Philosophical Notions-Drew Califano

Background Context   In his article entitled “Cosmopolitan Justice, Responsibility, and Global Climate Change,” author Simon Caney observes the issue of global climate change and the release of greenhouse gases. Climate change has become a significant issue of discussion within recent generations, and closely connected to this theme is the idea of justice. As defined by Merriam Webster, justice is “The maintenance or administration of what is just, especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments” (Webster 68). As this quote demonstrates, the notion of justice often implies that someone is to be held accountable for one's past actions, as well as their adverse effects on others. It is for this reason that Caney describes three common manners that are utilized to review this concept.       Firstly, Caney promotes that it is common, even in general daily situations, to cast the responsi...

Background Context of Parfit and the Nonidentity Theory In his piece entitled “Energy Policy and the Further Future,” philosopher David Parfit develops several arguments regarding the importance of decision making (112). It is common for many to believe that if one is to make the incorrect decision today, this will profoundly affect, and indeed harm, individuals in future generations. However, this is not everyone’s belief, and a variety of philosophers have argued that making what many would consider a tasteless or seemingly illogical decision today may not actually harm those who are born in the future. This is due to the fact that, in order for one to be born as they are, they must be conceived at a certain moment in time. If they are conceived any later or earlier, then the cells that combine to create such life would not be able to meet, thus, creating a different person.      Parfit examines this argument of decisions today not technically “harming”...

  Introduction      As was discussed in last week’s blog, one of the most quintessential and common questions of philosophy centers around the exploration of our own death and why we, as humans, tend to fear this inevitable occurrence. Many would argue that the potential, that is, not being truly aware of what will happen upon one’s death, is what tends to worry the individual. As there is a lack of concrete evidence of what happens to a human being after his or her death, this leads to anxiety and thus, the unknown creates a situation in which one is unsure of what will ultimately occur to them, if anything untrivial. However, as with nearly every subject, there is the potential for great diversity of both argument and opinion. Just as this potential for something to happen or not may be a reason for which we fear it, alternatively, the potential for an event’s occurrence may actually work to comfort us.       For instance, th...