Grappling with Philosophy
Introduction If there has been one constant thread running through my personal and professional life, it has been my dual devotion to grappling and philosophy.1 On the surface, these disciplines seem to stand at complete opposite poles of the human experience: one forged through sweat, friction, and physical struggle; the other through reflection, argument, and […]
Does Terminator Have Rights?
Within contemporary discourse on the ethics of AWS (autonomous weapons systems), one of the most popular in-principle moral arguments against the use of such technologies is the so-called ‘responsibility gap’ argument popularized by philosopher, Rob Sparrow. The argument can be summarized as follows: I have argued elsewhere, and continue to argue, that this argument fails […]
Reflections on Stockdale A Quarter-Century Later
As a newly hired ethics instructor at the Stockdale Center, I think it somewhat appropriate at this moment in time to share some of my thoughts and reflections on the man whom this center is named after, his legacy, and my specific relationship to both. In life, some people, some types of people, dare I […]
Remembering the Primary Mission of Our Academies
The primary mission of America’s service academies is not to mimic Ivy League institutions—it is to produce officers capable of fighting and winning our nation’s wars. While the academies do provide a world-class education in exchange for years of military service—one that is both rigorous and enriching for its recipients—it is both impractical and irresponsible for academy leadership to get these […]