Ethics

Below are essays on:

• contemporary moral issues and topics in applied or practical ethics;
• ethical theories or explanations for what, in general, makes wrong actions wrong and makes permissible actions permissible; and
• metaethics or philosophical theories of whether and how moral judgments are true or false (or neither) and whether and how we know them (if we do), and other philosophical issues about ethics.

Practical Ethics | Applied Ethics | Moral Issues

General Issues in Thinking about Ethics

• • Applied Ethics by Chelsea Haramia
  • Expertise: What is an Expert? by Jamie Carlin Watson
  • Dehumanization: What is it to Dehumanize People? by Dan Peterson
  • Moral Testimony by Annaleigh Curtis

Bioethics and Medical Ethics

• • Theories of Moral Considerability: Who and What Matters Morally? by Jonathan Spelman
  • The Ethics of Abortion by Nathan Nobis
  • Euthanasia, or Mercy Killing by Nathan Nobis
  • The Doctrine of Double Effect: Do Intentions Matter to Ethics? by Gabriel Andrade
  • Ethics and Absolute Poverty: Peter Singer and Effective Altruism by Brandon Boesch
  • Principlism in Biomedical Ethics: Respect for Autonomy, Non-Maleficence, Beneficence, and Justice by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.
  • Saving the Many or the Few: The Moral Relevance of Numbers by Theron Pummer
  • Equality: What Is It and How Is It Different from Equity? by Daniel Weltman
  • Philosophy of Pain by Tiina Carita Rosenqvist

Ethics and Education

• • Philosophical Inquiry in Childhood by Jana Mohr Lone
  • Indoctrination: What is it to Indoctrinate Someone? by Chris Ranalli
  • Moral Education: Teaching Students to Become Better People by Dominik Balg
  • Moral Testimony by Annaleigh Curtis
  • Ethics and “Extra Credit” by Nathan Nobis
  • Mary Astell’s “A Serious Proposal to the Ladies” (1694) by Simone Webb

Ethics and Technology

• • Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Society, and the Environment by Thomas Metcalf
  • Videogames and Philosophy by Alex Fisher
  • Martin Heidegger on Technology by Matthew Sanderson

Happiness, Meaning and the Good Life

• • Happiness by Kiki Berk
  • Stoicism: Finding Happiness in What’s Under Your Control by Matthew Pianalto
  • Meaning in Life: What Makes Our Lives Meaningful? by Matthew Pianalto
  • The Meaning of Life: What’s the Point? by Matthew Pianalto
  • The Philosophy of Humor: What Makes Something Funny? by Chris A. Kramer
  • Hope by Michael Milona & Katie Stockdale
  • Moral Luck by Jonathan Spelman
  • Psychological Approaches to Personal Identity: Do Memories and Consciousness Make Us Who We Are? by Kristin Seemuth Whaley

Ethics and Existentialism

• • Existentialism by Addison Ellis
  • African American Existentialism: DuBois, Locke, Thurman, and King by Anthony Sean Neal
  • Camus on the Absurd: The Myth of Sisyphus by Erik Van Aken
  • “Hell Is Other People”: Sartre on Personal Relationships by Kiki Berk

Moral Growth and Development

• • Transformative Experiences: Can Life-Changing Choices Be Both Rational and Authentic? by Felipe Pereira
  • Moral Education: Teaching Students to Become Better People by Dominik Balg
  • Philosophical Inquiry in Childhood by Jana Mohr Lone
  • Philosophy as a Way of Life by Christine Darr
  • Philosophical Counseling: Using Philosophy to Address Life’s Challenges by Nathan Nobis
  • Ancient Cynicism: Rejecting Civilization and Returning to Nature by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.
  • Rousseau on Human Nature: “Amour de soi” and “Amour propre” by Corey McCabe

Ethics and Relationships 

• • What Is It To Love Someone? by Felipe Pereira
  • Aristotle on Friendship: What Does It Take to Be a Good Friend? by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.
  • “Hell Is Other People”: Sartre on Personal Relationships by Kiki Berk

Ethics and Death 

• • Is Death Bad? Epicurus and Lucretius on the Fear of Death by Frederik Kaufman
  • The Badness of Death by Duncan Purves
  • Is Immortality Desirable? by Felipe Pereira

Ethics and the Future

• • Longtermism: How Much Should We Care About the Far Future? by Dylan Balfour
  • The Non-Identity Problem by Duncan Purves
  • The Repugnant Conclusion by Jonathan Spelman

Sex, Gender, and Feminism

• • What Is Misogyny? by Odelia Zuckerman and Clair Morrissey
  • Feminism Part 1: The Sameness Approach by Annaleigh Curtis
  • Feminism Part 2: The Difference Approach by Annaleigh Curtis
  • Feminism Part 3: The Dominance Approach by Chelsea Haramia
  • Mary Astell’s “A Serious Proposal to the Ladies” (1694) by Simone Webb
  • Sexual Orientation, Sex, and Gender by Raja Halwani

Ethics and Animals

• • Theories of Moral Considerability: Who and What Matters Morally? by Jonathan Spelman
  • Animal Minds by Tiina Carita Rosenqvist
  • The Moral Status of Animals by Jason Wyckoff
  • Speciesism: Discrimination on the Basis of Species by Dan Lowe
  • “Can They Suffer?”: Bentham on our Obligations to Animals by Daniel Weltman
  • Ethics and Animal Research by Paul Bali
  • Philosophy of Pain by Tiina Carita Rosenqvist

Business Ethics

• • Business Ethics by Thomas Metcalf
  • Marx’s Conception of Alienation by Dan Lowe
  • On Karl Marx’s Slogan “From Each According to their Ability, To Each According to their Need” by Sam Badger

Capitalism and Socialism; Marxism

• • Defining Capitalism and Socialism and Arguments for Capitalism and Socialism by Thomas Metcalf
  • Karl Marx’s Conception of Alienation by Dan Lowe
  • Karl Marx’s Theory of History by Angus Taylor
  • On Karl Marx’s Slogan “From Each According to their Ability, To Each According to their Need” by Sam Badger

Ethics and Social Issues

• • Ethics and the Expected Consequences of Voting by Thomas Metcalf
  • Free Speech by Mark Satta
  • “The Ethics of Belief”: Is it Wrong to Believe Without Sufficient Evidence? by Spencer Case
  • Conspiracy Theories by Jared Millson
  • Licensing Parents by Ryan Jenkins
  • Responding to Morally Flawed Historical Philosophers and Philosophies by Victor Fabian Abundez-Guerra and Nathan Nobis

Ethics and Race

• • Philosophy and Race: An Introduction to Philosophy of Race by Thomas Metcalf
  • The Ontology of Race by Abiral Chitrakar Phnuyal
  • Aristotle’s Defense of Slavery by Dan Lowe
  • Reparations for Historic Injustice by Joseph Frigault
  • Removing Confederate Monuments by Travis Timmerman

Ethics and the Law

• • Philosophy of Law: An Overview by Mark Satta
  • Civil Disobedience: Seeking Justice by Breaking the Law by Henry Krahn
  • Plato’s Crito: When Should We Break the Law? by Spencer Case
  • Free Speech by Mark Satta

Ethics and Punishment

• • Theories of Punishment by Travis Joseph Rodgers
  • The Death Penalty by Benjamin S. Yost

Ethics and War

• • The Ethics of Drone Strikes by Ryan Jenkins
  • Just War Theory by Ryan Jenkins

Ethics and Literature

• • George Orwell’s Philosophical Views by Mark Satta
  • Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas”: Would You Walk Away? by Spencer Case

Normative Ethics / Ethical Theories / Moral Principles 

Ethics and Authority

• • “That’s Subjective”: Subjectivism about Truth, Beauty, and Goodness by Nathan Nobis
  • Cultural Relativism: Do Cultural Norms Make Actions Right and Wrong? by Nathan Nobis
  • Because God Says So: On Divine Command Theory by Spencer Case
  • Ethics and God: the Divine Command Theory and the Euthyphro Dilemma by Nathan Nobis  
    • Nietzsche and the Death of God by Justin Remhof
    • Atheism: Believing God Does Not Exist by Nathan Nobis
  • Ethical Egoism by Nathan Nobis

Consequentialism

• • Consequentialism and Utilitarianism by Shane Gronholz
    • Mill’s Proof of the Principle of Utility by Dale E. Miller
    • John Stuart Mill on The Good Life: Higher-Quality Pleasures by Dale E. Miller
    • Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas”: Would You Walk Away? by Spencer Case
    • Saving the Many or the Few: The Moral Relevance of Numbers by Theron Pummer

Kantian Ethics and Non-Consequentialism

• • Kantian Deontology: Immanuel Kant’s Ethics by Andrew Chapman
  • The Doctrine of Double Effect: Do Intentions Matter to Ethics? by Gabriel Andrade

Virtue Ethics

• • Virtue Ethics by David Merry
    • Situationism and Virtue Ethics by Ian Tully
  • G. E. M. Anscombe’s “Modern Moral Philosophy” by Daniel Weltman
  • The African Ethic of Ubuntu by Thaddeus Metz
  • Mengzi’s Moral Psychology, Part 1: The Four Moral Sprouts by John Ramsey
  • Mengzi’s Moral Psychology, Part 2: The Cultivation Analogy by John Ramsey

Social Contract Theory

• • Social Contract Theory by David Antonini
  • “Nasty, Brutish, and Short”: Thomas Hobbes on Life in the State of Nature by Daniel Weltman
  • Rousseau on Human Nature: “Amour de soi” and “Amour propre” by Corey McCabe
  • How to Establish Social Order? Three Early Chinese Answers by Henrique Schneider

Theories of Justice

• • John Rawls’ ‘A Theory of Justice’ by Ben Davies
  • Equality: What Is It and How Is It Different from Equity? by Daniel Weltman
  • Distributive Justice: How Should Resources be Allocated? By Dick Timmer and Tim Meijers
  • Robert Nozick’s “Wilt Chamberlain” Argument for Libertarianism by Daniel Weltman

Ethical Pluralisms

• • W.D. Ross’s Ethics of “Prima Facie” Duties by Matthew Pianalto
  • Principlism in Biomedical Ethics: Respect for Autonomy, Non-Maleficence, Beneficence, and Justice by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.

Global Ethics: Africa and China

• • The African Ethic of Ubuntu by Thaddeus Metz
  • Mengzi’s Moral Psychology, Part 1: The Four Moral Sprouts by John Ramsey
  • Mengzi’s Moral Psychology, Part 2: The Cultivation Analogy by John Ramsey
  • The Ethics of Mozi: Social Organization and Impartial Care by Henrique Schneider
  • How to Establish Social Order? Three Early Chinese Answers by Henrique Schneider

Other Ethical Perspectives and Concerns

• • Why be Moral? Plato’s ‘Ring of Gyges’ Thought Experiment by Spencer Case
  • Plato’s Form of the Good by Ryan Jenkins
  • (Im)partiality by Shane Gronholz
  • Evolution and Ethics by Michael Klenk
  • Praise and Blame by Daniel Miller
  • Ignorance and Blame by Daniel Miller
  • Free Will and Moral Responsibility by Chelsea Haramia
  • Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility by Rachel Bourbaki
  • Manipulation and Moral Responsibility by Taylor W. Cyr
  • Practical Reasons by Shane Gronholz
  • Hell and Universalism by A.G. Holdier

Meta-Ethics / The Philosophy of Ethics 

• • Ethical Realism, or Moral Realism by Thomas Metcalf
  • Seemings: Justifying Beliefs Based on How Things Seem by Kaj André Zeller
  • Moral Error Theory by Ian Tully
  • Because God Says So: On Divine Command Theory by Spencer Case
  • Evolution and Ethics by Michael Klenk
  • Reason is the Slave to the Passions: Hume on Reason vs. Desire by Daniel Weltman

Also see Social and Political Philosophy