Ethics

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

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

Hope by Michael Milona & Katie Stockdale

What Is It To Love Someone? by Felipe Pereira  

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

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

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