Is it ever okay to lie?
Should I tell a lie at work so that my colleague can keep a job and provide for a family? Ethical questions like this one abound every day. How we resolve them will reflect what we think about moral values. Are moral values objective facts or subjective choices? This is a fundamental issue in ethical debate and dilemmas.
It is very striking over the past few years how Western governments have driven steamrollers over complex moral debates and crushed reasonable dissent. This has been particularly evident in the way that same sex marriage has been handled. It is only an example of a much deeper issue concerning moral reasoning. The implications are disturbing.
Comedy, free speech and warnings from the past
Hannah Arendt was a Jewish philosopher who grew up in Nazi Germany. Eventually she had to flee to France and, …