Going Awol

Going Awol examines a range of philosophical, religious, and cultural topics through a critical lens. It critiques movements like Effective Altruism, debates dietary habits, analyzes political ideologies, and explores religious beliefs with a focus on Hinduism. It also scrutinizes academic practices, ethical dilemmas, and societal norms.

Philosophy Religion Culture Diet and Health Political Ideologies Academic Practices Ethical Dilemmas Societal Norms

The hottest Substack posts of Going Awol

And their main takeaways

Anti-Abortion Violence

79 implied HN points • 27 Nov 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Abortion Violence
  1. Pro-life advocates oppose anti-abortion violence both for pragmatic reasons (it hurts the movement's credibility) and moral reasons (killing is not pro-life).
  2. Defending anti-abortion violence creates philosophical dilemmas for both pro-life and pro-choice views, challenging beliefs about the moral standing of unborn children and the ethics of killing.
  3. The debate on anti-abortion violence raises questions about the permissibility of killing abortion providers in extreme hypothetical scenarios and challenges traditional beliefs about right to life and justifiable actions.

Dialogues on Psychophysical Harmony, Part 2

159 implied HN points • 28 Jan 23
📖 Philosophy Naturalism Evolution Theism
  1. Merely positing that the psychophysical laws are necessary doesn't predict psychophysical harmony - a theory needs to predict the actual data to be less surprising.
  2. The theory that the laws of physics are necessary and give rise to specific outcomes, like psychophysical harmony, can make the theory vanishingly improbable due to low prior probabilities.
  3. Evolutionary theory addressing psychophysical harmony might overlook the possibility that it could have not been selected for due to limitations in psychophysical laws.

Is Sanctioning Russia Permissible?

39 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
🌍 World Politics Sanctions Russia Ukraine Ethics International Law
  1. The success of sanctions on Russia depends on their goal, such as hindering Putin's ability to fund his armed forces and increasing Ukraine's chances of winning.
  2. Sanctioning state officials involved in an unjust war is easier to justify compared to sanctions that harm innocent citizens.
  3. Imposing moderate economic sanctions on Russia, even if it harms innocent citizens, can be morally permissible if the goal is to prevent further harm and the burden is not excessively high.

Organ Harvesting is Wrong, Actually

119 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Morality Intuition Consequentialism
  1. Many people find organ harvesting morally wrong, even in extreme situations where it could save multiple lives.
  2. Arguments against the deontic intuition of organ harvesting may fail to persuade due to common-sense prevailing.
  3. Considerations like societal aversion to killing and the veil of ignorance don't always justify violating rights for the greater good.

One Paragraph Book Reviews, Part 2

79 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
📚 Literature Book Reviews Theology Philosophy Ethics War
  1. Truckers face increased surveillance with Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) that track and log their activities, affecting their freedom and safety
  2. God and the Atom by Ronald Knox provides unique theological insights on the atomic bomb post-Nagasaki and Hiroshima
  3. Rossian Ethics explores non-consequentialist moral theory, focusing on _prima facie_ duties and ethical dilemmas
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Swinburne's Argument Against Suicide

119 implied HN points • 30 Jan 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Religion Logic God Suicide
  1. Swinburne's argument against suicide is based on the idea that if God exists, taking one's own life is ungrateful towards the gift of life given by God.
  2. Swinburne's argument falls short in the face of extreme suffering, where ending one's life may not be a violation of gratitude towards God, as seen in cases like severe pain or incurable genetic conditions.
  3. The premise that suicide is always wrong due to ingratitude to God is questionable, as destroying a harmful gift might be what a loving benefactor would want in certain extreme circumstances.

Steelmanning Polytheism

79 implied HN points • 10 Feb 23
📖 Philosophy Composition Metaphysics
  1. The argument for polytheism can be strengthened by philosophical concepts like the Unrestricted Modal Ontological Argument and Unrestricted Composition.
  2. Unrestricted Composition theory explains the concept of objects being composed by multiple concrete objects, supporting the idea of a collection of Gods in polytheism.
  3. Objections to polytheism, such as issues with the maximal greatness and intrinsic value of multiple Gods, can be addressed through philosophical reasoning and alternative perspectives.

The Philosophy of Murder Ballads

10 HN points • 12 May 24
🎭️ Culture Music Philosophy Ethics Psychology History
  1. Murder ballads create emotional and cognitive dissonance in listeners by pairing violent lyrics with upbeat music, prompting listeners to primarily focus on the music over the lyrics.
  2. Listeners can resolve the tension caused by murder ballads by either ignoring the lyrics and focusing on the music, vice versa, or by finding a way to make sense of the emotional clash between the two.
  3. Enjoying murder ballads in a detached manner - appreciating the music and storytelling without endorsing the violent acts portrayed - can be a way to engage with the genre ethically.

Coming soon

19 implied HN points • 22 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Blogging
  1. Amos Wollen is launching a new blog on Substack
  2. The blog will be available soon
  3. Social media sharing options are provided for the blog post