Content on Morality
Who’s Forgiving Whom?
With student loan debt, we need to be clear about what forgiveness is and about who’s forgiving whom in this transaction.
Why Blood Is the Stuff of Life
Blood as a life force can be scary. Yet our verse, “do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds,” suggests another perspective.
Don’t Try To Be the Hero of Your Story
Maybe rather than seeing ourselves as the hero of our story, we can view ourselves more as the protagonist – the one who struggles and who fails, and is deeply imperfect.
Will Computers Make Religion Obsolete?
Should only human beings make decisions about human beings?
Rationality Matters
A discussion between Dr. Steven Pinker and Rabbi Geoff Mitelman on Dr. Pinker’s new book, “Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters.”
When “Right and Wrong” Come Down to Luck
We all struggle, we all deal with both good and bad luck, and even our moral judgments are not fully the results of our own decisions.
Moral Evolution in the Torah
We can look back at where a society was, and how much we’ve grown.
How Rationality Made Us: A Conversation with Steven Pinker, PhD
Rabbi Mitelman and Professor Steven Pinker discuss rationality, religion and the evolution of morality around them.
How Kids Reason About Religion and Morality: A Conversation with Larisa Heiphetz, PhD
Rabbi Mitelman spoke with Professor Larisa Heiphetz, who researches how both children and adults develop morality through their social worlds.
Adam’s Folly
The echo of Adam’s profound failure reverberates today. It is heard in white supremacy, in the common and conscious unwillingness of whites to acknowledge historical facts and truths.
COVID-19 and Evil: A Test? A Plan? A Transgression?
How can we transform our meditations on the evil of the pandemic, from speculation about causes and goals, into a call to action?
Did God “Let” COVID-19 Happen?
Why does God allow suffering?