Setting Health-Care Priorities: A Reply to Massimo Reichlin

This is a short reply to Professor Reichlin’s comment on my book Setting Health-Care Priorities. What Ethical Theories Tell Us. The version of prioritarianism I rely on in the book is defended as the most plausible one. The general claim that there is convergence between all plausible theories on distributive justice is also defended with regard to assisted reproduction, disability, and enhancement.

Functional Immunity of the Marines on the Enrica Lexie: A Reply To Raffaella Nigro

This article is a short reply to Raffaella Nigro’s assessment of the Arbitral Tribunal award in the Enrica Lexie case. Professor Nigro analyzes the rule of functional immunity of State officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction and argues that it cannot be applied to the two marines, even supposing that military personnel are covered by such a rule. Professor Nigro bases this conclusion on the facts that the marines were stationed on a commercial vessel and were servicing the interests of the private shipowner. In reply, this author reaffirms the existence of a rule of customary international law on functional immunity and argues that military personnel assigned to commercial vessels are carrying out these duties in order to protect Italian interests and contribute to the defeat of piracy. Therefore, the marines on board the Enrica Lexie were (and still remain) under the protection of the rule on immunity from foreign criminal jurisdiction.

Recording quality does not influence relaxation responses to lullabies; sampling criteria do, as they should (Reply to "Sampling criteria and recording quality influence relaxation responses to lullabies")

This is a short reply to "Sampling criteria and recording quality influence relaxation responses to lullabies".

Ethics of fetal reduction: a reply to my critics

In the article, Twin pregnancy, fetal reduction and the ‘all or nothing problem’, I argued that there is a moral problem in multifetal pregnancy reduction from a twin to a singleton pregnancy (2-to-1 MFPR). Drawing on Horton’s original version of the ‘all or nothing problem’, I argued that there are two intuitively plausible claims in 2-to-1 MFPR: (1) aborting both fetuses is morally permissible, (2) aborting only one of the twin fetuses is morally wrong. Yet, with the assumption that one should select permissible choice over impermissible choice, the two claims lead to a counter-intuitive conclusion: the woman ought to abort both fetuses rather than only one. It would be odd to promote such a pro-death view. Begović et al discuss my article and offer insightful criticism, claiming, that there is no ‘all or nothing problem’ present in 2-to-1 MFPR. In this short reply, I respond to some of their criticism.

THE SPREAD OF FARMING ECONOMY IN THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN: A SHORT REPLY TO AMMERMAN (2021)

ABSTRACTManen et al. provide here a reply to the critical comment published by A. J. Ammerman regarding their article “The Neolithic Transition in the Western Mediterranean: a complex and non-linear diffusion process—the radiocarbon record revisited,” published in 2019 in Radiocarbon. They also use this occasion to reaffirm the need to elaborate novel interpretive frameworks that combine both geo-chronological and cultural data.

Mandelstam – Planck Polemics and its Representation in the Soviet Scientific Literature: Ideological Metamorphoses

The L. I. Mandelstam - M. Planck polemics concerning the theory of dispersion (1907-1908) are taken under consideration. Mandelstam attacked Planck’s theory published in 1904. Planck reacted by publishing a short reply in 1907. Mandelstam was not satisfied and published a paper where he provided a more detailed calculation (1908). Planck criticized his approach again (1908). Mandelstam published two more papers, but Planck did not react to these publications.From a historical point of view it is interesting that in the Soviet scientific literature, Mandelstam’s position was almost unanimously considered to be correct and powerful. The situation changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russian physicists came to treat Planck’s position as the correct one. In this connection, the problem of scientific objectivity arises. The author emphasizes the ideological context of the scientific interpretation of facts. The phenomena of progressivism and introjection are taken under consideration.

More than a "touch of the flu": a response to Mayrhuber et al's ""with fever it's the real flu I would say": laypersons' perception of common cold and influenza and their differences - a qualitative study in Austria, Belgium and Croatia"

This short reply contests two assumptions made by the authors of Mayrhuber et al's. "With fever it's the real flu I would say." The first is that there is influenza can be reliably defined by a medical case definition. The second is that this small qualitative study can be generalisable. However, it does underline the important point that technical diagnostic terms may be used on different registers by a variety of actors in the medical setting.

More than a "touch of the flu": a response to Mayrhuber et al's ""with fever it's the real flu I would say": laypersons' perception of common cold and influenza and their differences - a qualitative study in Austria, Belgium and Croatia"

This short reply contests two assumptions made by the authors of Mayrhuber et al's. "With fever it's the real flu I would say." The first is that there is influenza can be reliably defined by a medical case definition. The second is that this small qualitative study can be generalisable. However, it does underline the important point that technical diagnostic terms may be used on different registers by a variety of actors in the medical setting.

More than a "touch of the flu": a response to Mayrhuber et al's ""with fever it's the real flu I would say": laypersons' perception of common cold and influenza and their differences - a qualitative study in Austria, Belgium and Croatia"

This short reply contests two assumptions made by the authors of Mayrhuber et al's. "With fever it's the real flu I would say." The first is that there is influenza can be reliably defined by a medical case definition. The second is that this small qualitative study can be generalisable. However, it does underline the important point that technical diagnostic terms may be used on different registers by a variety of actors in the medical setting.