Ethics and Morality

What Is Morality?

For a topic as subjective as morality, people sure have strong beliefs about what's right and wrong. Yet even though morals can vary from person to person and culture to culture, many are universal, as they result from basic human emotions. We may think of moralizing as an intellectual exercise, but more frequently it's an attempt to make sense of our gut instincts.

Being Something vs. Doing Something

By Matthew J Rossano Ph.D. on August 15, 2016 in Seeking Perfection

If the ancient world was over-personalized, then today, personal and family life face the threat of becoming ‘professionalized.’

After Lysippos [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Our Anger Crisis: What Good Is Payback

By Michael Cholbi Ph.D. on August 15, 2016 in Ethics in Question

Anger makes us want to retaliate against those who've harmed us. Martha Nussbaum says that's irrational and incoherent — is she right?

Indoctrinating Children

By Marty Nemko Ph.D. on August 14, 2016 in How To Do Life

Cartoon movies start anti-male propaganda with the very young.

The "Electrochemical Persuasion" of Neuromodulation

By Sylvia R. Karasu M.D. on August 13, 2016 in The Gravity of Weight

Deliberate stimulation of the brain to manipulate behavior reads like something out of George Orwell’s "1984," but treatment of eating disorders & obesity is no longer "brainless"

Will Fern, is psychological science smoke and deception?

The Psychology of Scientific Integrity: A Syllabus

By Lee Jussim Ph.D. on August 12, 2016 in Rabble Rouser

Psychological science is a mess. How bad of a mess? No one knows. Here is the actual syllabus for my undergraduate course, The Psychology of Scientific Integrity.

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

By Neel Burton M.D. on August 11, 2016 in Hide and Seek

Emotional intelligence is, in fact, a kind of virtue.

The Struggle and the Triumph of the Olympics

By Michael W. Austin Ph.D. on August 11, 2016 in Ethics for Everyone

One reason we love the Olympics is that we want to see others achieve incredible things, even through seemingly insurmountable challenges.

New Strategy Thwarts Employees Legal Rights

By Alan A. Cavaiola Ph.D. on August 11, 2016 in Beyond Bullying

Are the recent trends in arbitration a way of avoiding corporate responsibility?

Who Controls the APA? Hint: Not the Majority of Members

By J. Wesley Boyd M.D., Ph.D. on August 10, 2016 in Almost Addicted

Despite APA members voting to get psychologists out of Guantanamo in 2008, the APA stalled, delayed, and even denied that it could do so. Today, the bobbing and weaving continues.

What Well-Intentioned White People Can Do About Racism

By Monnica T Williams Ph.D. on August 10, 2016 in Culturally Speaking

A new civil rights movement is happening with racial justice at its core. The movement has a new language and for many white people this language is foreign.

Parental Alienation Syndrome: Calling Moms Nazis

By Jennifer Baker Ph.D. on August 10, 2016 in For the Love of Wisdom

Do Family Court Judges order children to spend time with high school graduates in hotel rooms, forced to watch Nazi videos, and then have their mothers called Nazis? Yes.

Beating Back Trump's Threat to US Democracy

By Allen J Frances M.D. on August 10, 2016 in Saving Normal

Democracy is a precious, but historically infrequent and perilously fragile method of governance. Trump Threatens it and must be stopped.

By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Donald Trump supporters, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47177901

The Logic Underlying Trump's Outrageous Comments

By Sarah Cotterill, A.M. on August 10, 2016 in The Science of Adversity

Trump phrases things in a way that gets through to his supporters, but leaves him almost immune from attack by his detractors.

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Cheating and Consensual Non-Monogamy

By Elisabeth A. Sheff Ph.D., CASA, CSE on August 09, 2016 in The Polyamorists Next Door

People can cheat before, during, and after consensual non-monogamous relationships. This cheating can be emotional and/or physical, involving lying or broken safer sex agreements.

America's Obsession With Winners and Losers

By Ray Williams on August 09, 2016 in Wired for Success

America has an obsession with defining success and happiness by winners and losers. This attitude and behavior permeates everything from sports to politics and business.

New Book: Why Knowing Fact From Fiction Really Does Matter

By Jennifer Haupt on August 08, 2016 in One True Thing

In confronting the difficult problems America faces, we all need to have a point of view... a sense of how the world works, and the ability to distinguish solutions from rhetoric.

A Tale of Science, Ethics, Intrigue, and Human Flaws

By Jenni Ogden Ph.D. on August 08, 2016 in Trouble in Mind

The NYT article heralding a controversial new book on amnesiac HM, the neurosurgeon who operated on him, and the scientists who studied him is a poor reflection of the whole truth.

Political Progress for Nonreligious Americans

By David Niose on August 07, 2016 in Our Humanity, Naturally

Secular Americans have struggled to tear down the "fence of piety" around the political realm. And now they're making progress.

New Book, Unlatched, Explores Whether Breastfeeding Is Vital

By Darcia Narvaez Ph.D. on August 07, 2016 in Moral Landscapes

There are competing views about breastfeeding, pro and con. Is the con winning? If so, why? In Unlatched, Jennifer Grayson helps readers understand the history and the controversy.

On the Malignant Nature of Narcissism

By Stephen A. Diamond Ph.D. on August 07, 2016 in Evil Deeds

Should presidential candidates be required to undergo a psychological evaluation?

Above and Beyond

By Kristin Brethel-Haurwitz, M.A. and Abigail Marsh, Ph.D. on August 05, 2016 in For Goodness’ Sake

Why would someone donate a kidney to a complete stranger?

The Ultimate Hypocrites

By Marty Nemko Ph.D. on August 05, 2016 in How To Do Life

When the wealthy urge us to give to the poor, they have an obligation to take a vow of near-poverty.

What Trump Doesn't Know That Any Commander in Chief Should

By Nancy Sherman Ph.D. on August 04, 2016 in Afterwar

Military families go to war vicariously with their service member and the grief and moral injury are the hidden casualties of war. Any future commander in chief should know this.

Our Anger Crisis: Can Philosophy Help?

By Michael Cholbi Ph.D. on August 03, 2016 in Ethics in Question

We are facing a rising tide of anger in public and private life. Can philosophy help us navigate our way through—or even beyond—anger?

Past Forgiveness

By Josephine Ensign DrPH on August 03, 2016 in Catching Homelessness

When is forgiveness not divine?

The 2 Most Important Elements of Any Relationship

By Thomas G. Plante Ph.D., ABPP on August 02, 2016 in Do the Right Thing

Embracing respect and compassion, and putting them into daily practice, will improve all of our relationships.

'Trump speaking at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C. Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons 2.0 Generic

Does Donald J. Trump Have the Temperament to Be President?

By Elliot D. Cohen Ph.D. on August 02, 2016 in What Would Aristotle Do?

Political commentators on both sides of the isle have raised the question: does Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump have the temperament or character to hold what is,

From Rejection to Revenge

By Psychology Today Editorial Staff on August 02, 2016 in Brainstorm

The pain of rejection may be a significant cause of fraud as an act of revenge, new research says.

Does Watching Video Hurt Our Moral Judgments About the News?

By Patrick L. Plaisance Ph.D. on August 01, 2016 in Virtue in the Media World

We assume that in news, streaming video is always better than still images, but is that true? Video can undermine our best moral judgments by making it hard to access memory.