Ethics

Ethics

Microscopic image of a small electronic component with clear details of its structure and connections against a gray background.
What would it take to create a truly intelligent microbot, one that can operate independently?
A collage of images featuring an anatomical drawing of a heart, a portrait of a bearded man embodying everyday philosophy, a brain illustration, and a smartphone showing an unread message notification.
Nicole has been dating someone for a while but it's not working out from her point of view. Is sudden radio silence an ethical option?
Collage of images featuring a classical sculpture, a close-up of a human ear, and a woman in a cafe expressing surprise with children nearby.
Irene is on a bus with her young kids when two men come on, cussing like sailors. Should Irene step in and say something?
Woman wearing pixelated sunglasses sits at a desk, with graphic overlays of a line graph demonstrating workplace equality, classical figures in discussion, and a clock indicating 2 o'clock.
Rich is brilliant at his job. He completes work in half the time of his coworkers. Should he have to sit at his desk just as long?
Painting of Prometheus holding a flaming torch aloft.
"Hardcore History" host Dan Carlin recently spoke with Big Think about the history of humanity's drive to create — and whether or not we can control it.
Vintage portrait of a man, embodying the philosophy of AI, superimposed on an abstract cosmic background.
Step back from the AI maelstrom and explore Lem’s "Summa Technologiae" for a detached look at technology’s role in human evolution.
A man holding a transparent rectangular object up to his eyes, reminiscent of the analytical gaze of Robert and Frank Oppenheimer.
A rift in thinking about who should control powerful new technologies sent the brothers on diverging paths. For one, the story ended with a mission to bring science to the public.
A man with a beard embodying the Protestant work ethic.
How would you feel about working like a Lutheran or a Cistercian?
The logo of the United Nations symbolizes global cooperation and the scales of justice represent fairness in legal matters.
The benefits of going the extra mile to be socially responsible are felt by customers, employees, and shareholders alike. Here’s a plan to secure them.
An image of the earth with a mountain in the background, showcasing terraforming potential.
Whenever someone waxes poetic about terraforming alien worlds, it’s worth taking a moment to consider the ethical implications of the proposal.
Two large horned rams.
Ways to move forward when you're wrong and I'm right.
The Medea affect is brilliantly captured in this painting of a powerful woman brandishing a sword.
Parents will sometimes use children as weapons in their relationship battles — and the fallout can be devastating.
A woman and an octopus gracefully intertwined in a mesmerizing scene.
A controversial new philosophy paper tries to bring our moral prejudices to heel. Should it?
A little boy finding lockdown compensation by reaching out to an old lady through a window.
Lockdowns moved the burden of COVID from the at-risk elderly to the less-at-risk young. Does this sacrifice merit compensation?
A group of cows are grazing peacefully in a lush green field.
Hundreds of millions of animals get killed for meat every day.
A statue of three monkeys covering their faces.
We all have a place in our lives where we look the other way and pretend everything is fine. It's a built-in excuse to act selfishly.
"First Meal" - a gripping book unraveling the truth behind a wrongful conviction.
Through humility, the old arrogance of infallibility crumbles. And in that there is genuine hope to prevent wrongful convictions.
A painting of a group of people standing in front of a church.
Science and philosophy seem to be separate fields, but philosophical advancements have made the world more accepting of debate and unorthodox ideas.
A bust of a man from one of the schools of philosophy that died out.
Dive into five philosophical schools that have faded into obscurity but still whisper through the ages.
A painting of a group of people around a table with an air pump.
Science and technology were making early modern Europe a better place to live, but at what cost?
Aliens contemplating the apocalypse in a field with a castle in the background.
There's nothing like the end of the world to make you a philosopher.
A man and a monkey named Ivanov kissing in the ocean.
In an attempt to prove Christianity inferior to communism, a Soviet scientist hoped to play God.
The Harvard crest displayed on a black background in the Ivy League.
Get rid of the notion that the best employees come from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.
A picture of a dollar bill with a wave pattern.
To put things in perspective, the cost of sequencing a single genome in 2012 was around $10,000.
A statue of justice holding scales on a blue background.
Is true equality achievable — or even desirable? Go on a journey through the strange and unsettling "Land of Justice."
John Templeton Foundation