Thank you for this intriguing question, Sagar Samant! Let me start by clarifying the question. There are different ways in which you can do a bad thing and ‘don’t let it show’. In some cases, it is obvious that someone has done wrong, but nobody suspects you. For example, you rob a bank and never […]
Is it wrong to be selfish if you don’t let it show? 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, Charmaine Elaine, for this multi-faceted question. The phrase “taking a stand” can be used to describe a variety of behaviors in different contexts; in what follows, I will consider two interpretations. First, is it wrong not to engage in political activity? Second, is it wrong not to adopt a firm position on a
Is it wrong not to take a stand? Read More
Thanks, Miguel Pineda, for this intriguing question! Before we can think about how morality and altruism are related, we first need to get clear on what we mean by ‘morality’ and ‘altruism’. Moral philosophers, like the rest of us, generally agree at least roughly about what moral norms require. Don’t kill, don’t lie, don’t steal
Is morality just altruism? Read More
Thank you, Roy Head, for such an interesting question! Hopefully this will help… Imagine you are in your house quietly watching your 10th episode of The Great British Baking Show while drinking wine out of a coffee mug when, all of a sudden, you hear a desperate knock on the door. You tear yourself away
Is honesty always the best policy? Read More
