Philosophy, Law, and Battery

Philosophy, Law, and Battery

The Philosophy Bites podcast recently interviewed Georgetown law professor John Mikhail about what battery can teach us about moral philosophy.  Here is a description of the podcast:

Hitting someone without their consent, spitting at someone, or throwing a ball hard at their head: these are all examples of what in Tort Law is called battery. John Mikhail thinks that  our judgments that people who commit battery are blameworthy reveals someting important about morality and its sources. 

 

  

“If A Driverless Car Crashes, Who’s Liable?”

“If A Driverless Car Crashes, Who’s Liable?”

That is the question explored by NPR’s Planet Money team on a recent episode of Morning Edition (5 minutes).  Increasingly automobile manufacturers are developing cars that drive themselves.  As a result, there is an interesting legal question about whether “drivers” or auto manufactures should be held liable when such cars crash.  The worry is that if car companies are held liable, they will stop developing this technology.