Below are essays on:
- contemporary moral issues and topics in applied 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
Applied Ethics by Chelsea Haramia
Theories of Moral Considerability: Who and What Matters Morally? by Jonathan Spelman
Business Ethics by Thomas Metcalf
Happiness by Kiki Berk
Meaning in Life: What Makes Our Lives Meaningful? by Matthew Pianalto
The Meaning of Life: What’s the Point? by Matthew Pianalto
Philosophy as a Way of Life by Christine Darr
Ancient Cynicism: Rejecting Civilization and Returning to Nature by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.
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
Principlism in Biomedical Ethics: Respect for Autonomy, Non-Maleficence, Beneficence, and Justice by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.
Philosophy and Race: An Introduction to Philosophy of Race by Thomas Metcalf
What Is Misogyny? by Odelia Zuckerman and Clair Morrissey
Theories of Punishment by Travis Joseph Rodgers
The Death Penalty by Benjamin S. Yost
Philosophy of Law: An Overview by Mark Satta
Ethics and Absolute Poverty: Peter Singer and Effective Altruism by Brandon Boesch
Longtermism: How Much Should We Care About the Far Future? by Dylan Balfour
Saving the Many or the Few: The Moral Relevance of Numbers by Theron Pummer
The Badness of Death by Duncan Purves
Is Death Bad? Epicurus and Lucretius on the Fear of Death by Frederik Kaufman
The Moral Status of Animals by Jason Wyckoff
Speciesism by Dan Lowe
“Can They Suffer?”: Bentham on our Obligations to Animals by Daniel Weltman
The Non-Identity Problem by Duncan Purves
Psychological Approaches to Personal Identity: Do Memories and Consciousness Make Us Who We Are? by Kristin Seemuth Whaley
The Ethics of Drone Strikes by Ryan Jenkins
Videogames and Philosophy by Alex Fisher
Philosophical Inquiry in Childhood by Jana Mohr Lone
Ethics and the Expected Consequences of Voting by Thomas Metcalf
Free Speech by Mark Satta
Licensing Parents by Ryan Jenkins
Moral Luck by Jonathan Spelman
Indoctrination: What is it to Indoctrinate Someone? by Chris Ranalli
Is it Wrong to Believe Without Sufficient Evidence? W.K. Clifford’s “The Ethics of Belief” by Spencer Case
Existentialism by Addison Ellis
African American Existentialism: DuBois, Locke, Thurman, and King by Anthony Sean Neal
Is Immortality Desirable? by Felipe Pereira
Camus on the Absurd: The Myth of Sisyphus by Erik Van Aken
“Hell Is Other People”: Sartre on Personal Relationships by Kiki Berk
The Philosophy of Humor: What Makes Something Funny? by Chris A. Kramer
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
Hope by Michael Milona & Katie Stockdale
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.
Sexual Orientation, Sex, and Gender by Raja Halwani
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
Aristotle’s Defense of Slavery by Dan Lowe
Removing Confederate Monuments by Travis Timmerman
Mary Astell’s “A Serious Proposal to the Ladies” (1694) by Simone Webb
Rousseau on Human Nature: “Amour de soi” and “Amour propre” by Corey McCabe
Epistemic Injustice by Huzeyfe Demirtas
Ethics and “Extra Credit” by Nathan Nobis
The Ontology of Race by Abiral Chitrakar Phnuyal
Reparations for Historic Injustice by Joseph Frigault
Responding to Morally Flawed Historical Philosophers and Philosophies by Victor Fabian Abundez-Guerra and Nathan Nobis
How to Establish Social Order? Three Early Chinese Answers by Henrique Schneider
Plato’s Crito: When should we break the law? by Spencer Case
Conspiracy Theories by Jared Millson
George Orwell’s Philosophical Views by Mark Satta
Normative Ethics / Ethical Theories / Moral Principles
Cultural Relativism: Do Cultural Norms Make Actions Right and Wrong? by Nathan Nobis
Because God Says So: On Divine Command Theory by Spencer Case
Ethical Egoism by Nathan Nobis
Deontology: Kantian Ethics by Andrew Chapman
Consequentialism 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
W.D. Ross’s Ethics of “Prima Facie” Duties by Matthew Pianalto
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
John Rawls’ ‘A Theory of Justice’ by Ben Davies
Distributive Justice: How Should Resources be Allocated? By Dick Timmer and Tim Meijers
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
The Doctrine of Double Effect: Do Intentions Matter to Ethics? by Gabriel Andrade
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
Principlism in Biomedical Ethics: Respect for Autonomy, Non-Maleficence, Beneficence, and Justice by G. M. Trujillo, Jr.
Why be Moral? Plato’s ‘Ring of Gyges’ Thought Experiment by Spencer Case
Evolution and Ethics by Michael Klenk
(Im)partiality by Shane Gronholz
The Ethics of Mozi: Social Organization and Impartial Care by Henrique Schneider
Praise and Blame by Daniel Miller
Nietzsche and the Death of God by Justin Remhof
Plato’s Form of the Good by Ryan Jenkins
The Repugnant Conclusion by Jonathan Spelman
Practical Reasons by Shane Gronholz
Moral Testimony by Annaleigh Curtis
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
Expertise by Jamie Carlin Watson
Hell and Universalism by A.G. Holdier
Meta-Ethics / The Philosophy of Ethics
Ethical 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