In moral philosophy, it is usually said that something innocuous, such as eating french-fries, is morally permissible, and that something very harmful, such as burning children alive, is impermissible. Something is called a moral obligation when we think it is impermissible not to do it, such as for example helping…
⚠️ This article includes explicit thought experiments involving rape.
Imagine there’s a non-profit that claims to offset the meat, dairy, and eggs consumption of one average omnivore for X dollars per month. In other words, the amount of suffering that they manage to prevent with those X dollars every month…
I’ve always liked the idea or making my articles available for everybody for free, and I will always do my best to make sure that nobody loses access to them for lack of money. I started blogging so many years ago because I thought there were too many harmful ideas…
[Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Young Humanists International.]
Last Monday the American Humanist Association (AHA) retroactively withdrew Richard Dawkins’ 1996 award of “Humanist of the Year” due to “a history…
Should we tax the wealthy to help the poor? Should we try to eat less meat? Should abortion be legal? These are all questions that ultimately boil down to ethics. Moral philosophers have proposed different methods for answering them, but none seem to satisfy everyone. One of the most intuitive…
This is the ninth of a series of articles defending a compatibilist interpretation of utilitarianism, which can be reconciled with all major moral theories. In the previous article, I explain why the concepts of rights and moral desert are only valuable insofar as they contribute to a happier society.
This is the eighth of a series of articles defending a compatibilist interpretation of utilitarianism, which can be reconciled with all major moral theories. In the previous article, I explain why utilitarianism is not as demanding as it may seem.
Logical positivism was a philosophical movement that attempted to approach…
This is the seventh of a series of articles defending a compatibilist interpretation of utilitarianism, which can be reconciled with all major moral theories. In the previous article, I explain why utilitarianism doesn’t justify extreme injustice and inequality.
Utilitarianism is the intuitive moral philosophy that promotes the greatest happiness for…
This is the sixth of a series of articles defending a compatibilist interpretation of utilitarianism, which can be reconciled with all major moral theories. In the previous article, I explain why some types of suffering deserve more attention than others.
Utilitarianism is the moral philosophy that promotes the greatest happiness…
This is the fifth of a series of articles defending a compatibilist interpretation of utilitarianism, which can be reconciled with all major moral theories. In the previous article, I explain why rules are important for utilitarians.
Utilitarianism is the moral philosophy that promotes the greatest happiness for the greatest number…
Secular-humanist, M.A. in analytic philosophy, volunteer at @YoungHumanIntl, blogger at ghostlessmachine.com. Support me at http://bit.ly/ArielPatreon.
