Martin Peterson
Professor of Philosophy & Sue G. and Harry E. Bovay Chair of the History and Ethics of Professional Engineering
Publications
Books
Ethics in the Gray Area: A Gradualist Theory of Right and Wrong, Cambridge University Press 2023. [Here is the ToC and here is a review in Ethics]
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The Ethics of Technology: A Geometric Analysis of Five Moral Principles, Oxford University Press 2017.
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The Prisoner's Dilemma (editor), Cambridge University Press 2015.
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The Dimensions of Consequentialism, Cambridge University Press 2013.
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Non-Bayesian Decision Theory, Springer 2008.
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Textbooks:
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Ethics for Engineers, Oxford University Press 2019; 2nd ed. 2025.
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An Introduction to Decision Theory, Cambridge University Press 2009; 2nd edition 2017. [Here is the vNM proof omitted in the 2nd ed and here is an errata sheet.]
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​Papers: Moral Philosophy
Moral Rightness Comes in Degrees, Journal of the American Philosophical Association, vol 8: 645-664, 2022.
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Abortion Is Neither Right Nor Wrong, Journal of Value Inquiry, vol 56: 219-249, 2022.
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The Deontic Transfer Principle (with Christian Seidel), Erkenntnis, vol 86: 1185-1195, 2021.
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Consequentialism in Infinite Worlds (with Adam Jonsson), Analysis, vol 80: 240-248, 2020.
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The Anti-Nihilist Wager, Dialectica, vol 72: 597-602, 2018.
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Multidimensional Consequentialism and Population Ethics, pp. 51-70 in C. Seidel (ed.), Consequentialism: New Directions, New Problems? Oxford University Press, 2018.
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Radical Evaluative Ignorance, pp. 134-155 in R. Peels (ed.), Perspectives on Ignorance from Moral and Social Philosophy, Routledge, 2017.
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Does Moral Rightness Come in Degrees?, The Philosophers Magazine, vol 74: 34-39, 2016.
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The Dimensions of Consequentialism: Reply to Schmidt, Brown, Howard-Snyder, Crisp, Andric and Tanyi, and Gertken, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, vol 19(1): 71-82, 2016.
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Pure Time Preference: Reply to Johansson and Rosenqvist (with Rosemary Lowry), Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, vol 97(3): 442-445, 2016.
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Reply to Ralf Bader, Dialectica vol 68(4): 625-29, 2014.
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The Last Man Argument Revisited (with Per Sandin), Journal of Value Inquiry, vol 47(1): 121-133, 2013.
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Multi-Dimensional Consequentialism, Ratio vol 25(2): 177- 194, 2012.
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A Computer Simulation of the Argument from Disagreement (with Johan E Gustafsson), Synthese, vol 184(3): 387-405, 2012.
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Cost-Benefit Analysis and Non-Utilitarian Ethics (with Rosemary Lowry), Politics, Philosophy and Economics, vol 11(3): 258-279, 2012.
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Virtuous Choice and Parity (with Barbro Froding) Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, vol 15(1): 71-82, 2012.
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Pure Time Preference (with Rosemary Lowry), Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, vol 92(4): 490-508, 2011.
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Can Consequentialists Honour the Special Moral Status of Persons? Utilitas, vol 22(4): 434-446, 2010.
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Some Versions of the Number Problem Have No Solution, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, vol 13(4): 439-451, 2010.
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A Royal Road to Consequentialism?, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, vol 13(2): 153-169, 2010.
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The Mixed Solution to the Number Problem, Journal of Moral Philosophy, vol 6(2): 166-177, 2009.
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Equality AND Priority (with Sven Ove Hansson), Utilitas, vol 17: 299-309, 2005.
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Foreign Aid and the Moral Value of Freedom, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, vol 7: 293-307, 2004.
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From Consequentialism to Utilitarianism, Journal of Philosophy, vol 100: 403-415, 2003.
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Papers: Decision Theory
Interval Values and Rational Choice, Economics and Philosophy, vol 35(1): 159-166, 2019.
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Self-Prediction and Self-Control, (with Peter Vallentyne), pp 48-71 in Bermudez, J. (ed.) Self-Control, Decision Theory, and Rationality, Cambridge University Press, 2018.
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Do Pragmatic Arguments Show Too Much?, European Journal for Philosophy of Science, vol 6(2): 165-172, 2016.
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Prospectism and the Weak Money Pump Argument, Theory and Decision, vol 78(3): 451-456, 2015.
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The inner struggle: Why you should cooperate with people you will never meet again, pp. 199-218 in M. Peterson The Prisoner's Dilemma, (ed.) Cambridge University Press 2015.
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A Generalization of the Pasadena Puzzle, Dialectica vol 67(4): 597-603, 2013.
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A New Twist to the St. Petersburg Paradox, Journal of Philosophy, vol 108(12): 697-699, 2011.
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Parity, Clumpiness, and Rational Choice, Utilitas, vol 19(4): 505-513, 2007.
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Indeterminate Preferences, Philosophical Studies, vol 130(2): 297-320, 2006.
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Order-Independent Transformative Decision Rules (with Sven Ove Hansson), Synthese, vol 147: 323-342, 2005.
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From Outcomes to Acts: A Non-Standard Axiomatization of the Expected Utility Principle, Journal of Philosophical Logic, vol 33: 361-378, 2004
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Transformative Decision Rules, Permutability, and Non-Sequential Framing of Decision Problems, Synthese, vol 139: 387-403, 2004.
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Transformative Decision Rules, Erkenntnis, vol 58: 71-85, 2003.
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An Argument for the Principle of Maximizing Expected Utility, Theoria, vol 68(2): 112-128, 2002.​
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Other Topics
Diversity, inclusion and equity in the engineering curriculum: Evaluating the efficacy of a new teaching module (with Isaac Sabat, Evan Nault, Susan Fortney, and Debjyoti Banerjee), Advances in Engineering Education, Vol 11:3, 2023.
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The Modal Account of Luck Revisited (with J. Adam Carter), Synthese, vol 194(6): 2175-2184, 2017.
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Not Knowing a Cat is a Cat: Analyticity and Knowledge Ascriptions (with J. Adam Carter and Bart van Bezooijen), The Review of Philosophy and Psychology, vol 7(4): 817-835, 2016.
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The Reliability of Armchair Intuitons (with Bart van Bezooijen and Krist Vaesen), Metaphilosophy vol 44(5): 559-578, 2013.
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How to Depolarise the Ethical Debate Over Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research (and Other Ethical Debates Too!) (with Nicolas Espinoza), Journal of Medical Ethics, vol 38(8): 496-500, 2012.
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Animals and Friendship: A Reply to Rowlands (with Barbro Froding), Journal of Animal Ethics vol 1(2): 187-189, 2011.
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Animal Ethics Based on Friendship (with Barbro Froding), Journal of Animal Ethics, vol: 1(1): 58- 69, 2011.
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Pandemic Influenza and Utilitarianism, Bioethics vol 25(5): 290-291, 2011.
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The Moral Importance of Selecting People Randomly, Bioethics, vol 22(6): 321-327, 2008.
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Encyclopedia Articles, etc.
Standard Decision Theory, pp. 473-484 in Markus Knauff and Wolfgang Spohn (ed.) The Handbook of Rationality, MIT Press 2021.
The St. Petersburg Paradox, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.)
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The Decisional Value of Information, pp. 172-183 in L. Floridi (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Information, Routledge 2016.
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How to be a Virtuous Recipient of a Transplant Organ (with Barbro Froding) pp. 89-98 in Jox, R. J. et al (ed.) Organ Transplantation in Times of Donor Shortage, Springer 2015.
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Decision Theory, in Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Social Sciences, ed. B Kaldis, SAGE 2013.
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Handbook of Risk Theory, Springer (ed. with S Roeser, R Hillerbrand, P Sandin), 2012.
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Decision Theory, in International Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences, ed. Lovric, pp. 346-349, Springer 2010.
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Philosophy of Probability, International Encyclopedia of Statistical, ed. Lovric, pp. 1065-1069, Springer 2010.
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Do WHO Guidelines on Pandemic Influenza Follow Biomedical Ethics? Science, e-letter, 25 June 2009.
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On multi-attribute risk analysis, in T. Lewens (ed.), Risk: A Philosophical View, Routledge, 68-83, 2007.
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Transformative Decision Rules: Foundations and Applications (diss.), Royal Institute of Technology 2003, ISBN 91-7283-460-9.
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Transformative Decision Rules and Axiomatic Arguments for the Principle of Maximizing Expected Utility (Licentiate thesis), Royal Institute of Technology 2001, ISBN 91-7283-199-5.​​
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Reviews, etc.
Review of Michael Kearns and Aaron Roth, The ethical algorithm, Prometheus: Critical Studies in Innovation.
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Review of Avram Hiller, Ramona Ilea, and Leonard Kahn (eds.) Consequentialism and Environmental Ethics, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, April 2014.
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Review of Paul Weirich: Collective Rationality, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, July 2010.
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Review of Itzhak Gilboa: Theory of Decision under Uncertainty Economics and Philosophy, vol 26: 254-258, 2010.
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Review of Folke Tersman: Moral Disagreement, Theoria vol 74: 340-344, 2008.
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Review of Jonathan Dancy: Ethics Without Principles Theoria vol 72(2): 162-165, 2006.
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Review of Brian Orend: War and international justice - a Kantian perspective, Theoria.
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Papers: Ethics of Technology
Australia II: A case study in engineering ethics (with Peter van Oossanen), Science and Engineering Ethics, Vol 30 (16), 2024.
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Privacy in a Smart City (with Barbro Fröding), Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics, vol 18(1), 49 - 63, 2024.
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How to Measure Value Alignment in AI (with Peter Gärdenfors), AI and Ethics, 2023.
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Value Change, Energy Systems and Rational Choice: The Expected Center of Gravity Principle, Science and Engineering Ethics, vol 29, 1-13, 2023.
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What Do Technical Functions Supervene On?, Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology, vol 26: 413-425, 2022.
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Friendly AI (with Barbro Froding), Ethics and Information Technology, vol 23: 207–214, 2021.
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Can We Use Conceptual Spaces To Model Moral Principles? (with Steven Verheyen), Review of Philosophy and Psychology, vol 12: 12, 373–395, 2021.
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The Value Alignment Problem: A Geometric Approach, Ethics and Information Technology, 21: 19–28, 2019.
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Is the Precautionary Principle a Midlevel Principle? (w Per Sandin), Ethics, Policy & Environment, 22: 34-48, 2019.
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The Ethics of Technology: Response to Critics, Science and Engineering Ethics, 24: 1645–1652, 2018.
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Yes, the Precautionary Principle is Incoherent, Risk Analysis, 37: 2035–2038, 2017.
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What is the Point of Thinking of New Technologies as Social Experiments?, Ethics, Policy & Environment 20: 78-83, 2017.
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On the Epistemology of the Precautionary Principle: Reply to Steglich-Petersen (with J. Adam Carter), Erkenntnis, vol 81(2): 297-304, 2016.
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On the Epistemology of the Precautionary Principle (with J. Adam Carter), Erkenntnis, vol 80 (1): 1-13, 2015.
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Nuclear Power is Neither Right Nor Wrong: The case for a tertium datur in the ethics of technology (with Rafaela Hillerbrand), Science and Engineering Ethics, vol 20(2): 583-95, 2014.
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New Technologies Should Not Be Treated As Social Experiments Ethics, Policy and Environment, vol 16(3): 346-348, 2013.
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Why Computer Games Can Be Essential For Human Flourishing (with Barbro Froding), Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society, vol 11(2): 81-91, 2013.
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The Role of Non-Epistemic Values in Engineering Models (with Sven Diekmann), Science and Engineering Ethics, vol 19: 207-218, 2013.
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Risk and Mid-Level Moral Principles (with Nicolas Espinoza), Bioethics, vol 26(1): 8-14, 2012.
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Why Virtual Friendship Is No Genuine Friendship (with Barbro Froding), Ethics and Information Technology, vol 14(3): 201-207, 2012.
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Can Technological Artefacts Be Moral Agents? (with Andreas Spahn), Science and Engineering Ethics, vol 17(3): 411-424, 2011.
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Is there an Ethics of Algorithms? (with Felicitas Kraemer and Kees van Overveld), Ethics and Information Technology , vol 13(3): 251-260, 2011.
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Guest Editors' Introduction (with Per Sandin), Journal of Risk Research, vol 13(2): 135- 36, 2010.
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Incomplete Preferences in Disaster Risk Management (with Nicolas Espinoza), Int. J. Technology, Policy and Management, vol 8(4): 341-358, 2008.
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Should the Precautionary Principle Guide Our Actions or Our Beliefs?, Journal of Medical Ethics, vol 33(1): 5-10, 2007.
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The Precautionary Principle Should Not Be Used as a Basis for Decision-Making, EMBO reports, vol 8(4): 305-8, 2007.
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The Precautionary Principle is Incoherent, Risk Analysis, vol 26(3): 595-601, 2006.
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Safety is More than the Antonym of Risk, Journal of Applied Philosophy, vol 23(4): 419-423, 2006. (N. Moller, S. O. Hansson and M. Peterson)
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Principles of Protection: A Formal Approach for Evaluating Dose Distributions, Journal of Radiological Protection, vol 26: 69-84, 2006. (P. Vikman-Svahn, M. Peterson, S. O. Hansson)
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Neglected and Overemphasized Risks: the opinions of risk professionals, Journal of Risk Research, vol 8: 599-616, 2005. (L. Sjoberg, M. Peterson, J. Fromm, A. Boholm, and S. O. Hansson)
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On the Application of Rights-Based Moral Theories to Siting-Controversies (with Sven Ove Hansson) Journal of Risk Research, vol 7: 269-275, 2004.
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Risk, Equality, and the Priority View, Risk, Decision, and Policy, vol 8: 17-23, 2003.
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The Limits of Catastrophe Aversion, Risk Analysis, vol 22: 527-538, 2002.
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Five Charges Against the Precautionary Principle, Journal of Risk Research, vol 5: 287-299, 2002. (P. Sandin, M. Peterson, S. O. Hansson, C. Ruden, A. Juthe)
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What is a De Minimis Risk?, Risk Management, vol 4: 47-55, 2002.
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Rights, Risks, and Residual Obligations (with Sven Ove Hansson), Risk, Decision and Policy, vol 6: 157-166, 2001.
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New Technologies and the Ethics of Extreme Risks, Ends and Means, vol 5: 22-30, 2001.
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Book Chapters and Invited Papers
Introduction: Values and Norms in Modeling (with Sjoerd Zwart), Special Section of Studies in History and Philosophy of Science A, vol 46: 1-2, 2014.
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Risk and Degrees of Rightness (with N. Espinoza), in Norms in Technology, eds. M.J. de Vries, S.O. Hansson and A.W.M. Meijers, pp 193-206, Springer 2013,
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Three Objections to Verbeek, Philosophy and Technology, 2012.
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"Do new technologies give rise to new ethical issues? Some reflections on nanotechnology" (with M J de Vries), Nanotechnologies: towards a shift in the scale of ethics? (eds. Kermisch and Pinsart), pp 87-100, Brussels: E.M.E. & InterCommunications.​​
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In Swedish (and Dutch)
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Oetiskt prioritera vaccinering mot COVID-19 efter yrke, Svenska Dagbladet, 2021-01-07.
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Fel ge Löfven och Tegnell förtur till test, Svenska Dagbladet, 2020-05-29.
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Rösta om statsminister så som riksdagen röstar om budgeten, DN Debatt, 2018-11-21.
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Dags för samhället att nyansera synen på aborter, DN Debatt, 2011-04-17 (med N Espinoza)
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Socialstyrelsen bryter mot grundläggande etik, DN Debatt, 2009-07-18.
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Orimligt ge samhällstoppen företräde till pandemivaccin, DN Debatt, 2006-03-04.
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DNA-information tillhör individen - inte samhället, DN Debatt, 2003-09-23.
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Låt ett anti-parti göra SD maktlösa, Expressen 2010-09-10.
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'Anti-parti' kan stoppa SD, Svenska Dagbladet 2009-12-29.
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Politikerna borde skämmas för sitt egoistiska beteende, Svenska Dagbladet 2009-11-07.
Other texts:
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"En objektiv men obestämd moral", Filosofisk Tidskrift, 9-14, 3/2020.
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Recension av Torbjörn Tännsjö: Etikprofessorn, Tidskrift för politisk filosofi, 2018(3): 51-53.
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Mamma och Zuckerberg om personlig integritet, NSD Kultur, 2018-04-18.
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Toppstyre med Johan Sterte, Nya Wermlands Tidning, 2017-03-27.
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Filosofen Kant och den ljugande presidenten, NSD Kultur, 2017-01-25.
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Moralens geometri, Filosofisk Tidskrift, vol 38(2): 25-34, 2017.
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Replik: Politiker bör få torgföra stolliga förslag, DN Debatt (endast online) 2015-06-01.
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"Klassiek utilitarisme en consequentialisme", in Basisboek Ethiek (ed. Van Hees et al), pp 79-95, Boom 2014.
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Svenska kyrkan ett IKEA för själen, NSD Kultur 2013-12-03.
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Sen och varför vi behöver konsthallen, NSD Kultur 2013-09-10.
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Zo'n quotum werkt in het nadel van vrouwen, brief letter to the "opinie pagina", NRC Handelsblad, 15 November 2012.
Massvaccinationen förnuftig men inte rätt, Läkartidningen vol 109, 11: 570, 2012.
Facebooks torftiga vänskap, NSD kultur 2012-01-03
Vi vill inte begränsa kvinnors rätt till abort, DN Debatt 2011-04-19 (replik, med N Espinoza).
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Gör som i Belgien - sätt SD i karantän, DN Debatt (replik) 2010-09-15.
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Antipartier är inte odemokratiska, Tidskrift för politisk filosofi, nr 3: 6-17, 2010.
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JK blandar ihop begreppen, Sydsvenskan 2010-04-23.
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Kvitta ut Sverigedemokrater, Norrbottenskurriren 2010-02-20.
Stödet för SD skulle inte öka, Östgöta Correspondenten 2010-01-07.
BLT sågar mitt förslag, Blekinge Läns Tidning 2010-01-06.
Förslaget är inte odemokratiskt, Västerviks-tidningen 2010- 01-04.
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"Platon på modern svenska", Norrländska Socialdemokraten, 2009-10- 29.
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Förflutna förmågor och moderna testmetoder, Folkvett 2009/4.
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Värdenihlismens död i Gaza, Norrländska Socialdemokraten, 2009-01- 08.
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Ojämförbara risker?, i Sahlin & Persson (ed.): Risk & Risici, 269- 285, Nya Doxa, 2008. (N Espinoza and M Peterson)
Om Velighet, Filosofisk Tidskrift 2007/3.
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Riskvärdering av förorenad mark - etiska och ekonomiska perspektiv, Naturvårdsverkets rapport 5539, 71pp, 2006. Peterson och K Kl Jensen)
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Att representera beslutsproblem, Filosofins nya möten, red. Nihlen-- Fahlqvist m.fl., 153-62, Gidlunds, 2005.
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Recension av José Carlos Somozas Idéernas grotta, Filosofisk Tidskrift 2005/3.
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Pseudovetenskap vid LTU? Norrländska Socialdemokraten 2006-09-20.
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Den nya vetenskapen i Luleå, Folkvett 2006/4. Lång version av NSD 06-09-20.
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Recension av två studier i beslutsteori av Per-Erik Malmnas, Tidskrift för Politisk Filosofi, 58-60, 2003.
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"Utilitarism och beslutsteori", Filosofisk Tidskrift 22(4), 3-10, 2002.
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"Extrema Risker", Osäkerhetens Horisonter, red. Boholm m.fl., 69-84, Nya Doxa, 2002.
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"Samhällsbeslut och små risker" , Tidskrift för Politisk Filosofi, 43-55, 2000.
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