Do physical particles act for reasons?

 In the case of the physical, that is typically defined as something that does not act for reasons. If I am caught in an avalanche, the rocks have no interest in either clobbering me or not clobbering me. They just move in accordance with the laws of physics.Yet in our universe we have things called scientists (and other rational agents as well) who respond to evidence and have purposes for what they do. This suggests a whole different mode of causation than what atoms in the unverse are supposed to do according to physicalism. If a reason is the cause of my actions, but my brain is physical (meaning that the particles in it do not act for reasons), then acting for reasons is an emergent property. But what that involves isn't just saying something about the whole that you don't say about the parts, it is attributing a fundamentally different kind of causation to the whole that is not found in the parts. And that seems to me to be self-contradictory. If physicalism is true, then all causation is physical (non-rational) causation. If you want to introduce purpose into physics be my guest, but then how do you keep God out of physics?

Utility and rights

 

The existence of rights is critical. The rights that utilitarianism allows for are rights that will maximize happiness. But isn't the whole idea of a right the idea that you are entitled to something no matter what, even if your having that right makes things worse for the sake of happiness. For example, do you only have the right to live if it would be best for the balance of pleasure over pain if you stayed alive?

How should laws against abortion work? How do you prevent collateral damage

Example 1: If a woman has a miscarriage, should she have to prove that she didn't induce the abortion? 

Example 2: A woman's pregnancy is likely to either kill her or leave her with serious physical damage if she carries the pregnancy to term, should we wait until we are sure she will die if she continues the pregnancy before ending the pregnancy? 

Example 3: If there is a rape exception, what kind of evidence should be needed that there has been a rape? 

I am not implying that these problems can't be resolved, or even that laws in restrictive states don't cover them.