Ethics
Moral philosophy
Overview of Ethics
Ethics is one of the central branches of philosophy, examining questions of right and wrong, and the good life.
Is the difference between making something happen and allowing it to happen morally relevant?
Killing someone is almost universally regarded as worse than letting them die. But is that defensible? In particular, is it defensible on the grounds that making their death happen would be worse than merely standing by and allowing it to happen?
The untenability of moral relativism
A short and simple New York Times post arguing that moral relativism is an untenable halfway house between absolutism and nihilism.
When can society let people die?
External link:
Julian Sanchez discusses why people find it more outrageous for a society to let an ill man without health insurance die than to let people die over ice by not posting lifeguards everywhere. He suggests that it has to do with the fact that these people's identity is not known in advance, and considers related issues.
The Illusion of the Illusion of Free Will
Claims that we have an "illusion of free will" and act "as if" our choices are radically, contra-causally free are confused.
