Do you only do a good deed (or just about anything), because you're gaining something from it yourself? I have thought this with my friend and she thinks people are naturally "good". I just think that as we are animals, we are naturally finding ways to survive. Of course sometimes people make bad decisions, but they are still thinking that the choice is best for them. -Heikki

Is it moral (in a normative sense, I suppose) to start a non-profit that does 'less good' than other non-profits? That is, if your non-profit would facilitate donations to pay for cleft palate surgery for children but could be helping to fight malaria (apparently one the most cost-effect ways to save lives), is that immoral? Isn't your non-profit taking potential donations away from this 'better' non-profit?

I was taught by my parents, as a young boy, that I should never hit first, but that if anyone hurt me, I should hit back, to show them I wasn't worth messing with. This is basically how I dealt with violence until the fifth or sixth grade; I don't remember ever starting a fight, but I was picked on often because I was bilingual, and when push came to shove, I shoved. I always got into trouble with teachers when I fought back, and came to believe that they supported bullying because they never helped me when I was being bullied; I felt alienated, and didn't trust the teachers at all. Yet I remember what happened when I stopped hitting back, and just turned the other cheek: nobody helped me then, either, and I found myself defenseless against bullies who harassed me because of my bilingualism and my good grades - and because I was a "pussy" who wouldn't hit back. My girlfriend and I recently had a frank discussion about our future plans, and we would like to have children in the next few years, if finances permit it. I find myself wondering what to teach my own children, when the time comes. I don't believe violence is right and proper, and I don't want my children to turn into bullies or otherwise violent people - but I don't want them to be defenseless, and I don't want them to be made fun of or picked on because they restrain themselves. I need to balance my belief in peace and discussion with the fact that there are a lot of nasty kids out there who might harm my children. How can I do this? Should I teach my children to turn the other cheek, or to work things out an eye for an eye?

A once in a lifetime opportunity has been presented to me to participate in a reality TV show, and I meet all of the requirements to be a candidate for the show - except one. The show requires that I cannot have traveled to the country it is being filmed in, but I have been there briefly one time in my life. Granted, my odds of getting selected for the show (if I fit all the criteria) are low, but I think that several characteristics that I have are precisely what are being looked for in a candidate. What are the moral/legal implications in lying about not having been to this country, for the sake of this phenomenal opportunity? Can it be justified?

The website "Wikileaks" has been getting a lot of media attention recently after it's leaking of thousands of secret and classified US diplomatic cables. It was also in the headlines in April after it's release of classified footage showing US forces killing Iraqi civilians and journalists. Some governments have been critical of Wikileaks, Hilary Clinton referring to the recent leaks as an "attack on the international community and Sarah Palin describing head-man Julian Assange as having "blood on his hands", and calling for the US government to hunt him down with the same urgency as that with which they hunt down suspected terrorists. Is any of this backlash justified? I have a feeling that such harsh criticism is typical of a person who has been caught in the act of wrong-doing and points the finger at the person who reveals their crimes, in an attempt to draw attention away from their own misdeeds. Is Wikileaks responsible for the death of US soldiers in Iraq? Is there a point at which freedom of information becomes ethically unjustifiable?

What role do hypothetical situations play in philosophy? For example; most of us consider it to be a moral axiom that paedophilia is never morally justified. But we can think of a hypothetical situation, for example person X being forced to engage in acts of paedophilia by a demented individual who threatens to kill a child if person X does not engage in lascivious acts with the child. Now this hypothetical situation is wildly speculative and extremely unlikely to ever occur in the real world. So does it disprove the axiom that paedophilia is never morally justified or not?

You have such a helpful and accessible website! Thank you and all the contributors for such a great free service to the public! If, G-d forbid, somebody is going to harm himself (e.g. commit suicide), then am I obligated to stop him? What lengths should I go to? For example, what if the only way I can stop him is by harming him in another way (e.g. by breaking his arm)? What if I will harm somebody else? Thanks, keep up the great efforts!

To many people, belief in God and belief in universal moral values is axiomatic. In fact, many believe that if God does not exist, then everything is morally permissible. But note that almost everyone believes that at least some things are morally impermissible; the best example might be raping a child. And if raping a child is not morally permissible, then not everything is morally permissible. Therefore, it seems to follow that God does indeed exist. This would be the argument form MT and it would be sounds correct? But why?

I am thirteen years old and I do not understand the world. In terms of world hunger, how can one possibly find happiness in their lives when such tragedies exist? Approximately 24,000 thousand people starved to death today, and three billion people live with under two dollars every day. For one to continue their lives as normal, or even not give any care, would this be the equivalence of starving someone yourself since you have the power to make a difference, yet you are choosing not to? And is the root cause of poverty a lack of equality within the world, or are specific governments not running thing effectively? For people that are not actively practicing compassion, would that make you a horrible person for not wanting to aleviate the extent of pain and suffering that so many have to endure day after day?

Is there a fundamental link between behavior we view as immoral, and behavior we view as repulsive, disgusting, or otherwise aesthetically unpleasant? It seems the terms of the latter are sometimes used to describe the former.