Articles on Ethics

August 30, 2024

Is ‘coaching’ a shortcut to mental health care? Not so fast − here are key differences

Emily Hemendinger, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

A professor of psychiatry unpacks what to consider if you’re looking for help with physical or mental health and are considering using coaching services.

August 29, 2024

Do campaign ethics still matter in the age of Donald Trump?

If campaign ethics are no longer important to politicians or voters, the U.S. and Canada will face more contested elections, greater political division and further erosion of trust in politicians.

August 29, 2024

Retirement doesn’t just raise financial concerns – it can also mean feeling unmoored and irrelevant

If you have spent 40 years of your life working 40 hours a week, retirement isn’t just a financial consideration, writes a philosopher.

August 29, 2024

The Nuremberg Code isn’t just for prosecuting Nazis − its principles have shaped medical ethics to this day

The Nuremberg Code was developed during trials for Nazi officials accused of performing inhumane experiments − but its influence has been far wider.

August 28, 2024

Americans love nature but don’t feel empowered to protect it, new research shows

New research shows that Americans have positive feelings toward nature but also detects strong undertones of longing, guilt and worry.

August 19, 2024

Astronomers have warned against colonial practices in the space industry − a philosopher of science explains how the industry could explore other planets without exploiting them

Space may be considered the final frontier, but the US was once a frontier, too. How can space industry leaders avoid repeating practices that led to colonialism in the 18th century and beyond?

August 16, 2024

Editing fetal genomes is on the horizon − a medical anthropologist explains why ethical discussions with the target communities should happen sooner rather than later

Julia Brown, University of California, San Francisco

In the absence of clear-cut regulation, who should decide on where and how a technology that could change the course of human health should be applied?

July 15, 2024

Electing a virtuous president would make immunity irrelevant, writes a political philosopher

Presidential immunity can bring with it many risks. So how can we think about the nature and limits of such immunity?

July 11, 2024

Inequality in life – and death: Newspaper obituaries have long discriminated against women

Historically, women have been less likely to be the subject of obituaries. Their obituaries tend to be shorter, with biased words and images.

June 28, 2024

How camping bans − like the one the Supreme Court just upheld − can fit into ‘hostile design’: Strategies to push out homeless people

Robert Rosenberger, Georgia Institute of Technology

Anti-camping laws are the centerpiece of the ‘hostile design’ strategies cities use to push the unhoused out of public spaces.

June 28, 2024

Paul Gauguin was a violent paedophile. Should the National Gallery of Australia be staging a major exhibition of his work?

Sasha Grishin, Australian National University

Should a public art gallery exhibit his work, highlighting the fact he was a seriously flawed human being? Or is this to quietly condone domestic violence and paedophilia? I do not know the answer.

June 23, 2024

An eerie ‘digital afterlife’ is no longer science fiction. So how do we navigate the risks?

Ways to interact with virtual versions of our deceased loved ones are now a possibility – but there’s a raft of ethical and emotional challenges involved.

June 13, 2024

Spikes, seat dividers, even ‘Baby Shark’ − camping bans like the one under review at SCOTUS are part of broader strategies that push out homeless people

Robert Rosenberger, Georgia Institute of Technology

Anti-camping laws are the centerpiece of the ‘hostile design’ strategies cities use to push the unhoused out of public spaces.

June 11, 2024

Are older adults more vulnerable to scams? What psychologists have learned about who’s most susceptible, and when

Many factors shape an individual’s risk for falling prey to deception, including where and how they are targeted.

June 10, 2024

How much do you need to know about how your spouse spends money? Maybe less than you think

A researcher explains how couples can create a sense of ‘our money’ while keeping a sense of financial autonomy.

June 7, 2024

5 reasons Supreme Court ethics questions are more common now than in the past

Are concerns about Supreme Court justices’ ethics an old problem, a new one, political gamesmanship, or something more serious? Yes to all of it.

June 6, 2024

Inside the rise and fall of one of the world’s most powerful writing groups

Christine Larson, University of Colorado Boulder

In its bankruptcy filing, the Romance Writers of America blamed ‘disputes concerning diversity, equity and inclusion’ for its membership declining by an astounding 80%.

May 31, 2024

Why is ‘moral equivalence’ such a bad thing? A political philosopher explains

Why has the ICC indictment of Israeli and Hamas leaders drawn so much fire? Understanding the notion of moral equivalence might help explain why.

May 31, 2024

All Eyes on Rafah: sharing images of war comes with a moral responsibility. What can we make of this AI-generated anomaly?

Sara Oscar, University of Technology Sydney and Cherine Fahd, University of Technology Sydney

The All Eyes on Rafah image has been criticised as being overly sanitised. How does it compare to other war images? And where is the line between performative solidarity and moral responsibility?

May 23, 2024

A 25-year study reveals how empathy is passed from parents to teens to their future children

Jessica A. Stern, University of Virginia and Joseph P. Allen, University of Virginia

Everyone wants to raise kind children, but telling kids to be nice gets you only so far − young people need to practice those skills with their peers.

Related Topics

  1. Artificial intelligence (AI)
  2. Bioethics
  3. Coronavirus
  4. COVID-19
  5. Ethical question
  6. Medical ethics
  7. Morality
  8. Philosophy
  9. Religion and society
  10. Technology

Top contributors

  1. Julian Savulescu Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford
  2. Hugh Breakey Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University
  3. Patrick Stokes Associate Professor of Philosophy, Deakin University
  4. Travis N. Rieder Director of the Master of Bioethics degree program at the Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University
  5. Lee McIntyre Research Fellow, Center for Philosophy and History of Science, Boston University
  6. Dominic Wilkinson Consultant Neonatologist and Professor of Ethics, University of Oxford
  7. Nir Eisikovits Professor of Philosophy and Director, Applied Ethics Center, UMass Boston
  8. Ian Kerridge Professor of Bioethics & Medicine, Sydney Health Ethics, Haematologist/BMT Physician, Royal North Shore Hospital and Director, Praxis Australia, University of Sydney
  9. Paul Komesaroff Professor of Medicine, Monash University
  10. Nancy S. Jecker Professor of Bioethics and Humanities, School of Medicine, University of Washington
  11. Michael Blake Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington
  12. David Tuffley Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith University
  13. Matthew Beard Associate Lecturer, University of Notre Dame Australia
  14. Keymanthri Moodley Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine and Director, The Centre for Medical Ethics & Law, Stellenbosch University
  15. William S. Lynn Founder of PAN Works and Research Scientist at the Marsh Institute, Clark University