The study of good and bad conduct, right and wrong values, and good and evil.
Hi, Mr Wynn P Wheldon! What an interesting question. Let me briefly sketch some possible answers! First of all, some people might question the assumption that a philosopher should not be wealthy. Although most philosophers are not wealthy (by western standards, at least), it might be totally okay for them to get a juicy salary […]
Why should a philosopher not be wealthy? Read More
Thank you Nderhe Paulin for such an incendiary question! The way you have asked the question assumes, first, that humans have chosen to reduce themselves to the state of an animal and, second, that they should not have done so. I assume this is not a positive choice, since your use of the word “reduce”
Why has man chosen to reduce himself to the state of an animal? Read More
Thank you, Le Miguel Jumonong, for this interesting question. We often allude to several types of guilt. For instance, Sam may be guilty of stealing an apple, Mary of eating too much meat, and a political party leader of bitterly losing national elections. At first glance, these cases seem to be distinct. Indeed, Sam is
Why do we feel guilt? Read More
Is it ethical to watch House of Cards after the allegations against Kevin Spacey? Or to read Dostoevsky after reading his confession about raping a girl? Thank you, Ajit Deshmukh, for an important question. In an age of cancel culture, this question might seem to obviously bring a positive response. Of course, we shouldn’t teach/enjoy/celebrate
Should we enjoy good art by evil people? Read More
Hello, SE! Thank you so much for your question. It is a question that umbrellas a set of questions which have dogged me for years: Do I have a moral duty to give to charity? If I do, then how much, and to whom?* What role ought the State occupy in such charitable endeavours? And
Is charity pointless? Read More
Thank you George Foster for this great question! In order to give you the best answer, it would be wise to turn to people who knew a thing or two about having a good time with their buddies: the ancient Greeks. There is probably no better reference in matters of friendship than Aristotle, who distinguished
Is quid pro quo a good basis for friendship? Read More
If someone – Ben, say – was suddenly evaporated and replaced with an indistinguishable replica, did Ben die? What about if Ben was aware of his death? If Ben was gradually transformed by genetic and behavioural modifications into someone else – James, say – and the transformation happened so slowly that at no point did
Some questions about death Read More
Thank you, Daniel G. Shayne, for such a relevant and introspective question. Human decadence is one the greatest threats to the health of our environment, those we share it with, and ourselves. This being the case, it is of utmost importance that, if there is a defense against it, we identify and employ it –
Is there any defense against human decadence? Read More
How practical is it to not fall into the trap of good vs evil dichotomy? Thank you, Kirti Lamba, for this fascinating question. It is difficult to define the concepts ‘good’ and ‘bad’, if by “define” we mean analyzing these concepts into better-understood constituents. For example, it’s not clear that we can do to ‘good’
How can we define good, bad, and evil? Read More
Thank you, Agar Mayor Gai-Makoon, for this crucial question. The word “honesty” designates a virtue, or a settled and stable disposition to think, feel, and choose appropriately in some sphere of human experience. The particular sphere of experience in which honesty can be located seems to be that of truth-telling. There are three principal types
What does it take to be honest? Read More
