Selected philosophy essays

Is the Universe a Mystery addresses a topic that has interested me for years, the origin of 'being' and whether we can say anything intelligible about it.

Epicureanism Anyone? is a fairly breezy discussion of this philosophical position, with some discussion of its claim that we have nothing to fear from death.

Karen Armstrong's God is some reflections on the work of the religious historian and (to be fair) philosopher, Karen Armstrong.  Armstrong presents a vision of religion rooted in mythology and mysticism.  My own view is that religion is also a highly rational response to the world and I am personally keen to work out how one combines these views effectively. 

Against Stocism is an attack on Stoicism written, in my opinion, with wit and verve.  It also takes a swipe at Greek ethics in general.

A Simple Argument for Not Eating Fish is a foray into the ethics of vegetarianism.  Vegetarianism is something that seems supported by rational argument but not many people go for it.  This tells us that our stomachs are more powerful than our minds.  Hume would have appreciated that. (Apologies for the untidy references in this piece; I will tidy them up).

Demytholigisation and Miracle is an early attempt to write about the concept of miracles.

Archie Battersbee and Karen Quinlan compares the end-of-life issues around these two cases.  In the first case, the family fought a court action to prevent the removal of his life-support; in the second they fought to do the opposite.

On Being A Cause of Death is a discussion of whether a medical professional who removes life support from a brain-damaged patient can be said to cause the patient's death.