http://www.smatthewliao.com Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:43:14 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc http://www.smatthewliao.com/2008/05/04/the-normativity-of-memory-modification/ http://www.smatthewliao.com/2008/05/04/the-normativity-of-memory-modification/#comments Sun, 04 May 2008 00:42:27 +0000 S. Matthew Liao http://www.smatthewliao.com/2008/05/04/the-normativity-of-memory-modification/ The prospect of using memory modifying technologies raises interesting and important normative concerns. We first point out that those developing desirable memory modifying technologies should keep in mind certain technical and user-limitation issues. We next discuss certain normative issues that the use of these technologies can raise such as truthfulness, appropriate moral reaction, self-knowledge, agency, and moral obligations. Finally, we propose that as long as individuals using these technologies do not harm others and themselves in certain ways, and as long as there is no prima facie duty to retain particular memories, it is up to individuals to determine the permissibility of particular uses of these technologies. [Neuroethics 1(2) 2008: 85-99, with Anders Sandberg] [pdf | html]

]]> http://www.smatthewliao.com/2008/05/04/the-normativity-of-memory-modification/feed/ 0 http://www.smatthewliao.com/2008/05/02/the-idea-of-a-duty-to-love/ http://www.smatthewliao.com/2008/05/02/the-idea-of-a-duty-to-love/#comments Fri, 02 May 2008 03:43:23 +0000 S. Matthew Liao http://www.smatthewliao.com/2008/05/02/the-idea-of-a-duty-to-love/ Can there be a duty to love someone? Many people do not think so. One common objection, what I call the commandability objection, says that duty requires that the action required by the duty to be commandable, but love is an emotion and emotions are not commandable. Another objection, what I call the motivation objection, says that really to love a person, one must be motivated to love the person for the person’s sake. However, to have a duty to love means that one would not be motivated to love the person for the person’s sake, but for the sake of the duty. In this paper, I examine both objections and I argue that neither undermines the idea of a duty to love. [Journal of Value Inquiry 40(1) 2006: 1-22] [pdf | html]

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