Showing titles in Ethics & Morality

In a May 2024 Pew poll, more than two-thirds of Americans indicated they thought that in vitro fertilization (IVF) is good and should be accessible to anyone who wants it. Even among social conservatives—including the current U.S. administration—there is a push for wider accessibility for artificial procreation options. But is IVF truly the gift for infertile couples that it’s perceived to be?

When Seneca, a stoic philosopher and advisor in Ancient Rome for emperor Nero, wrote these moral letters to Lucilius Junior, the then procurator of Sicily, he didn’t know he would soon be forced to take his own life for alleged complicity in a conspiracy to assassinate the emperor, in which he was probably innocent.

Have you ever wanted to disagree with your boss in a meeting? Make a tough decision that you know will be unpopular? We all have opportunities to be courageous at work. But since courage requires risk - to our reputations, our social standing, and, in some cases, our jobs - we often fail to act, which leaves us feeling powerless and regretful for not doing what we know is right. There's a better way to work and live - and Choosing Courage provides the moral imperative and research-based tactics to help you make better use of your courageous instincts at work.

What are the secrets to a contented life? One of Rome's greatest and most influential poets, Horace (65-8 BCE) has been cherished for more than 2,000 years not only for his wit, style, and reflections on Roman society, but also for his wisdom about how to live a good life - above all else, a life of contentment in a world of materialistic excess and personal pressures. In How to Be Content, Stephen Harrison provides fresh, contemporary translations of poems from across Horace's works that continue to offer important lessons about the good life, friendship, love, and death.

Cuteness has taken the planet by storm. Global sensations Hello Kitty and Pokémon, the works of artists Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons, Heidi the cross-eyed opossum and E.T. - all reflect its gathering power. But what does “cute” mean, as a sensibility and style? Why is it so pervasive? Is it all infantile fluff, or is there something more uncanny and even menacing going on - in a lighthearted way? In The Power of Cute, Simon May provides nuanced and surprising answers.

Brought to you by Penguin. Shame is being weaponized by governments and corporations to attack the most vulnerable. It's time to fight back Shame is a powerful and sometimes useful tool. When we publicly shame corrupt politicians, abusive celebrities, or predatory corporations, we reinforce...

In this eye-opening account of "metaphysical blindness" in the West, Watts accents the dense exploration of religious philosophy with wry wit that will engage inquiring minds in search of spiritual power and wisdom.

If you have been struggling with the big questions: Who am I? How can I find my purpose? How should I live my life? Stoicism has the answers. In Secrets of the Stoics, you will learn about three of the most influential ancient Stoics: Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca. You will discover the importance of Stoicism in their daily lives and how it helped them cope with the highs and lows of life, before facing death with resilience and acceptance.

For many enlightened, liberal-minded thinkers today, and for most on the political left, evil is an outmoded concept. It smacks too much of absolute judgements and metaphysical certainties to suit the modern age. In this witty, accessible study, the prominent Marxist thinker Terry Eagleton launches a surprising defence of the reality of evil, drawing on literary, theological, and psychoanalytic sources to suggest that evil, no mere medieval artefact, is a real phenomenon with palpable force in our contemporary world.

From plain old doping to claiming a marathon victory despite having driven the middle section of the race, from match-fixing to diving for a penalty - cheating in sport is as old as sport itself. But what constititues cheating and where do we draw the line? Are some sports cleaner than others? Is cheating in one sport the same as cheating in another or does each sport's distinctive culture set different standards? Is there such a thing as a sport without sin? Or, indeed, a sporting competitor?

Artificial intelligence is, as the name suggests, artificial and fundamentally different to human intelligence. Yet often the goal of AI is to fake human intelligence. This deceit has been there from the very beginning. We’ve been trying to fake it since Alan Turing answered the question ‘Can machines think?’ by proposing that machines pretend to be humans. Now we are starting to build AI that truly deceives us. Powerful AIs such as ChatGPT can convince us they are intelligent and blur the distinction between what is real and what is simulated.

A turkey is the centerpiece of countless Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Yet most of us know almost nothing about today's specially bred, commercially produced birds. In this brief book, bestselling author Peter Singer tells their story—and, unfortunately, it's not a happy one. Along the way, he also offers a brief history of the turkey and its consumption, ridicules the annual US presidential "pardon" of a Thanksgiving turkey, and introduces us to "a tremendously handsome, outgoing, and intelligent turkey" named Cornelius. Above all, Singer explains how we can improve our holiday tables.

"A must read. "—Margaret Atwood A vital, necessary playbook for navigating and defending free speech today by the CEO of PEN America, Dare To Speak provides a pathway for promoting free expression while also cultivating a more inclusive public culture. Online trolls and fascist chat groups...

Wilson admits in the preface of his book that "virtue has acquired a bad name". However, people make some kind of reference to morality whenever they discuss whether or not someone is nice, dependable, or decent; whether they have a good character; and the aspects of friendship, loyalty, and moderation that are all informed by morality.

"Diario de un seductor" es uno de los primeros escritos del filósofo Søren Kierkegaard, centrados en el apego a lo mundano y a las pasiones humanas. Narra la historia de Johannes, trasunto heredado del Don Juan arquetípico, y sus técnicas de engaño y manipulación a la hora de seducir mujeres. A través de la relación de Johannes con la inocente Cordelia, Kierkegaard reflexiona sobre la estética en la mente humana.

O estoicismo, a escola filosófica mais influente do Império Romano, oferece formas surpreendentemente atuais de fortalecer nosso caráter em um mundo cada vez mais caótico e imprevisível. Reconhecido como o filósofo mais talentoso e humano da tradição estoica, Sêneca nos ensina a levar uma vida boa e com propósito.

To the modern mind, the idea of honor is outdated, sexist, and barbaric. It evokes Hamilton and Burr and pistols at dawn, not visions of a well-organized society. But for philosopher Tamler Sommers, a sense of honor is essential to living moral lives. In Why Honor Matters, Sommers argues that our collective rejection of honor has come at great cost. Reliant only on Enlightenment liberalism, the United States has become the home of the cowardly, the shameless, the selfish, and the alienated. Properly channeled, honor encourages virtues like courage, integrity, and solidarity.

Discover the profound wisdom of the ancient Stoics in this essential collection of their most enduring works. The Timeless Stoicism Collection brings together five cornerstone texts that have inspired countless readers and listeners to cultivate inner strength, resilience, and clarity in the face of life’s challenges.

This Is Water: Booktrack Edition adds an immersive musical soundtrack to your audiobook listening experience! * Only once did David Foster Wallace give a public talk on his views on life, during a commencement address given in 2005 at Kenyon College. The speech is reprinted for the first time in...

While many falconry books briefly touch on the ethics of the sport, “The Philosophy & Ethics of Falconry” is entirely dedicated to addressing the chief ethical and philosophical questions at the heart of falconry. Listeners, whether they are aspiring, new, or experienced falconers (or simply someone intrigued by this unique method of hunting) will be introduced to several philosophical traditions and what wisdom they have to offer for falconry.