social-nature-of-morality/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/episode-040-god-and-the-social-nature-of-morality/#comments Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:46:16 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2510 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/episode-040-god-and-the-social-nature-of-morality/feed/ 11 0:38:00 We’ve reached a milestone – 40 Episodes! Episode 40 is an explanation of Robert Adams’ argument that the social nature of moral obligation supports the claim that morality is ultimately grounded in God.     If you liked [...] We’ve reached a milestone – 40 Episodes! Episode 40 is an explanation of Robert Adams’ argument that the social nature of moral obligation supports the claim that morality is ultimately grounded in God.     If you liked this post, feel free to help support this project. Ethics, podcast Dr Glenn Peoples no no http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/debate-review-william-lane-craig-and-sam-harris/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/debate-review-william-lane-craig-and-sam-harris/#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:44:26 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2491 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/debate-review-william-lane-craig-and-sam-harris/feed/ 50 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/is-abortion-healthcare/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/is-abortion-healthcare/#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:00:29 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2478 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/is-abortion-healthcare/feed/ 2 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/episode-039-divine-command-ethics/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/episode-039-divine-command-ethics/#comments Sat, 26 Mar 2011 13:19:05 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2444 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/episode-039-divine-command-ethics/feed/ 3 0:43:22 NOTE: In this episode I call it episode 40. It’s not. It’s episode 39. The podcast is back. Actually, episode 39 was going to be on another topic, but then someone suggested this one to me, so as I already had a document called “ep[...] NOTE: In this episode I call it episode 40. It’s not. It’s episode 39. The podcast is back. Actually, episode 39 was going to be on another topic, but then someone suggested this one to me, so as I already had a document called “episode 039″ I called this “document 040.” And then when I started recording it I thought – “Hey, this is the 40th episode. Cool!” and I made a big deal of it in the recording. And then after I uploaded it I realised that since I skipped over the episode 39 that I’m writing, this isn’t really 40 at all, it’s episode 39! So that was an epic fail. So no sooner do I release another podcast episode, I am making excuses for it! This episode is based on a lecture on divine command ethics that I gave a few years ago. Enjoy!   If you liked this post, feel free to help support this project. Ethics, Philosophy, podcast Dr Glenn Peoples no no http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/nuts-and-bolts-011-ethical-intuitionism/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/nuts-and-bolts-011-ethical-intuitionism/#comments Sat, 26 Mar 2011 08:07:04 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2439 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/nuts-and-bolts-011-ethical-intuitionism/feed/ 11 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/viva-la-bieber/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/viva-la-bieber/#comments Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:33:26 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2374 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/viva-la-bieber/feed/ 5 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/can-a-catholic-support-live-action%e2%80%99s-pro-life-activism/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/can-a-catholic-support-live-action%e2%80%99s-pro-life-activism/#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:24:20 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2366 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/can-a-catholic-support-live-action%e2%80%99s-pro-life-activism/feed/ 64 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/john-locke-on-voluntary-dictatorship/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/john-locke-on-voluntary-dictatorship/#comments Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:02:11 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2358 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/john-locke-on-voluntary-dictatorship/feed/ 8 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/does-self-sacrifice-make-a-greater-difference-in-godless-universe/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/does-self-sacrifice-make-a-greater-difference-in-godless-universe/#comments Sat, 18 Dec 2010 13:13:10 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2214 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/does-self-sacrifice-make-a-greater-difference-in-godless-universe/feed/ 15 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/every-day-is-pike-river/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/every-day-is-pike-river/#comments Sat, 27 Nov 2010 06:37:46 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2192 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/every-day-is-pike-river/feed/ 72 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/does-christian-faith-make-people-more-moral/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/does-christian-faith-make-people-more-moral/#comments Sun, 17 Oct 2010 04:47:58 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2141 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/does-christian-faith-make-people-more-moral/feed/ 48 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/arif-ahmed-morality-and-empiricism/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/arif-ahmed-morality-and-empiricism/#comments Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:58:08 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2109 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/arif-ahmed-morality-and-empiricism/feed/ 31 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/episode-037-classical-liberalism-and-natural-law/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/episode-037-classical-liberalism-and-natural-law/#comments Sat, 25 Sep 2010 11:44:37 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2091 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/episode-037-classical-liberalism-and-natural-law/feed/ 0 0:57:50 This is the first time I have ever actually apologised for an episode. It’s long. It’s dry. You might fall asleep. I’m sorry.   If you liked this post, feel free to help support this project. This is the first time I have ever actually apologised for an episode. It’s long. It’s dry. You might fall asleep. I’m sorry.   If you liked this post, feel free to help support this project. Ethics, podcast Dr Glenn Peoples no no http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/confusing-the-good-and-the-right/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/confusing-the-good-and-the-right/#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:05:47 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2079 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/confusing-the-good-and-the-right/feed/ 11 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/do-moral-facts-not-require-an-explanation/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/do-moral-facts-not-require-an-explanation/#comments Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:52:34 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2063 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/do-moral-facts-not-require-an-explanation/feed/ 34 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/does-different-behaviour-indicate-different-moral-beliefs/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/does-different-behaviour-indicate-different-moral-beliefs/#comments Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:49:21 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2052 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/does-different-behaviour-indicate-different-moral-beliefs/feed/ 21 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/the-new-atheism-science-and-morality-university-of-auckland/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/the-new-atheism-science-and-morality-university-of-auckland/#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:03:51 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2044 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/the-new-atheism-science-and-morality-university-of-auckland/feed/ 7 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/public-lecture-the-new-atheism-science-and-morality/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/public-lecture-the-new-atheism-science-and-morality/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:16:45 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=2000 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/public-lecture-the-new-atheism-science-and-morality/feed/ 15 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/divine-command-ethics-and-the-epistemological-objection/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/divine-command-ethics-and-the-epistemological-objection/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:12:50 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=1942 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/divine-command-ethics-and-the-epistemological-objection/feed/ 17 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/how-the-queerness-argument-backfires/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/how-the-queerness-argument-backfires/#comments Sun, 04 Jul 2010 10:47:00 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=1927 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/how-the-queerness-argument-backfires/feed/ 4 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/education-and-morality/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/education-and-morality/#comments Sun, 02 May 2010 00:15:28 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=1761 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/education-and-morality/feed/ 14 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/a-new-euthyphro-is-published/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/a-new-euthyphro-is-published/#comments Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:32:14 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=1756 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/a-new-euthyphro-is-published/feed/ 10 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/episode-035-sam-harris-science-and-morality/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/episode-035-sam-harris-science-and-morality/#comments Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:19:05 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=1709 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/episode-035-sam-harris-science-and-morality/feed/ 18 0:46:28 Episode 35 is an analysis of a recent talk given by Sam Harris on science and human values. The talk was part of a TED conference, and you can see part 1 here. Harris thinks that he has argued that moral facts are actually scientific facts. I think [...] Episode 35 is an analysis of a recent talk given by Sam Harris on science and human values. The talk was part of a TED conference, and you can see part 1 here. Harris thinks that he has argued that moral facts are actually scientific facts. I think he has failed, and here I offer an explanation of how I think he has failed. In brief, I think his entire presentation is an exercise in circular reasoning. Harris has a new book on the subject, The Moral Landscape, which is to be released later this year. If you’d like to order a copy, please use this link and the Book Depository will look kindly on me.     If you liked this post, feel free to help support this project. atheism, Ethics, Philosophy, podcast Dr Glenn Peoples no no http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/ethics-is-like-a-painting/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/ethics-is-like-a-painting/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:09:44 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=1432 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/ethics-is-like-a-painting/feed/ 6 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/divine-command-ethics-when-will-sceptics-update-their-arguments/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/divine-command-ethics-when-will-sceptics-update-their-arguments/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:48:03 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=1378 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/divine-command-ethics-when-will-sceptics-update-their-arguments/feed/ 16 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/the-woman-taken-in-adultery/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/the-woman-taken-in-adultery/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:46:07 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=1115 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/the-woman-taken-in-adultery/feed/ 28 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/wolterstorff-on-divine-command-ethics-part-one/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/wolterstorff-on-divine-command-ethics-part-one/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 11:34:02 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=1011 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2010/wolterstorff-on-divine-command-ethics-part-one/feed/ 5 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/ethical-supernaturalism/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/ethical-supernaturalism/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:59:03 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=974 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/ethical-supernaturalism/feed/ 3 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/nuts-and-bolts-005-ethical-naturalism/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/nuts-and-bolts-005-ethical-naturalism/#comments Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:57:30 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=962 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/nuts-and-bolts-005-ethical-naturalism/feed/ 9 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/relativism-or-human-rights/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/relativism-or-human-rights/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:43:07 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=741 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/relativism-or-human-rights/feed/ 38 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/otago-study-links-abortion-with-mental-illness/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/otago-study-links-abortion-with-mental-illness/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:38:15 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=702 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/otago-study-links-abortion-with-mental-illness/feed/ 5 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/the-bible-abortion-and-extra-biblical-knowledge/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/the-bible-abortion-and-extra-biblical-knowledge/#comments Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:27:28 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=597 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/the-bible-abortion-and-extra-biblical-knowledge/feed/ 11 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/obama-potential-and-abortion/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/obama-potential-and-abortion/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:01:04 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=591 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/obama-potential-and-abortion/feed/ 1 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/episode-029-is-abortion-immoral-and-should-it-be-illegal/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/episode-029-is-abortion-immoral-and-should-it-be-illegal/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:34:29 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=426 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/episode-029-is-abortion-immoral-and-should-it-be-illegal/feed/ 30 0:50:33 This episode is a recording of a talk I gave last week at the University of Canterbury on abortion. As promised in the episode, here’s a summary of some questions and answers that followed. Q: What would you say about cases like rape or incest[...] This episode is a recording of a talk I gave last week at the University of Canterbury on abortion. As promised in the episode, here’s a summary of some questions and answers that followed. Q: What would you say about cases like rape or incest, where the women is going to give birth to a reminder of what was done to her? A: That’s the hardest type of scenario I think. There are a few kinds of answers I’d give. Firstly, one thing to bear in mind is that even if I said that I thought that rape was a good enough ground for an abortion, that still only allows a very small number of abortions. The proportion of all abortions in New Zealand where the pregnancy is alleged to have resulted from rape is very small. Secondly, what would we say to a woman with a two year old son who was born because she was raped, if she said that she was going to kill her son because he reminded her of the rape? Although we might feel sorry for her and want to help her in some way, we wouldn’t think it was alright to kill the child. So it seems to me that the idea that it’s alright to kill the unborn child in these cases is trading on the fact that we have a tendency not to be as aware of the status of the unborn child, or the moral factors that I’ve discussed when I gave reasons for deeming abortion immoral. Because the unborn child is , so to speak “out of sight, out of mind,” on a psychological and emotional level we don’t form the same attachment to it, so it’s easy for us to see why killing the two year old is wrong but to at least partly overlook or not notice that wrongness in the case of abortion. Sometimes when wrong things are done to a person (like rape), there’s no defensible way out of it, even when that involves suffering. That may sound a little harsh, but let me put it this way: Let’s not punish the son for the sins committed by the father. The fact that something terrible was done to you doesn’t give you right to do absolutely whatever it takes to get out of that situation, like by deflecting that harm so that someone else bears the brunt of it, which is what happens when we kill the unborn to alleviate the emotional pain inflicted on the woman. Q: In your talk you refer to a fetus. Would you go further? Would your argument also apply to an embryo? It would, yes. there’s no logical reason for it not to. I am numerically identical with an embryo that once lived. The only reason that I refer to a fetus in this talk is that most abortions in New Zealand take place from 8 to 12 weeks’ gestation, which just happens to be in the fetal stage. Q:You say that abortion should be illegal. Do you think people who carry out abortion should be punished for murder, in the same way a murderer would be? I don’t know. Saying that it should be illegal is not, of course, to say that it should be murder. The law already treats, for example, infanticide as a distinct crime, not because we think it’s not wrong, but I guess it’s out of recognition of the psychological factors that might come into play. I think that’s really a technical legal question. You have to look at all the relevant way one act might compare to another, there are epistemological questions involved of what the people involved could be expected to know and so forth. So I don’t make any firm claim there. For now I leave that to the lawyers. ADDENDUM: Although to be clear, I want to say that I lean on the firm rather than lenient side of how serious the repercussions should be. Q: Some have said that prior to legalisation there were a number of police officers who were willing to accept bribes to look the other way and ignore illegal abortion. So if we make abortion illegal it will increase corruption in the police force. What would you say to that? A: I think that corruption in the police for is wrong in its own right and needs to be addressed in its own right. This is[...] Ethics, podcast Dr Glenn Peoples no no http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/no-embryos-were-harmed/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/no-embryos-were-harmed/#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:01:09 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=397 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/no-embryos-were-harmed/feed/ 0 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/is-religion-a-barrier-to-clear-thinking-on-morality/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/is-religion-a-barrier-to-clear-thinking-on-morality/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 14:15:20 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=328 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/is-religion-a-barrier-to-clear-thinking-on-morality/feed/ 3 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/bradley-on-the-alleged-contradiction-of-christian-ethics/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/bradley-on-the-alleged-contradiction-of-christian-ethics/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:06:26 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=314 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/bradley-on-the-alleged-contradiction-of-christian-ethics/feed/ 12 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/don-marquis-on-embryonic-stem-cell-research/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/don-marquis-on-embryonic-stem-cell-research/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:47:30 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=286 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/don-marquis-on-embryonic-stem-cell-research/feed/ 3 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/engaging-with-critics-of-religiously-grounded-ethics/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/engaging-with-critics-of-religiously-grounded-ethics/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:42:24 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=282 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/engaging-with-critics-of-religiously-grounded-ethics/feed/ 7 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/yay-for-stem-cell-research-but-why-bring-embryos-into-it/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/yay-for-stem-cell-research-but-why-bring-embryos-into-it/#comments Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:01:07 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=280 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2009/yay-for-stem-cell-research-but-why-bring-embryos-into-it/feed/ 2 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/athens-and-and-jerusalem-or-%e2%80%9cregardless-of-who-wins-the-election%e2%80%9d/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/athens-and-and-jerusalem-or-%e2%80%9cregardless-of-who-wins-the-election%e2%80%9d/#comments Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:18:36 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=223 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/athens-and-and-jerusalem-or-%e2%80%9cregardless-of-who-wins-the-election%e2%80%9d/feed/ 2 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/singers-philosophy-where-it-belongs/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/singers-philosophy-where-it-belongs/#comments Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:25:16 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=159 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/singers-philosophy-where-it-belongs/feed/ 9 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/episode-010-the-moral-argument-part-2/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/episode-010-the-moral-argument-part-2/#comments Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:12:38 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=158 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/episode-010-the-moral-argument-part-2/feed/ 5 0:56:52 Here it is, the second installment of my two part series on the moral argument. Oh, and before anyone gets offended and writes to me about the parody in the blog roundup – stop and ask yourself: Are you a Windows user by choice? If so, then wh[...] Here it is, the second installment of my two part series on the moral argument. Oh, and before anyone gets offended and writes to me about the parody in the blog roundup – stop and ask yourself: Are you a Windows user by choice? If so, then which of us is really worse, hmm? If you liked this post, feel free to help support this project. apologetics, Ethics, podcast Dr Glenn Peoples no no http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/episode-009-the-moral-argument-part-1/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/episode-009-the-moral-argument-part-1/#comments Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:43:52 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=156 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/episode-009-the-moral-argument-part-1/feed/ 1 0:50:01 Here’s part 1 of a 2 part series on the moral argument for theism. The argument is largely about meta-ethics, so the bulk of this presentation is devoted to explaining the meta-ethical issues: What are moral facts at all? And could there be an[...] Here’s part 1 of a 2 part series on the moral argument for theism. The argument is largely about meta-ethics, so the bulk of this presentation is devoted to explaining the meta-ethical issues: What are moral facts at all? And could there be any such things in a purely naturalistic worldview? If you liked this post, feel free to help support this project. apologetics, Ethics, podcast Dr Glenn Peoples no no http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/episode-004-parodying-plato/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/episode-004-parodying-plato/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:12:09 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=143 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2008/episode-004-parodying-plato/feed/ 6 0:44:41 Episode 4 already. One more episode and I’m halfway to 10! The main feature of this show is an audio dialogue, “A New Euthyphro.” This dialogue is a re-make of part of Plato’s Euthyphro dialogue, with a twist: This time Socra[...] Episode 4 already. One more episode and I’m halfway to 10! The main feature of this show is an audio dialogue, “A New Euthyphro.” This dialogue is a re-make of part of Plato’s Euthyphro dialogue, with a twist: This time Socrates’ is armed with a little more philosophical acuity than the bumbling Euthyphro that Socrates gave us. This time, the so-called “Euthyphro Dilemma” fails abysmally as an attack on divine command ethics. If you liked this post, feel free to help support this project. Ethics, podcast Dr Glenn Peoples no no http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2007/embryonic-stem-cells-no-more/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2007/embryonic-stem-cells-no-more/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:24:50 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=95 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2007/embryonic-stem-cells-no-more/feed/ 2 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2007/divine-commands-and-reasons/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2007/divine-commands-and-reasons/#comments Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:27:46 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=65 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2007/divine-commands-and-reasons/feed/ 2 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2007/is-there-an-echo-in-here/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2007/is-there-an-echo-in-here/#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:21:02 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=57 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2007/is-there-an-echo-in-here/feed/ 0 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/one-more-for-the-cv/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/one-more-for-the-cv/#comments Mon, 25 Dec 2006 02:52:55 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=52 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/one-more-for-the-cv/feed/ 2 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/new-article-a-new-euthyphro/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/new-article-a-new-euthyphro/#comments Thu, 12 Oct 2006 11:15:13 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=39 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/new-article-a-new-euthyphro/feed/ 5 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/is-rawls-a-relativist-i-think-so/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/is-rawls-a-relativist-i-think-so/#comments Sun, 03 Sep 2006 10:32:54 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=29 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/is-rawls-a-relativist-i-think-so/feed/ 2 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/peter-singer-hes-not-just-wrong-he-tells-fibs-apparently/ http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/peter-singer-hes-not-just-wrong-he-tells-fibs-apparently/#comments Sun, 25 Jun 2006 09:15:29 +0000 Glenn http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/?p=16 http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2006/peter-singer-hes-not-just-wrong-he-tells-fibs-apparently/feed/ 1