What does "morally wrong" really mean? Something that offends my parents, the local police, the local clergy, a specialized group of philosophers, or my peer group at the golf club, or my occasionally very forgiving conscience?

I am particularly concerned with the concept of hypocrisy. If Dr. Johnson tells me not to smoke because smoking is bad for my health, yet Dr. Johnson himself is a chain smoker, does that reduce his credibility? Why does the US that condemn other countries for human rights violations, when our soldiers kill (or have killed) innocent civilians in Iraq, Vietnam and Afghanistan? How about the judge who sentences someone to 10 years in jail for a crime that he also secretly commits?

Are all paradoxes false? That is, when philosophers talk about paradoxes, is it always assumed that there's actually a solution out there which will resolve the problem?

I am an Atheist, and a teacher of mine, got me to meditate on a paper-clip, his point being, that if you don't believe in an upper power, then unlike the paper-clip, which has a purpose, the human race is ultimately pointless. You live to die basically. What I want to know is, how would I combat such an argument? Thanks. Mark S.

At my secondary school I often hear racist and homophobic remarks but no longer say anything when I hear them because I don't think that things I say will make any difference. Is it wrong for me to hear offensive remarks yet not say or do anything about them?

There is a teacher in our school who often forgets if he gave us homework. The majority of the class takes advantage of this. I do not. Am I a fool for not wanting to use somebody's weakness against them? If we continue to do the same lesson over and over like we are doing now, we will not learn anything new, but I will get a little less homework on my plate every night. We read the same stories, never get homework due to his forgetfulness. Are the actions of the class IYO, immoral? Is it Immoral to use someone's weakness against his or herself for your own benefit?

From an ethical standpoint, to how much effort must I go to return an overpayment from my employer? I received an overpayment of $10,000 in a summer paycheck (the bonus should have been $10,000 paid over two months at $5,000 each; instead it was two months at $10,000 each). I promptly reported the overpayment to payroll, but several months later, they still haven't done anything about it. I was taxed on the overpayment as income. Is it ethically incumbent upon me to follow up until they take the money back, or is there a point at which it's reasonable for me to keep it?

Once capital punishment was right and fornication was wrong. Now the reverse seems generally true. Is there any way that philosophy can prepare us for future alterations in our values, perhaps by indicating where they are likely to arise?

There is a strong enough moral argument for vegetarianism. However, it does seem that if applied globally, such a standard would cause a loss of livelihood (e.g for African nations that export tons of beef to Europe). In the dramatic event that a panel of EU ethicists decided to ban all non-vegetarian commodities (leather, meat, some forms of milk) on the grounds that these were borne from the undue suffering of animals, would the inevitable suffering of human beings that would result from such a move (through job losses, economic stagnation, etc. - assuming that in countries that thrive on the meat industry, e.g. Botswana, alternative livelihoods are virtually unsustainable, due to the poor agricultural space) provide a suitable argument for the continued non-vegetarianism of human beings on Earth, or is this a mere technicality?

Can an omnipotent being truly want? Larry 16, New Jersey.