The Paradoxes of Zeno of Elea Does an arrow really fly? Zeno of Elea (490-430 BC) is famous for his paradoxes that seem to prove, among other points, that no movement is possible. If an arrow in flight is standing still whenever we take a photograph of it, when is it actually moving? (more...) Novalis and the Romantic View of the World From the Romantics to modern science German Romantics, much like their English counterparts, valued spontaneity and naturalness, in part as a reaction to the beginning loss of the natural world due to industrialisation and urbanisation. (more...) Human Dignity and Freedom Why restaurant menus may be destroying humanity Erich Fromm and Richard Taylor on the perils of capitalism. (more...) Can Machines Think? Why it’s so hard to tell The Turing Test wanted to provide a way to judge whether computers are intelligent, but pretending to be human in a chat is not the same as being intelligent. (more...) Epicurus and Luddism Would we be happier without technology? Technology, at least in the way that it is deployed in capitalism contradicts the essential simplicity of the ideal Epicurean life. (more...) Is Stealing Always Immoral? Utilitarianism, Kant and Aristotle In utilitarianism, stealing would only be immoral if it leads to bad consequences for the stakeholders. For Kant, it would always be immoral. (more...) What Is Deontological Ethics? Immanuel Kant and not looking at outcomes Deontological ethics is about actions that must be performed (or must not be performed) because the actions themselves are intrinsically good or bad. (more...) How Can We Define Love? How is love different from liking or friendship? Love is characterised by: 1. Exclusivity; 2. Constancy; 3. Reciprocity; 4. Uniqueness; and 5. Irrepleaceability of the beloved. (more...) What Is a Fair Share of Life? The Fair Innings Argument in bioethics The “Fair Innings Argument” assumes that there is such a thing as a fair share of life. But can we compare different lives in this way? (more...) Aristotle's Highest Good In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that we can recognise the highest good because we do everything else for its sake, while we never say that we pursue the highest good for any other thing’s sake. For Aristotle, the highest good is the happy life. (more...) Hannah Arendt on work and being human Labour, work and action Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) distinguishes three types of work; Labor, work, and action. (more...) The Ethics of Organ Transplants Can you kill one to save many? Are we ever allowed to kill one in order to save many lives? Utilitarianism would look at the overall benefit and conclude that this might be permissible. (more...) Peter Singer's Drowning Child Are we required to save lives if we can? Peter Singer’s Drowning Child thought experiment: If, on the way to the office, we saw a child drowning in a pond, would we think that we have to save it? (more...) What Is a Stoic Person? Learning to control one’s mind A Stoic is an adherent of Stoicism, an ancient Greek and Roman philosophy of life. Stoics thought that, in order to be happy, we must learn to distinguish between what we can control and what we cannot. (more...) Which Social Media Site Is the Most Ethical? A case for applied utilitarianism Social media affect our society in many ways: addiction, democracy, the decline of journalism, privacy, surveillance, and effects on friendships. (more...) Is Whistleblowing Ethical? ...and why Confucius might disagree Whistleblowing might be wrong because it violates one’s obligations to one’s friends, relatives, co-workers or superiors. (more...) The Memories of Our Experiences Daniel Kahneman on the Happiness of Memories Economist Daniel Kahneman studied the effects of memory on our perception of past experiences. He distinguishes experienced from remembered happiness. (more...) The Ethics of Eating Meat Four moral theories and their views Eating small quantities of meat that was grown in a sustainable way might be morally justifiable, while large-scale animal farming is probably morally wrong. (more...) Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love What is love made of? Robert Sternberg thinks that we can best describe love as composed of three “primary” components that combine to produce all the kinds of love that we observe around us: intimacy, passion and decision or commitment. (more...) Erich Fromm on Being Productive Are we active, or just busy? For Erich Fromm, true activity means to fully use one’s talents in order to grow as a person. The mere display of business is not a sign of productive work. (more...) St Augustine on the Function and Pleasure of Sex The real cost of pure pleasure For St Augustine, the pleasure inherent in any activity is good as long as the activity is performed because of its intended function. (more...) «« « 14 15 16 17 18 » »»
The Paradoxes of Zeno of Elea Does an arrow really fly? Zeno of Elea (490-430 BC) is famous for his paradoxes that seem to prove, among other points, that no movement is possible. If an arrow in flight is standing still whenever we take a photograph of it, when is it actually moving? (more...)
Novalis and the Romantic View of the World From the Romantics to modern science German Romantics, much like their English counterparts, valued spontaneity and naturalness, in part as a reaction to the beginning loss of the natural world due to industrialisation and urbanisation. (more...)
Human Dignity and Freedom Why restaurant menus may be destroying humanity Erich Fromm and Richard Taylor on the perils of capitalism. (more...)
Can Machines Think? Why it’s so hard to tell The Turing Test wanted to provide a way to judge whether computers are intelligent, but pretending to be human in a chat is not the same as being intelligent. (more...)
Epicurus and Luddism Would we be happier without technology? Technology, at least in the way that it is deployed in capitalism contradicts the essential simplicity of the ideal Epicurean life. (more...)
Is Stealing Always Immoral? Utilitarianism, Kant and Aristotle In utilitarianism, stealing would only be immoral if it leads to bad consequences for the stakeholders. For Kant, it would always be immoral. (more...)
What Is Deontological Ethics? Immanuel Kant and not looking at outcomes Deontological ethics is about actions that must be performed (or must not be performed) because the actions themselves are intrinsically good or bad. (more...)
How Can We Define Love? How is love different from liking or friendship? Love is characterised by: 1. Exclusivity; 2. Constancy; 3. Reciprocity; 4. Uniqueness; and 5. Irrepleaceability of the beloved. (more...)
What Is a Fair Share of Life? The Fair Innings Argument in bioethics The “Fair Innings Argument” assumes that there is such a thing as a fair share of life. But can we compare different lives in this way? (more...)
Aristotle's Highest Good In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that we can recognise the highest good because we do everything else for its sake, while we never say that we pursue the highest good for any other thing’s sake. For Aristotle, the highest good is the happy life. (more...)
Hannah Arendt on work and being human Labour, work and action Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) distinguishes three types of work; Labor, work, and action. (more...)
The Ethics of Organ Transplants Can you kill one to save many? Are we ever allowed to kill one in order to save many lives? Utilitarianism would look at the overall benefit and conclude that this might be permissible. (more...)
Peter Singer's Drowning Child Are we required to save lives if we can? Peter Singer’s Drowning Child thought experiment: If, on the way to the office, we saw a child drowning in a pond, would we think that we have to save it? (more...)
What Is a Stoic Person? Learning to control one’s mind A Stoic is an adherent of Stoicism, an ancient Greek and Roman philosophy of life. Stoics thought that, in order to be happy, we must learn to distinguish between what we can control and what we cannot. (more...)
Which Social Media Site Is the Most Ethical? A case for applied utilitarianism Social media affect our society in many ways: addiction, democracy, the decline of journalism, privacy, surveillance, and effects on friendships. (more...)
Is Whistleblowing Ethical? ...and why Confucius might disagree Whistleblowing might be wrong because it violates one’s obligations to one’s friends, relatives, co-workers or superiors. (more...)
The Memories of Our Experiences Daniel Kahneman on the Happiness of Memories Economist Daniel Kahneman studied the effects of memory on our perception of past experiences. He distinguishes experienced from remembered happiness. (more...)
The Ethics of Eating Meat Four moral theories and their views Eating small quantities of meat that was grown in a sustainable way might be morally justifiable, while large-scale animal farming is probably morally wrong. (more...)
Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love What is love made of? Robert Sternberg thinks that we can best describe love as composed of three “primary” components that combine to produce all the kinds of love that we observe around us: intimacy, passion and decision or commitment. (more...)
Erich Fromm on Being Productive Are we active, or just busy? For Erich Fromm, true activity means to fully use one’s talents in order to grow as a person. The mere display of business is not a sign of productive work. (more...)
St Augustine on the Function and Pleasure of Sex The real cost of pure pleasure For St Augustine, the pleasure inherent in any activity is good as long as the activity is performed because of its intended function. (more...)