What are /r/Ethics' favorite Products & Services?

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I wouldn’t say you need to confine the meaning of prosper to ‘rich’ or ‘economically successful’. And I also wouldn’t understand it as the expression of an ethos, but rather as a greeting or a blessing; Like when people wish each other good health or good fortune upon departure. It would be silly to demand that those blessing should have the common good in mind or even in focus…

You're coming at this as if everybody is already in agreement about the very thing you're questioning, but this isn't actually the case. Different ethical theories have very different things to say about the issues you think up.

If you find this kind of exploration interesting (which would seem to be the case since you posted here), I recommend diving into Normative Ethics by Shelly Kagan. It'll give you a fantastic introduction to what are currently regarded as the strongest competing theories in normative ethics, which is the branch of ethics concerned with identifying and prioritizing the factors that matter so that you can evaluate situations methodically. Skipping straight to applied ethics without being equipped with theories from normative ethics inevitably leads to going with what feels right at the moment, which is more fleeting and easily influenced than anyone likes to admit. Once you've familiarized yourself with the basic theories of normative ethics, you'll be able to ask "What does my preferred theory say about the situation?" to help you figure out what is actually right.

Sorry for not giving you a quick and easy "X is what's right!" type of reply.

Well, here are two papers to get you started. The following are also some good resources (you can find them probably at your university library or get them via ILL):

• Harvey, P. and Riggen, L. (1994). Trading away the future: Child labour in India’s carpet industries. Washington: International Labour Rights Education and Research Fund.
• Das, P. K., Shukia, K. P., and Ory, F. G. (1992). An occupational health program for adults and children in the carpet weaving industry, Mirzapur, India: A case study in the informal sector. Social Science and Medicine, 35 (10), 1293-1302.
• Thompson, J. (1988). Oriental carpets from the tents, cottages and workshops of Asia. New York: Dutton.

There's a lot of debate out there on whether or not it is ethical. On the one hand, you have people who say it is just plain wrong because we have gotten to the point in society (via child labor, slavery, and indentured servitude!) where we no longer need child labor and we think children should be in school, learning. The biggest issue in countries like India is that there is no such thing as "child" labor. Only labor. There is work or starve.

It's really interesting and one of the papers (the literature review) actually goes over how us trying to make it "better" ends up backfiring in some cases.

https://pixteller.com/sh/xxtopro

I don't think there's anything inherently ethical or otherwise about any kind of currency. The gif is a little flippant, but I think it helps illustrate that people can use anything for good or bad. The more difficult question to answer would be whether or not using any currency or payment method for specific purposes or activities that might be ethical or not. Honestly, I know it's likely impossible to do with any type of government we're familiar with, but someday I'd like to see a world without currency, or at least currency as we know it.

You might be interested in MIT Philosophy's Caspar Hare on "You're the Expert" comedy podcast discussing his research on Normative Ethics with a panel of comedians.

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/youre-the-expert/episode/25653396

First of all, I think it's wonderful that you care enough to actually prioritize ethics in your decision. Not everybody can honestly say that!

Different ethical theories will point you in different directions. Instead of starting out by trying to pick what to do in a particular situation, spend some time learning about different ethical theories so that you can pick the theory that you find most compelling. I highly recommend picking up a used or new copy of Normative Ethics by Shelly Kagan, but there are plenty of choices. Once you've identified which theory you find most compelling, then you'll be able to use that theory as a lens to help you look at questions like the one you're grappling with.

Sorry this isn't the quick answer you were probably hoping for, but I hope you find it helpful nonetheless. Good luck with your decision!

Have you read "Systems Thinking for Social Good"

https://www.amazon.com/Systems-Thinking-Social-Change-Consequences/dp/160358580X

Lots of graph theory in Systems Thinking.

What exactly are the requirements of the paper? Was your position (and the subject itself) mandated by your professor?

Getting that answer would help us recommend books by historic ethicists to support your argument and defend criticism from other well-known opposition. But I always end up suggesting <em>Normative Ethics</em> by Shelly Kagan (just get a used copy) anyway because it has easily been the most useful book through my undergrad- and grad-level ethics classes. Obviously we can give you more precise recommendations with more information about the paper, but yeah, I can't imagine an ethical subject that Normative Ethics can't help with. Seriously, it's gold.

&quot;Justice: What's the right thing to do?&quot; by Michael Sandel is a good book for an overview of different approaches to ethics.

&quot;Practical Ethics&quot; by Peter Singer is the one that really first made me think there's good reason to pick a side.

Hey again,

Thanks for the video link it did help. Sometimes I feel like I have to experience philosophical concepts 3+ times to fully understand them.

The book I got is:

Contemporary Metaethics: An Introduction by Alexander Miller. At first read, the info seemed a little advanced for my understanding, even as an intro book. A lot of philosophy concepts were assumed or briefly explained. But bouncing around to different pages on the internet and grappling with the material has gotten me farther than I expected. And now, as long as I don't let my mind wander while I'm reading, everything seems to make sense.

Now that I'm feeling a little more competent I'm starting to wonder whether I want to continue through the entire book, which covers a wide breadth, or just focus on the concepts I find compelling. Reading how old theories have been rebuked can be interesting but I'm tentative to commit myself to a holistic philosophy education and I'm not sure how useful they are to me. Then I start to question why I am reading about philoophy in the first place which might just be a result of being exposed to too much philosophy.

After finally getting my bearings, I think I am in the moral nihilism camp though I haven't gotten to it in the book yet. I've also become curious about rthe philosophy of language as it seems to underpin all these issues.