AskPhilosophers Questions

Do you think genetically stupid people should not have kids since the kids will

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 11:51:18 +0000

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Do you think genetically stupid people should not have kids since the kids will also be like that and having a child would just be adding misery to it's life since it would never be able to be successful or achieve anything. S/he would spend all their life being inferior to other and it would just be a lifetime of pain.

What's wrong with eating animals? Animals eat animals, so it's natural.

Anonymous — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 07:22:35 +0000

Animals

Ethics

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What's wrong with eating animals? Animals eat animals, so it's natural.

Is necrophilia morally objectionable? I was under the impression that it wouldn

Anonymous — Tue, 18 May 2021 20:49:33 +0000

Death

Sex

Ethics

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Is necrophilia morally objectionable? I was under the impression that it wouldn't be, insofar that bodies don't have legitimate interests (e.g., physical or psychological well-being) to be damaged, but a friend pointed out to me that people who are alive now still have wishes regarding what should be done once they are dead. For example, they leave money to their children in their wills, and are able to live contently knowing that this will be honored. If we lived in a society where people's wishes were routinely disregarded after death, then we would have no reason to think that our own wishes would be honored, and we would therefore be distressed by this. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

When a person asserts unequivocably and with strong conviction that it is simply

Anonymous — Thu, 13 May 2021 02:09:59 +0000

Animals

Ethics

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When a person asserts unequivocably and with strong conviction that it is simply wrong to kill animals for food, and you notice that they are wearing leather, how do you respond?

A quick question about animal ethics. Presumably, the philosopher who responds

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 14:47:19 +0000

Animals

Ethics

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A quick question about animal ethics. Presumably, the philosopher who responds to this would agree that if we were currently doing to humans what we do to animals in our food systems—that is, breeding and slaughtering them by the billions every year, not out of nutritional necessity, but for the sake of taste pleasure—that would be immoral. (I sure hope so!) So the question is: What is the trait absent in nonhuman animals that, if also absent in humans, would justify breeding and slaughtering humans by the billions for something as trivial as taste pleasure? The knee-jerk justification today’s nonvegans would give is that, relative to humans, animals have diminished mental capacities, and that mass confinement and slaughter is therefore acceptable. But surely intelligence can’t be the trait, because the same nonvegans would never dream of arguing that it’s okay to confine and slaughter a human being (let alone billions of them) just because he has a level of intelligence equivalent to that of a pig or cow. Neither can the missing trait be the ability to experience physical pain or psychological suffering, both of which, according to scientists like Jane Goodall, animals like cows, pigs, chickens (and yes, even fish!) evolved to do. So what is the trait? Or what are the traits? (Full disclosure: I do not believe the trait or group of traits exists.)

I believe having an evil thought such as killing your neighbor for no reason is

Anonymous — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 15:08:48 +0000

Ethics

Law

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I believe having an evil thought such as killing your neighbor for no reason is morally wrong, but not legally wrong unless you act on it. Why aren't all immoral things also illegal?

If my only two choices are to rob a bank or let my children starve, does robbing

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 21:43:09 +0000

Ethics

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If my only two choices are to rob a bank or let my children starve, does robbing the bank makes it a right decision or just the better one of two wrong decisions? My wife says that robbing a bank is the correct/right decision given the alternative. I say that both decisions would be incorrect/wrong because they both have negative consequences. Please help us settle this!!! Thanks Victor and Nannette

I am personally a determinist but one thing that has confused me is how can

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 04:04:35 +0000

Freedom

Ethics

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I am personally a determinist but one thing that has confused me is how can determinism and morality co-exist? If determinism is true, then how can we possibly judge the morality of a choice that someone was destined to make?

Suppose some celebrity has made him or herself more loved and well-received

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 07:25:39 +0000

Ethics

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Suppose some celebrity has made him or herself more loved and well-received partly by establishing an him or herself as faithful, compassionate husband or wife. If it’s later found out that this celebrity actually leads a messy private life far from the established image, does he or she owe an apology to the public? What if the celebrity never revealed anything about his or her private life or used it to establish some image? Does the public or the media have any right to expose, examine or criticize his or her private life? Some say it’s an inevitable price to pay for the publicity, since they also reaped benefit from it. Is it true?

Are there many philosophers who seriously try to argue that there are no

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 18:39:08 +0000

Ethics

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Are there many philosophers who seriously try to argue that there are no objective moral truths? If so, how would they refute the proposition that "it is always wrong to torture people purely for pleasure." ? Thank you for your consideration!