Tag Archives: Morality

The Christmas Conundrum

Posted on December 24, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

(The photo shows the Japanese pop music group E-girls, which disbanded in 2020 but reunited for a Christmas farewell video.) At Christmas, it’s natural to think of Jesus, whose life and example inspired the Christian faith. Christians believe that in … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Judaism | Tagged Christianity, Christmas, Duty, Hillel, Jesus, Judaism, Morality, Negative duty, Particularism, Positive duty, The Golden Rule, The Sermon on the Mount, Universalism | Leave a comment

Virtue Is Just Doing What’s Right

Posted on November 29, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Virtue has kind of a bad reputation these days. People think it means being prudish or acting superior to everyone else. But real virtue just means behaving in ways that help you, other people, and society. It supports human happiness … Continue reading →

Posted in Life | Tagged Ben Franklin, Good society, Happiness, Morality, Virtue, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Normies Don’t Care About Ideology

Posted on July 28, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Politically-aware people of all stripes often think about how to talk to “normies:” that is, normal people who don’t pay much attention to politics or other social issues. Normies don’t read The New York Times or Breitbart. They don’t spend … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Psychology, Society | Tagged Civic virtue, Families, Healthy society, Ideology, Morality, Normal people | 3 Comments

Utopia’s Biggest Problem

Posted on July 21, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Blogger Marcus Ampe has written a thoughtful essay about utopianism. But he’s realistic about the impossibility of creating a perfect society. He wants, instead, to think about ways we can make society better. That’s a practical goal for which we … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Political Science, Society | Tagged Goals, Happiness, History, Humility, Morality, Philosophy, Social Change, Social harmony, Social Peace, Tolerance, Utopianism | 1 Comment

Two Beliefs That Don’t Conflict

Posted on May 27, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Some beliefs are inconsistent with each other. If you hold one of the beliefs, then you can’t hold the other. For example: The number 5 is less than the number 10. The number 5 is not less than the number … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Philosophy, Psychology | Tagged Choice, Human Rights, Moral Choice, Moral persons, Morality, Naturalistic fallacy | Leave a comment

Why Evil Exists

Posted on April 12, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Today is Easter 2020, when Christians in Western countries celebrate (where permitted by law) the resurrection of Jesus. Eastern Orthodox Christians in Greece, Turkey, Russia and thereabouts celebrate it next week. Today is also the middle of Passover, when we … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, Science | Tagged Ethics, Ethics of Belief, Evil, God, Good and Evil, Metaphysics, Morality, Ontology, Problem of Evil, Theodicy | Leave a comment

Einstein Agrees with the Lone Ranger

Posted on March 24, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Albert Einstein and the Lone Ranger agree: Get over yourself. Albert Einstein was one of the smartest people of the 20th century. His ideas revolutionized our understanding of space and time. They also contributed to the development of quantum mechanics. … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Philosophy | Tagged Courage, Einstein, Life, Morality, The Lone Ranger, Wisdom | Leave a comment

The One Where I Told a Little Lie

Posted on November 22, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Can you go through life and never tell a lie? Honesty is the best policy. But it’s a policy — not an unbreakable rule. If most of us weren’t honest most of the time, social life would be impossible. Nobody … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life | Tagged Ethics, Grading, Graduate school, Higher education, Honesty, Morality, Motivation, Pragmatism, Teaching, Utilitarianism | 1 Comment

What’s Your Choice?

Posted on September 12, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Some people might get mad at me for saying this, but I’m against kicking puppies. I’m also against being mean to children and old people. I like democracy but I agree with Winston Churchill that “it’s the worst form of … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Psychology, Society | Tagged Belief, Choice, Decline of violence, Evolutionary Psychology, Existential choice, Foundations of morality, Genetic influences on belief, Group beliefs, Moral Choice, Morality, Retributive justice, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature | 2 Comments

Facing Moral Dilemmas

Posted on August 27, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

What makes things moral or immoral? People have lots of different views about it. My own view is that what’s moral: maximizes human happiness, minimizes needless suffering, and avoids doing things that are almost universally considered wrong. But even if … Continue reading →