Tag Archives: ethics

Dog meat isn't special, whether you eat it or not

by Zinnia — 25 April 2012

Recently, much has been made of a passage in Barack Obama's 1995 memoir Dreams from My Father where he speaks of eating dog meat as a child in Indonesia. He described it as "tough", though not as tough as snake … Continue reading →

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A Morality Tale

by Zinnia — 8 February 2012

If you're not a believer, you may be perplexed When you see how they treat their most sacred of texts Interpreted, twisted, distorted, and flexed, Their exegesis leaves us feeling quite vexed For whenever you quote what their holy book … Continue reading →

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A reminder about Komen and charity efficiency

by Zinnia — 4 February 2012

During the recent controversy over the Susan G. Komen foundation declaring Planned Parenthood ineligible for breast cancer screening grants, Komen has been frequently criticized for allegedly allocating excessive funding to administrative costs and executive salaries, and insufficient funding to cancer … Continue reading →

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Status quo bias, charity, and the trolley problem

by Zinnia — 8 December 2010

The excuses for supporting the Salvation Army, rather than one of the many non-discriminatory charities out there, are becoming progressively more flimsy. But even after I've addressed a number of objections to a boycott of the Salvation Army, there are … Continue reading →

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The Salvation Army and "the most good"

by Zinnia — 28 November 2010

In the brief time since I proposed a boycott of the Salvation Army for their anti-gay policies, I've received quite a wide variety of responses. It's clear that there are a lot of people who weren't aware of this, and … Continue reading →

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When neutrality isn't right

by Zinnia — 15 September 2010

"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." -Elie Wiesel This July, 15-year-old Justin … Continue reading →

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Day 20: Utility monsters and suicide

by Zinnia — 11 September 2010

(I know, kind of a heavy change of subject, but what can you do?) 11 Sep 2010 I woke up at 11:00 AM and took 1 piracetam and choline, and again at 7:00 PM. This is going to be another … Continue reading →

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