Equality and the Mantra of Diversity

This essay is part of a symposium on affirmative action that took place at the University of Cincinnati with the distinguished legal scholar Ronald Dworkin. I argue against affirmative action. And I discuss at length the votes of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and the dissent of Justice Clarence Thomas. I develop the idea of idiosyncratic excellence; and I argue that diversity is a weakness insofar as it (a) an excuse for social myopia and (b)an impediment to individuals seeing beyond their differences and affirming the excellences that they witness. The expected publication date, Univ of Cinn Law Review, is March 2004

Dr. Laura: Ruminations from a Listener

This essay is a discussion of the radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger. It is an assessment of the moral advice that she dispenses her radio show, and kinds of criticisms to which she has been subjected

Moral Equality and Natural Inferiority

This essay is a commentary upon "Race and Kant" by Thomas Hill, Jr and Bernard Boxill. They argue that although Kant in his anthropological writings took blacks to be inferior, his moral theory requires that they be shown the proper moral respect since blacks are persons nonetheless. I argue that this argument is sound, because the conception of inferiority that Kant attributed to blacks does not permit showing them the proper moral respect. Imagine a defective Mercedes Benz and a Ford Pinto. These two cars are not inferior in the same sort of way. For Kant, I argue, the inferiority of blacks is more akin to that of a Ford Pinto; for he undoubtedly took blacks to be perpetual children. Chilren are persons, too; however, no one has ever supposed that moral theory applies to children in the full way that it applies to adults

Abortion and Moral Repugnancy

Most arguments concerning abortion center around the issue of rights. This short essay argues that there can be important considerations regarding the matter that have nothing whatsoever to do with rights. In general, the issue of moral decency has never been entirely settled by reference to rights. It can be morally repugnant to do some thing even if one would be acting perfectly within one's rights. I argue that with advances in technology this will turn out to be the case with abortion, given the possibility of transferring a fetus from one womb to another

Autonomy, Behavior, & Moral Goodness

In this essay, the view that autonomy is always a good is challenged. Numerous examples of autonomous people who committed quite immoral acts are offered. It is further argued that many people who have behaved in quite admirable ways have not been autonomou

Upside-Down Equality: A Response to Kantian Thought

Drawing upon the work of Barbara Herman, I argue that our understanding of equality is inextricably tied to our experiences. In particular, I argue that moral equality and social equality are fundamentally different

Autonom, Behavior, & Moral Goodness

In this essay, the view that autonomy is always a good is challenged. Numerous examples of autonomous people who committed quite immoral acts are offered. It is further argued that many people who have behaved in quite admirable ways I have not been autonomou

L'Avortement: Entre La Liberté et La Vie

This essay discusses Thomson's famous article "A Defense of Abortion". I argue that a Brave New World like future with artificial wombs and the possibility of a womb transfer procedure will change dramatically the scope and force of Thomson's ingenious argument. It is noted that grief and depression often accompany both women who give their child up for adoption and women who abort their child

Fractal dimension versus density of the built-up surfaces in the periphery of Brussels.

This paper aims at showing the usefulness of the fractal dimension for characterizing the spatial structure of the built-up surfaces within the periurban fringe. We first discuss our methodology and expectations in terms of operationality of the fractal dimension theoretically and geometrically. An empirical analysis is then performed on the southern periphery of Brussels (Brabant Wallon). The empirical analysis is divided into two parts: first, the effect of the size and shape of the windows on the fractal measures is empirically evaluated; this leads to a methodological discussion about the importance of the scale of analysis as well as the real sense of fractality. Second, we show empirically how far fractal dimension and density can look alike, but are also totally different. The relationship between density and fractality of built-up areas is discussed empirically and theoretically. Results are interpreted in an urban sprawl context as well as in a polycentric development of the peripheries. These analyses confirm the usefulness but also the limits of the fractal approach in order to describe the built-up morphology. Fractal analysis is a promising tool for describing the morphology of the city and for simulating its genesis and planning. Keywords: Fractals – dimension – periurbanisation – Brussels Note to the ERSA2004 referees: This is the state of our paper on April 30th 2004. It is not finished nor checked by an English native but results seem quite promising. Please take contact with the corresponding author for the latest version of the paper at the moment of the refereeing process or at the moment of editing the proceedings, if necessary. We thank you for your comments and questions.

The Morally Obnoxious Comparisons of Evil: American Slavery and the Holocuast

The essay discuss the issue of comparing the American Slavery and the Holocaust, and the extent to which the ideology of the American dream has fueled invidious comparisons between the two peoples. Just as murder and rape are wrongs to be understood in their own right, I argue that a like claim holds for American Slavery and the Holocuast. The essay further points out that we should be weary of supposing that wrongdoing is the sort of the thing for which compensation is at all possible