I want friends whose minds are not tethered to mine in bonds of allegiance but spin freely of their own accord.
Tag Archives: Ethics (Personal)
The Corpse of a Russian Soldier, and the Cold but Human Urge to Look
Why does war’s wreckage — the downed helicopters, the destroyed tanks and the dead — draw crowds? A former Marine ponders the question as he stands before the badly burned body of a Russian fighter.
Don’t Let Climate Change Stop You From Having Kids
The green future has to be a welcoming one, even a thrilling one.
The Southern Baptist Moral Meltdown
The church leaders who made themselves blind, and then cruel.
How Democrats Can Win the Morality Wars
First, they have to understand the deep philosophical differences underlying these conflicts.
America Has a Scorn Problem
Too many of us think people with different opinions are not just wrong, but bad.
Should I Have Lied to Help My Kid Brother Get Vaccinated?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on what we gain from making hard choices.
Can I Utter a Racial Slur in My Classroom?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether a word should ever be off-limits.
My Brother-in-Law Is Awful to His Girlfriend. Should I Break Them Up?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether to intervene when a family member is in an emotionally damaging relationship — and more.
My Daughter Is Having Sex With Her Best Friend. Must I Tell Her Mom?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether to keep your teenager’s sexual relationship secret — and more.
The Many Uses (and Abuses) of Shame
Cathy O’Neil’s “The Shame Machine” is the most recent book to address an emotion that can be exhilarating or terrifying, depending on where you sit.
May I Disinherit My Right-Wing Daughters?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on when tribalism tears a family apart.
How Much Help Do I Owe My Debt-Ridden Dad?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on the duties we have to our parents.
Should We Fire Our Unvaccinated Babysitter?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on balancing personal loyalties against possible Covid exposure in this phase of the pandemic.
My Housecleaner Is Sick a Lot. Do I Have to Stick With Her?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on what people owe long-term domestic workers.
Is It OK That I’m OK With Our Mom’s Adultery?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on when disclosing a secret is a betrayal — and more.
Fever? Sore Throat? Just Check ‘No’ on Covid Form
Attestation forms for Covid may be turning us into fibbers.
How to Process the Covid Deaths of Anti-Vaxxers
Don’t give in to schadenfreude. It warps the soul.
Can I Reveal a Colleague’s Covid Diagnosis?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether to keep a coworker’s illness confidential, outing an unvaccinated colleague — and more.
Michael Schur’s Unending Quest to Be Perfect
The comedy writer, known for shows like “Parks and Recreation” and “The Good Place,” has a surprising new project: a book about moral philosophy that explores how to be a good person.
Can I Ask My Ex to Delete Those Nude Pics?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how to make a delicate request without provocation, and more.
Must I Donate a Kidney to My Awful Brother?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on what you owe to a sibling who didn’t treat you right and how to handle a potential bullying situation at your child’s school.
A Co-Worker Told a Sexist Joke. Should You Be Disciplined for Laughing?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how human resources should handle a reflex reaction to an inappropriate remark — and more.
I’m Invited to a Destination Wedding at a Plantation. What Do I Do?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how uncomfortable moments can’t be avoided if our country is going to get out from under four centuries of racism.
How to Know Your Donations Are Doing the Most Good
GiveWell investigates charities to find the most cost-effective ways to do good.
Can We Make Our Granddaughter Give Up Her Scary Dog?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on what terms we can attach to our plans to help loved ones — and more.
Can I Skip Jury Duty Because of Covid Fears?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on weighing health concerns against civic duty, what to do about workers who had sex on the job — and more.
What Should I Do With My Big Fat Inheritance?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on the burdens of philanthropy — and more.
What Do I Owe My Difficult Mother-in-Law?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist and why offering regular help creates sometimes unwelcome obligations of its own — and more.
Should I Tell a Facebook Friend I Had an Affair With Her Partner?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on responding to infidelity.
The Son My Sister Placed for Adoption Wants to Find Her. What Should I Do?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on confidentiality and our claims to know our biological ancestry.
Is It OK for My Boss to Use a Fake Identity With Customers?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on workplace deceptions.
Was My Black Colleague Right to Skip Our Firm’s Recruitment Event?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on where the onus of diversifying the work force should fall.
Should I Help My Aging, Ailing Dad Access His Toxic Web Feed?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether to assist a family member when they want to watch conspiracy-mongering videos.
What Should I Do With My Portrait of a Slaveholding Ancestor?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how to handle articles of history from a difficult past.
What Should I Do About My Bird-Killing Cat?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether an outdoor cat can be kept inside and how to handle a relative with aggressive parenting tactics,
My Colleague Is Secretly Holding Two Jobs. Should I Expose Her?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on the over employed and the under ambitious.
My Stepdad Has Alzheimer’s. Can My Mom Date Someone Else?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on marriage vows and stolen library books.
My Roommates Have Been Listening to My Therapy Sessions. Is That OK?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on an invasion of privacy and reporting misconduct at work.
Dhar Mann, YouTube’s Moral Philosopher
Dhar Mann has built an online video empire on contemporary fables.
Can We Drop a Dog Walker for Her Political Opinions?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on considering someone’s point of view when paying for their services.
How Much Must I Give Up for My Schizophrenic Brother?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on weighing a sibling’s needs against your own — and more.
What Should I Do With My Grandfather’s Cringey Canvases?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on the nudes that are no longer socially acceptable.
Should I Hang Out With Someone Whose Political Views I Hate?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether it’s hypocritical for a liberal to socialize with an increasingly extreme conservative.
Can I Ask Co-Workers if They’ve Had the Covid Vaccine?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on why asking about vaccine status isn’t a question of etiquette but of public health.
Is It OK to Ask Health Care Providers if They’re Vaccinated?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on navigating a world in which vaccination against Covid-19 is both common and contested.
A Complaint Against Liberal Modernity, and a Solution: Faith
In “The Unbroken Thread,” Sohrab Ahmari sees Western society as having overreached on freedom and lost a sense of rootedness in tradition and community.
What Pop Stoicism Misses About Ancient Philosophy
It’s not about self-improvement. It’s about being a good member of society.
I’m Pro-Choice. Can I Donate to Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Clinics?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on how to weigh doing good against the beliefs of the do-gooder and becoming a godmother without being a Catholic.
YouTube Videos Brainwashed My Father. Can I Reprogram His Feed?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on dealing with a parent radicalized by a recommendation engine and whether to cut off a friend who has joined a cult.