Wasted Effort and Universalization.
In The Ethics of Inefficacy. pdf
Why should individuals stop contributing to collective harms if this is a waste of effort? For example, why should people change their lifestyles in the face of climate change? In this chapter, I develop a solution in terms of desire-based universalization: we should act because we want others to act, and we should not make an unfair exception for ourselves. I go into the content of these desires, discuss the case where people do not seem to have the relevant desires, and whether the reasons based on them are strong enough.
Non-Instrumental Solutions to the Inefficacy Problem.
In The Ethics of Inefficacy. pdf
This chapter provides an overview of non-instrumental solutions to the inefficacy problem.
Kantian Free Riding.
In Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy. pdf | link
Can Kantians distinguish unfair free riding from innocent coordination? If they cannot, the whole approach is flawed. This paper develops a novel solution. Free riders, as I will put it, fail to make their conduct conditional on other people’s preferences. They refuse to do their part regardless of what others prefer. It is not just that other people share the same preferences – as alternative accounts have it – but that the free rider does not care whether they do or do not share the same preferences. The same does not carry over to innocent coordination.
Historisch onrecht. (in Dutch)
In Basisboek Ethiek. pdf
Can current generations be held responsible for historical injustices such as colonialism? Public opinion in the Netherlands is that this is misplaced. This chapter discusses the debate surrounding the following argument: we must take responsibility insofar as we are beneficiaries of historical injustices.
The Case Against Corporate Switching Defenses. (w/ Mattias Gunnemyr)
In Journal of Ethics. link
Milieudefensie sued Shell, demanding that it reduce CO2 emissions to prevent climate harm. Shell defended itself by claiming that competitors would step in to satisfy consumer demand. This paper challenges such corporate switching defenses.
Further publications here.
