Ethics

Apr 30, 2021

All hail the billionaire

After months of dreary experimentation in her basement, Dr. von Frankenstein, PhD, has concocted an effective antidote and vaccine for a deadly virus sweeping the United States. She files and receives a patent for her discovery.

Apr 30, 2021

New ways to milk customers

There’s a new way marketers are getting young people to fork over their money. The new tactic revolves around consumers making four payments of one-quarter the retail price of an item (Amanda Mull, “Jeans Now, Pay Later,” Atlantic, January/February 2021, 18-20). This is just the old come-on--“Buy now, pay later”—in a new guise.

Oct 20, 2020

News bias? You choose the news you wish to consume

During election season, people love to accuse the media of bias. Liberals and conservatives assail local and national newspapers, as well as various television newscasts, of tilting in one political direction or another. Since it is unlikely that a news source can be biased in both directions, many people’s perceptions must be erroneous.

Oct 16, 2020

The complete guide to choosing a college major

College is an exciting time in your life, but don’t spend all four years merely enjoying it – you should take advantage of this time to determine exactly what you want to do with your life. This article will help you decide how to choose your college major that fits your long-term goals.

US Treasury Department Alexander Hamilton Statue Washington DC

Oct 15, 2020

Is it ethical to demand that a small minority bear almost forty percent of the income tax burden?

You may have read that President Trump paid no federal income taxes for a few years. The press and rival politicians reacted with horror. Assuming President Trump accurately reported his income, losses, and other information, then there is absolutely nothing immoral or unethical about this result.

Sep 26, 2020

Scammers have not fallen victim to COVID-19

The COVID-19 epidemic has revealed that scammers are still alive and well. They nimbly offered nostrums to prevent or cure the virus to naïve buyers within a few weeks of the epidemic’s explosion. In doing so, the medical quacksters have lived up to their predecessors: let no health scare or new technology go to waste.

Sep 25, 2020

Moral hazard in the labor market

In the wake of the disruption in America’s economy, legislators on both sides of the aisle quickly rushed through palliatives for American businesses and workers. In doing so, they may have created situations rife with what economists call “moral hazard,” situations where the affected parties have disincentives to mitigate losses.

Sep 03, 2020

Five iOS Apps for people learning to 'adult'

The anxiety young people have about maturing in their twenties has lead to the word "adulting" becoming quite popular. It's a useful, albeit somewhat glib, catch-all term for taking care of yourself. Doing your laundry? Adulting. Scrambling an egg? Adulting. In truth, the real sign of adulthood is living a life that's within your control, and for that, there are several iOS apps to help. With these five apps, anyone can "adult" -- or at least fake it when they need to.

Aug 31, 2020

5 highly effective Gmail tools you should be using but probably aren't

Do you use Gmail for your business or personal email correspondence? Do you want to improve your email experience, rather than rely on Google's standard email interface? Thanks to developers within the email productivity space, there are a growing number of productivity apps available for Gmail users. Following are five powerful Gmail productivity tools to consider adding to your email routine:

Aug 28, 2020

UNI releases new COVID-19 dashboard

The University of Northern Iowa today begins its release of COVID-19 test results. This routinely updated aggregate data, shared in a way that protects individuals’ privacy, is available here. The dashboard will be updated each Friday and Monday. “Timely, accurate information is a powerful tool for fighting COVID-19, and we believe everyone in the community deserves to have access to it as we work together to stop this virus,” said President Mark A. Nook.

Ethics Stories & News