Assisted dying – medical anthropolgist on the complex practical and ethical road ahead: Steve Travelguide/Shutterstock The House of Commons narrowly passed the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill on June 20, a significant step toward legalising assisted dying in England and Wales. The bill must still pass through the House of Lords before it …
An artist has stolen a coin from the British Museum as part of a performance piece – but is the artwork ethical?: In June, the Brazilian artist Ilê Sartuzi removed a historical coin from its display case in the British Museum in London and deposited it in a donation box in the museum’s lobby. The …
Seven tips for ethical shopping this Christmas: Yule be glad you did. Eriheorghiu As you walk into a shop or go online hunting for Christmas gifts, it can feel pretty daunting. Who needs what, how much will it cost, will they like it? But also very important: am I making a good choice in where …
Gaza war: reporting from the frontline of conflict has always raised hard ethical questions: The BBC's veteran foreign correspondent Jeremy Bowen reporting from Syria, 2014 Twitter Who would want to be a journalist covering the conflict in Gaza? It seems that every day a new accusation of bias surfaces on social media. Live reporting is …
AI-narrated audiobooks are here – and they raise some serious ethical questions: Dean Drobot/Shutterstock Meet Madison and Jackson, the AI narrators or “digital voices” soon to be reading some of the audiobooks on Apple Books. They sound nothing like Siri or Alexa or the voice telling you about the unexpected item in the bagging area …
Ethical non-monogamy: what to know about these often misunderstood relationships: Pressmaster/Shutterstock Imagine Sarah and John have been in a monogamous relationship for five years. Although they love each other, Sarah, who is bisexual, has recently started feeling an attraction to her coworker, Andrea. This has led to several sexual encounters, leaving Sarah feeling guilty. However, …
First synthetic embryos: the scientific breakthrough raises serious ethical questions: synthetic mouse Weizmann Institute of Sciences Children, even some who are too young for school, know you can’t make a baby without sperm and an egg. But a team of researchers in Israel have called into question the basics of what we teach children about …
What ethical standards should we hold politicians to? A philosopher explains two different approaches: Boris Johnson's resignation: an interesting moment for ethics in politics. Michael Tubi / Shutterstock With Boris Johnson’s departure, the drama of the Conservative leadership election, and Keir Starmer’s declaration that “integrity matters” in politics, the question of what ethical standards we …
The right to die: unpacking an ethical dilemma in South Africa: Right to die activist Sean Davison (left) speaks to the press after three years of house arrest. Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images Sean Davison, the euthanasia activist and co-founder of DignitySA, recently completed a sentence of house arrest in South Africa for his …
Tech firms are making computer chips with human cells – is it ethical?: Shutterstock The year is 2030 and we are at the world’s largest tech conference, CES in Las Vegas. A crowd is gathered to watch a big tech company unveil its new smartphone. The CEO comes to the stage and announces the Nyooro, …
Green investing: the global system for rating companies’ ethical credentials is meaningless: As the war in Ukraine rages, finance professionals on Wall Street and in Europe recently attracted outrage by suggesting that investing in arms manufacturers should be treated as ethical investing. In the fight against tyranny, they argued that such an investment “preserves peace …
Future of TV: we’re putting new personalised features into shows using an ethical version of AI: LightField Studios/Shutterstock “Look away now if you don’t want to know the score”, they say on the news before reporting the football results. But imagine if your television knew which teams you follow, which results to hold back – …
Defining what’s ethical in artificial intelligence needs input from Africans: "Alfie", a moral choice machine, is pictured in front of an important question during a press conference in Germany. Arne Dedert/picture alliance via Getty Images Artificial intelligence (AI) was once the stuff of science fiction. But it’s becoming widespread. It is used in mobile phone …
Smart labels and allergy sensors – how to make sure the future of food is ethical: Supermarkets could soon display smart packaging, raising potential issues around data privacy and bias. Piqsels Imagine you’re shopping in your local supermarket. You pull out an app on your phone and scan a product. Instantly, it flashes with a …
Economic reforms won’t fix Zimbabwe’s economy. Ethical leadership is also needed: Public transport drivers haggling over currency exchange in Harare, Zimbabwe. Jekesai Nikizana/AFP via Getty Images The Zimbabwean economy has continued to experience turbulence, despite having managed to weather a devastating spell of hyperinflation which peaked in 2008. One economic area which has remained a …
A conversation about open source design and ethical funding: Pablo Ruiz-Múzquiz is the CEO and co-founder of Kaleidos and Taiga. I contacted him for an interview to learn more about his latest project: Penpot, an open source, online interface design tool. Clayton Dewey: I reached out to you because I recently learned about Penpot, an …
Chocolate – a new way to make sure your favourite bar is an ethical treat: Shutterstock/ivan_kislitsin Chocolate has a special place in many of our lives. It is widely seen as an affordable and essentially harmless treat – a food of comfort, celebration and joy. But those bars, cakes and Easter eggs are also part …
Pescatarians are right – why eating fish is more ethical than eating meat: Andreea Tudor/Shutterstock Forget veggie burgers, fake bacon and cheese made from oats. For vegans at least, plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products have long since gone mainstream. Alt-fish – food made from plants that mimics the taste and texture of fish, …