Online research in philosophy

I have argued recently that compatibilism cannot resist in a principled way the temptation to prepunish people, and that it thus emerges as a much more radical view than is typically presented and perceived; and is at odds with fundamental moral intuitions (Smilansky 2007a). Stephen Kearns (2008) has replied, arguing that ‘Smilansky has not shown that compatibilism cannot resist prepunishment. Prepunishment is so bizarre that it can be resisted by just about anybody’. I would like to examine his challenging arguments.

The star-positions on the rete of a European astrolabe made in 1420 and now private German property, emphasize how some medieval European star-tables had been incorrectly copied and misunderstood. The star-coordinates and star-names on the astrolabe in question are based on John of London's star-table (1246). The style of the star-pointers and the aequinoctial bar on the rete, some inscriptions, and also the sundial engraved on the alidade are reminiscent of the earliest known Western Islamic astrolabe. The plates are engraved with curves for latitude 45° though the markings stand for different latitudes.

Responses to John Broome and John Brunero.