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The Ethicist Ethicist Randy Cohen offers advice on reader's ethical dilemmas.
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The Ethicist

Family Pauses over Woman's Posthumous Request

One listener's mother, an artist, had asked that her artwork and journals be burned after her death, but the family can't decide whether to honor that wish. The Ethicist weighs in.

Family Pauses over Woman's Posthumous Request

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Opinion

Peeking In on Teens' Private Web Pages

Do teens who post personal stories and photos on Web sites like Facebook really expect they'll be safe from the prying eyes of adults? If so, are adults wrong to take a peek? That's this week's question for New York Times ethicist Randy Cohen.

Peeking In on Teens' Private Web Pages

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Editing Your Child's Paper: Unfair Advantage?

A mother is editing her daughter's college papers — is that putting her child at an unfair advantage? Not quite, says Ethicist Randy Cohen. The purpose of college is not to compete, but to become an educated person... so if the mother is helping her daughter learn, she's doing the right thing.

Editing Your Child's Paper: Unfair Advantage?

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What to Do with Illicit Information

Say you know something that you really aren't supposed to. Is it okay to use that information? This week, New York Times Magazine Ethicist Randy Cohen answers a listener who's not sure how to handle a piece of illicit information.

What to Do with Illicit Information

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Opinion

Is It OK to Hype Your Own Clothes?

Say you're admiring someone's fabulous new shoes, and they tell you not only who designed them, but where to get your own pair. It might be an innocent exchange between friends, but it could also be what's now called "buzz marketing." This week's letter to the New York Times Magazine Ethicist Randy Cohen comes from a listener who's wondering about the ethics of this practice.

Is It OK to Hype Your Own Clothes?

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Should You Own Stock in a Company You Despise?

Should you hang on to a profitable stock even if it's in a company you don't approve of? Host Debbie Elliott and New York Times Ethicist Randy Cohen talk to a listener who's feeling a little guilty about her gains.

Should You Own Stock in a Company You Despise?

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Manners in Matters of Life and Death

This week with ethicist Randy Cohen, we'll take up a life-and-death question. Our guest is a doctor who's wondering whether it is proper to use her influence to push a particular patient to the top of the waiting list for a liver transplant.

Manners in Matters of Life and Death

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The Ethicist: Help Your Friends or Your People

What happens when a desire to help your friends conflicts with a desire to help your people? Host Debbie Elliott and New York Times Magazine Ethicist Randy Cohen talk to a listener who can't decide which side to choose.

The Ethicist: Help Your Friends or Your People

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Opinion

Buying Designer Jeans from a Street Vendor

What are the ethical considerations when buying high-end designer jeans from a street vendor? Isn't it likely the clothing was stolen from a manufacturer or retailer? Well, yes and no.

Buying Designer Jeans from a Street Vendor

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Opinion

How Much Can Parents Help on College Applications?

If you have a high school senior in your house, he or she may be haunting the mailbox right now, waiting for college acceptance letters to arrive. It's the time of year when the college admissions ordeal reaches its climax. New York Times Magazine ethicist Randy Cohen answers a listener's question about how adults should help their children on college applications.

How Much Can Parents Help on College Applications?

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Opinion

Judging When to Share Private Information

New York Times Ethicist Randy Cohen responds to a listener's inquiry over whether or not to share someone's private information, which may be a threat to a third party. The listener asks whether he has a duty to alert others about the sexual promiscuity of an acquaintance infected with HIV.

Judging When to Share Private Information

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Opinion

When Imperatives Collide: Handicap Bathrooms

If you've ever wondered whether it's okay to use stalls designated for handicapped patrons in a public bathroom, host Debbie Elliott and ethicist Randy Cohen will set your mind at ease.

When Imperatives Collide: Handicap Bathrooms

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A Hanukkah Dilemma

This is the first time since 1959 that the first night of Hanukkah falls on Christmas Day. For some American Jews, this may pose a dilemma -- whether to stay home, light a menorah and eat fried potato pancakes -- or to honor another tradition -- going out for Chinese food and a movie.

A Hanukkah Dilemma

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