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Reply to Marquis: how things stand with the 'future like ours' argument
1Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 956 Court Avenue, Suite G212, Memphis, Tennessee 38163, USA. cstrong@uthsc.edu
Journal of Medical Ethics
|April 17, 2012
Summary
This essay critiques Don Marquis's abortion argument, finding his revised sufficient condition argument unsuccessful. The author addresses previous objections and demonstrates the argument's continued flaws.
Area of Science:
- Bioethics
- Philosophy of Medicine
Background:
- Don Marquis presented a well-known argument against abortion.
- The author previously critiqued two versions: the essence argument and the sufficient condition argument.
- Marquis has since revised his argument in response to this critique.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze Don Marquis's revised argument against abortion.
- To evaluate whether Marquis's new sufficient condition argument overcomes previous objections.
- To demonstrate the continued lack of success in Marquis's argument.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical analysis of Don Marquis's abortion argument.
- Examination of the revised sufficient condition argument.
- Response to Marquis's modifications and previous counterexamples.
Main Results:
- Marquis's revised argument abandons the essence argument.
- The new sufficient condition argument fails to address prior objections adequately.
- The revised argument is deemed unsuccessful in establishing its conclusion.
Conclusions:
- Don Marquis's revised argument against abortion remains unsuccessful.
- The author's previous objections to the sufficient condition argument still stand.
- Further refinement is needed for arguments concerning the morality of abortion.
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