Am I Right?

How to live ethically.

by Arthur Dobrin

What Faces Reveal about Emotions and Morals

Studies of facial expressions underscore the idea that emotions are universal. Read More

Helping Us to Remember Correctly: the Art of Colin Quashie

Artists aren’t meant to make us comfortable but to break through the frozen seas of self-satisfaction Read More

3 Approaches to Ethics: Principles, Outcomes and Integrity

All of morality aims at the same thing but there are several basic ways to get there. Read More

What Do You Think Will Be Immoral in the Future?

Where will the future find us morally wanting? Read More

I Got Mine: S**** You!

Without mutual sympathy, there are great injustices in the world. Read More

It's Not Fair! But What Is Fairness?

Ideologues who have only one notion of fairness threaten democracy. Read More

Happiness and Virtue

Happiness comes when your thoughts, work, and speech are harmonized, then filtered through a prism of virtuous behavior. Read More

Moral Blindness and Courage

More astounding than cruelty is the courage of a blind man and those who over the span of two centuries and continents have helped oppressed people to find freedom. Read More

May Day: What Is Fair?

Society has the right to insure that you do the right thing. Read More

Freeing Yourself

Without self-knowledge, we remain prisoners of our own prejudices Read More

Moral Relativism: Its Limit

Without a standard that is beyond the self or society, fairness is only a matter of luck. Read More

Can You Trust College Police?

How can you trust the (campus) police to do their job as law enforcers when they report to those who hold their purse strings? Read More

Killing Elephants and Unemployment: The King Goes Hunting

I would be honored to be in the presence of a king but not more so than having been amongst elephants. Read More

Learned Altruism: Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe

Children are taught morality everyday by word and example. Read More

Is Religion Opposed to Happiness?

There is no disagreement whether happiness is a good in and of itself, only where and when it is available Read More

Bias and the Brain

Law courts and the court of public opinion will determine the fate of Trayvon Martin’s killer. But we have to get deeper into human psychology to move on. Read More

Real Happiness Isn't a Feeling

Loneliness, isolation, and alienation are antithetical to happiness. Read More

The Passover Story Is for Everyone

Passover is a celebration and a lament that calls for rededication to the cause of freedom Read More

Society Doesn't Create Morality and Neither Do Individuals

Religious commandments, social conventions, and codes of conduct can assist you in making moral decisions, but they are no substitute for ethical judgments Read More

Apple Gets It Right, Mostly

There is no good moral reason to confine profit sharing to the highest paid employees. Read More

Greed, Ignorance and Anger: The Three Poisons

What you feel matters; what you do with your feelings even more so. Read More

We Need To Be Honest About Race

The wounds of slavery haven't yet healed. Read More

Ethics Are Universal, Just Check the Golden Rules

Treating others compassionately and fairly underlies the Golden Rule, wherever found. Read More

Can You Live Alone and Be Happy?

Living alone “liberates from the constraints of a domestic partner’s needs and demands,” as though there was something wrong with limits or that others don’t have legitimate claims upon us Read More

Anxiety and the Wealth Gap

Underneath this fear that America may be tearing itself apart is the ghost of rich getting richer and the rest falling further behind. Read More

In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

Dreams that draw others in are dreams worth pursuing Read More

Social Networking Can Nourish or Kill, Like a Knife

Like knives and mirrors, we can either nourish or kill ourselves with social networks. Read More

Grief and the Use of Photographs

When past and present are accepted as one piece, you are ready to welcome tomorrow. Read More

Are the Rich Morally Bankrupt?

Ethical values often find themselves low down on the list of values held by individuals Read More

Why Bad Things Can Be Done in Religion's Name

Only the strictest pacifist understands the commandment not to kill to mean no taking of human life under any circumstances; only a psychopath thinks that killing doesn't need justification. Read More