Papers by Chong-Ming Lim
Philosophy Compass
The term, "objectionable commemorations", refers to a broad category of public artefacts-such as,... more The term, "objectionable commemorations", refers to a broad category of public artefacts-such as, and especially, memorials, monuments and statues-that are regarded as morally problematic in virtue of what or whom they honour. In this regard, they are a special class of public artefacts that are subject to public contestation. In this paper, we survey the general ethical and political issues on this topic. First, we categorise the arguments on offer in the literature, concerning the objectionable nature of such commemorations. Second, we review common political responses to objectionable commemorations. Finally, we identify fruitful areas for further philosophical inquiry on this topic.
Philosophers' Imprint, 2023
In public discourse, activists are often criticized for directing their acts of political resista... more In public discourse, activists are often criticized for directing their acts of political resistance against this or that specific target. Underlying these criticisms appears to be a strongly held, though underarticulated, intuitive moral judgment that some targets are legitimate whereas others are not. Little philosophical attention has been paid to this issue. My primary aim is to address this neglect. I specify a central part of this intuitive judgment – centering on persons and activities – and argue that there is a principled way to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate targets. This specification relies on a novel conception of political resistance, which focuses on its defensive rather than communicative aspect. I then extend the idea of forfeiture to argue that acts of political resistance are correctly directed when they are aimed at those activities of liable persons that cause injustice. My discussion contributes to vindicating our intuitive judgments about several controversial cases of political resistance.
Inquiry
According to a prominent argument, citizens in unjust societies have a duty to resist injustice. ... more According to a prominent argument, citizens in unjust societies have a duty to resist injustice. The moral and political principles that ground the duty to obey the law in just or nearly just conditions, also ground the duty to resist in unjust conditions. This argument is often applied to a variety of unjust conditions. In this essay, I critically examine this argument, focusing on conditions involving institutionally entrenched and socially normalised injustice. In such conditions, the issue of citizens' duties to resist is complicated. I conclude by considering how my discussions may clarify a contemporary problem about engaging in resistance to aid potential migrants who have been turned away by states in accordance with widely accepted rules.
Journal of the American Philosophical Association
Social movements often impose nontrivial costs on others against their wills. Civil disobedience ... more Social movements often impose nontrivial costs on others against their wills. Civil disobedience is no exception. How can social movements in general, and civil disobedience in particular, be justifiable despite this apparent wrong-making feature? We examine an intuitively plausible account-it is fair that everyone should bear the burdens of tackling injustice. We extend this fairness-based argument for civil disobedience to defend some acts of uncivil disobedience. Focusing on uncivil environmental activismsuch as ecotage (sabotage with the aim of protecting the environment)-we argue that some acts of uncivil disobedience can be morally superior to their civil counterparts, when and because such acts target people who are responsible for environmental threats. Indeed, insofar as some acts of uncivil disobedience can more accurately target responsible people, they can better satisfy the demands of fairness compared to their civil counterparts. In some circumstances, our argument may require activists to engage in uncivil disobedience even when civil disobedience is available.
Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, 2021
Conscientious disobedients often face the demand to differentiate themselves from criminals whose... more Conscientious disobedients often face the demand to differentiate themselves from criminals whose law-breaking actions are not undergirded by conscientious convictions. In public and philosophical discourse, conscientious disobedients are often criticised on the basis that their actions render them no different from criminals. I provide a qualified defence of disobedients in this essay. I argue that the differentiation demand can be satisfied even by disobedients who engage in what are typically regarded as radical acts of disobedience. In practical terms, this means that even disobedients who engage in actions such as arson, looting, rioting, vandalism or vigilantism can also successfully differentiate themselves from criminals.
Journal of Global Ethics, 2020
In recent years, progressive activists around the world have fought to remove "problematic" comme... more In recent years, progressive activists around the world have fought to remove "problematic" commemorations - typically, monuments commemorating and honoring individuals responsible for injustice, or even unjust events. Many of these problematic commemorations are vandalized before they are eventually removed. In this essay, I consider how the vandalism of problematic commemoration can transform the public honoring of a target, to a public repudiation or humiliation of that target. I discuss four obstacles to realizing the transformative potential of vandalism, and how they may be mitigated or overcome.
Philosophy & Public Affairs, 2020
What should we do about “tainted” public commemorations? Recent events have highlighted the urgen... more What should we do about “tainted” public commemorations? Recent events have highlighted the urgency of reaching a consensus on this question. However, existing discussions appear to be dominated by two naïve opposing views – to remove or preserve them. My aims in this essay are two-fold. First, I argue that the two views are not naïve, but undergirded by concerns with securing self-respect and with the character of our engagement with the past. Second, I offer a qualified defence of vandalising tainted commemorations. The defence comprises two parts. I consider two prominent suggestions – to install counter-commemorations and to add contextualising plaques – and argue that they are typically beset with difficulties. I then argue that in some circumstances, constrained vandalism is a response to tainted commemorations which effectively adjudicates the demands of the two opposing views.
Journal of Moral Philosophy, 2019
Effective altruism is purportedly ecumenical towards different moral views, charity causes, and e... more Effective altruism is purportedly ecumenical towards different moral views, charity causes, and evidentiary methods. I argue that effective altruists' criticisms of purportedly less ineffective charities are inconsistent with their commitment to ecumenicity. Individuals may justifiably support charities other than those recommended by effective altruism. If effective altruists take their commitment to ecumenicity seriously, they will have to revise their criticisms of many of these charities.
Mind, 2019
What is it for something to be a disability? Elizabeth Barnes, focusing on physical disabilities,... more What is it for something to be a disability? Elizabeth Barnes, focusing on physical disabilities, argues that disability is a social category. It depends on the rules undergirding the judgements of the disability rights movement. Barnes’ account may strike many as implausible. I articulate the unease, in the form of three worries about Barnes’ account. It does not fully explain why the disability rights movement is constituted in such a way that it only picks out paradigmatic disability traits, nor why only the traits identified by the movement as constituting experiences of social and political constraint count as disability. It also leaves out the contribution of people other than disability activists, to the definition of disability. I develop Barnes’ account. On my account, a person is disabled if she is in some state which is constitutive of some constraint on her legitimate interests. This state must be the subject of legitimate medical interest and be picked out by the disability rights movement as among the traits for which they are seeking to promote progress and change. My account addresses the worries about Barnes’ account. It is also able to include all disabilities, rather than only physical ones.
Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 2017
I attempt to adjudicate the disagreement between those who seek to reconceptualise disability as ... more I attempt to adjudicate the disagreement between those who seek to reconceptualise disability as mere-difference, and their opponents. I do so by reviewing a central conviction motivating the resistance, concerning the relationship between disability and well-being. I argue that the conviction depends on further considerations about the costs and extent of change involved in accommodating individuals with a particular disability trait. I conclude by considering three payoffs of this clarification.
Res Philosophica, 2016
Over the past decade, John Rawls's theory of justice has been criticized for being unable to addr... more Over the past decade, John Rawls's theory of justice has been criticized for being unable to address the needs of disabled individuals or non-cooperators – because he employs the " fully cooperating assumption ". In response, philosophers sympathetic to Rawls's project have extended his theory to meet these criticisms. My aim is to critically assess one such extension, by Cynthia Stark, which is one of the few extensions which is sensitive to Rawls's reasons for employing the assumption initially. Stark proposes that we drop Rawls's assumption in the constitutional stage (of his four-stage hypothetical sequence), and address the needs of non-cooperators via the provisions of the social minimum. The deliberative parties, knowing that they could be non-cooperators, would ensure that the social minimum is as high and as comprehensive as possible. I defend Stark's proposal against criticisms by Sophia Wong, Christie Hartley, and Elizabeth Edenberg and Marilyn Friedman – during which I also briefly assess their projects. Nevertheless, I argue that Stark's proposal is crucially incomplete. Her formulation of the social minimum lacks accompanying criteria with which the adequacy of the provisions for non-cooperators may be assessed. Moreover, it seems unlikely that such criteria may be found, given pluralism about conceptions of the good. Thus, despite initial appearances, Stark's proposal does not fully address the needs of non-cooperators. My discussions clarify how the issue of adequacy (of provisions) is crucial, and must likewise be addressed by other Rawlsian extensions. I conclude by considering two additional payoffs of this clarity.
Journal of Medical Ethics, 2016
One recurring criticism of the best interests standard concerns its vagueness, and thus the inade... more One recurring criticism of the best interests standard concerns its vagueness, and thus the inadequate guidance it offers to care providers. The lack of an agreed definition of ‘best interests’, together with the fact that several suggested considerations adopted in legislation or professional guidelines for doctors do not obviously apply across different groups of persons, result in decisions being made in murky waters. In response, bioethicists have attempted to specify the best interests standard, to reduce the indeterminacy surrounding medical decisions. In this paper, we discuss the bioethicists’ response in relation to the state's possible role in clarifying the best interests standard. We identify and characterise two clarificatory strategies employed by bioethicists —elaborative and enumerative—and argue that the state should adopt the latter. Beyond the practical difficulties of the former strategy, a state adoption of it would inevitably be prejudicial in a pluralistic society. Given the gravity of best interests decisions, and the delicate task of respecting citizens with different understandings of best interests, only the enumerative strategy is viable. We argue that this does not commit the state to silence in providing guidance to and supporting healthcare providers, nor does it facilitate the abuse of the vulnerable. Finally, we address two methodological worries about adopting this approach at the state level. The adoption of the enumerative strategy is not defeatist in attitude, nor does it eventually collapse into (a form of) the elaborative strategy.
Bioethics, 2015
One of the central claims of the neurodiversity movement is that society should accommodate the n... more One of the central claims of the neurodiversity movement is that society should accommodate the needs of autistics, rather than try to treat autism. People have variously tried to reject this accommodation thesis as applicable to all autistics. One instance is Pier Jaarsma and Stellan Welin, who argue that the thesis should apply to some but not all autistics. They do so via separating autistics into high- and low-functioning, on the basis of IQ and social effectiveness or functionings. I reject their grounds for separating autistics. IQ is an irrelevant basis for separating autistics. Charitably rendering it as referring to more general capacities still leaves us mistaken about the roles they play in supporting the accommodation thesis. The appeal to social effectiveness or functionings relies on standards that are inapplicable to autistics, and which risks being deaf to the point of their claims. I then consider if their remaining argument concerning autistic culture may succeed independently of the line they draw. I argue that construing autistics' claims as beginning from culture mistakes their status, and may even detract from their aims. Via my discussion of Jaarsma and Welin, I hope to point to why the more general strategy of separating autistics, in response to the accommodation thesis, does not fully succeed. Finally, I sketch some directions for future discussions, arguing that we should instead shift our attention to consider another set of questions concerning the costs and extent of change required to accommodate all autistics.
Conferences by Chong-Ming Lim
Book Reviews by Chong-Ming Lim
Ethics
Review of José Medina's The Epistemology of Protest (OUP, 2023)
MIND, 2020
A review of Elizabeth Barnes' The Minority Body (OUP) for MIND
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Papers by Chong-Ming Lim
Conferences by Chong-Ming Lim
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Book Reviews by Chong-Ming Lim
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