What is “Ask Dr. Ethics”?
“Ask Dr. Ethics” is a weekly advice column, published on Fridays, in OSU’s Daily Barometer. Dr. Ethics will answer questions from OSU students about their ethical actions, dilemmas, and concerns. The goal of the column is to introduce readers to relevant concepts in ethical theory, demystify philosophy as a discipline, and communicate the benefits of studying philosophy.
Why ask a philosopher for advise?
From the January 16, 2015 column:
Who do turn to when you need life advice?
If you’re having relationship problems, you might consult a close friend. When you’re struggling with a class at OSU, maybe you talk to a mentor or academic advisor. If these or other difficulties provoke significant anxiety, guilt, or depression, you might even visit a social worker or therapist at OSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services.
But have you ever sought out the guidance of a philosopher? Probably not, unless you’ve had the opportunity to a class like Critical Thinking , Great Ideas in Philosophy, or Ethics.
Why ask a philosopher for advice? How can an ethicist help? While I can’t know the specifics of your struggles, concerns, and dilemmas, I can tell you how philosophy has helped me. I was first introduced to philosophy as a high school student; Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan, Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World, and Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto initiated me into the history of ideas. These writings and others guided me through questions about meaning and purpose, counseled me through angst-fueled teenage identity crises, and coached me as I developed my own values and moral beliefs.
Because ethical philosophers navigate the most significant and essential question of human existence- “How can I live a good life?”- they were and continue to be my superheroes. While doctors treat diseases of the body, philosophers, according to the Stoics (a philosophical school dating back to Ancient Greece and Rome), are physicians of the soul; we are practitioners of an art designed to diagnose and heal ailments of thought (i.e. ignorance, irrationality), infirmities of value (i.e. nihilism, apathy), and disorders of action (i.e. injustice, apathy).
