Everyday Ethics

Most people who are capable of critical thinking tend to revile the inefficiency and mindlessness of most bureaucratic institutions.  One source of this frustration stems from the blind allegiance to rule-following that bureaucracies tend to breed.  Many of us have had the unpleasant experience of being denied some reasonable request on the grounds that honoring [...]

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A close friend of mine recently had a sudden and unexpected death occur in his family.  He was not close to his brother, whose drug-abusing lifestyle made his death somewhat less shocking than it otherwise might have been.  In spite of all this, my friend instantly recognized an obligation to help with funeral arrangements, attend [...]

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Rights talk is a common theme in contemporary moral discourse.  We speak freely of having all sorts of different rights.  Our rights may or may not include a right to freedom of speech, life, non-interference, equal pay for equal work, etc.  If somebody cares about it, you can bet someone, somewhere, has described it as [...]

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Rights are something that most people take for granted.  Few individuals are capable of explaining what rights actually are, and even fewer can give you any coherent reasons for thinking that we have them.  Despite this widespread ignorance of such a core principle in our system of government, most people have a positive view of [...]

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It is a commonly held belief that scientific inquiry is a value-free endeavor.  This ideology of science states that because ethical claims, concepts, and ideas cannot be verified empirically, they are not real in a sense that is relevant to science.  This position has recently been widely challenged, and this ideology continues to erode under [...]

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Egoism is generally the view that human wants are in some way relevant to what humans do.  Not long ago, ethical egoism was defended as a scientifically consistent moral position that cohered with the reality of psychological egoism in humans.  Because of the similarity and compatibility between these two views, they are often confused and [...]

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As the quagmire that is the Iraq war continues unabated, everyday Americans seem to be pushing strongly for a withdrawal with an enthusiasm that increases nearly every day.  We have now watched this misguided undertaking drag on for over five years, and despite the declaration of “mission accomplished” by our president, both Iraqis and Americans [...]

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As we continue our discussion of the way in which metaphysical questions apply to everyday problems, we turn to the complicated relationship between causation and value.  Most individuals don’t give much thought to what value is, or what makes certain things valuable but not other things.  Subjectivism and objectivism are two metaethical views that offer [...]

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It’s always fun to go back and read your own work.  I often look back at articles that I have written and wonder “why did I say that?” or “that doesn’t even make sense.”  Occasionally, I impress myself, which is fun.  And sometimes, I am forced to admit a deficiency in my own writing, in [...]

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Morality seems like the sort of thing that involves individual action.  We ask questions about what individuals ought to do, or how persons ought to be treated.  However, the role of communities in ethical deliberations should not be understated, and our own ethical decision-making can be enhanced by thinking about the ways that communities might [...]

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