Category Archives: Morality

Bans and obligations: a last resort?

(featured image collage with work by LtapsaH/Pixabay) The law can be an important, but often overlooked, factor in our day-to-day choices. But how effective are legal bans and obligations really? A decision whether or not to do something is almost … Continue reading

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The amoral universe

(featured image: Hubble ESA/Flickr CC BY 2.0) Is morality, literally, just a figment of our imagination? Every parent will, sooner or later, experience clashes between their beliefs, and those of their children. The first such clash in my life happened … Continue reading

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Right things

What is right for me is not necessarily right for thee – an everyday story of moral dilemmas One of my guilty pleasures – well, one that I am happy to share with the world – is that I am … Continue reading

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Reputation for plagiarism

Plagiarism is certainly worthy of disdain when it constitutes actual theft – collecting payment that the original creator would have received – but why do we also tend to take a dim view of instances of plagiarism where there is … Continue reading

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Economic thinking in the real world

(featured image: Marius Arnesen/Flickr CC BY NC 2.0) Economic thinking can help a lot with everyday decision making, but some choices are beyond its capability. Or are they? Many of the decisions we make – from the trivial to the … Continue reading

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The power of wrong

When might we opt to refrain from doing something that would serve us well? A few weeks ago, the light bulb in our oven popped. It is one of those insignificant items whose utility you don’t fully appreciate until they … Continue reading

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Evil does not take sides

Featured image: Pandemonium by John Martin The hardest, and the most significant choices we make are those that involve good and evil. Those are also the choices that signal the clearest who we really are. There is no getting away … Continue reading

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The ethics of voluntary economic transactions

<featured image: Ron Lach/Pexels> Can voluntary transactions raise ethical questions? Yes, they can! It has just gone midnight and you are walking home from the station, down a dark and deserted street. Suddenly, a figure jumps in front of you … Continue reading

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Dramatic dilemmas and AI

Featured image: via DALL·E Can artificial intelligence make better decisions than we would ourselves? For that, it might be a good idea to look at the hardest decisions we face. And where better to look than in gripping drama? We … Continue reading

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Talking ‘bout my reputation

Reputation serves an important purpose in a society in which we rely on the cooperation and goodwill of others. Our desire to enhance or preserve it will guide our behaviour, but that doesn’t mean we can expect everyone to behave … Continue reading

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