Recently in Ethics Theory Category

Cameron Diaz's new movie (also starring Frank Langella and James Marsden) is out today, posing the moral question, "Would you kill a stranger to keep your own family well? Watch the trailer and let us know:

We shouldn't make snap decisions, right? At least, that's the message I believe one of our commenters was trying to get across when he (or she) wrote in response to our David Letterman post, "Hero Or Creep":

Might there not be an ethical question in deciding whether you can judge someone as creepy without knowing the facts as you admittedly do not? --gmo2

It's a good rule of thumb: don't judge too hastily. And on this blog, I generally like to pose open-ended questions when the moral and ethical dilemmas we discuss don't have easy answers, or when all the facts aren't in. However, in Letterman's case...

Ethics:
1.    (philosophy) The study of principles relating to right and wrong conduct.
2.    Morality.
3.    The standards that govern the conduct of a person, especially a member of a profession.


Hillary and I were chatting today about ethics. "So what else is new?" you may ask. Isn't that, um, your job? Well, not necessarily. We discuss whatever dilemma the world has chosen to present us with on that particular day - personally or via CNN.  We discuss our individual responsibility in these matters, and we consider what both our hearts and minds are telling us.

However, when I wrote my post last night on the Savages, a couple who decided to carry a pregnancy to term even though the embryo wasn't theirs, it really struck me how subjective ethical behavior could be. The Savages' actions seemed completely ethical because their moral standard in this situation aligned with my own, and also because I felt that their actions were innately kind.

Today, Everyday Ethics had its first major plug... if you can call it that. USA TODAY gave us a mention in their Religion blog, but it wasn't exactly pretty.

"This is ethics as popcorn, tasty and quickly forgotten." Or maybe that I'm just jealous. It reads like the gals are having fun. Their columns not freighted with anything heavy like, oh, legal, philosophical, theological basis for their positions. Randy Cohen, New York Times Ethicist, your turf is safe." 

Ouch!

Well, yes, we are having fun. And no, we're not Randy Cohen, though we admire him a great deal. We've covered the fluff (lying on your online dating profile, an open letter to those with bad laundry room etiquette) and the serious (health care reform and the Lockerbie bomber). Our concerns are like yours, we hope--a little bit of the petty, a little bit of the profound.

What we're most about is a 'woman-on-the-streets' perspective. We claim no higher knowledge, no years of study in the legal profession or as theology students. We're a former philosophy/classics major and a journalism major, who now make our living(s) in the real world. What qualifies us to talk about the issues we bring up is what qualifies you to read them: a keen concern, a caring heart, and a desire for fair play.

So, to echo our friend at USA TODAY, we ask you, what do you consider "everyday" ethics? 

We're rolling out another new feature here at Everyday Ethics... "What-If Wednesdays." You know the game; you've probably played it with your friends a time or two, asking questions like, "What if you had to choose -- Brad Pitt or George Clooney?" (Clooney, baby!) Or for the less romantically minded, "What if you could only follow one sports team for the rest of your life -- Yankees or Mets?" (No Red Sox write-ins!) Etc, etc.

I came across an interesting argument today by way of a friend, who sent me a link to an article in Fast Company magazine. I thought I'd share it because it asks an important question: are we ethical for logical...

Here's my quandary.  It's been a long day.  I'm tired and grumpy.  My husband, who usually brings the mail upstairs, is home sick so I'm the one swinging by our building's mailboxes on the way back from work.  This in...

No dilemmas today, just a shout-out to the second annual World Science Festival, being held this weekend here in New York. My hubby is SO excited. He loves anything connected to the world of ideas. And as a former...

Welcome to Part I of our exciting new series, Underground Ethics. As the name implies, we'll be talking about things that take place far below the day-lit realm, things dark and ugly, seamy and salacious, perhaps unholy. Yes, that's...