Ethics

Pacific Standard spoke with a philosopher who's trying to code ethical algorithms into autonomous vehicles.

• By Jack Denton

Recently released disclosure forms from Aryeh Lightstone, top aide to ambassador David Friedman, reveal his connections to groups that have advocated for pro-Israel policy.

• By Justin Elliott

New research finds no relationship between ethical behavior and belief—or disbelief—in free will.

• By Tom Jacobs

Could the objective assurance in correct answers mandated in mathematics education teach students to be similarly calculating and assured when it comes to daily moral conundrums?

• By James McWilliams

William Emanuel has made decisions on NLRB cases that set beneficial precedents for clients represented by his previous employer.

• By Ian MacDougall

Facing a shortage of space for inmates, Missouri's Greene County Jail opted to build an insta-prison in the parking lot. Is that OK?

• By Daniel A. Gross

MSNBC is discontinuing its annual tradition of replaying the network's breaking 9/11 coverage. Is that the best decision?

• By Jared Keller

New research finds their moral reasoning resembles that of certain dementia victims.

• By Tom Jacobs

Research tends to show that business school tanks ethical and moral standards. But a generational shift is offering new hope.

• By Rick Paulas

How the literary genres you prefer reveal—or shape—your sense of what is ethical.

• By Tom Jacobs

The perception that one possesses the rare gift of creativity can lead to feelings of entitlement and, ultimately, unethical behavior.

• By Tom Jacobs

Maybe! Here’s why we should care.

• By James McWilliams

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of killing thousands of cormorants without even considering the ethics.

• By Brian Palmer

Researchers find that contemplating indiscretions in the past promotes ethical decision-making today.

• By Nathan Collins

Once you’re thinking imaginatively, it’s easier to come up with justifications for taking ethical shortcuts.

• By Tom Jacobs

Genetically engineered babies raise a host of disturbing, science fiction-worthy ethical questions, but we have a more mundane and much more urgent issue to consider: safety.

• By Michael White

New research suggests eye-tracking devices can be used to point us to one side or another of an ethical issue.

• By Tom Jacobs

The stakes of the analysis are much higher when lives are on the line.

• By Michael White

Players of an online survival game expressed guilt for killing, but less so for non-lethal actions that would result in a character’s death.

• By Tom Jacobs

It seems like an easy question, but the indirect correlation between genetic mutations and disease risk muddles up the ethics.

• By Michael White

Do reporters and editors have an obligation to get the story right—even if not the first time?

• By James McWilliams

Researchers report people are more likely to behave in a morality-minded manner earlier in the day.

• By Tom Jacobs

Facebook outing students. Google collecting personal information from wireless networks. A dating app used for stalking. The creators of a new three-day ethics program believe these incidents could have been avoided.

• By Lauren Zumbach

The controversy surrounding them probably isn't going anywhere, either.

• By Michael White