Can the Future-Like-Ours Argument Survive Ontological Scrutiny?. Issue 5 (16th October 2021)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Can the Future-Like-Ours Argument Survive Ontological Scrutiny?. Issue 5 (16th October 2021)
- Main Title:
- Can the Future-Like-Ours Argument Survive Ontological Scrutiny?
- Authors:
- Adams, Matthew
Rimell, Nicholas - Abstract:
- Abstract: We argue that the future-like-ours argument against abortion rests on an important assumption. Namely, in the first trimester of an aborted pregnancy, there exists something that would have gone on to enjoy conscious mental states, had the abortion not occurred. To accommodate this assumption, we argue, a proponent of the future-like-ours argument must presuppose that there is ontic vagueness. We anticipate the objection that our argument achieves "too much" because it also applies mutatis mutandis to conscious humans. We respond by showing that an explanation can be given for why it is wrong to kill conscious humans that is independent of the underlying metaphysics. Our response brings into focus a reason why—at least in the context of an ethical argument like the future-like-ours argument—appeal to a highly controversial metaphysics is ad hoc. Such metaphysics is not necessary to explain the wrongness of killing conscious humans, only nonconscious fetuses.
- Is Part Of:
- Journal of medicine and philosophy. Volume 47:Issue 5(2022)
- Journal:
- Journal of medicine and philosophy
- Issue:
- Volume 47:Issue 5(2022)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 47, Issue 5 (2022)
- Year:
- 2022
- Volume:
- 47
- Issue:
- 5
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2022-0047-0005-0000
- Page Start:
- 667
- Page End:
- 680
- Publication Date:
- 2021-10-16
- Subjects:
- abortion -- future-like-ours argument -- material composition -- special composition question -- ontic vagueness
Medicine -- Philosophy -- Periodicals
Medical ethics -- Periodicals
Ethics, Medical -- Periodicals
Philosophy, Medical -- Periodicals
616.001 - Journal URLs:
- http://jmp.oxfordjournals.org/ ↗
http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/ ↗
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/03605310.asp ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1093/jmp/jhab033 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 0360-5310
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - 5017.385000
British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 24816.xml