Research
Latest Work
Compulsory Vaccination and Nozickian Rights, Journal of Applied Philosophy, 2022.
This article examines compulsory vaccination from the perspective of Nozick’s theory of rights. It argues that the unvaccinated are a threat, even if unintended, to the rights of others. The reasons Nozick provides for when such threats may be forcibly prevented, such as the identifiability of the rights-violator, general fear of the risky activity, probability of harm, and the general benefits of the activity, are examined and it is argued that those reasons weigh in favor of prohibition of the threat and hence in favor of compulsory vaccination. It is also argued that anyone opposed to compulsory vaccination on Nozickian grounds faces a dilemma: if they reject compulsory vaccination they also risk rejecting the very foundations of the legitimacy of the state.
Freedom and Happiness: Does freedom make people happy? Journal of Political Science: Bulletin of Yerevan University, 2022.
The article analyzes the relationship between freedom and happiness, in particular whether freedom makes people happy. The problem of freedom and happiness in the modern world affects the life of every person. Utilitarians argue that freedom, understood as the absence of constraints, increases people's happiness, as J. S. Mill argued in On Liberty. More recently there have been a number of empirical studies examining whether happiness levels are higher in societies that have more liberty. These studies are critically examined and some of the difficulties of establishing whether it is liberty or some other closely-related phenomena, such as democracy or development that cause happiness are discussed. The article presents data from Freedom House and the Happy Planet Index to attempt to determine the effect of liberty on happiness. This enables us to determine the place of freedom in the hierarchy of values and understand its place in society and its significance for the individual.
The Case Against Mandatory Vaccination Dilemma 7, Center for Population-Level Bioethics, Rutgers University
This short article attempts to set out the strongest arguments available against mandatory vaccination for Covid-19. Other pieces on the site discuss the same issue from different perspectives. (Disclaimer: I am actually in favour of mandates but in this piece I tried to imagine what arguments could be made against them. )
Populism in Armenia: A Conceptual Framework and its Application
Forthcoming in Reinhard Heinisch (editor) Populism in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union (Nomos Publishing, 2022).
In this essay, I set out four criteria for populism; it views society as divided between the people and the corrupt elite; it is characterised by personalistic leadership; involves direct communication with the people; and focuses on short-term policies. I also distinguish four types of populism: authoritarian left populism, authoritarian right populism, democratic left populism, and democratic right populism. Finally I describe the political landscape of Armenia and using the criteria for populism identify two populist actors: the liberal-democratic revolutionary Nikol Pashinyan and the right-wing businessman philanthropist Gagik Tsarukyan.
Paternalism
Paternalism is the restriction of an individual's freedom for that person's own good, rather than to protect or benefit others or for some other reason. See this separate page for information about my book Foundations of Freedom: Welfare-Based Argument against Paternalism. As well as the book, I have published a number of other articles on paternalism, discussing what it is, what different theoretical approaches say about it, and applying it to particular issues.
‘A Definition of Paternalism’, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 5/1, 2002. pp. 81-91. This article sets out a more precise definition of paternalism and compares it to some other definitions.
‘Paternalism and the Right of Access to Medical Records’, Journal of Information Ethics, 12/1, 2003, pp. 80-91. In most countries, access to one's own medical records may be refused if it would, in a doctor's opinion, prejudice the physical or mental health of the individual. This article examines reasons for and against having access, with particular focus on paternalistic justifications against allowing people access to their medical records.
‘Debate: State Paternalism, Neutrality and Perfectionism’, Journal of Political Philosophy, 14/1, 2006, pp. 111-121. Neutrality refers to the idea that government should be neutral towards different conceptions of the good, while perfectionism by contrast holds that government should favour worthwhile conceptions of the good. This article offers a view that combines the two positions, requiring neutrality for government's paternalistic actions but allowing perfectionism in non-paternalistic government action.
'The Self-Development Argument for Individual Freedom', Minerva: An Internet Journal of Philosophy, Volume 10, 2006. This is reprinted as chapter two in my book Foundations of Freedom (see above).
‘Principles of Paternalism’, Journal of Applied Ethics and Philosophy, 1/1, 2009, pp. 30-38. This article further defends the view that paternalism is justified only if it is neutral between conceptions of the good, and examines and rejects three other views of when paternalism is justified.
Neutrality
Some political theories hold that government must be neutral between various religious views and conceptions of the good life. In these writings I examine the notion of neutrality and some of the arguments for and against it:
‘Contractarianism, Liberal Neutrality, and Epistemology’, Political Studies, 47/4, 1999, pp. 627-642.
‘Debate: State Paternalism, Neutrality and Perfectionism’, Journal of Political Philosophy, 14/1, 2006, pp. 111-121.
'Consequential Neutrality Revivified’ in Daniel Weinstock and Roberto Merrill (eds.), Political Neutrality: A Re-evaluation (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).
'Prophylactic Neutrality, Oppression, and the Reverse Pascal's Wager,' Ethical Perspectives, 19/3, 2012, pp. 527-535.