Do hotels or motels refuse to rent rooms to unmarried couples anymore? I took my girlfriend on a romantic getaway to the beach this weekend, and while I was not very concerned about it, I did wonder if it would be a problem. [more inside]
posted by smoothvirus on Sep 28, 2009 - 27 answers

Is health care a Ponzi scheme? I'm trying to work out my feelings about the health care debate, and our moral obligations to take care of each other. Will improved health care just lead to larger populations and longer life spans, and more and more expenses to take care of them all? Am I a bad person for thinking this? I smoke, so I'll probably check out early without consuming all your future resources on my elder care. Does this mitigate my xenocidal tendencies or make them worse?
posted by Area Control on Sep 13, 2009 - 25 answers

Please suggest movies, TV shows and books that feature unrepentant, amoral characters [more inside]
posted by reenum on Jun 10, 2009 - 71 answers

How can I morally justify spending money on luxuries while others lack necessities? Many reputable charities offer ways to save or vastly improve the lives of people in extreme poverty for small donations. What type of person am I if I spend $10 on a movie ticket, for example, that could be spent on mosquito netting to protect a poor child from malaria or to vaccinate dozens of children against measles? I don't see how giving a fixed percentage of my income, such as tithing, absolves me of further moral responsibility.
posted by espertus on Feb 22, 2009 - 66 answers

What is a good introductory-level book on moral philosophy? [more inside]
posted by the other side on Jan 13, 2009 - 15 answers

What are some definitive scholarly sources on the ethics of alcohol? [more inside]
posted by vegetableagony on Oct 15, 2008 - 7 answers

[ethicsfilter] two of my friends are getting it on. one of them has herpes. should I tell the other? [more inside]
posted by krautland on Oct 9, 2008 - 70 answers

Any pointers to books/people/readers/papers on heuristics in morality? [more inside]
posted by not sure this is a good idea on Aug 3, 2008 - 4 answers

I have an ethical or logical quandary that I'm trying to puzzle out. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Apr 17, 2008 - 33 answers

Why do theists bring up morality when arguing for the existence of god? [more inside]
posted by wigglin on Apr 5, 2008 - 97 answers

Looking for first-hand accounts of acts of genuine evil. [more inside]
posted by greytape on Apr 1, 2008 - 41 answers

Please help this petty agnostic acquire faith in a higher power. [more inside]
posted by mr_book on Feb 10, 2008 - 71 answers

Video clips that demonstrate the difference between rules and morals/ethics? [more inside]
posted by middleclasstool on Sep 22, 2007 - 10 answers

Someone quoted to me a quote last night that was along the lines of, "War is a brutal and horrible thing, and the more brutal and horrible it is, the faster it's over." He used this both in defense of using nuclear bombs in WWII and in support of a similar approach for Iraq. I don't agree. [more inside]
posted by devilsbrigade on Aug 18, 2007 - 30 answers

What is the risk of buying stolen or otherwise morally questionable goods from a pawn shop? [more inside]
posted by ThinkNut on May 5, 2007 - 33 answers

Art Relationship Morality Filter – Have recently discovered my newly wed wife has lied to me about the contents of a painting that takes pride of place in our small flat. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 6, 2007 - 41 answers

Jimmy (my friend/roommate/landlord) and I both like to have a sparkling clean apartment. He thinks it's lazy and morally objectionable to hire a maid. I think my free time is valuable so I don't want to spend it cleaning bathrooms. Since cost isn't a concern, how do I convince my roommate that we should just leave the cleaning to the professionals and hire a maid? [more inside]
posted by santry on Aug 5, 2006 - 50 answers

You're a single mother, with no living relatives except your twin daughters, who are both dying of kidney failure. You have one kidney to donate. Is there a moral/ethical philosophy that deals with such rock/hard place dilemmas? [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Jun 2, 2006 - 24 answers

Please help correct my cold utilitarian calculus: is it ever right to allow a population to starve? [more inside]
posted by hoverboards don't work on water on May 1, 2006 - 24 answers

Atheists and agnostics: From whence do you derive your moral code? [more inside]
posted by agropyron on Nov 8, 2005 - 90 answers

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

What is the need for a human pharmacist in this day and age? [more inside]
posted by AlexReynolds on Apr 13, 2005 - 18 answers

Is it wrong to have an affair?
posted by Mean Mr. Bucket on Dec 13, 2004 - 57 answers

Philosophical question regarding opposition: When is it appropriate to leave or boycott an organization when one disagrees with its policies, as opposed to actively working with or within the organization to change its policies to your liking? Recent posts regarding gay ministers and Boy Scouts make me wonder whether boycotting organizations is the best approach, or whether one should remain within an organization in an effort to reform it?
posted by Doohickie on Dec 3, 2004 - 28 answers

EthicsFilter: Do you support making what you feel is an unjust law or policy more equitable? [MI] [more inside]
posted by IshmaelGraves on Nov 7, 2004 - 10 answers