Questions tagged [ethics]
For questions about ethics, a branch of philosophy dealing with morality, justice, virtue, vice, good and evil.
338 questions
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Wisdom and John Vervaeke's awakening from the meaning crises?
I've been watching John Vervaeke's awakening from the meaning crises ( I haven't seen the whole lecture series). And while I am finding it intriguing I think to myself is this really wisdom? I mean in ...
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Is the tyrannicide perpetrated by William Tell morally legitimate?
I have recently been reading Friedrich Schiller's fantastic Drama William Tell, in which he not only relates the folkloric-mythological origin of Switzerland upon its liberation from the yoke of the ...
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What are some philosophical works that explore constructing meaning in life from an agnostic or atheist view?
I've been deeply suicidal for years, but it's gotten worse recently. I grew up Mormon, and last year I realized I couldn't believe in it anymore. I just couldn't; it would take too long to explain.
I ...
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Is the Categorical Imperative Simply Bad Math? :)
The title is clickbait, but the question is not.
First, The Categorical Imperative:
Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.
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How do ethicists tackle the question "Is it immoral to have sex in public places?" Is it possible to use rational and empirical ideas to answer?
Is it immoral to have sex in public places? If so, what are the rational and empirical reasons?
Most people believe it’s immoral to have sex in public places. Have ethicists come up with any good ...
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Is artificially generating images of minors in sexual positions unethical? [closed]
I am a machine learner, specialising in GANs and when a friend recently told me that he thinks a litle bit differently about the situation, this got me thinking (and not only about getting new friends)...
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Is God either amoral or not omnipotent?
The usual (Christian) justification for suffering/evil in the world created by a benevolent God is freedom of the will. However, the more interesting question is not about the source of evil (which ...
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Are there any non-divine objective standards of good/evil?
This question is a step backwards because I've run into trouble with definitions on my original question: What would be the logical consequences of human will/nature being corrupt?
Is there any way ...
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What did Nietzsche mean by monsters and the abyss?
What do you think Nietzsche meant by "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." (...
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Why is Nietzsche an important philosopher?
Can someone explain to me why Nietzsche is an important philosopher? To be honest, I am interested in analytic philosophy and I want to to how much valuable the Nietzsche's ideas are from analytical ...
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Is it a logical flaw to blame someone for an event if they were simply its causal factor?
I would ask if this is a logical fallacy, but I don't think you can consider wrongful attribution of blame to be a logical fallacy, because attributing blame is a normative claim, not a descriptive ...
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What are some examples of categorical imperatives/universalizable maxims relevant to modern ethics?
I know this question has been widely asked, and that the answer may not be as straightforward as the question, which is partly why I'm asking. It's been a long time since I sat in a philosophy class, ...
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What would Kant do when two categorical imperatives conflict? Could he ever justify lying?
Suppose a German SS officer knocked on my door, asking me whether I had any Jews. And suppose further that I had two Jews in a secret compartment in the attic that he'd never be able to find. ...
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Do human rights exist?
What is the basis for believing that there is such a thing as human rights? I am all for human rights but it could be argued that the notion of human rights is imaginary and reducible to absurdity (...
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Do historians have responsibility in how they decide to depict something?
Do historians have responsibility in how they decide to depict something?
Isn't it possible that historical interpretations could be utilized for rationalizing e.g. war?
Presumably there's also "...
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Evil thoughts without actions?
Can a thought without a corresponding action be morally wrong?
More fully, under which approaches to morality do thoughts, in and of themselves,
carry moral significance?
In particular I'm looking ...
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Is it possible to be truly selfless or altruistic?
Is it possible for people to actually be selfless? It seems that in many cases where someone is being kind, they are actually performing in a manner that will benefit them. Either the recipient of the ...
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Why do we prohibit consensual incestuous relationships?
When talking about sexual relationships between brothers and sisters, our initial intuition might be, “Well that’s just wrong. There’s something immoral about that”. Now, to examine the logic, I ...
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How would you apply John Rawls "Theory of justice" to everyday decisions?
How can I apply John Rawls theory of justice to everyday decision making?
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How to start learning philosophy and overcome my bias towards mathematics?
I am interested and curious about philosophy, especially topics like morals, justice, ethics, etc. I want to read books that explain the philosophy behind them. However, I am very ignorant and I don’t ...
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What exactly do 'objective' and 'subjective' mean in contemporary philosophy?
I'm pretty new to philosophy and I just have a quick question in regards to about how people use the terms 'objective' and 'subjective'.
Does objective value mean anything that is independent of one'...
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Are Good and Evil relative or absolute?
I know how most religions would deal with this question.
However, how does philosophy deal with these two concepts?
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Can emotions be logical? And can logic and emotion co-exist?
Logic and emotion tend to be considered as polar opposites. When someone is empathetic or generally emotional, they are not claimed to be logical. The parts of the brain responsible for logic and ...
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Are there philosophically serious moral arguments against eugenics?
First, I'm sure there are, but I have yet to read much in this area. It seems that most moral arguments are or quickly become historical arguments about violent or judicial racism, which may then ...
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Nietzsche on balancing service to the creation of (or becoming) the Overman and living a life of ones own choosing?
So, I have been looking into Nietzsche.
To be honest, I have thought a lot about Nietzsche for the past 2 years, and I am unsure of what to make of the nature of this need to become the Overman. My ...
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Is the foundation of morality subjectively survival and happiness, and why or why not?
Many rational minds have come to attribute the foundation of morality to humankind's survival and happiness. I have been discussing with friends about why that 'humankind survival and happiness' must ...
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What, if anything, is the difference between ethics and moral philosophy?
Are the terms 'Ethics' and 'Moral Philosophy' different in extension as terms in philosophy? Some Departments of Philosophy have courses with titles like "Introduction to Ethics" and others with ...
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What is the Difference Between Human Rights and Natural Rights?
When people discuss the human rights and natural rights, there seems to be a distinction between the two, where standard interpretations of human rights (such as the Universal Declaration of Human ...
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What makes moral realism so popular a standpoint?
According to wikipedia page on moral realism:
A survey from 2009 involving 3,226 respondents found that 56% of philosophers accept or lean towards moral realism (28%: anti-realism; 16%: other).
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Is 'veganism' a settled issue in Philosophy and Ethics?
I have been having discussions with some rather enthusiastic vegans who have a degree in philosophy, and they have been trying to convince me that it is a settled issue in ethics and philosophy that ...
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Is altruism a contradiction?
A discussion at work recently involved our CEO (who has a psychology degree and is generally very knowledgable.. I have a lot of respect for his opinion) stating with great confidence that altruism is ...
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What is the difference between ethics and morals?
I am currently writing an essay on artificial moral agents, and I need to explain the difference between ethics and morals. However, I am finding it really hard to find a good book or research paper ...
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Is virtue necessary to achieve eudaimonia?
Stoics believe that virtue (ἀρετή) is necessary and sufficient to achieve happiness (εὐδαιμονία). It was the "sufficient" portion that marked Stoics out from other ancient philosophy, but I suspect ...
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Are analogies between ethics and mathematics philosophically coherent?
Analogies between ethics and mathematics are pretty common – probably because of their shared a priori nature. Philosophical laymen use them, like “Scott Alexander” (no, you don't need to know him), ...
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Why did Kant think that you should be responsible for the consequences of lying but not for the consequences of telling the truth?
Can someone here clarify what Kant meant with the following statement:
if you have by a lie prevented someone just now bent on murder from committing the deed, then you are legally accountable for ...
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Does antinatalism carry the seeds of its own destruction?
Antinatalists claim that it is immoral to procreate. For instance:
David Benatar argues there is an asymmetry between pleasure and pain,
which means it would be better for humans not to have ...
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Refuting Solipsism
Here is yet another opportunity for philosophy to shine:
Let it refute solipsism.
If the question is going to turn on what solipsism is, there are probably more interesting words to look up in the ...
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Does it even make sense to say pleasure has an innate value
I know that Nietzsche claims that some moral systems place too much value on pleasure, and that it isn't innately valuable like they claim.
I keep being struck by the idea that it having innate value ...
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Can my attitude kill you?
Indeed, it might be a basic characteristic of existence that those who would know it completely would perish... -Nietzsche
Would it be morally reprehensible to tell a truth to someone if I know or ...
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Is Sam Harris's view of morality innovating? What philosophers innovated specifics on morality?
Sam Harris in his book, The moral landscape (2010), has certainly ignited discussions on morality, but did Sam Harris create his view or popularize someone else's?
side== I am also curious if anyone ...
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Can "why-is" close the "is-ought" gap? [closed]
[UPDATE: Clarified that choosing what-ought-to-be from what-can-be is based on our knowledge of ourselves, not on our knowledge of good and evil]
“I know you won't believe me, but the highest form of ...
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Is it immoral to download music illegally?
I should first point out that the title is more to capture a common occurrence of the broader idea I want to address in this question. It is also somewhat incorrect in that—at least in the US—I'm not ...
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Why is a lion not evil?
One often hears the claim that animals who kill and such, are not in fact evil. The typical example is that of a lion or a tiger that kills a prey. The argument is more or less that the animal acts ...
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How can one rebut the argument that atheism is inherently immoral?
It not uncommon to see religious people arguing that without the moral center of a religious text, true ethics are impossible.
The reasoning goes that, without a fixed moral center, atheists are ...
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Could a sentient machine suffer?
I was considering this closed question very intently, and I found that I'm not at all fluent in the idea of modern slavery. Many philosophers have spoken on slavery. On this forum, someone has already ...
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Are protests in a democracy ethical?
Usually in common media, protests are seen in a good light and for causes we may agree with. However, if one really thinks about it, in reality what is happening is a small group of people showing ...
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Is there a point to arguing about the meaning of words?
Firstly, I should mention that I am not sure, whether this the right place to ask such a question, but I am trying it anyway. Furthermore, one could say I come from a mathematics background and I am ...
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What is the difference between Rule Utilitarianism and Act Utilitarianism?
Based on the definitions given by Wikipedia , Rule Utilitarianism and Act Utilitarianism both seems to imply the same meaning
Rule Utilitarianism
Action is right as it conforms to a rule that ...
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Moral responsibility without free will
Are there any theories of moral responsibility that don't require free will?
Sam Harris rejects the notion of free will and attempts to construct some form of moral calculus, but "The Moral Landscape"...
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Is it possible that evolution brought human kind morality?
I've heard this (rather odd imho) statement that evolution, by the need of survival, dictated humans to uphold moral codes in order to survive, thus gaining a moral system.
Now, to my understanding, ...
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