Stephen Kershnar
Biographic Data
| ID | 4504454 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stephen Kershnar |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stephen |
| FAMILY NAME | Kershnar |
| SIGNATURE | KERSHNAR S |
| AFFILIATIONS | SUNY Fredonia |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2928-1347 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Fearlessly Puncturing the Progressive Worldview
Philosopher Stephen Kershnar reviews Progressive Myths, by Michael Huemer, “a fun and powerful read” in which Huemer inspects a plenitude of factual claims made by progressives that “are demonstrably false or highly misleading.”
The Strange Implications for Bioethics of Taking Christianity Seriously
Was Newark’s “White Flight” Racist
An account of Jack Cashill’s fascinating memoir Untenable: The True Story of White Ethnic Flight from America’s Cities. Cashill’s book focuses on the city of Newark, NJ and challenges the academically entrenched view that whites left urban centers in droves during the postwar decades because of anti-black prejudice. Instead, Cashill identifies large roles for destructive federal housing programs, deteriorating public schools, and exploding crime …
The Mathematics of Desert: Merit, Fit, and Well-Being
Here, we argue for a mathematical equation that captures desert. Our procedure consists of setting out principles that a correct equation must satisfy and then arguing that our set of equations satisfies them. We then consider two objections to the equation. First, an objector might argue that desert and well-being separately contribute to intrinsic goodness, and they do not separately contribute. The concern here is that our equations treat them…
Consequentialism and the Case of Symmetrical Attackers
There are puzzle cases that forfeiture theory has trouble handling, such as the issue of what happens to the rights of two qualitatively identical people who simultaneously launch unprovoked attacks against the other. Each person either has or lacks the right to defend against the other. If one attacker has the right, then the other does not and vice versa. Yet the two are qualitatively identical so it is impossible for one to have the right if t…
Pedophilia and Adult-Child Sex: A Philosophical Analysis
A Complex Experiential Account of Pleasure
Some Difficult Intuitions for the Principle of Universality
The Principle of Universality asserts that a part retains its intrinsic value regardless of the whole in which it is a part or even whether it is part of a whole. The idea underlying this principle is that the intrinsic value of a thing supervenes on its intrinsic properties. Since the intrinsic properties remain unchanged so does the thing's intrinsic value. In this article, I argue that, properly understood, the Principle of Universality can ha…
The Time of Intrinsic Value
Why Equal Opportunity is not a Valuable Goal
In this paper, I provide an analysis of equal opportunity. I argue that equal opportunity occurs where two or more persons with equal natural abilities and willingness to work hard have chances at various jobs that are in the aggregate of equal value. I then argue that equal opportunity is neither valuable nor something that the government ought to pursue. First, it is not clear why we should value opportunities rather than outcomes. Second, the …
A Liberal Argument for Slavery
Desert, Retribution, and Torture
Chapter 1 Acknowledgments Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Desert:The Structure of Punitive Desert Chapter 4 The Basis of Deserved Punishment is a Culpable Wrongdoing Chapter 5 The Justification of Deserved Punishment via General Moral Principles Chapter 6 Retributivism: A Defense of Retributivism Chapter 7 Reflexive Retributive Duties Chapter 8 Rights Forfeiture in the Context of Culpable Wrongdoing Chapter 9 Harsh Punishment: Mercy and Harsh Pu…
Strong Affirmative Action Programs and Disproportionate Burdens
George Sher’s Theory of Deserved Punishment, and the Victimized Wrongdoer
Critique de la theorie de la punition meritee developpee par G. Sher a partir de l'idee d'une compensation de l'avantage injuste du malfaiteur, d'une part, et a partir d'une theorie diachronique de la justice fondee sur la distribution des benefices et des charges, d'autre part. Soulevant le probleme de la victimisation du malfaiteur et le probleme du traitement different de deux malfaiteurs moralement indistincts, l'A. montre que la theorie de S…
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George Sher’s Theory of Deserved Punishment, and the Victimized Wrongdoer
Critique de la theorie de la punition meritee developpee par G. Sher a partir de l'idee d'une compensation de l'avantage injuste du malfaiteur, d'une part, et a partir d'une theorie diachronique de la justice fondee sur la distribution des benefices et des charges, d'autre part. Soulevant le probleme de la victimisation du malfaiteur et le probleme du traitement different de deux malfaiteurs moralement indistincts, l'A. montre que la theorie de S…
Strong Affirmative Action Programs and Disproportionate Burdens
Desert, Retribution, and Torture
Chapter 1 Acknowledgments Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Desert:The Structure of Punitive Desert Chapter 4 The Basis of Deserved Punishment is a Culpable Wrongdoing Chapter 5 The Justification of Deserved Punishment via General Moral Principles Chapter 6 Retributivism: A Defense of Retributivism Chapter 7 Reflexive Retributive Duties Chapter 8 Rights Forfeiture in the Context of Culpable Wrongdoing Chapter 9 Harsh Punishment: Mercy and Harsh Pu…
A Liberal Argument for Slavery
Why Equal Opportunity is not a Valuable Goal
In this paper, I provide an analysis of equal opportunity. I argue that equal opportunity occurs where two or more persons with equal natural abilities and willingness to work hard have chances at various jobs that are in the aggregate of equal value. I then argue that equal opportunity is neither valuable nor something that the government ought to pursue. First, it is not clear why we should value opportunities rather than outcomes. Second, the …
The Time of Intrinsic Value
Some Difficult Intuitions for the Principle of Universality
The Principle of Universality asserts that a part retains its intrinsic value regardless of the whole in which it is a part or even whether it is part of a whole. The idea underlying this principle is that the intrinsic value of a thing supervenes on its intrinsic properties. Since the intrinsic properties remain unchanged so does the thing's intrinsic value. In this article, I argue that, properly understood, the Principle of Universality can ha…
A Complex Experiential Account of Pleasure
Pedophilia and Adult-Child Sex: A Philosophical Analysis
Consequentialism and the Case of Symmetrical Attackers
There are puzzle cases that forfeiture theory has trouble handling, such as the issue of what happens to the rights of two qualitatively identical people who simultaneously launch unprovoked attacks against the other. Each person either has or lacks the right to defend against the other. If one attacker has the right, then the other does not and vice versa. Yet the two are qualitatively identical so it is impossible for one to have the right if t…
The Mathematics of Desert: Merit, Fit, and Well-Being
Here, we argue for a mathematical equation that captures desert. Our procedure consists of setting out principles that a correct equation must satisfy and then arguing that our set of equations satisfies them. We then consider two objections to the equation. First, an objector might argue that desert and well-being separately contribute to intrinsic goodness, and they do not separately contribute. The concern here is that our equations treat them…
The Strange Implications for Bioethics of Taking Christianity Seriously
Was Newark’s “White Flight” Racist
An account of Jack Cashill’s fascinating memoir Untenable: The True Story of White Ethnic Flight from America’s Cities. Cashill’s book focuses on the city of Newark, NJ and challenges the academically entrenched view that whites left urban centers in droves during the postwar decades because of anti-black prejudice. Instead, Cashill identifies large roles for destructive federal housing programs, deteriorating public schools, and exploding crime …
Fearlessly Puncturing the Progressive Worldview
Philosopher Stephen Kershnar reviews Progressive Myths, by Michael Huemer, “a fun and powerful read” in which Huemer inspects a plenitude of factual claims made by progressives that “are demonstrably false or highly misleading.”
Law (7 works) · Political science (7 works) · Epistemology (5 works) · Philosophy (5 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Mathematics (4 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Economics (3 works) · Free Will and Agency (3 works)