Suppose a man has planted a bomb in New York City, and it will explode in twenty-four hours unless the police are able to find it. Should it be legal for the police to use torture to extract information from the suspected bomber?
Separating Law and Morality
March 31, 2011 1,273 Comments
A question to consider as you think about the same-sex marriage debate: is it possible to decide what the law should be without entering into moral and religious controversies about the moral status of homosexuality and the purpose of marriage?
Group Obligations
March 31, 2011 272 Comments
Are there obligations of solidarity or membership that claim us for reasons independent of consent?
Based on Merit
March 31, 2011 212 Comments
“Jobs, opportunities, and positions of authority should be distributed solely on the basis of merit.” Do you agree?
Affirmative Action
March 31, 2011 325 Comments
To what extent is the distinction between “moral desert” and “entitlements to legitimate expectations” at stake in the affirmative action debate?
What is Moral Character?
March 31, 2011 650 Comments
What is moral character? Is it what you tend to do, or is it your beliefs and your attitudes?
What Can’t Money Buy?
March 31, 2011 584 Comments
Are there things that money shouldn’t be able to buy? What are they?
Unalienable Rights
March 31, 2011 323 Comments
Philosopher John Locke believes that your “unalienable right” to liberty does not include the right to kill yourself. Is he right? What does your liberty entitle you to do with yourself? Where do the limits come from?
Take from the Rich, Give to the Poor
March 31, 2011 3,808 Comments
According to philosopher Robert Nozick, when the government takes even a dollar from Bill Gates, a billionaire, and gives it to a poor person, it is like forcing Gates to work for the poor person. Is Nozick right to think that redistributive taxation is like forced labor? Should there be no redistributive taxation whatsoever?
