I'm still waiting for my long-running Fabre review to come out in print, but since it led me to subscribe to Journal of Value Inquiry email updates, I saw their latest issue (some sort of double issue) is on the very related theme of 'Markets and Medicine' (link, subscription required).
Table of Contents:
Volume 40 Number 2-3 of "The Journal of Value Inquiry" is now available on the SpringerLink web site at http://springerlink.com/openurl.asp?genre=journal&issn=1573-0492
By clicking on the URLs below you can access the abstracts for each article. If your browser does not support direct URL access, please copy and paste the selected URL to your web browser.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Introduction: Markets and Medicine
Author(s): James Stacey Taylor
Page: 149 - 154
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9033-4
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Collapsing Goods in Medicine and the Value of Innovation
Author(s): Thomas Magnell
Page: 155 - 168
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9032-5
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Collapsing Goods, Innovation, and Precaution
Author(s): Chris Macdonald
Page: 169 - 179
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9052-1
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Collapsing Goods and the Milieu of Innovation
Author(s): William Kline
Page: 181 - 193
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9039-y
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Research, Development, and the Availability of Health Care Products: The Market, Regulation, and Legal Liability
Author(s): Ana S. Iltis
Page: 195 - 208
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9042-3
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Medical Innovation, Collapsing Goods, and the Moral Centrality of the Free-Market
Author(s): Mark J. Cherry
Page: 209 - 226
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9043-2
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Innovation and the Persistent Challenge of Collapsing Goods
Author(s): Benjamin Hippen
Page: 227 - 233
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9044-1
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Sinister Innovations: Beware the Co-optation of Clinical Ethics Consultation
Author(s): Lisa M. Rasmussen
Page: 235 - 242
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9049-9
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Individual Goods, Collective Goods, and the Aims of Medicine
Author(s): Daniel E. Palmer
Page: 243 - 258
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9048-x
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Unusual Requests and the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Author(s): Nafsika Athanassoulis
Page: 259 - 278
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9053-0
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In Defense of the Commercial Provision of Blood: Reactions to Voluntarism in the United States National Blood Policy in the Early 1970s
Author(s): Jeremy Shearmur
Page: 279 - 295
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9058-8
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Organ Procurement, Altruism, and Autonomy
Author(s): Sarah Mcgrath
Page: 297 - 309
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9050-3
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The Morality of an Internet Market in Human Ova
Author(s): Amy E. White
Page: 311 - 321
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9047-y
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Social Constraint, Emergent Goods, and Human Kidney Markets
Author(s): Paul M. Hughes
Page: 323 - 340
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9041-4
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Commercial Medicine and the Ethics of the Profit Motive
Author(s): Adrian J. Walsh
Page: 341 - 357
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9046-z
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The Politics of Medical and Health Ethics: Collapsing Goods and the Moral Climate
Author(s): Bob Brecher
Page: 359 - 370
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9045-0
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Justice in Health Care
Author(s): Jan Narveson
Page: 371 - 384
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9051-2
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Rights, Values, Regulation, and Health Care
Author(s): Tibor R. Machan
Page: 385 - 391
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-007-9040-5
Too bad my review didn't make it, because it does seem related, but looks like there was no space for any book reviews in this special issue.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Return to Oxford Confirmed
This morning I got an email finally telling me for certain that I have a room in Ship Street for next year, so I'll definitely be returning to Oxford in 0th week. (Probably not until Monday or Tuesday). Just as well as I'd already begun teaching preparation (mostly for a Classical Political Thought-lite paper for a visiting student), which included reading Rawls' Lectures on the History of Political Philosophy (just £16.92 on Amazon) for Chris Brooke's seminar (lecture lists available here). Hopefully I'll find some time to work on my thesis, which has lapsed a bit while I've been home...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Porto 1-1 Liverpool
If a draw was reasonably satisfactory at Portsmouth then here, clearly the toughest game of the CL group, it was something I'd happily have settled for prior to kick off - and, following the match, was practically delighted to achieve.
Sadly, despite being restored to 'full strength' our team never looked at the races, and by the time they scored we could already have been 3-0 down. I suppose it's a positive that Reina has so far only conceded goals to penalties, but we are giving away a penalty every other game... Not that there's any doubt about this one, or Pennant's second yellow - which was an obvious accident waiting to happen.
Thankfully, Porto - a bit like Man Utd at the moment - are a team full of creative flair players but with no one there to provide the real cutting edge in the box, and they couldn't make us pay even when we were down to ten men.
Sadly, despite being restored to 'full strength' our team never looked at the races, and by the time they scored we could already have been 3-0 down. I suppose it's a positive that Reina has so far only conceded goals to penalties, but we are giving away a penalty every other game... Not that there's any doubt about this one, or Pennant's second yellow - which was an obvious accident waiting to happen.
Thankfully, Porto - a bit like Man Utd at the moment - are a team full of creative flair players but with no one there to provide the real cutting edge in the box, and they couldn't make us pay even when we were down to ten men.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Portsmouth 0-0 Liverpool
Grrr, Blogger just lost a rather lengthy post, so briefly:
- Fratton Park tough place to go.
- Selection dodgy, but dictated I feel by international week more than Porto.
- Crouch more effective in Europe; pace would've been more of a threat to Campbell/Distin.
- We still could've won and hit woodwork.
- Penalty was by letter of the law, but if it was applied consistently you'd see a lot more of them given.
- Academic given Reina's save.
- Can't object to Alonso's booking either, but you see Man Utd and Chelsea haranguing officials all the time...
- We need to learn how to score undeserved late winners.
- Fratton Park tough place to go.
- Selection dodgy, but dictated I feel by international week more than Porto.
- Crouch more effective in Europe; pace would've been more of a threat to Campbell/Distin.
- We still could've won and hit woodwork.
- Penalty was by letter of the law, but if it was applied consistently you'd see a lot more of them given.
- Academic given Reina's save.
- Can't object to Alonso's booking either, but you see Man Utd and Chelsea haranguing officials all the time...
- We need to learn how to score undeserved late winners.
Temporary Jobs
After my recent post about uncertainty, I thought it worth some further comment on short-term job contracts. It looks like I might face such uncertainty for some time, hopping between temporary jobs.
Jobs.ac.uk has a new article on the challenges this raises, although in truth it's somewhat banal - stating a lot of obvious problems, including lack of summer/sick pay, job insecurity, increased need for teaching preparation hindering research and inability to buy a house, though without really exploring them in much detail or offering much worthwhile advice (other than 'stick at it and build up experience/contacts').
The Guardian reports that we could be facing a shortage of PhD-qualified researchers, following raised undergraduate tuition fees, which could be a mildly positive thing for those of us already further down that road.
Jobs.ac.uk has a new article on the challenges this raises, although in truth it's somewhat banal - stating a lot of obvious problems, including lack of summer/sick pay, job insecurity, increased need for teaching preparation hindering research and inability to buy a house, though without really exploring them in much detail or offering much worthwhile advice (other than 'stick at it and build up experience/contacts').
The Guardian reports that we could be facing a shortage of PhD-qualified researchers, following raised undergraduate tuition fees, which could be a mildly positive thing for those of us already further down that road.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Signing the Obvious
I predict the next sign to read 'Do As You're Told'...
Quite interesting actually, as I've recently been having a discussion with my friend Pavel about morality. I'm not really sure whether his position is that morality is some kind of sham or just that you don't have reasons to comply/be motivated without enforcement, but having just re-read Machiavelli's Prince I was reminded of it.
UPDATE: Another similar example over at CT.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Methods in Political Theory
Especially for anyone about to start grad school and sit through a bunch of courses on methodology... CT debates the methodology of political theory/philosophy. I seem to recall that the feeling of me and my fellow students was very much 'we don't have methodology, we just do it'.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Uncertain Future
My return to Oxford is still somewhat up in the air. Since I'm beyond fee liability, I'm no longer automatically entitled to the college accommodation I've enjoyed for the last 7 years and, because I was applying for jobs outside Oxford, I didn't make any alternative arrangements. As it is, I suppose I'm now technically house-hunting, although I wouldn't rule out occasional commuting from Colchester, given that I can live rent free with my parents.
Anyway, the ideal would be room in Oxford, preferably with flexibility on the lease (possibly only for MT). After months of uncertainty, last I'd heard from college was that there may be some spare rooms after allocating freshers. They were supposed to be able to let me know by 1st September, however apparently our accommodation officer is now off ill (I'd guess caused by all the stress she has around this time of year), so I still haven't had any confirmation of whether I can get a college room.
Consequently, I still don't know where I'll be when term starts in around a month's time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can get that room, in which case I guess I'd move in around 0th week (so I'm not really inconvenienced yet). It does, however, present difficulties for my planning and preparation.
I've noticed one real problem for people around my career stage is the inability to make long-term plans. Previously I'd been aware of things like the difficulty buying a house with short term job contracts, but recently I've seen how - while I was waiting on other jobs applications - a lot of teaching work that was available has already gone to people willing and able to commit early. It seems an uncertain future forces short termism in decision making, which may be an example of rational 'maximin' decision making but effectively rules out certain ideal outcomes.
This is, of course, the kind of thing I've long been generally aware of, but some more personal experience had really reminded me how undesirable it can be. This has also had me thinking about social arrangements. One consequence of the random decision mechanism I examine in my thesis, lottery-voting, is that future outcomes are always unpredictable. Would this uncertainty be bad for all involved? I have a number of quick responses:
i) Uncertainty is not always bad. Sometimes we enjoy surprise and excitement. Often we don't want to know everything about our future - a particularly good example being when we're going to die.
ii) When it is bad, I think the effects of uncertainty are often worsened by inequality. For instance, I didn't commit to teaching because I'm not certain to be in Oxford, while other people could because they are. If no one was certain, then no one would miss out.
ii) Uncertainty may be the lesser evil, compared to be certain loser. At least minorities under a scheme of lottery-voting can hope to get their way, and this is an important reason for them to continue to 'play the game'.
Ironically, if there are fewer college rooms than applicants waiting/hoping for them, my return to Oxford may come down to a random ballot...
Anyway, the ideal would be room in Oxford, preferably with flexibility on the lease (possibly only for MT). After months of uncertainty, last I'd heard from college was that there may be some spare rooms after allocating freshers. They were supposed to be able to let me know by 1st September, however apparently our accommodation officer is now off ill (I'd guess caused by all the stress she has around this time of year), so I still haven't had any confirmation of whether I can get a college room.
Consequently, I still don't know where I'll be when term starts in around a month's time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can get that room, in which case I guess I'd move in around 0th week (so I'm not really inconvenienced yet). It does, however, present difficulties for my planning and preparation.
I've noticed one real problem for people around my career stage is the inability to make long-term plans. Previously I'd been aware of things like the difficulty buying a house with short term job contracts, but recently I've seen how - while I was waiting on other jobs applications - a lot of teaching work that was available has already gone to people willing and able to commit early. It seems an uncertain future forces short termism in decision making, which may be an example of rational 'maximin' decision making but effectively rules out certain ideal outcomes.
This is, of course, the kind of thing I've long been generally aware of, but some more personal experience had really reminded me how undesirable it can be. This has also had me thinking about social arrangements. One consequence of the random decision mechanism I examine in my thesis, lottery-voting, is that future outcomes are always unpredictable. Would this uncertainty be bad for all involved? I have a number of quick responses:
i) Uncertainty is not always bad. Sometimes we enjoy surprise and excitement. Often we don't want to know everything about our future - a particularly good example being when we're going to die.
ii) When it is bad, I think the effects of uncertainty are often worsened by inequality. For instance, I didn't commit to teaching because I'm not certain to be in Oxford, while other people could because they are. If no one was certain, then no one would miss out.
ii) Uncertainty may be the lesser evil, compared to be certain loser. At least minorities under a scheme of lottery-voting can hope to get their way, and this is an important reason for them to continue to 'play the game'.
Ironically, if there are fewer college rooms than applicants waiting/hoping for them, my return to Oxford may come down to a random ballot...
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Student Loan Interest Doubles
I wasn't actually aware of this until my mum told me last night, but the interest on student loans increased this month from 2.4% to 4.8%. There's a group on Facebook warning/protesting about the change but, though it was in The Guardian, I don't beleive it's been well-publicized - I certainly could find anything on the BBC website, though they did report on the same thing happening in 2003.
I've never complained about paying interest on my loan, because I always knew it was inflation-linked so my debt (about £13,000) isn't growing in real terms. Moreover, I know the reason for the sudden hike is, in part, that the rate changes only once a year. If inflation had been a steady 3%, then the SLC would've been making a loss on my money all last year.
However, I don't think much of the way the SLC is run. The first time this personally affected me was when they notified me I was entitled to an extra £200 in my second year then refused to give it to me. Generally, since I haven't been paying off, I haven't had much dealing with them, but I've heard a few nasty stories. This large and almost unpublicized rate increase is just what I'd expect.
Also, I can't remember the difference between the RPI and CPI, but I'd like to know why this is tied to the former, which is much higher. The government takes the CPI as its measure of inflation, and is targeting 2% (though it's been between 2 and 3% most of the year). Why then is the inflation figure used for our loan 4.8?
(Still, the good news is many savings accounts can still beat that - in part due to higher interest rates to keep the inflation down)
I've never complained about paying interest on my loan, because I always knew it was inflation-linked so my debt (about £13,000) isn't growing in real terms. Moreover, I know the reason for the sudden hike is, in part, that the rate changes only once a year. If inflation had been a steady 3%, then the SLC would've been making a loss on my money all last year.
However, I don't think much of the way the SLC is run. The first time this personally affected me was when they notified me I was entitled to an extra £200 in my second year then refused to give it to me. Generally, since I haven't been paying off, I haven't had much dealing with them, but I've heard a few nasty stories. This large and almost unpublicized rate increase is just what I'd expect.
Also, I can't remember the difference between the RPI and CPI, but I'd like to know why this is tied to the former, which is much higher. The government takes the CPI as its measure of inflation, and is targeting 2% (though it's been between 2 and 3% most of the year). Why then is the inflation figure used for our loan 4.8?
(Still, the good news is many savings accounts can still beat that - in part due to higher interest rates to keep the inflation down)
Sunday, September 02, 2007
NHS and Postcode Lotteries, Again
This is becoming a recurring theme (e.g. here, here and generally), but while regional differences in NHS provision may violate the principle of generic consistency, postcodes aren't a lottery. Nonetheless, BBC are repeating the fallacy again.
In fact, since you can change where you live (like religion, but unlike skin colour), it could be argued you can move to reflect the healthcare provision you desire (or require), although this might lead to local NHS decisions affecting house prices - which would be like allowing rich parents to buy good school places through purchasing houses in local catchement areas (see the Brighton case).
If postcodes were assigned by lottery, then this would seem a perfectly rational way of rationing scarce treatment/drug supplies. As it is, if we want to end the unequal treatment of people with the same conditions, it seems our only option is to do away with decentralized decisions, so the same NHS policy applies to everyone.
It seems those bringing this challenge don't even understand the notion of scarcity. "The Department of Health said... [trusts] should not refuse to pay because a drug is too expensive." So, if it would cost the NHS £20 million to keep me alive - albeit poorly - for an extra six months, is that something they should do? You could buy Fernando Torres for that...
In fact, since you can change where you live (like religion, but unlike skin colour), it could be argued you can move to reflect the healthcare provision you desire (or require), although this might lead to local NHS decisions affecting house prices - which would be like allowing rich parents to buy good school places through purchasing houses in local catchement areas (see the Brighton case).
If postcodes were assigned by lottery, then this would seem a perfectly rational way of rationing scarce treatment/drug supplies. As it is, if we want to end the unequal treatment of people with the same conditions, it seems our only option is to do away with decentralized decisions, so the same NHS policy applies to everyone.
It seems those bringing this challenge don't even understand the notion of scarcity. "The Department of Health said... [trusts] should not refuse to pay because a drug is too expensive." So, if it would cost the NHS £20 million to keep me alive - albeit poorly - for an extra six months, is that something they should do? You could buy Fernando Torres for that...
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Liverpool 6-0 Derby
Continuing a week of convincing scorelines, today we scored our biggest win under Rafa to go top of the Premiership for the first time under his management. Granted, it was only Derby County, and even a stuttering Spurs managed to hit four past them, but these are the kind of teams we've sometimes struggled to break down in the past, especially without Gerrard.
In the absence of Stevie, Alonso got a chance to run the midfield (with Mascherano tidying up for him) and - like Lampard - seems to play better without Gerrard over-shadowing him. I'm not sure Alonso meant his 40 yard curling free-kick to open the scoring - I think it was intended for the head of Kuyt and, like a cross-shot, fortuitously went in without that touch. Regardless, however, it was a well-struck kick and Kuyt's role shouldn't be underestimated - with him hovering, the 'keeper couldn't commit either way in case he took a touch. (I saw RvN perform a similar move once for Man Utd - made the goal without touching the ball).
I don't want to dwell too much on the goals, but it was good to see Babel notch his first - though whether it owed more to his skill or two Derby defenders tackling each other I'm not sure - and Torres confirmed his general all-round ability to take balls into his feet, over the top or in the air. Last season our strikers could manage all of those between them, but this season we have it in one packet, and three goals so far isn't bad for a settling in period.
Just because we're top of the table - at least until Chelsea play tomorrow - I don't want to get carried away though. Last time we were top - November 2001 or 02 - was following a great start but we then collapsed and went on a disastrous run (after Dudek allowed Forlan to score twice). Under Rafa we've tended to have a slow start rather than a November slump (which had been our previous habit), but we've still tended to have good and bad runs a bit. Hopefully rotation will keep the squad fit and sharp and mean we can keep on producing results like this; however I've yet to see how we'd react to going behind or really having to grind out a win, and those are the qualities that separate champions over the 38 game marathon.
In the absence of Stevie, Alonso got a chance to run the midfield (with Mascherano tidying up for him) and - like Lampard - seems to play better without Gerrard over-shadowing him. I'm not sure Alonso meant his 40 yard curling free-kick to open the scoring - I think it was intended for the head of Kuyt and, like a cross-shot, fortuitously went in without that touch. Regardless, however, it was a well-struck kick and Kuyt's role shouldn't be underestimated - with him hovering, the 'keeper couldn't commit either way in case he took a touch. (I saw RvN perform a similar move once for Man Utd - made the goal without touching the ball).
I don't want to dwell too much on the goals, but it was good to see Babel notch his first - though whether it owed more to his skill or two Derby defenders tackling each other I'm not sure - and Torres confirmed his general all-round ability to take balls into his feet, over the top or in the air. Last season our strikers could manage all of those between them, but this season we have it in one packet, and three goals so far isn't bad for a settling in period.
Just because we're top of the table - at least until Chelsea play tomorrow - I don't want to get carried away though. Last time we were top - November 2001 or 02 - was following a great start but we then collapsed and went on a disastrous run (after Dudek allowed Forlan to score twice). Under Rafa we've tended to have a slow start rather than a November slump (which had been our previous habit), but we've still tended to have good and bad runs a bit. Hopefully rotation will keep the squad fit and sharp and mean we can keep on producing results like this; however I've yet to see how we'd react to going behind or really having to grind out a win, and those are the qualities that separate champions over the 38 game marathon.
Extreme Minorities under FPTP
I commented a little while ago on the often raised danger of extreme minorities winning under lottery-voting. I feel I should point out that this danger is not restricted to lottery-voting. The people over at Make My Vote Count point to this example, where a BNP candidate is elected under FPTP.
As they point out, two-thirds of the vote were cast against him, but that in itself isn't too surprising - given the number of parties running, a plurality is often attained with just 30-40% of the vote, and Labour won a Commons majority with around 35% of the national vote. If we speculate, however, that the BNP candidate would probably have been last choice, at least of those on the left (if not perhaps UKIP voters), then he could have been defeated by any system that took second preferences into account.
Another possibility would, of course, be to copy the French presidential 'plurality run-off' model. In this case, the BNP candidate would make the second round - much like Le Pen did in 2002 - but similarly would probably lose heavily.
As they point out, two-thirds of the vote were cast against him, but that in itself isn't too surprising - given the number of parties running, a plurality is often attained with just 30-40% of the vote, and Labour won a Commons majority with around 35% of the national vote. If we speculate, however, that the BNP candidate would probably have been last choice, at least of those on the left (if not perhaps UKIP voters), then he could have been defeated by any system that took second preferences into account.
Another possibility would, of course, be to copy the French presidential 'plurality run-off' model. In this case, the BNP candidate would make the second round - much like Le Pen did in 2002 - but similarly would probably lose heavily.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Liverpool 4-0 Toulouse (CL Qualifier)
I was saying to a friend the other day that it's not often we wrap games up. Against Aston Villa we almost paid the penalty, against Chelsea we did and even at Sunderland we left it late to make the game safe with a second. Well, this potential banana skin didn't cause me much worry once Crouch had added to our first-leg lead, but it wasn't until Hyypia's towering header just after half time that I was sure it was safe.
The two late goals from Kuyt added a gloss to the scoreline that was hardly undeserved, but the truth is that each of our strikers could've had 3 or 4 and - what's more worrying - they weren't denied by good goal-keeping, as at Sunderland, but an inability to hit the target from relatively clear chances. Neither Crouch nor Kuyt really create many chances for themselves - by which, I don't mean they score tap-ins with little left to do, but they do rely on others to deliver them the ball in the box - so I think their finishing ought to be better, although they do contribute to the team defensively too.
In general, however, I'm very happy with a team that was missing Gerrard and Carragher, but showed our strength in depth this season. Hyypia proved himself a very dependable stand-by. Not only is he still a great defender, but he was prepared to get forward and - at one point, just after the commentator mentioned his spriteliness - was seen running up the right flank. Truth be told, it was probably a good job he wasn't tested by a pacy attack, but the fact he was able to lose his marker not only for the second goal but also at the next corner suggests it was actually the French who had trouble catching him.
The other performer who stood out was, of course, Benayoun. Yet to figure in the Premiership this season, he was our main creative influence and suggested he could be key in unlocking tight defences with clever passing. A very different player to Pennant, I noticed he is willing to stay wide to receive the ball, but prefer to cut in with possession. With both of them playing well, Rafa has a tough selection problem on his hands - though for one I'd like to see both now, swapping flanks, against Derby at the weekend.
The two late goals from Kuyt added a gloss to the scoreline that was hardly undeserved, but the truth is that each of our strikers could've had 3 or 4 and - what's more worrying - they weren't denied by good goal-keeping, as at Sunderland, but an inability to hit the target from relatively clear chances. Neither Crouch nor Kuyt really create many chances for themselves - by which, I don't mean they score tap-ins with little left to do, but they do rely on others to deliver them the ball in the box - so I think their finishing ought to be better, although they do contribute to the team defensively too.
In general, however, I'm very happy with a team that was missing Gerrard and Carragher, but showed our strength in depth this season. Hyypia proved himself a very dependable stand-by. Not only is he still a great defender, but he was prepared to get forward and - at one point, just after the commentator mentioned his spriteliness - was seen running up the right flank. Truth be told, it was probably a good job he wasn't tested by a pacy attack, but the fact he was able to lose his marker not only for the second goal but also at the next corner suggests it was actually the French who had trouble catching him.
The other performer who stood out was, of course, Benayoun. Yet to figure in the Premiership this season, he was our main creative influence and suggested he could be key in unlocking tight defences with clever passing. A very different player to Pennant, I noticed he is willing to stay wide to receive the ball, but prefer to cut in with possession. With both of them playing well, Rafa has a tough selection problem on his hands - though for one I'd like to see both now, swapping flanks, against Derby at the weekend.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Sunderland 0-2 Liverpool
After easing in most of the new signings, today saw Voronin and Babel given their first starts in the Premiership. On this evidence, Sunderland once again are a long way short on quality, however an away fixture is still a tricky one as Spurs have already found this season. Entering without Gerrard, I worried this is the kind of game that in past season's we'd have drawn or even lost.
As it was, Sunderland were surprisingly accommodating, almost gifting us a goal in the first minute with a poor back pass from former Colchester United player Greg Halford. After that, an inspired display from £9m 'keeper Gordon left me wondering whether this would be 'one of those days' but thankfully the opening goal - Liverpool's 7000th in the league - came from a most unexpected source - Momo Sissoko in his 75th game for the club (he has come close before, most memorably hitting the bar against Barcelona, but I've also seen his shots go for a throw...)
Despite dominating, we failed to make safe what should have been an easy 3- or 4-0, Voronin not scoring the second until the 87th minute. In fairness, Gordon should take credit for great saves from both our strikers, but I'm still not entirely convinced Torres will finish enough goals, even if he creates opportunities himself. The further bad news was the loss of Hyypia (probably broken nose) and Carragher (possibly broken rib) to injuries. While the makeshift defence were enough to repel Sunderland's ineffectual attack, we need at least one of these players fit to partner Agger. I was very glad we didn't get Heinze (£7m far too much for a 29 year old defender with dodgy knees and who looks nothing like the player he was three years ago) but I think we do need to bring in defensive cover - as Chelsea learned after getting caught short here last year.
As it was, Sunderland were surprisingly accommodating, almost gifting us a goal in the first minute with a poor back pass from former Colchester United player Greg Halford. After that, an inspired display from £9m 'keeper Gordon left me wondering whether this would be 'one of those days' but thankfully the opening goal - Liverpool's 7000th in the league - came from a most unexpected source - Momo Sissoko in his 75th game for the club (he has come close before, most memorably hitting the bar against Barcelona, but I've also seen his shots go for a throw...)
Despite dominating, we failed to make safe what should have been an easy 3- or 4-0, Voronin not scoring the second until the 87th minute. In fairness, Gordon should take credit for great saves from both our strikers, but I'm still not entirely convinced Torres will finish enough goals, even if he creates opportunities himself. The further bad news was the loss of Hyypia (probably broken nose) and Carragher (possibly broken rib) to injuries. While the makeshift defence were enough to repel Sunderland's ineffectual attack, we need at least one of these players fit to partner Agger. I was very glad we didn't get Heinze (£7m far too much for a 29 year old defender with dodgy knees and who looks nothing like the player he was three years ago) but I think we do need to bring in defensive cover - as Chelsea learned after getting caught short here last year.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Home
After spending most of August in temporary college accommodation, I returned home today. Despite leaving various Oxford things in my department locker, the car was absolutely packed and the journey - hit by bank holiday traffic and road works - a long one. Still, we made it in one piece - the only question now is how I'm going to fit all my stuff in my room. Unfortunately, this may require a long-term solution, as our accommodation officer informed me prospects of a room or flat for next year don't look good. Given a lack of income either, I may well decide to live at home.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Death Notices
Although this has probably reached most of those who care, I'm sad to pass on news of the recent deaths of two Oxford-related philosophers.
Michael Frede, expert in classical philosophy and former supervisor of my friend Pavel's girlfriend. I'd attended a graduate seminar of his on akrasia in Nicomachean Ethics VII and it was very thorough, though I recall a lot of time spent arguing with Ben Morison about Greek translation which was a bit lost on me.
Susan Hurley I'd only seen in moral philosophy seminars, though I know someone taught by her in Warwick. Though I don't know anything about her philosophy of mind/neuroscience stuff, I have read some of both Natural Reasons and Luck, Justice, and Knowledge - both very good, if dense - and also agree with Jo Wolff's recommendation of her paper in this book (previously mentioned here).
Michael Frede, expert in classical philosophy and former supervisor of my friend Pavel's girlfriend. I'd attended a graduate seminar of his on akrasia in Nicomachean Ethics VII and it was very thorough, though I recall a lot of time spent arguing with Ben Morison about Greek translation which was a bit lost on me.
Susan Hurley I'd only seen in moral philosophy seminars, though I know someone taught by her in Warwick. Though I don't know anything about her philosophy of mind/neuroscience stuff, I have read some of both Natural Reasons and Luck, Justice, and Knowledge - both very good, if dense - and also agree with Jo Wolff's recommendation of her paper in this book (previously mentioned here).
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Self-Defence Lotteries
Another interesting story on the BBC website, about the legal implications of intervening in a fight. It seems that while the legal category of 'self-defence' includes protecting your family and property*, if you try to help a stranger, you could be considered guilty of assault.
*I thought this was slightly amusing, but surely abuse of the term in any ordinary sense: "You can act in self-defence of another in Scots law"
Intuitively, I think you should be morally permitted to intervene, however of course it may not be prudentially wise and also there's the cost that such a moral rule may lead to more violence than necessary, if people took it upon themselves to intervene whenever they felt like it or were unsure which of two people engaged in a fight was actually guilty of initiating it. It raises interesting moral issues about whether our aims should be to minimize wrongs, in a consequentialist sense, or whether we should regard aggressors as having waived their rights to that practically 'anything goes' (by which I mean they become a legitimate target for anyone; I'm not waiving requirements to only use proportionate force, etc).
Returning to a regular theme of this blog, there's a caution at the end: "And even if you don't get hurt as a result, the police are going to get involved, as are lawyers who are smart enough to make the whole thing a lottery." I think this refers to the idea that you could be morally right to intervene, but whether or not you get prosecuted (successfully?) seems arbitrary or random. This seems like a failure of the principle of generic consistency (treat like cases alike), but then one way of achieving deterrence without inflicting too much punishment might be to have high penalties inflicted on a random sample of convicted wrong-doers. This does treat like cases alike at one level, in that all are (alike) entered into the lottery.
*I thought this was slightly amusing, but surely abuse of the term in any ordinary sense: "You can act in self-defence of another in Scots law"
Intuitively, I think you should be morally permitted to intervene, however of course it may not be prudentially wise and also there's the cost that such a moral rule may lead to more violence than necessary, if people took it upon themselves to intervene whenever they felt like it or were unsure which of two people engaged in a fight was actually guilty of initiating it. It raises interesting moral issues about whether our aims should be to minimize wrongs, in a consequentialist sense, or whether we should regard aggressors as having waived their rights to that practically 'anything goes' (by which I mean they become a legitimate target for anyone; I'm not waiving requirements to only use proportionate force, etc).
Returning to a regular theme of this blog, there's a caution at the end: "And even if you don't get hurt as a result, the police are going to get involved, as are lawyers who are smart enough to make the whole thing a lottery." I think this refers to the idea that you could be morally right to intervene, but whether or not you get prosecuted (successfully?) seems arbitrary or random. This seems like a failure of the principle of generic consistency (treat like cases alike), but then one way of achieving deterrence without inflicting too much punishment might be to have high penalties inflicted on a random sample of convicted wrong-doers. This does treat like cases alike at one level, in that all are (alike) entered into the lottery.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Random Primaries
I don't really understand the ridiculously complicated system of nominations and primaries that operates in the US, but one thing I do know is that people are often complaining about it. Thanks to Rob, whose comment led me to this post, in which Matthew Yglesias protests that "It would make more sense to enter the names of every registered Democrat in a hat, pick at random, and then let that guy choose." Well-said, even if he does wait on line...
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
We were absolutely robbed. Seemingly fairly comfortable after Torres' sublime opener - beating Ben Haim on his wrong side and then beating Cech from a tight angle - we were denied a win over one of our main rivals when Chelsea were awarded a most dubious penalty after Malouda jumped into/over Finnan off the ball. In fairness to Chelsea, I don't think it was an intended dive and no one appealed - only the ref (and linesman) seemed to think it was a penalty (UPDATE: he was later dropped). Sadly, Lampard's equalizer took the sting out the game, as it became clear the blues would settle for a draw (we brought on Crouch to play three strikers and they responded with defender Alex). I suppose, on reflection, I should be happy that after winning for several years running at Anfield Chelsea were happy to escape with a draw. As with last year's CL final, the result wasn't what I wanted, but I take heart in comfortably matching our opponents on the pitch.
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