First, the New York Times’ clickbait headlines for the Ethicist column. Clickbait means an article promises something sensational but doesn’t deliver. A sensational headline is fine for a sensational story, but the Ethicist column nearly always has sensational headlines while the questions are generally humdrum. More precise than “sensational,” the headlines provoke outrage and make you want to give a piece of your mind to the question the headline suggests[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series of responses to the New York Times’, The Ethicist, without imposing values, here is my take on today’s post, “Should I Tell My Friend I Had a Fling With Her Ex?” After attending a house party that my friend S. hosted, I made a rather rash decision to text her the next day and hopefully strike up a fling. Surprisingly, she took the bait. Soon enough we[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series of responses to the New York Times’, The Ethicist, without imposing values, here is my take on today’s post, “Should a Teacher at a Sketchy College Help Recruit Students?” I am a professor at a university that has experienced serious financial problems in the last five years. As a result, our university has brought in a number of “consultants,” many of whom work largely for for-profit universities.[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series of responses to the New York Times’, The Ethicist, without imposing values, here is my take on today’s post, “My Wife Wants to Adopt. When Do I Tell Her I Won’t?” My wife and are I childless. We can’t have children of our own, and in any case, I have never wanted children. Now we are in our 40s, and my wife is starting the process of[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series of responses to the New York Times’, The Ethicist, without imposing values, here is my take on today’s post, “When a Friend Cheats Often on Her Husband, Should You Keep Quiet?” More than two years ago, my best friend’s husband discovered that she was cheating on him with her business partner. They decided to work on their marriage and go to counseling, together and separately. I’ve had[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series of responses to the New York Times’, The Ethicist, without imposing values, here is my take on today’s post, “Can I Put Down My Aging Pooch?” Our family dog, a 14-year-old terrier, is currently living with my wife and me in Paris. She has made the trans-Atlantic flight three times in the past year (crated in the belly of the plane) when we return home for various[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times’, The Ethicist, without imposing values on others, here is my take on today’s post, “Can I Stay Friends With an Abusive Husband?” I have been good friends with a couple, “Jack” and “Jane,” for about eight years. They have been together for about 15 years. Although historically I have spent more time with Jack because we share more interests,[…] Keep reading →