EthicAtlasYOUR ATLASQuestions

THE ART OF ASKING

Big ideas begin
with a question.

Pick a dilemma. Meet a thinker. Find a new perspective.

Find your starting point
Bookshelves in the San Diego City College library
A little curiosity.
A wider world.
THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS

A question worth sitting with.

22 questions to explore

Railway tracks running through autumn trees01
The trolley problemIs it permissible to cause one person’s death to save five?3 perspectives
A stethoscope on a wooden table02
The transplant caseWhy might sacrificing one to save five be wrong, even if diverting a trolley seems acceptable?3 perspectives
A stethoscope on a wooden table03
Scarce medicineWhat makes an allocation rule fair when everyone cannot be treated?3 perspectives
The Lady Justice statue above the Old Bailey04
The veil of ignoranceWhat institutions would you choose if you might end up in anyone’s position?3 perspectives
Railway tracks running through autumn trees05
An automated decisionWho bears the risk of an automated decision, and who gets to challenge it?3 perspectives
A person using a virtual reality headset at the European Space Agency06
Experience MachineShould you plug in if the machine could give you perfect experiences?2 perspectives
Wooden chess pieces on a chessboard07
Prisoner's DilemmaWhy can individually rational choices leave everyone worse off?2 perspectives
A real violin photographed from the front and side08
Violinist CaseDoes someone’s right to life entitle them to use another person’s body?2 perspectives
Sunlit path through an evergreen forest09
Tragedy of the CommonsHow can a shared resource survive when each person benefits from taking more?2 perspectives
Waves rolling onto a sandy coastline10
Repugnant ConclusionCan enough lives barely worth living outweigh fewer excellent lives?2 perspectives
The wooded shore and reflective water of Walden Pond in 201011
The shallow pondDoes distance change what we owe to someone we can help?3 perspectives
Railway tracks running through autumn trees12
Two careless driversShould equal recklessness receive unequal blame when luck changes the outcome?3 perspectives
Dairy cows grazing in a green pasture in Ireland13
Whose suffering counts?How much should an animal’s suffering count against a small human benefit?3 perspectives
People carrying placards at a protest in London in January 202214
An unjust lawWhen is breaking a law a responsible way to challenge injustice?3 perspectives
Sunlit path through an evergreen forest15
The people of tomorrowCan we wrong future people when our choices also determine who will exist?3 perspectives
Two people shaking hands16
A promise you cannot keepCan a useful outcome justify making a promise you intend to break?3 perspectives
Two people shaking hands17
A friend or a strangerIs giving priority to a friend a moral reason or an unfair bias?3 perspectives
Waves rolling onto a sandy coastline18
A life worth choosingIs a happy life necessarily a meaningful life?3 perspectives
Three surveillance cameras mounted on the corner of a building19
The privacy bargainDoes clicking agree make every use of personal information acceptable?3 perspectives
The Lady Justice statue above the Old Bailey20
Speaking up at workWhen should preventing harm override loyalty and confidentiality?3 perspectives
Two people shaking hands21
When communities disagreeDoes deep disagreement mean there is no shared standard for moral criticism?3 perspectives
Wooden chess pieces on a chessboard22
A helpful nudgeWhen does designing an easier choice become manipulation?3 perspectives

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE IDEAS

Meet a different mind.

Ancient marble bust of AristotleAristotleLiving wellHistorical painted portrait of Immanuel KantImmanuel KantDuty & dignityPortrait of John Stuart Mill, circa 1870John Stuart MillLiberty & happinessPortrait of John Rawls, 1971John RawlsA fair societyPhotograph of Carol GilliganCarol GilliganThe ethics of care

EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED

One question. A world of ideas.

Follow the threads between questions, thinkers, and the world around us.

Open the philosophy map