Philosophical anarchism claims that states are not legitimate but may still be justifiable in executing many functions we associate with states, especially punishing those who violate the rights of fellow subjects of the state’s authority. I suggest that one cannot hold both claims simultaneously. I argue that appropriate punishment requires the punisher to have the standing to punish the offender, and that for the state to acquire that standing, it must sit in a legitimating relationship with its subjects. If that is right, the philosophical anarchist must deny that most states may punish or deny that most states are illegitimate. Either direction compromises the distinctiveness of philosophical anarchism.
Constructive alternativism, the philosophical position that the universe is always open to alternate interpretations, can be seen as consistent with current political rhetoric stating that conservative operatives are considering “alternative facts”. In this paper, I argue that such an interpretation of constructive alt...
L. Leitner· Personal Construct Theory &a...· 0 citations
Stephen Darwall argues that the conditions of the possibility of addressing demands second-personally entail a commitment to Kantian moral principles. He also argues that previous attempts to vindicate Kantian morality, as a necessary presupposition of agency, have failed. I defend both of Darwall’s arguments against...
Janis David Schaab· Canadian Journal of Philosop...· 0 citations
Belief in malevolent global conspiracies is often treated as a defeater for philosophical seriousness. Engaging with Lee Basham’s defense of conspiracy theorizing and Genia Schönbaumsfeld’s critique, I make two claims. First, we must distinguish the ambitious multi-institutional schemes of non-total malevolent global...
Zoheir Bagheri Noaparast· Danish Yearbook of Philosoph...· 0 citations
Joseph Raz argues both that there can be practical authority without sanctions and that such authority is constituted, in part, by the power to impose its will on subjects with respect to what they must do. This essay argues that the Razian claim that practical authority is partly constituted by a power of will-imposit...
K. Himma· Anali Pravnog Fakulteta u Be...· 0 citations
In this essay, I argue against Jesse Spafford’s Moral Tyranny Constraint on the grounds that it would undermine the socialist value of community. The socialist value of community is appealing because people in community are disposed to voluntarily benefit each other unconditionally, without constantly keeping score o...
