I am going to write a post about how I think the elections will turn out tomorrow. And that is scary because I do not have a crystal ball, and I could be wildly wrong in my prediction. I mean, I was wrong in 2016. I could be wrong again. Why I am Writing This… Continue reading How I Think the Elections Will Turn Out Tomorrow
I am writing a series of posts on the ethics of abortion. This series is based on a unit I teach in my ethics class almost every semester. You can read the first part in the series here in which I describe what ethics is; why abortion can be an ambiguous ethical issue; and why… Continue reading The Ethics of Abortion, Part #2
We have a presidential election coming up in a few weeks. Frequently when we vote for a president (or any candidate), it is easy to vote simply along party lines. If we are Republican, we vote Republican. If we are Democrat, we vote Democrat. It certainly simplifies things, and this is not always a bad… Continue reading What is Basic Presidential Competence (and Why is It Important?)
I teach two ethics classes every semester, and I consider it a privilege because in these classes I help my students develop their own moral and ethical code. My goal is not to make students believe the way I believe. Rather, my goal is to help them understand the basics of good moral and ethical… Continue reading The Ethics of Abortion, Part #1
I have been setting an intention to approach politics from a place of love rather than fear. Practices like this help me.
Everyone can learn how to make a good argument. This post is about how to do that. An Experience with a Class I Teach Every semester (almost), I have a day that is the highlight of my semester. Yesterday, I had one of those days. One of the classes I am teaching this semester is… Continue reading How to Make a Good Argument
There is a weird story in the Old Testament about Balaam's ass. It has always fascinated me.[1] We don’t know a lot about Balaam. It appears that he was some kind of prophet who lived near the Euphrates River and had some kind of meaningful connection to God. Or at least people thought he did.… Continue reading This Post is about Balaam’s Ass
People can behave morally and promote morality for immoral reasons. That is an odd claim, isn't it? After all, we generally think of morality as good, and we think of moral people as good people. So how could a person be moral for bad reasons? How would we even know if this was the case?… Continue reading Is Your Morality Motivated by Love or Tribalism?
This post is about avoiding the argument pitfall of circular reasoning, and it is part of a series on thinking critically. You can find links to other posts in this series at the end of the post. When We Care A Lot about Issues If you are anything like me, you have issues you care… Continue reading Avoiding Argument Pitfall #3: Circular Reasoning
Since President Trump first began his campaign for president, even before he was elected, many people, both Republicans and Democrats, raised concerns about Trump's seeming lack of moral principles. And people have continued to raise this concern all throughout his presidency. (I wrote a post myself about it here.) Some people have countered such concerns… Continue reading On the Saying, “We Need an Amoral President in Office So He Can Get Stuff Done”
