When we look back at the beliefs and practices of our ancestors, we are often shocked at what they found morally acceptable: the public torture of criminals, the trading of slaves, and the subjugation ...

Thank you. I am sure you are receiving many unpleasant emails and calls. I would like to add to the other and, likely, much smaller list of those who are grateful. My wife and I have three young kids ...

Auxiliary Bishop Antonio Marino of La Plata, Argentina has warned Catholics not to fall into a relativistic mentality. As an example, he pointed to the sexual education text books recommended by the ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Suppose you believe abortion is permissible.

The self-driving car is perhaps the most relatable example of moral concern. For starters, if a self-driving car finds itself in a situation where an accident is unavoidable, does it take measures to ...

Vox recently asked 15 experts on moral philosophy and public policy to answer the following question: "What do we do know that will be considered unthinkable in 50 years?" The resulting essays are ...

Political philosophers have long recognized the paradoxical connection between increased safety and greater perceptions of evil. The "Tocqueville paradox," named after the nineteenth-century French ...

Whenever a new technology comes along that creates a revolutionarily new means of communication, the young glom onto it and their elders, or a highly vocal group of them, believe it is leading to the ...

As science innovation has progressed, and as we celebrate what that means, a new and urgent need exists. As citizens of the world, we all have a responsibility to think morally and ethically about ...

There's a great scene in the wonderful 1982 movie "My Favorite Year," which is set in 1954. Peter O'Toole plays a semi-washed-up actor named Alan Swann, famous for swashbuckling roles. For reasons too ...