Government Support for Unconventional Works of Art

My aim in this discussion is to argue, not only that government should provide funding for the arts, but a fortiori that it should provide funding for unconventional, disruptive works of art

Fixed penalties for careless driving: the delusion of deterrence?

Government proposals to raise the level of fixed penalty notices for motoring offences by £30 and to add less serious instances of careless driving offences to those eligible for an FPN might seem small and relatively insignificant changes. Not so. They raise issues about public perceptions of punishment and wrongfulness, as well as concerns regarding accountability. In addition, there are dubious assumptions underpinning the proposals: that higher fines will deter and that the remedial training course - on offer instead of an FPN + 3 penalty points for a careless driving offence – can deliver effective rehabilitation. This paper will explore these issues

Sadhana as a Tapas

Indian and Classical Greek philosophical traditions both recommend that we structure our lives around the performance of certain kinds of actions as daily and regular habits. Under some circumstances and for some individuals, this means merely doing what comes naturally. For others, it requires varying degrees of self-control. For yet others, adhering to these practices is impossible or unimportant, beyond the scope of their interests or abilities. I want to take issue with one familiar answer to the question of why this is, and to suggest a different one

The Enterprise of Socratic Metaethics

That human beings have the potential for rationality and the ability to cultivate it is a fact of human nature. But to value rationality and its subsidiary character dispositions - impartiality, intellectual discrimination, foresight, deliberation, prudence, self-reflection, self-control - is another matter entirely. I am going to take it as a given that if a person's freedom to act on her impulses and gratify her desires is constrained by the existence of others' equal, or more powerful, conflicting impulses and desires, then she will need the character dispositions of rationality to survive. The more circumscribed one's freedom and power, the more essential to survival and flourishing the character dispositions of rationality and the spirit may become

Higher-Order Discrimination

This discussion treats a set of familiar social derelictions as consequences of the perversion of a universalistic moral theory in the service of an ill-considered or insufficiently examined personal agenda.The set includes racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, and class elitism, among other similar pathologies, under the general heading of discrimination. The perversion of moral theory from which these derelictions arise, I argue, involves restricting its scope of application to some preferred subgroup of the moral community of human beings. The following analysis of higher-order discrimination suggests that we often select the individuals who constitute such subgroups for reasons that we ourselves would reject on moral grounds were we to examine them carefully, but that we choose instead to put our rational resources in the service of avoiding any such examination at all costs. The implication is that arguments that truncate the scope of moral theory in fact justify bestowing the gift of moral treatment on a select few who deserve it no more than the many from whom we withhold it. Therefore, it would be precipitous to conclude that universalistic moral theory can be legitimately restricted in its practical scope of application in any way at all

How effective is non-custodial sentencing in achieving compliance with road traffic law?

This paper was presented at the Achieving Compliance with Road Traffic Law: What can enforcement, prosecution and sentencing contribute? Conference hosted at Brunel University on the 13th June 2012.As we are all aware, the vast majority of road traffic offences – if known and processed - result in one particular type of non-custodial sentence, the fine, but there is also an increasing emphasis on community sentences which involve drug and alcohol treatment requirements for certain road traffic offences. Within that context we have been asked to review what we know about the effectiveness of non-custodial sanctions generally but specifically in relation to road traffic offences. This has proved to be a surprisingly difficult task for various reasons

Response to the Home Office Consultation (2006) on 'Making Sentencing Clearer'

This is the response of Dr Easton and Professor Piper to the Consulation Paper, 'Making Sentencing Clearer' published by the Home Office in 2006. The deadline for responses was 9 January 2007 and a summary of responses will be published on the Home Office web-site in April 2007. Easton and Piper argued in favour of encouraging the greater use of community sentences and fines but opposed several proposals on human rights grounds. They also argued that the current 'tough' sentencing messages may negate the positive aspects of the proposed changes