Ethicist

Continuing my series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on them, here is a take on an earlier post,"Is It Wrong to Divulge a Secret to Protect Someone's Honor?" I'm an expat living in a country where H.I.V./AIDS is a severe taboo. My friend, also an expat, was diagnosed with H.I.V. while living here. She received almost no support or therapy of any form. Her attitude and behavior changed as she became ill, and she alienated and frustrated mutual friends. While I knew the truth, I was entrusted with her secret and stayed silent when I heard people bad-mouth her. Now that she has returned home, I feel compelled to…

Continuing my series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on them, here is my take on today's post, "Is It Wrong to Watch Football?" I've recently begun to question my support for the N.F.L. I suspect that the recent discoveries about concussions and the prevalence of early-onset dementia among players are just the tip of the iceberg. Is it unethical to support a league that seems to know it is detrimental to the health of its participants? And if so, what should my response be? Don't go to games? Don't buy merchandise? Don't watch on television? Start actively opposing the N.F.L.? Write letters? DARREN WILLIAMS, DALLAS My Answer: If you…

Continuing my series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on them, here is my take on today's post, "Should a Camp Counselor Stop a Student From Trying Coffee?" I work at a summer camp for high-school students. This year, a Mormon camper decided to drink coffee. Some staff members felt that we should try to stop him, to honor his parents' wishes (they listed tea and coffee as a dietary restriction). I disagreed; coffee is not dangerous, and I think high-school students are capable of deciding which religious strictures to follow. The camp is legally responsible for students, and we strive to create a safe environment in their families' stead.…

Continuing my series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on them, here is a take on an earlier post, "Campus Police: Precrime Division". I study computer science at a midsize university, and my school has cameras that cover almost every part of campus. The development of video-processing algorithms that can discern race, height and approximate age is ongoing in the field. Already, some modern video systems can alert owners of loitering, abnormal behavior and other common precursors to crime. Would it be ethical to hone the university security system to calculate and publicize the real-time probability of impending crime based on live video processing and existing statistics on criminal demographics?…

Continuing my series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on them, here is a take on an earlier post, "Sketched Out on the Subway". I was sitting next to someone on the subway who was surreptitiously sketching portraits of fellow commuters. I once spotted someone opposite me doing this, and actually changed cars when I suspected he was eyeing me as a subject. Being present in a public space does not seem akin to offering permission to record your likeness without consent, despite the intended (lack of) audience or purpose of the final piece. Unlike being captured in a tourist's random photograph, this act seems to involve a level of…

Continuing my series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on them, here is a take on an earlier post, "But I Didn't Know Filming Fights Was Wrong!". At my high school, two students were expelled for getting into a fight wherein a teacher was injured. In addition, two students who filmed the fight — and later circulated the video among students — were also threatened with expulsion. Expelling students for filming fights is unheard-of in my district. The school said it had grounds to expel the two who took the video, as outlined by the handbook given to all students: "Students may be disciplined for any other misconduct which is…

Continuing yesterday's series on responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicist, looking at the consequences of one's actions instead of imposing values on them, here is a take on an earlier post, "Accounting Principles". My spouse and I earn too much to contribute to a Roth I.R.A. Recently, we learned that it is legal to contribute to a traditional I.R.A. and then convert it into a Roth. My understanding of the Roth is that people who make over a certain income shouldn't benefit from its advantages. My spouse says that because it is legal to roll a traditional I.R.A. into a Roth, there is nothing unethical about doing so. Is this a case in which the law and the ethical standard conflict? S.R.,…

The New York Times has a column called The Ethicist, where people write to ask for judgment and advice. Though I find the writing generally fun and light, I find the premise---that someone else has more access than you to values, implied to be absolute---undermines people considering their options, considering their values, developing their social skills, developing their empathy and compassion skills, and so on. I see that perspective as authoritarian so I call my approach non-authoritarian. Going by Wikipedia's description of ethics as "systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct, often addressing disputes of moral diversity," I'm not talking about ethics either, so I call my series non-authoritarian non-ethics. I'm sure I'll come up with a title I like more. The…