"Questions About Safety of Plastic in Baby Bottles Remain"

- New York Times article by The Associated Press - September 3, 2008

This article examines the continued controversy over specific chemicals used in the production of plastic baby bottles. Certain animal studies have apparently raised concerns over the effects of bisphenol A, a plastic hardening compound used in the production of baby bottles and the sealing of canned foods. While debates continue to rage on both sides of the issue, some companies have stopped selling bottles treated with bisphenol, and others have increased production of chemically sound, if physically delicate glass baby bottles. The connection to the philosophical values of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes are clear, as the FDA is a branch of the government, and as such their ability to make and enforce laws is supported by Locke and decried by Hobbes. We can infer from the set of principles generated by Hobbes that he would oppose the unseen influence of the FDA, preferring for each person to make their own decision about whether to use plastic baby bottles or not. However, while assuming this, we should bear in mind the time period Hobbes occupied, and the dramatic differences between then and now. Is it fair to assume that Hobbes would still stand behind his beliefs in the face of our much larger and potentialy more insidious world, with its plethora of astounding technological achievements and shockingly effective weapons?