How to be a god: we might one day create virtual worlds with characters as intelligent as ourselves

If virtual characters can be as smart as humans, having free will, can we kill or harm them?

Richard A. Bartle, Professor of Computer Game Design, University of Essex • conversation
Jan. 17, 2022 • ~7 min

Who's in? Who's out? The ethics of COVID-19 travel rules

Should countries require COVID-19 vaccination for entry while vaccines remain globally scarce?

Caesar Atuire, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Ghana • conversation
Nov. 30, 2021 • ~11 min

Environment Bill: UK government offers five principles for protecting nature – here's why they won't work

The bill promises to prevent environmental damage and harm where possible, but what will this entail?

Benjamin Sachs, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of St Andrews • conversation
Oct. 22, 2021 • ~7 min

How ideas from ancient Greek philosophy may have driven civilization toward climate change

The Athens fires were a dangerous reflection of Atomist philosophies that see the world as exploitable, for sale and open to waste and abuse.

Kathleen Dean Moore, Distinguished Professor Emerita, Oregon State University • conversation
Oct. 20, 2021 • ~9 min

Data science education lacks a much-needed focus on ethics

Undergraduate programs are springing up across the US to meet the burgeoning demand for workers trained in big data. Yet many of the programs lack training in the ethical use of data science.

Torbet McNeil, Ph.D. candidate in Educational Policy Studies and Practice, University of Arizona • conversation
Sept. 8, 2021 • ~5 min

Digital health is a vital tool: here's how we can make it more sustainable

As the pandemic pushes healthcare online, it’s time to stop overlooking the environmental impacts.

Maddy Thompson, Postdoctoral Fellow in Human Geography, Keele University • conversation
Aug. 19, 2021 • ~6 min

Pescatarians are right – why I say eating fish is more ethical than eating meat

Pescatarians might frustrate purist vegetarians, but the issues surrounding fish are quite different to meat.

Martin Cohen, Visiting Research Fellow in Philosophy, University of Hertfordshire • conversation
July 12, 2021 • ~6 min

Pescatarians are right – why eating fish is more ethical than eating meat

Pescatarians might frustrate purist vegetarians, but the issues surrounding fish are quite different to meat.

Martin Cohen, Visiting Research Fellow in Philosophy, University of Hertfordshire • conversation
July 12, 2021 • ~6 min

Do we have a moral obligation to live for as long as possible?

If you are shipwrecked on a desert island with no hope of being rescued, you may not be morally obligated to stay alive.

Kimberley Brownlee, Professor of Philosophy, University of British Columbia • conversation
April 28, 2021 • ~12 min

First human-monkey embryos created – a small step towards a huge ethical problem

'Chimera' creatures with human organs could be medically useful – but can we really treat them like other animals?

César Palacios-González, Senior Research Fellow in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford • conversation
April 22, 2021 • ~8 min

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