Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics

04/09/2026

How am I responsible for the environment? Should there be limits on how we can punish people who do wrong? If very ill patients want to die, should doctors be held responsible if they help them? Who is responsible for the global spread of infectious diseases?

If these and other questions about our responsibilities towards each other, our planet and our future make you think, and you're a UK student in years 11-13 then this video competition is for you!

Find out more here: https://www.uehiro.ox.ac.uk/perc

28/08/2026

Join us for Oxford's first Wonder Wander!
Fri 25th Sept at 5:30pm.

This ethics-based walking tour around central Oxford is in partnership with Uncomfortable Oxford and is fundraising for Thoughtful Society for Philosophical Enquiry.

We'll explore Oxford’s medical history and invite you to consider the ethical questions surrounding medical progress — and to explore how the past continues to shape contemporary debates in medical ethics.

https://www.uehiro.ox.ac.uk/event/wonder-wander-2026

26/08/2026

Would you want to test your embryos for traits like low IQ? In general people say they don't, but given the information they act on it, according to a new study.

A study of more than 2,000 people in the United States and China finds that the line between medical and non-medical traits, which underpins the rules on embryo testing in most countries, does not match the preferences of the public.

Read more about it here: https://www.uehiro.ox.ac.uk/article/press-release-polygenic-testing

Awad, E., Colombatto, C., Demaree-Cotton, J., Earp, B. D., Everett, J. A. C., Liu, P., Schaefer, G. O., Singh, I., Wilkinson, D., & Savulescu, J. "Public perceptions of polygenic testing and embryo selection for non-medical traits." Nature Human Behaviour (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02562-w

Findings of a new study published today "Public perceptions of polygenic testing and embryo selection for non-medical traits" in Nature Human Behaviour

21/08/2026

Have you ever found yourself thinking about what we should do, not just what we can do? If so, and if you're an undergraduate or graduate student in the UK, then we may have the competition for you!

The Uehiro Oxford Institute invites entries into its 2027 National Essay Prize in Practical Ethics. Send us 2000 words on any relevant topic, and top papers will be invited to Oxford for the final. Prizes include £500 for the winners, and your papers may be considered for publication in the Journal of Practical Ethics.

Deadline: 18th Jan 2027

For more info: https://www.uehiro.ox.ac.uk/uehiro-oxford-prize

20/08/2026

How can philosophy help us to reach practical conclusions when we face deep disagreements about what matters?
Jonathan Pugh concludes this year's Bitesize Ethics programme 'Life, death and difficult decisions' with his talk 'Difficult Decisions in Healthcare'.

https://youtu.be/Y9qxQkaJy9s?si=__7XrW3XginBqX0d

18/08/2026

Who will live and who will die? César Palacios-González asks this tough question as part of his Bitesize Ethics class 'Death and Resource Allocation. Listen in to examine the different resource allocation solutions that have been proposed to respond to this very challenging medical issue.

https://youtu.be/M04v4WFvxLM?si=ohY139qf2HQp3Fwy

Oxford TORCH Medical Humanities

13/08/2026

Why do some lives matter more than others?
Drawing on research in moral psychology and ethics,
Kathryn Francis examines how people come to include or exclude different beings from their moral circle in the sixth Bitesize Ethics class this year.

https://youtu.be/LB8q7f6J4HM?si=x4o2d-fDjz8exhr8

Tutor: Kathryn FrancisThis session will explore the concept of th...

12/08/2026

Why do some lives matter more than others?

Should animals count morally? What about ecosystems and the natural world itself?

Drawing on research in moral psychology and ethics, Kathryn Francis examines how people come to include or exclude different beings from their moral circle.
https://youtu.be/LB8q7f6J4HM?si=54YoCDF2J6cY3AjL

12/08/2026

Could AI allow part of us to live on after we die?

Cristina Voinea argues that even if digital doppelgängers cannot extend our biological lives, they may still help preserve important aspects of who we were.

https://youtu.be/mQnNfQ8lyJg?si=dlv9ysBYDnqcVyqJ

Could AI allow part of us to live on after we die? In this session,...

12/08/2026

Is death bad for you? If so, why is it bad? If death is bad, are we badly off prior to our birth? If you want to know more check out Ryan Kulesa's talk 'The Badness of Death', the fourth in this year's Bitesize Ethics programme of free philosophy.

https://youtu.be/CpB5R7G_6Jc?si=xYEj5AWFjC9RYRyO

This session surveys common views about the badness of death and th...