Ethics + Religion – The Conversation – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and more

A room with about two dozen large gray storage cylinders with blue tops.

A room with about two dozen large gray storage cylinders with blue tops.

Embryo personhood, once on the margins of abortion debates, is moving closer to the center

Risa Cromer, Purdue University

Seniors meditating outdoors in a park with hands on their heart and eyes closed.

Seniors meditating outdoors in a park with hands on their heart and eyes closed.

Mindfulness is often presented as a path to calm, but its Buddhist roots explain why it can also bring difficulties

Ronald S. Green, Coastal Carolina University

How to be grateful to someone – even when you really don’t want to

Mark Schroeder, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A man with a white beard, wearing a red jacket and black hat, stands on a dock and forms a heart shape with his hands.

A man with a white beard, wearing a red jacket and black hat, stands on a dock and forms a heart shape with his hands.

Large language models often prioritize Western moral values, overlooking other cultures

Aliah Zewail, UMass Amherst and Alexandra Figueroa, University of California, Berkeley

A compass placed on a world map with its needle directed toward the U.S.

A compass placed on a world map with its needle directed toward the U.S.

Why removing a distinct religious code for Native American military service members will make their needs invisible

Kerri J. Malloy, San José State University

A man in a plaid shirt presents a bald eagle feather fan to another man while four people look on.

A man in a plaid shirt presents a bald eagle feather fan to another man while four people look on.

A journalist’s journey through faith and identity

Kalpana Jain, The Conversation

Two men and a woman (in the center) are at the front of a room behind a brown table. A banner fronting the table reads Faith Angle Forum.

Two men and a woman (in the center) are at the front of a room behind a brown table. A banner fronting the table reads Faith Angle Forum.

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America 250

Men and women stand in separate rows, bowing their heads in prayer.

Men and women stand in separate rows, bowing their heads in prayer.

Muslims were part of America’s story long before the republic began

Iqbal Akhtar, Florida International University

What Jefferson and Madison would have thought about ‘rededicating’ the US to God

Steven K. Green, Willamette University

A black and white postage stamp with a small red illustration of a hand holding a flaming sword, and the words 'I have sworn...Hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.'

A black and white postage stamp with a small red illustration of a hand holding a flaming sword, and the words 'I have sworn...Hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.'

For 2 centuries, Latter-day Saints have revered religious freedom – but their definition is evolving

Benjamin Park, Sam Houston State University and Nicholas Shrum, University of Virginia

A tall white building with dramatic spires stands amid trees on a day with bright blue sky.

A tall white building with dramatic spires stands amid trees on a day with bright blue sky.

How enslaved African Muslims resisted bondage through their faith and writing

Nareman Amin, Michigan State University and Leila Tarakji, Michigan State University

Two portraits displayed side by side. On the left is a man wearing a headdress and a white robe, with a Qur'an suspended around his neck. On the right is a signed black-and-white sketch depicting a man in a high-collared jacket.

Two portraits displayed side by side. On the left is a man wearing a headdress and a white robe, with a Qur'an suspended around his neck. On the right is a signed black-and-white sketch depicting a man in a high-collared jacket.

America’s musical founding father: ‘Liberty songs’ by a self-taught singer and tanner helped fuel the Revolution

David W. Stowe, Michigan State University

A faded illustration of seven men in formal coats sitting around a table, with a musical score surrounding the image.

A faded illustration of seven men in formal coats sitting around a table, with a musical score surrounding the image.

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War and peace

A man in ornate white robes and a tall gold-colored hat waves and holds a staff.

A man in ornate white robes and a tall gold-colored hat waves and holds a staff.

‘Just war’ has guided Catholic thinking on conflict for centuries – including criticism of Iran war

Valerie Morkevičius, Colgate University

Christian satellite TV has broadcast evangelical faith – and end-times prophecies – into Iran for decades

Febe Armanios, Middlebury College

An apartment building with three satellite dishes hanging out of windows, illuminated against the night sky.

An apartment building with three satellite dishes hanging out of windows, illuminated against the night sky.

Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide?

Joëlle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island

A medieval-looking illustration of a man in a tall hat placing a crown on a kneeling man's head, set against a red backdrop.

A medieval-looking illustration of a man in a tall hat placing a crown on a kneeling man's head, set against a red backdrop.

Shiite grief over attacks on Iran’s sacred cities has deep historical roots

Mary Thurlkill, University of Mississippi

Several men, holding photos of Ayatollah Khamenei, raise their arms in protest.

Several men, holding photos of Ayatollah Khamenei, raise their arms in protest.

Iran’s ruling structure explained

Eric Lob, Florida International University

Hundreds of people gathered, holding green, white and red flags and carrying a large portrait.

Hundreds of people gathered, holding green, white and red flags and carrying a large portrait.

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Global religion

How Russia turned to medieval saints in its push for ‘traditional values’ – and more babies

Diana Dukhanova, College of the Holy Cross

A faded icon shows a man and woman in long robes, with halos around their heads.

A faded icon shows a man and woman in long robes, with halos around their heads.

From ancient texts to modern practices, Daoism provides a profound framework for understanding the world not as broken but as naturally seeking balance

Michael Naparstek, University of Tennessee

Three seated deities, one with a long, white, flowing beard, with small crowns on their heads.

Three seated deities, one with a long, white, flowing beard, with small crowns on their heads.

A shared mourning ritual helped an American soldier and an Iraqi interpreter find common ground

Steve S. Medeiros, University of Connecticut

People of different faith traditions participate in a prayer, with some standing quietly, heads bowed and arms folded.

People of different faith traditions participate in a prayer, with some standing quietly, heads bowed and arms folded.

Bonfires, Maypoles and a saint’s day: How Europe celebrates the longest day of the year

Thomas A. DuBois, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A half-circle of people stand around a fire at dusk as a few dozen people watch from a hill behind them.

A half-circle of people stand around a fire at dusk as a few dozen people watch from a hill behind them.

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AI ethics

Why sophrosyne, an ancient Greek virtue, matters more than ever in the age of AI

Ross Channing Reed, Missouri University of Science and Technology

A yellow cartoon of a brain rests on one side of a perfectly balanced beam, set against a teal backdrop.

A yellow cartoon of a brain rests on one side of a perfectly balanced beam, set against a teal backdrop.

Is AI really ‘writing’? From a priestess to philosophers, ancient authors would have said ‘no’

Ryan Leack, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A pale stone disk with a relief in the middle depicting four figures standing in a line, facing left.

A pale stone disk with a relief in the middle depicting four figures standing in a line, facing left.

AI is showing up in court cases – but only a human jury can grapple with the moral weight of assessing guilt

Sonali Chakravarti, Wesleyan University

An illustration of a blindfolded woman holding up the scales of justice, but all the images are made up of tiny 1s and 0s.

An illustration of a blindfolded woman holding up the scales of justice, but all the images are made up of tiny 1s and 0s.

AI’s fluency in other languages hides a Western worldview that can mislead users − a scholar of Indonesian society explains

Gareth Barkin, University of Puget Sound

An Asian woman reads on her tablet

An Asian woman reads on her tablet

AI ethics

Read more about AI ethics

Ancient texts

A Tibetan painting depicts a wrathful, multi-armed deity rendered in blue and gold, surrounded by a circle of smaller attendant figures.

A Tibetan painting depicts a wrathful, multi-armed deity rendered in blue and gold, surrounded by a circle of smaller attendant figures.

‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead’ is actually not just about death

Jue Liang, Case Western Reserve University

What a Muslim folk trickster can teach us about the danger of holding a single worldview

Perin Gürel, University of Notre Dame

A man in a fake white beard and white turban leads a long line of children through a park.

A man in a fake white beard and white turban leads a long line of children through a park.

The apocrypha, Christianity’s ‘hidden’ texts, may not be in the Bible – but they have shaped tradition for centuries

Christy Cobb, University of Denver

Two open books rest on a table next to a pile of three more books.

Two open books rest on a table next to a pile of three more books.

How women are reinterpreting the menstrual taboos in Chinese Buddhism

Megan Bryson, University of Tennessee

Painting of women in a pond of blood with monks standing above them on land.

Painting of women in a pond of blood with monks standing above them on land.

An epic border: Finland’s poetic masterpiece, the Kalevala, has roots in 2 cultures and 2 countries

Thomas A. DuBois, University of Wisconsin-Madison

An illustration in shades of red, blue and green shows a line of men rowing a boat.

An illustration in shades of red, blue and green shows a line of men rowing a boat.

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