ethics

Jewish history tells me to be both compassionate and alert. When it comes to the Palestinian conflict, I don't know how to do both at once.

Is private management more efficient? Is it wrong to profit from punishment? Is the whole idea immoral in concept?

In a globalized world, Michael Ignatieff argues, grand moral values have failed. What's left is virtue.

De La Torre has little use for hope in a God who only seems to show up for Christians, never for their victims.

Ronald Osborn integrates a biblical perspective with humanistic values.

Martha Nussbaum and Saul Levmore draw from philosophy, literature, economics, and public policy to ruminate on aging.

The comedy series doesn’t feel didactic—despite the fact that it features actual moral philosophy lessons.

Jesus wants us to be likable—but more importantly, he wants us to love.

When does compromise descend into treason or apostasy?

In her memoir, comedian Maggie Rowe lays bare a struggle with excessive guilt that rivals Martin Luther’s.

An ethicist and an anthropologist ask: How much is too much?

Fiction and photographs offer nuanced depictions of conflict.

How can we live well after 40? asks Barbara Bradley Hagerty. She could have consulted the wisdom traditions.

At his inauguration on January 20, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower took an unprecedented step: after taking the oath of office, he led the nation in prayer. During his prayer, which historian Kevin Kruse notes helped make Eisenhower’s inauguration as much a “religious consecration” as a “political ceremony,” the new president asked God to “make full and complete [the executive branch’s] dedication to the service of the people.”

Eisenhower’s professed dedication to serve all the citizens of the United States and his willingness to rely upon God’s help were not entirely new. 

Does democracy create good neighbors? Or is it the other way around?

The delight I felt while reading this book needs further interrogation, because its stories deal with troublesome subjects.

Faith is formed in us by the Spirit and the life of the church. It renews our elemental confidence and creates our disposition toward the world.

Cultivating character is the lifelong work of evaluating and choosing between various virtues. It's difficult, and it’s our calling.