Recent ethics Commentaries

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Why I Write So Much About Trump
Several times, I’ve been asked why I spend so much time writing about President Donald Trump. Two reasons (I’ll get to the second later): So many of his actions go far beyond the pale of ethical propriety. It’s not just that the lines are crossed, it’s how shamelessly they’re erased. Let’s focus on one issue: a conflict of interest. It’s...
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March 21, 2025
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When Fear Dictates Policy
“The mob is easily deceived, for it judges by appearances.” Aristotle’s words speak to a dangerous flaw in human nature: how easily fear can be stoked, trust compromised, and institutions dismantled from within. In 1947, amid growing fears of communist influence, President Harry Truman issued an executive order authorizing a “loyalty investigation of every person entering civilian employment” in the...
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March 19, 2025
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The Political System Explained (from the opening of my doctoral thesis)
(Note: this is a rough draft and still undergoing revisions.) Welcome, esteemed colleagues, to a comprehensive exploration of one of the most perplexing and confounding systems known to mankind: the United States political system. Drawing from years a few a couple of weeks of research, and kind of rigorous analysis (a caffeine binge helped), this thesis aims to explain the...
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January 30, 2025
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The Frankl Factor
Drawing from his harrowing experience in a Nazi concentration camp, psychiatrist Viktor Frankl crafted a work of timeless insight, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” One message stands out: Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess—except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. It’s a brilliant reminder—one we all need to hold onto...
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November 8, 2024
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Have You No Sense of Decency?
Under a cloud of simmering fear, Senator Joseph McCarthy, absent any real evidence, announced to the American public that communists were working inside the federal government. During 1954’s Senate hearings investigating the Wisconsin Senator’s blatant character assassinations, one exchange was particularly noteworthy. Following McCarthy’s accusation that counsel for the committee, Joseph Welch, placed a member and communist from his own...
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March 2, 2020
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Don’t Read This!
It’s boring. It’s just another vanity website, only this one’s about “ethics.” Come on! I already know the difference between right and wrong. This guy is just another pseudo-intellectual, California liberal telling us how to live our lives. What a gasbag. He just uses it as an excuse for writing another negative riff on the president. (Okay, I don’t like...
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February 14, 2020

Read Some of the Most Recent Articles
The Latest... And Often Greatest
When Fear Dictates Policy
“The mob is easily deceived, for it judges by appearances.” Aristotle’s words speak to a dangerous flaw in human nature: how easily fear can be...
This Needs to Be Said
Respect is the foundation of a cohesive society, building trust, understanding, and cooperation. Manners—rooted in courtesy, and civility—shape how we engage with and treat others....
The $100 Million Commercial
Super Bowl ad space is always enormous. This year, a 30-second commercial slot cost approximately $7 million, and that doesn’t include creative and production costs...
Democracy is a Test of Character
In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” At the time, the country was...
Anyone Remember This Guy?
Anyone? … Anyone at all? He inspired generations with his vision of America. The current guy’s vision includes divisive rhetoric, and dismissive nicknames for political...
Man With A Plan: Lessons of the Marshall Plan
In a time when political rhetoric pushes us toward isolation, history reminds us that the greatest leaders understood a fundamental truth: America is strongest when...