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, “How Do I Counter My Sister’s Abuse Claims Against Our Father?” My sister has become a personality in the media primarily due to her colorful past. She gives lectures and has a self-help book coming out[…] Keep reading →

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, “Taxicab Confessions.” Last night I witnessed an assault on a taxi driver. After the passenger jumped out of the cab and kicked it repeatedly, the driver got out and confronted the man. The man suddenly began[…] Keep reading →

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, “Do I Have to Keep a Secret About a Family Member’s Health?“ My uncle’s daughter texted this message to me a few days ago: “You didn’t hear this from me, and pretend this conversation didn’t take[…] Keep reading →

Last semester I experimented with giving students the responsibility of grading themselves. I think it went well enough that I plan to do it again next time, though I plan to refine the process based on what I learned. Motivation The idea resulted from a talk by Barry Salzberg, the global CEO at Deloitte, to Columbia Business School’s alumni club. He talked about a challenge that since became part of[…] Keep reading →

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, ”Do I Have to Tell About a Co-Worker’s Rape?” My first job out of college was at a major political campaign. Late in the year, an intern told me she had been raped by one of[…] Keep reading →

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, ”May I Lie to My Husband to Get Him to See a Doctor?“ I believe my 86-year-old spouse is in the early stages of dementia. He won’t see a doctor. I asked for some advice in[…] Keep reading →

I wrote the following to someone who was looking for arguments on eating habits, wanting arguments not to eat meat but liking the taste and convenience. On one side you’re looking for logical arguments but on the other side you have taste, pleasure, and convenience. No logical argument can counter your feelings of pleasure or convenience. Your issue is your own internal conflict: you have a gut feeling you’re doing[…] Keep reading →