In 2018, authorities discovered the identity of the Golden State Killer by running crime scene DNA evidence against an online genealogy database that is ordinarily used to connect people to long-lost relatives. Few people find the fact that the perpetrator has been arrested on the basis of DNA evidence to be problematic. However, some find the methods of obtaining this evidence to be problematic. To what extent do companies that collect private data about their users have a responsibility to protect that data from being used in ways that their users would not consent to?

Tamir and Sharon have been friends since their first year of high school. Sharon went on to school for arts and dreams of starring on Broadway. Tamir went on to school for philosophy and dreams of becoming a professor. After Sharon gets turned down for a role in a local production she begins to question whether she should move to NY and asks Tamir what they think. Tamir is unsure that Sharon will be successful in NY and wants to be supportive, but also doesn’t want to lie to Sharon. What does it mean to believe in someone? Does it mean believing that they will achieve their goals, even when the evidence says that they won’t?

Jo’s childhood best friend Teddy is engaged to be married and has asked Jo to be in the wedding party, to which Jo agrees. Other members of the wedding party keep asking Jo to split the costs of things related to the wedding shower and the bachelorette weekend. However, Jo feels conflicted as the time and money involved in these events begins to add up.

Supervised injection sites aim to reduce health and safety issues related to public consumption of illicit drugs by providing people a place where they can use drugs under the observation of trained staff. Many argue that these sites encourage their users to seek treatment for substance abuse. Some argue that money spent on them would be better directed elsewhere, such as to programs that aim to prevent drug use in the first place. What obligations do we have to help those who suffer from addiction? To what extent does the establishment of supervised injection sites promote and/or conflict with those obligations?

Amara works in a dementia care home, where the patients are in various degrees of physical and cognitive decline. Barry suffers from dementia and can’t remember his wife died years ago. Amara wonders whether she should lie to him. Some think that lying to patients with dementia is inappropriate, but others defend lying in dementia care by saying that the diminished mental capacity of dementia patients justifies it. Are there circumstances in which we are morally required to lie to dementia patients?

“Tech cities” like San Francisco have not experienced the kind of widely-shared economic growth that would be expected. One partial explanation of this is that many of these tech workers interact less with the local economies than is expected. For example, employees in these large firms often get their meals from in-house dining facilities. Now some legislators support a policy that would ban the construction of any new on-site workplace cafeterias. Is there any moral reason that firms should “share the wealth” with local communities in the specific way that local communities desire?

Citing security concerns, in the early 2000s Israel began to build a wall across the occupied territories of the West Bank, effectively isolating and restricting the movement of 25,000 Palestinians to and from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the United Nations (UN) condemned the barrier, and so does the BDS movement. What are the most morally salient consequences of boycotting, in this case? What do you think about the moral efficacy of boycotting in general? What is the role of American politicians in speaking about Israel?

Millions of animals are surrendered to shelters every year, many of whom are euthanized, and many of whom might have been kept by their families if affordable veterinary care were available. Frankie has always wanted to adopt a dog but doesn’t feel confident about having the time or money to properly care for a canine family member. Sam is the proud parent of Ellie, an adopted shelter dog. Sam doesn’t always have as much time to play with Ellie as they’d like but reasons Ellie is still better off bored living with Sam than she would be in a stressful shelter environment.

There is an emerging trend in primary and secondary education to teach financial literacy to students by structuring the classroom as a “simulated microeconomy.” Parents and teachers alike have praised the program for making the process of learning about financial responsibility fun for the students, and for teaching important life skills and values organically—the background—of their everyday class activities. However, one might worry that this program will merely recreate in the classroom the oppressive class structures that already cause so much trouble in the wider society.

Fortnite is a free online multiplayer game very popular with teens. Although it’s free, its developers make a profit through add-on sales through the game’s store of things such as buying a new ‘skin’ (a different outfit), or a new celebration dance. But Fortnite fails to get permission or give credit to the people who create popular dances within their game, as is the case with 2 Milly. Should a person who invented a dance have the right to prevent other people from using it without permission? Why or why not?

Advancements in reproductive and genetic technologies have opened up numerous possibilities for the way we have children as well as which children we decide to have. Some people criticize prenatal testing—especially when it is used to determine whether or not to terminate a pregnancy—as an unnatural attempt to influence the genetics of the human race. Other defenders of current practices argue that there is nothing wrong with wanting to have the healthiest child possible—especially given that genetic disorders can sometimes create significant personal and financial costs for families and that many families do not feel like they are in a position to take on these additional costs.

Location tracking services and apps have become popular among smartphone users. Sasha’s and Jules’ mother uses an app to track their whereabouts. However, for Jules it has become overwhelming to deal with the tracking and all the subsequent questions. Due to this Sasha is now stuck in between their mother and her younger sister Jules, questioning whether these apps are really good or bad. To what extent, if any, do family (or friend) locator apps conflict with their users’ privacy? If it depends, what does it depend on?

Advocates of gun storage laws see it as a safety issue, and an important strategy for reducing gun injuries and deaths. Many gun enthusiasts balk at such legislation. Do safe storage laws violate gun owners’ right to self-defense? Why or why not?

Is any bail system that uses monetary deposits unjust given widespread wealth inequality in the U.S.? Why or why not? If so, how could this be mitigated?

In the wake of many recent mass shootings, gun control has taken center stage in public debate in the United States. Those who advocate much stricter gun control point to the bad effects of the continued availability of so many guns in the U.S. Opponents of gun control often appeal to the right to self-defense to argue for their position. How should a society balance the individual rights of its members to protect themselves with its responsibility to promote public safety, more generally?

Carol is a terminally ill woman on life support, whose health has rapidly declined over the past week. Her children argue about her future loudly, and a nurse must decide whether to kick them out or not. On the one hand, their arguing is clearly disruptive to the other patients and their families as well as to the hospital staff. Yet, on the other hand, what Carol’s children are faced with is understandably extremely difficult and emotional.

The World Wide Fund for Nature estimates that poachers kill 100,000 elephants each year for their tusks. Some countried have chosen to burn their ivory stockpiles to send a message to poachers. However, destroying so much ivory only makes it scarcer, which threatens to increase both its value and the motivation for further poaching.

Some software developers and commentators have claimed that complaints about data violence are overhyped. However, others find this response to be little more than an attempt to avoid responsibility for the way in which their own actions help to reinforce and reproduce biases and injustices. What does it mean for something to be sexist or racist? Can we consider software sexist or racist, even though it doesn’t itself have intentions or attitudes?

A month ago, Jessica heard a rumor that Amit cheated on her with one of her friends. Devastated, she confronted him and he admitted that it was true. Determined to make it work, Jessica stayed. But then, out of nowhere, Amit sat Jessica down and told her that he was ending the relationship. Is there anything morally praiseworthy about someone who attempts to mitigate the harms caused by their future bad behavior, when they are not willing to do what they can to not behave badly in the first place?

A longstanding complaint about gerrymandering is that the politicians in office during the redistricting process frequently engage in drawing maps that help themselves and their political allies retain seats or gain additional power. Some argue that critics underestimate the force of larger cultural and demographic trends in driving politically lopsided districts and thus gerrymandering isn’t a problem. What interests do citizens have in fair electoral maps? Are there any interests that all citizens have in maintaining fair electoral maps?