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William Gildea Profile
William Gildea

@will_gildea

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✍️ Human equality, animal ethics, and why individuals have moral rights. Postdoctoral researcher at McGill and the Centre for Research in Ethics.

Montreal, Canada
Joined September 2019
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
2 years
My first journal article has just been published in The Philosophical Quarterly. I argue against an increasingly popular way to argue humans matter more than animals. And: 10 years ago today, I first arrived at university. V lucky I can mark it this way.
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academic.oup.com
Abstract. Philosophers struggle to explain why human beings with deep cognitive impairments have a higher moral status than certain non-human animals. Moda
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
7 days
RT @uniessexgovt: Dr Isabella Trifan from @UniEssexGovt:. “Today’s announcement is a step forward—not because 16-year-olds can pay taxes, b….
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
2 months
Just chilling with groundhogs on my afternoon walk
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
3 months
Extract of my letter in the Guardian today:. That Luiz Hoinkis chose to clone his dog may seem to be a sign of his sincere love for animals. But his decision and the growing pet‑cloning industry that makes it possible may instead be an indication that.
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theguardian.com
Letters: Animals are not replaceable objects, but individuals with unique perspectives, says Dr William Gildea. Plus a letter from Peter Lowe
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
3 months
Filmed a squirrel and groundhog for family. 2 hrs later saw dead squirrel on road nearby. Depressing, though our speciesist world can make it confusing to feel sadness properly. Annihilation is apparently only serious for those with a certain bits of deoxyribonucleic acid!
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
4 months
'Very traumatic', police say. 'A highly distressing crime that has caused death and serious injury to defenceless animals'. I agree. But aren't there other more routine, industrial killings that are similarly distressing and visited on defenceless animals?.
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theguardian.com
Police investigating after ewe also fatally injured by dog and fifth alpaca received non-fatal gunshot wound to the face
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
4 months
Was emailing myself notes on why rabbits have moral rights. Half way through I looked up and saw a rabbit, perhaps lost, next to city train tracks on top of a big motorway. Bit of a sad sight.
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
5 months
Humanity has a culture of using other animals - foxes as coats, cows as dinner, chickens as a nice starter. This affects trillions of animals a year. But do we have a proper moral justification for it? If not, could humanity be making some sort of enormous, awful mistake?.
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
6 months
People: any suggestions for magazines/outlets that would take articles on animal ethics type stuff that have a) decent reach, b) aren't insanely hard to get accepted by? Thanks!!.
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
7 months
I wrote this - arguing the world's biggest animal charity is often too meek. Whether on women's participation in the 19th c, hunting in the 20th, or industrial farming in the 21st, it's been too cautious. A bolder vision wld actually be more pragmatic.
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theecologist.org
A look back at 1820s Britain lends hope, but also the realisation that British animal protection has failed.
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
7 months
I wrote this, arguing that the #RSPCA should end its farm assurance scheme and pivot to a bolder strategy in the new year.
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
8 months
It’s International Animal Rights Day. Do animals have any moral rights? Seems so: most animals are capable of good & bad experiences. They have a conscious window onto the world thru which pains & joys arise. It matters to them what they experience. So it shld matter to us too.
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
8 months
It’s International Animal Rights Day, but do animals have any moral rights? Suppose we argue not because they aren't autonomous, intelligent enough, or lack concepts of themselves. This sets up a bar for each human to clear before having rights, which can get nasty quickly.
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
9 months
What everyday ethical dilemmas would you really like to listen to a podcast episode about? Thanks!!.
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
9 months
Went to a BBQ where the pig was AT the barbeque. Guest of honour almost.
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
10 months
We need the ability to think clearly and accurately about important issues like how to act and how to live together. Philosophy can deliver that.
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theguardian.com
Union chief calls for subject to be embedded in England’s curriculum to offer students a ‘dialogic approach’
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
11 months
I asked an AI (which will remain nameless) to generate a name for our podcast-to-be. It suggested: "Ethical Conversations with Adena", "Today's Ethics with Dr Vee", "Just Being Everyday Ethics", "The Ethic Theory", and "Catching Fire". And: "The Ethical Trench Podcast".
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
11 months
Delighted to say I am about to move to Montreal to start as a postdoctoral research fellow at McGill and the Centre for Research in Ethics :).
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
1 year
It felt like someone - Santa? - was trying to break into our house via the chimney with a tool. Turned out it was a pigeon stuck above our closed fireplace with no way out. He was too traumatised seemingly to be coaxed out of gap we made. 4 hours later he soared away and is free
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@will_gildea
William Gildea
1 year
RT @GdnUniversities: Academic publishing is a lucrative scam – and we’re determined to change that | Arash Abizadeh
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theguardian.com
Giant publishers are bleeding universities dry, with profit margins that rival Google’s. So we decided to start our own, says academic Arash Abizadeh
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