The Preference for Indirect Harm

We presented subjects pairs of hypothetical scenarios. The action in each scenario harmed some people in order to aid others. In one member of the pair, the harm was a direct result of the action. In the other member, it was an indirect byproduct. Subjects preferred the indirect harm to the direct harm. This result could not be fully explained in terms of differences in judgments about which option was more active, more intentional, more likely to cause harm, or more subject to the disapproval of others. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for a new bias in judgment, a tendency to favor indirectly harmful options over directly harmful alternatives, irrespective of the associated outcomes, intentions, or self-presentational concerns. We speculate that this bias could originate from the use of a typical but somewhat unreliable property of harmful acts, their directness, as a cue to moral evaluation. We discuss the implications of the bias for a range of social issues, including the distinction between passive and active euthanasia, legal deterrence, and the rhetoric of affirmative action.     

Précis of The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science,Theory and Ethics of Sexual Orientation

Law and Philosophy -     

Reply to Martha Nussbaum and Ian Hacking

Law and Philosophy -     

Cognitive factors and classification issues in adolescent depression

A review and critique of the cognitive research among adolescent depressives are presented. It is concluded that the cognitive data and other research indicate a cooccurrence of depression, anxiety and conduct disorders among adolescents. Implications for clinical classification and gender differences among these diagnoses are discussed. Suggestions are offered for how these diagnoses among adolescents relate to diagnoses during young adulthood. It is argued that the cooccurrence of disorders must be taken into account in the study of adolescent depression both as a continuous personality construct and as a diagnosed conduct disorder.This paper was prepared for the SRCD Conference on Development and Adolescent Depression, ETS and Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, June 3–6, 1987.Received Ph.D. from University of Illinois at urbana-Champaign. Research interests are in life-span factors and treatments of mood disorders.     

The limits of incrementalism: Carter's efforts at tax reform

Candidate Jimmy Carter adopted tax reform as a major presidential campaign issue in 1976, calling the tax system “a disgrace to the human race” and promising greater equity, efficiency, and simplicity. As president, however, Carter failed in his efforts to effect tax reform, primarily because he did not make his reform proposals sweeping or radical enough. This failure suggests that a policy of incrementalism, of step-by-step legislative change, has serious limits when applied to a long-entrenched governmental program. Incremental change may be appropriate for advancing or extending social programs but insufficient for curbing them or substantially shifting their direction.     

Iraq's New Constitution: Recipe for Stability or Chaos?

The key to Iraq's future stability and prosperity ultimately depends not on the daily struggle to improve security, but on devising a new and workable constitution. Approval of a draft Constitution in a referendum in October 2005 has not ended the debate: the Sunni Arabs in particular remain bitterly opposed to some of its provisions, especially those on federalism. Negotiations are to resume shortly on possible amendments to the Constitution, and the newly elected Council of Representatives has the daunting task of drafting the large number of laws needed to implement it. This analysis looks at the key clusters of issues which continue to divide Iraq's communities and at the prospects for enduring compromises, as well as the impact of this bold constitutional experiment on other states in the region. It concludes that overcoming the main threat to success—the stoking of sectarian tendencies by continuing violence—ultimately requires Iraq's leaders to adopt a mindset which puts the common good ahead of short-term sectarian advantage. These leaders have shown in the past their ability to make the necessary compromises to keep the political process on track and, with strong support from the international community, are likely to do so again. The new constitution can therefore provide the basis for a stable and prosperous Iraq, as well as a powerful example for others in the region.