Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagRoe v. Wade

new-life-2d-echo-stockpack-adobe-stock
new life, 2d echo

How a Theory of the Soul Drives Abortion Activism

Descartes’ theory that the soul and the body are utterly distinct, while mostly rejected in philosophy, is still part of popular culture

Every now and then, it’s useful to look at the philosophical underpinnings of current thought and what implications they have for engineering ethics. In a recent post on the website of the journal First Things, professor of biblical and religious studies Carl Trueman noted that Cartesian dualism — a way of looking at the human person promulgated by René Descartes (1596-1650) — is enjoying a comeback in the popular mind, although modern philosophy has long since discarded it as an inadequate model. (This article by Karl D. Stephan originally appeared at Engineering Ethics Blog (October 11, 2021) under the title “Against Cartesian Dualism,” and is reprinted with permission.) If you know anything about Descartes, you will probably recall his most famous saying: “I think, Read More ›

in-vitro-image-of-a-human-fetus-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
In-vitro image of a human fetus

Jonathan Wells on Why a Baby Should Live

Why should a baby live? That’s the question that Michael Egnor and Jonathan Wells discuss on today’s episode. Listen in as they cover the philosophical arguments made for abortion and infanticide, the question of personhood, our current understanding of a fetus’ ability to feel pain in the womb, and the future of Roe v. Wade. Show Notes 00:26 | Introducing Read More ›