Dr Robert Sparrow - Researcher Profile

Biography

At the highest level of description my research interests are political philosophy and applied ethics; I am interested in philosophical arguments with real-world implications. More specifically, I am working in or have worked in: political philosophy, bioethics, environmental ethics, media ethics; just war theory; and the ethics of science and technology.

A more-or-less-up-to-date list of my publications with links to copies of (some of) them, can be found here. Copies of all of my published papers are available on request.

My current and past research projects are set out in more detail below, roughly in order of their relative importance in my current research activity.

Keywords

applied ethics, political philosophy, ethics human enhancement intersex conditions pgd sex sex selection, ethics,bioethics,philosophy,human enhancement, PGD, genetic relatedness parenthood reproductive liberty stem cells therapeutic cloning, military ethics, robotic weapons, robot ethics, stem cells, cloning, IVF, nanotechnology

Qualifications

PHILOSOPHY

Institution: Australian National University

Year awarded: 2000

ARTS (HONOURS)

Institution: University of Melbourne

Year awarded: 1990

Publications

Book Chapters

Sparrow, R., 2012, Can machines be people? Reflections on the turning triage test, in Robot Ethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Robotics, eds Patrick Lin, Keith Abney and George A. Bekey, MIT Press, Cambridge Massachusetts USA, pp. 301-315.

Sparrow, R.J., 2012, Cloning, parenthood, and genetic relatedness, in Arguing About Bioethics, eds Stephen Holland, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon, UK, pp. 163-175.

Sparrow, R., 2011, Robotic weapons and the future of war, in New Wars and New Soldiers: Military Ethics in the Contemporary World, eds Paolo Tripodi and Jessica Wolfendale, Ashgate, Surrey, UK, pp. 117-133.

Sparrow, R.J., 2010, The ethical challenges of military robots, in Ethical and Legal Aspects of Unmanned Systems: Interviews, eds Gerhard Dabringer, Katholiches Militarseelsorge Osterreich, Vienna, Austraia, pp. 87-102.

Sparrow, R., 2010, The slippery nature of nano-enthusiasm, in Nano Meets Macro: Social Perspectives on Nanoscale Sciences and Technologies, eds Kamilla Kjolberg and Fern Wickson, Pan Stanford Publishing, Singapore, pp. 123-137.

Sparrow, R.J., 2008, Genes, identity, and the expressivist critique, in The Sorting Society: The Ethics of Genetic Screening and Therapy, eds Loane Skene and Janna Thompson, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 111-132.

Sparrow, R.J., 2007, Anarchism since 1992, in Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, Vol1, eds Robert E. Goodin, Philip Pettit and Thomas Pogge, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, pp. 282-284.

Sparrow, R.J., 2007, 'Barbarians at the Gates': The Moral Costs of Political Community, in Politics and Morality, eds Igor Primoratz, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK, pp. 170-188.

Sparrow, R.J., 2007, For the Union makes us strong: Anarchism and Patriotism, in Patriotism: Political and Philosophical Perspectives, eds Igor Primoratz and Alexander Pavolic, Ashgate, Aldershot, UK & Burlington, VT, pp. 201-217.

Sparrow, R.J., 2007, Negotiating the nanodivides, in New Global Frontiers in Regulation: The Age of Nanotechnology, eds Graeme Hodge, Diana Bowman and Karinne Ludlow, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, Glos. Uk, pp. 87-107.

Sparrow, R.J., 2005, Androids, in Encyclopedia of Science, Technology and Ethics, eds Carl Mitcham, Macmillan Reference, USA, pp. 68-69.

Sparrow, R.J., 2005, Robots and robotics, in Encyclopedia of Science, Technology and Ethics, eds Carl Mitcham, Macmillan Reference, USA, pp. 1654-1656.

Sparrow, R.J., 2004, Censorship and Freedom of Speech, in Censorship and Free Speech, Issues in Society Series, eds J Healy, The Spinney Press, Thirroul NSW, pp. 1-4.

Sparrow, R.J., 2001, Anarchist Politics and Direct Action, in Vaarin ajateltua: anarckistisia puheenvuoroja herrudettmmasta yhteiskunnasta, eds Ahonen T, Termonen M, Tirkkonen T and Vehaluoto, U, Kampus Kustannus, Kopijyaskyka, Jyvaskyka, Finland, pp. 163-175.

Journal Articles

Sparrow, R., 2012, "Just say no" to drones, IEEE Technology and Society Magazine [P], vol 31, issue 1, IEEE, United States, pp. 56-63.

Sparrow, R.J., 2012, A child's right to a decent future? Regulating human genetic enhancement in multicultural societies, Asian Bioethics Review [P], vol 4, issue 4, NUS Press, Singapore, pp. 355-373.

Sparrow, R., 2012, The dead donor rule and means-end reasoning: A reply to Napier, Cambridge Quarterly Of Healthcare Ethics [P], vol 21, issue 1, Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom, pp. 141-146.

Sparrow, R., 2011, A not-so-new eugenics: Harris and Savulescu on human development, Hastings Center Report [P], vol 41, issue 1, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, United States, pp. 32-42.

Sparrow, R., 2011, Fear of a female planet: how John Harris came to endorse eugenic social engineering, Journal Of Medical Ethics [P], vol 38, issue 1, BMJ Group, UK, pp. 4-7.

Sparrow, R., 2011, Harris, harmed states, and sexed bodies, Journal Of Medical Ethics [P], vol 37, issue 5, BMJ Group, UK, pp. 276-279.

Sparrow, R., 2011, Human enhancement and sexual dimorphism, Bioethics [P], vol E, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxford, UK, pp. 1-12.

Sparrow, R., 2010, A not-so-new eugenics: Harris and Savulescu on human enhancement, Asian Bioethics Review [P], vol 2, issue 4, N U S Press Pte Ltd, Singapore, pp. 288-307.

Sparrow, R., 2010, Better than men? Sex and the therapy/enhancement distinction, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal [P], vol 20, issue 2, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA, pp. 115-144.

Sparrow, R.J., 2010, Implants and ethnocide: learning from the cochlear implant controversy, Disability & Society [P], vol 25, issue 4, Routledge, United Kingdom, pp. 455-466.

Sparrow, R., 2010, Liberalism and eugenics, Australasian journal of philosophy [P], vol 89, issue 4, Routledge, United Kingdom, pp. 499-517.

Gardiner, D., Sparrow, R., 2010, Not dead yet: Controlled non-heart-beating organ donation, consent, and the dead donor rule, Cambridge Quarterly Of Healthcare Ethics [P], vol 19, Cambridge University Press, UK, pp. 17-26.

Sparrow, R.J., 2010, Orphaned at conception: the uncanny offspring of embryos, Bioethics [E], vol 25, issue 4, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd., UK, pp. 1-9.

Sparrow, R.J., Cram, D.S., 2010, Saviour embryos? Preimplantation genetic diagnosis as a therapeutic technology, Reproductive Biomedicine Online [P], vol 20, Reproductive Healthcare ltd., UK, pp. 667-674.

Sparrow, R.J., 2010, Should human beings have sex? Sexual dimorphism and human enhancement, American Journal Of Bioethics [P], vol 10, issue 7, Routledge, United States, pp. 3-12.

Sparrow, R., 2010, Why bioethicists still need to think more about sex..., American Journal Of Bioethics [P], vol 10, issue 7, Routledge, US, pp. 1-3.

Sparrow, R.J., 2009, Building a better warbot: Ethical issues in the design of unmanned systems for military applications, Science And Engineering Ethics [P], vol 15, issue 2, Springer, Netherlands, pp. 169-187.

Sparrow, R.J., 2009, Predators or plowshares?: Arms control of robotic weapons, IEEE Technology and Society Magazine [P], vol 28, issue 1, IEEE, USA, pp. 25-29.

Sparrow, R.J., 2009, The social impacts of nanotechnology: an ethical and political analysis, Journal of bioethical inquiry. [P], vol 6, issue 1, Springer, Netherlands, pp. 13-23.

Sparrow, R.J., 2009, Therapeutic cloning and reproductive liberty, Journal Of Medicine And Philosophy [P], vol 34, issue 2, Oxford Journals: Oxford University Press, USA, pp. 102-118.

Sparrow, R.J., 2009, Xenotransplantation, consent and international justice, Developing World Bioethics [P], vol 9, issue 3, Blackwell, UK, pp. 119-127.

Sparrow, R.J., 2008, Is it "every man's right to have babies if he wants them"? Male pregnancy and the limits of reproductive liberty, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, vol 18, issue 3, John Hopkins University Press, Georgetown University, Washington, pp. 275-299.

Sparrow, R.J., 2008, Talkin' 'bout a (nanotechnological) revolution, IEEE Technology and Society, vol 27, issue 2, IEEE, Piscataway, New Jersey, pp. 37-43.

Russell, A.W., Sparrow, R.J., 2008, The case for regulating intragenic GMOs, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, vol 21, issue 2, Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, pp. 153-181.

Sparrow, R.J., 2007, Killer Robots, Journal of Applied Philosophy, vol 24, issue 1, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing,, United Kingdom, pp. 62-77.

Sparrow, R.J., 2007, Procreative Beneficence, Obligation, and Eugenics, Genomics, Society and Policy, vol 3, issue 3, Lancaster University, Furness College, United Kingdom, pp. 43-59.

Sparrow, R.J., 2007, Revolutionary and familiar, inevitable and precarious: Rhetorical contradictions in enthusiasm for nanotechnology, NanoEthics: ethics for technologies that converge, vol 1, issue 1, Springer, Netherlands, pp. 57-68.

Sparrow, R.J., 2006, "Trust us ... We're Doctors": science, media, and ethics in the Hwang stem cell controversy, Journal of Communication Research, vol 43, issue 1, Institute of Communication Research, Seoul, pp. 5-24.

Sparrow, R.J., 2006, Cloning, parenthood, and genetic relatedness, Bioethics, vol 20, issue 6, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, UK, pp. 308-318.

Sparrow, R.J., 2006, In the hands of machines? The future of aged care, Minds and Machines, vol 16, issue 2, Springer, The Netherlands, pp. 141-161.

Sparrow, R.J., 2006, Right of the living dead? Consent to experimental surgery in the event of cortical death, Journal of Medical Ethics, vol 32, issue 10, BMJ Publishing Group, UK, pp. 601-605.

Sparrow, R.J., 2005, "Hands up who wants to die?": primoratz on responsibility and civilian immunity in wartime, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, vol 8, issue 3, Springer-Verlag, Dordrecht The Netherlands, pp. 299-319.

Sparrow, R.J., 2005, Defending deaf culture: the case of cochlear implants, The Journal of Political Philosophy, vol 13, issue 2, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, UK, pp. 135-152.

Sparrow, R.J., 2004, The Turing Triage Test, Ethics and Information Technology, vol 6, issue 4, Springer-Verlag Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp. 203-213.

Sparrow, R.J., 2003, Borders, States, Freedom and Justice, Arena Magazine, vol 66, Arena Printing and Publications, Australia, pp. 25-31.

Sparrow, R.J., 2003, Response to Critics, Arena Magazine, vol 67, Arena Printing and Publications, Australia, p. 35.

Sparrow, R.J., 2002, Better off Deaf, Res Publica, vol 11, issue 1, Springer-Verlag, Netherlands, pp. 11-16.

Sparrow, R.J., 2002, Talking Sense about Political Correctness, Journal of Australasian Studies, vol 26, issue 73, API Network, Australia, pp. 119-133.

Sparrow, R.J., 2002, The March of the Robot Dogs, Ethics and Information Technology, vol 78, issue 3, Springer-Verlag, Netherlands, pp. 346-359.

Sparrow, R.J., Goodin, R.E., 2001, The Competition of Ideas: Market or Garden?, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, vol 4, issue 2, Routledge, UK, pp. 45-58.

Sparrow, R.J., 2000, History and Collective Responsibility, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, vol 78, issue 3, Routledge, UK, pp. 346-359.

Sparrow, R., 1999, The ethics of terraforming, Environmental Ethics [P], vol 21, issue 3, Environmental Philosophy, Inc., US, pp. 227-245.

Conference Proceedings

Sparrow, R.J., 2001, Artificial Intelligences, Embodiment and the Turing Triage Test, Proceedings of the Computer Ethics: Philosophical Enquiry 2001, 14-16.12.2000, Lancaster University, Lancaster UK, pp. 222-235.

Sparrow, R.J., 2001, Culture and Choice: Two Models of Culture in the Cochlear Implant Debate, Proceedings of the 2nd Victorian State Deaf Conference, Difference Views...One Vision, Victorian Council of Deaf People, Australia, pp. 51-72.

Other

Sparrow, R.J., 2012, The perils of post-persons, Journal Of Medical Ethics, B M J Group, London, UK.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Cosmetic Psychopharmacology: Can We Avoid a Slide Towards Inauthenticity?.

Supervisors:

Oakley, J (Main), Sparrow, R (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

H+ or H-? The Case of Human Enhancement.

Supervisors:

Sparrow, R (Main), Oakley, J (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

The politics of inversion and opposition in Fredy Perlman's Against His-story, Against Leviathan.

Supervisors:

Sparrow, R (Main), Janover, M (Associate).

Completed Supervision

Student:

Ballantyne, A.

Program of Study:

Exploitation in HIV/AIDS international clinical research. (PHD) 2006.

Supervisors:

Oakley, J (Main), Sparrow, R (Associate).

Student:

Blackford, R.

Program of Study:

Human enhancement: the challenge to liberal tolerance. (PHD) 2008.

Supervisors:

Oakley, J (Main), Sparrow, R (Associate).

Student:

Cole, V.

Program of Study:

(Post)human flourishing: neo-Aristotelian natural rights and the challenge to human nature. (PHD) 2011.

Supervisors:

Oakley, J (Main), Sparrow, R (Associate).

Student:

Krohn, P.

Program of Study:

Reproductive obligations. (Masters) 2012.

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), Sparrow, R (Associate).

Student:

Mcgann, M.

Program of Study:

Just diversity: liberalism and the limits of multiculturalism. (PHD) 2008.

Supervisors:

Green, K (Main), Sparrow, R (Associate).

Student:

Mora, E.

Program of Study:

Understanding Harming Actions: A Defence of the Harm-State Theory. (Masters) 2008.

Supervisors:

Handfield, T (Main), Sparrow, R (Associate).