Ethics

Here's the psychology that explains why many economists prefer to be narrowly right yet broadly wrong (they suffer from professional "rigor distortis").

Western conventional wisdom about animal ethics is that killing an animal is not the problem; the problem is making the animal suffer. 

Here's why your brain’s biases are a win for fake news, and a pay day for Facebook.

Social observers are particularly attuned to braggadocio. What do you think of a person who claims to be a better driver, performer or lover than average? Is this person better […]

Coercion requires justification. How can we justify the invisible walls of our visa policies?  

Time on your own means time to tell the difference between right and wrong.    

"It’s a common enough scenario. A vegetarian has been invited to a friend’s place for dinner. The host forgets that the guest is a vegetarian, and places a pork chop in front of her. What is she to do? "    

In an age of bountiful data, there's dark potential for how corporations and judicial systems could use private details to discriminate against innocent people.

Adults tend to become lazy with their thinking, backing into moral and ethical wrongdoing without noticing fully what they’re doing. 

Denying the possibility of immoral actions may be the very basis of our society.

Go back to school, Agora style. Philosophy can train us to respond to life's problems rather than merely react. One such training camp is coming to Baltimore. 

A.I. will bring a series of social and financial changes, and it will force us to confront a problem we've been avoiding for much too long, says Joscha Bach.

You might think philosophy is a boy's club. We are here to correct that misconception. 

What happens to a nation that only reads headlines? They get journalists who chase clicks, rather than facts.

Sure, the old Greek guys from 2,400 years ago get all the glory. But these living philosophers have a ton to say about life, the universe, and everything as it relates to right now. 

Why is it so hard to agree with some people? They are literally wired to value different things than you.

Repealing Obamacare without a fit replacement will leave tens of millions uninsured. Who is responsible for the fall out? A moral hypothetical raised by Kurt Vonnegut can help. 

Today, a person’s organs will be harvested, whether or not their family is against it.   

Harvard bioethics specialist Glenn Cohen considers the complex question of whether humans should mix their genetic material with other animals to create chimeras.

Many women are unable to have children due to age restrictions on IVF. Dr. Dominic Wilkinson, Director of Medical Ethics at the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, challenges the 4 most flawed arguments.  

As mankind raises its eyes to Mars and asks, "How do we get there?", we might need to ask, "Should we go?". Carl Sagan said we may not be entitled to visit a potentially inhabited planet.

A new study highlights the new ethical dilemmas caused by the rise of robotic and autonomous technology, like self-driving cars.

A report by a team of scientists highlights the dangers of "gene drive" technology that can eliminate unwanted species.

This article originally appeared on RealClerScience. You can read the original here.  The government of the United Kingdomrecently announced its intention to draw up regulations for an innovative and controversial in vitro […]