Ethicist

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on others, here is my take on today's post, "Slaughter for Hire" (The New York Times Magazine seems to be doing a special issue this weekend without an Ethicist column so I'm pulling up an old one, from May 30, 2014.) I have recently been worrying about eating meat, but not for health, religious or even environmental reasons. I worry about whether it is ethical for another reason: Could I kill an animal myself? And eat it? Would I have the "stomach" to do that? If the answer is yes, then I am paying for the service out of convenience.…

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on others, here is my take on today's post, "Can a Colleague 'Donate' My Lost Money?" I work in a public hospital, in a poor neighborhood. In between seeing patients, I placed $50 in my pocket and went to use the public bathroom. I then went to buy lunch, and realized I lost my money. I ran back to the bathroom, but the money was gone. I went to security, but it was not turned in. I later told the story at a staff dinner. The next day, a staff member told me I would be happy to hear the…

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on others, here is my take on today's post, "Can I Hire Someone to Write My Résumé and Cover Letter?" I'm looking for a new job in the nonprofit sector and am considering using a résumé service to write my résumé and cover letter. Part of me feels morally conflicted about this process. Is it fair to have someone else write the two materials that show the quality of my writing skills to my future employer? NAME WITHHELD, WASHINGTON My response: Again with the abstract questions. There is no absolute measure of fairness. The people providing the service think it's…

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on others, here is my take on today's post, "Can I Profit From Accidentally Obtained Information?" At a previous job, I was responsible for complex negotiations that frequently involved email exchanges of draft transaction documents. One party would do a "redline" of the draft submitted by the other party, so that the receiver could see what changes the sender required. On one occasion, our counterparty mistakenly sent back its redline so that I was able to see text not intended for me: comment boxes and other evidence of what that company's employees were saying to one another about their negotiating positions. This…

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on others, here is a take on today's post,"Do You Tell a Friend His Daughter Is Sexually Active?" A man told me he was approached by his best friend's daughter, a minor, who confided that she and her boyfriend had become sexually active. She wanted his opinion on birth control. The man says he would want to know if it were his daughter, but to tell the parents would violate the girl's trust. What do I tell him? NAME WITHHELD, CONNECTICUT My response: Another question the New York Times accepted where they person wasn't asking for a label, like "obligation"…

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on others, here is a take on today's post,"Can I Shop at Hobby Lobby?" I am an inveterate crafter — I have a crafting room — but ever since the Hobby Lobby decision, I have studiously avoided its stores despite my deep and abiding love of the place. I know there are some decent retail substitutes out there, but none that can match the giant warehouse of glitter and balsa wood that is Hobby Lobby. Would it be ethical to shop there if I were to make a donation to Planned Parenthood every time I did, sort of like buying…

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on others, here is a take on today's post,"Can I Hide My Beliefs During Jury Selection?" I live in a Midwestern state that has the death penalty. I am scheduled to be a juror for the first time in March, and I'm afraid I will face a difficult ethical choice if I am selected for a capital case. Though I consider myself an atheist, I was brought up Quaker and still hold dear many of those values — nonviolence, a belief in the goodness of each person, peace and simplicity, to name a few. I believe that the death penalty…

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on others, here is a take on today's post, "Dorm Wrecker." I'm a woman who lives in an on-campus apartment with three male roommates, one of whom was just nominated to run for president of his fraternity. If he is elected, he will be required to move into the fraternity house. My university's coed housing policy stipulates that if one of the roommates moves out, the other residents could be split up and forced to live with students of the same sex. At the beginning of the year, we were all on the same page regarding our university's policies with…