After five months of being out of work, and seven months of looking, I have recently been offered a job. Great, right? Of course it is, but it's presenting an ethical dilemma for me. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 12, 2009 - 44 answers

Are certificates of origin for sapphires a scam? Is my jeweler going to overcharge me for a sapphire, and should I get one online instead of through him? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 6, 2009 - 8 answers

Help me figure out the ethics of buying stolen bikes (or other stolen things). [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 24, 2009 - 58 answers

Question about the ethics of mixing physician care and politcal advocacy. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 7, 2009 - 37 answers

What are some ethics considerations around a PhD dissertation? And should I do anything about a former colleague who I think violated them? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 30, 2009 - 17 answers

I have some information which may be critical to my friend's future/safety, but I obtained it in a somewhat dubious way. I'd just like to hear your thoughts on the position I'm in. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 4, 2009 - 20 answers

For better or worse, I am regarded as somewhat of an authority in a particular field (yes I have a blog about it). For this reason, I am getting requests for information about the subject matter from mainstream media journalists and writers. This is a new situation for me and I don't know how best to handle it. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 26, 2009 - 32 answers

Is it better to use email to break up with a partner who is traveling, or wait until they get back in a week? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 15, 2009 - 45 answers

RelationshipFilter: I finally realize that I have to break up with my boyfriend. However, the next three months are a terrible, terrible time for him, since he has 3 major exams coming up during that time period, which will have major consequences for his career. I think I can handle waiting until he is in a better position to handle to the shock, but is it the right thing to do? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 14, 2009 - 50 answers

Is it legal to accept $500 from a car insurance company, reimbursing me for a repair I'm not going to make? If it's legal, should I? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 30, 2009 - 18 answers

Should I take this job if I'm not sure I will actually be able to do it? I could commit or not commit for sure in 2-3 weeks, but they are requiring a decision NOW. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 11, 2009 - 7 answers

Is it ethical to submit an extra 15 minutes of work per day because I got a blackberry? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 11, 2009 - 45 answers

Is it legal and ethical for a company to require salaried employees to work "as many hours as it takes" to complete their work so that the employees are off (paid or unpaid) for one or more weeks per month? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 8, 2009 - 14 answers

Should I notify an acquaintance about a (non-obvious) faked, sexually-explicit photo of her I saw on the web? Without going into graphic detail, it doesn't render her in the nude in any way, but does depict her, well, with something on her face. I know it's faked because I've seen the original, undoctored photo. Should I leave well-enough alone, or tell her?
posted by anonymous on Apr 12, 2009 - 27 answers

The company I work for is behaving very strangely. Am I being paranoid, or should I start looking for a new job? (Posted anonymously for job security reasons.) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 18, 2009 - 18 answers

How have you handled ethical dilemmas at your workplace? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 21, 2008 - 19 answers

AskMe the Ethicist: how do we divide this plumbing bill among 3 roommates (or am I a jerk for not wanting to split it evenly) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 14, 2008 - 48 answers

If you're a straight male college student how do you signal to women of the same age that you're interested in sleeping with them - while avoiding the extremes of coming across as objectifying or amorous? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 25, 2008 - 40 answers

What to do when you find out that one of your friends cheated on his girlfriend (who is also a friend?) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 21, 2008 - 82 answers

Please give advice on dealing with money and guilt about money. [Long question.] [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 2, 2008 - 20 answers

Do I tell my boss about a possible job change before or after my 2-week vacation? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 11, 2008 - 10 answers

I'm in a job offer dilemma. I've verbally accepted an offer that i'm excited about. BUT, a job that I don't hesitate to say would be a dream company for me just had me interview again for one of two positions they are considering me for. Sounds like it is a slam dunk that i would get an offer from DreamCompany but it's the end of their quarter and they are wrangling a few details around, shifting head count, etc and won't have anything firm for a few more days but SortaExcitingCompany needs papers signed TODAY. Ugh - dilemma..... SortaExcitingCompany does not know anything is up yet. I'm tempted to see about getting a few days extension on the offer but worried about just retracting it all together. I know everything in the US is "at will" work anyway - but ethics still come into it for me at least.
posted by anonymous on Jun 2, 2008 - 5 answers

Is it ethical to make money subleasing an apartment to others while not living there myself? Does the landlord need to know? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 24, 2008 - 18 answers

Is it ethical to fake conversation in your own blog's comments section? I don't mean stirring up controversy for the sake of it or setting up straw-man arguments. I mean chucking some "model" comments on to the end of a batch of posts to let readers know the comments are there and easy to use. As a codicil: Has anyone done this and found that it effectively enticed discussion? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 19, 2008 - 31 answers

Help with potentially unethical situation in volunteer termination [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 17, 2008 - 21 answers

Today at work, a closet was being cleaned out, many items were being tossed in a trash cart. I noticed that a few of these items were unopened, brand new (though out-of-date) items, and out of curiousity, checked to see if they were worth anything. I noticed that a few of them were going for not-insignificant amounts of money on ye olde eBay, and "rescued" them from the trash, thinking about creating a D-I-Y Christmas Bonus out of them by putting them up on eBay. Other co-workers have done similar things, selling a fair amount of old equipment at garage sales, etc, and none of my immediate peers seemed to think anything of it. Mrs. [anonymous], however, seems to feel that it's ethically wrong to do so, and more importantly potentially legally wrong. Does the hivemind have any knowledge of the legal (and/or ethical) implications of this D-I-Y Christmas Bonus? (For reference, we're probably talking $300 total, here.)
posted by anonymous on Nov 28, 2007 - 31 answers

Bassist buys the tour van then quits the band in the middle of the tour. What's a fair way to distribute the money now that it's over? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 13, 2007 - 15 answers

Business ethics filter: Should I pass my personal contact info on to selected clients of the company I'm leaving? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 16, 2007 - 17 answers

Is it ethical for a women who is in sales to remove her wedding ring so that prospective clients will be more interested in hearing her pitch? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 6, 2007 - 63 answers

Weird interview scenario - am I being a little paranoid about this? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 5, 2007 - 16 answers

FamilyEthicsFilter: What duty do I have to my grandfather (or, more generally, to my extended family)? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 21, 2006 - 17 answers

What kind of hours are typical requirements for a political campaign job? What kind of hours are actually legal? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 29, 2006 - 12 answers

EthicsFilter: is it wrong to sleep with someone you haven't made sure is single? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 15, 2006 - 49 answers

Are my boss's demands unethical? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 20, 2006 - 17 answers

I have recently had a windfall and have come into some money. I'd like to invest this in an ethical and profitable fashion without assuming a huge amount of risk. Unfortunately, I am of the opinion that there's going to be some sort of economic collapse fairly soon. What should I do? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 9, 2006 - 28 answers

I recently sent out several job applications that required letters of recommendation from a professor. The professor's secretary sent me a box of letters that were sealed, mail-merged, and addressed to each recipient, with the intention that I drop the letter inside the application package. (This is standard operating procedure, as far as I know.) I ended up not sending a few applications for which I received letters because the recipients later indicated that no positions were available. The application period is now over and I was not offered a position. I will not reuse these letters in the future. May I ethically open the remaining sealed envelopes and read the letter?
posted by anonymous on Jan 10, 2006 - 41 answers

Should I tell my doctor something about my medical history that might keep her from prescribing me the birth control I want? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 20, 2005 - 36 answers

I am a research assistant for a project that involves studying participants in a website for a particular deviant sexuality. I think my research methodology is unethical, but my supervisor disagrees. What can I do? Is the internet a public or private place? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 27, 2005 - 47 answers

Ethics in billing IT hours: I'm not 'working' but I'm not 'not-working'. How can I bill for my time? This is a lot more than just being on-call. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 13, 2005 - 18 answers

I agreed to "edit" a (25-page) thesis paper for a friend at another college. When the paper arrived, it was so raw that the whole thing needed to be massively reorganized, not just tweaked for grammar and clarity. It then became clear (through subsequent discussions with her about it) that what she wanted me to do was basically reword much of the language as well (she considers me to be a stronger writer) to make it "sound better." [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 28, 2005 - 43 answers

Please help me better align my values with my career. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 24, 2005 - 11 answers

IT concerns, what do you do to employees who do not seem to understand that if they delete e-mails, they are still retained? Recently while trying to figure out if my spam filters were keeping e-mails out, I found some amorous e-mails. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 1, 2005 - 28 answers

it-still-may-explode-but-i'll-take-my-chances-filter: I received my replacement Powerbook battery from Apple - Am I obligated to return the old one? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 27, 2005 - 9 answers

This evening at a gathering of neighbors, I heard a disturbing story. The neighbor's ex-girlfriend has a brother who was sent to prison for raping her daughter when the child was 2-3 years old. The brother is now out of jail and living with his mother - the child's grandmother. When the girlfriend goes out, she takes all of her children and drops them off at the grandmother - which is where the child rapist lives. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 1, 2005 - 55 answers

[Social consciense filter]
I know, for a fact, that someone is drink driving EVERY DAY. Not just a few pints, but at LEAST 8pints and then driving home. Mostly it's a short, five minute drive, but sometimes it's longer distance. I have tried to talk to him and get him to stop - to walk to the pub. His brother has tried to talk to him. He just won't. He is also diabetic, so the drink has adverse effects on his sugar levels, which makes him more dangerous. He can't even walk properly when he gets home, so goodness knows how he can drive. The problem is, this person is a relative - and he's given me somewhere to live when I had nowhere.

I just don't know what to do. Would you inform someone? Or would you keep quiet? I don't particularly WANT to 'rat' on him, but what happens if he hits someone, and I know I could have stopped it? What would you do?
posted by anonymous on Dec 6, 2004 - 40 answers