What’s the moral difference between ad blocking and piracy?
On 16 September Marco Arment, developer of Tumblr, Instapaper and Overcast, released a new iPhone and iPad app called Peace. It quickly shot to the top of the paid app charts, but Arment began to have moral qualms about the app, and its une…
Read MoreGuest Post: Should the army abandon their zero-tolerance policy on substance use?
Written by Anke Snoek Macquarie University In the UK around 500 soldiers each year get fired because they fail drug-testing. The substances they use are mainly recreational drugs like cannabis, XTC, and cocaine. Some call this a waste of re…
Read MoreWhy are unethical neonatal trials still taking place in developing countries?
By Dominic Wilkinson, @Neonatalethics Earlier this year, the Lancet published a trial (the ‘ACT’ trial) involving 100,000 babies at risk of being born prematurely in developing countries. Half of the mothers in the ACT trial did not receive…
Read MoreGene editing and eugenics
A study published last week in the journal Cell has led to speculation that a powerful new gene editing technique is about to be developed. Gene editing has received widespread media coverage over the past few months. Most of the excitement…
Read MoreDon’t write evil algorithms
Google is said to have dropped the famous “Don’t be evil” slogan. Actually, it is the holding company Alphabet that merely wants employees to “do the right thing”. Regardless of what one thinks about the actual behaviour and ethics of Googl…
Read MoreGuest Post: What (if anything) makes extinction bad?
Catia Faria, Pompeu Fabra University Follow Catia on Twitter here Throughout history, countless species have come into existence only to later become extinct. Whether extinction is caused by natural processes or human agency, environmental…
Read MoreMandatory submission of patient information about FGM: a pointless, damaging, discriminatory mess
Brenda Kelly and Charles Foster Female Genital Mutilation (‘FGM’) is a term covering various procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons…
Read MoreSome thoughts on reparations
Consider the following case. Imagine you inherit a fortune from your parents. With that money, you buy a luxurious house and you pay to get a good education, which later allows you to find a job where you earn a decent salary. Many years la…
Read MoreRugby and the Love of the Underdog
The Rugby World Cup is now well underway in England and Wales, and rugby fans have possibly already seen one of its most surprising results and entertaining games. On the second day of the tournament, Japan defied the odds to earn a narrow …
Read MoreIn defence of drinking alone
By Rebecca Roache and Hannah Maslen Yes they’re sharing a drink they call loneliness But it’s better than drinking alone – Billy Joel, Piano Man Drinking alone is often frowned upon. Those who do it ca…
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