How does our own perspective limit our ability to understand the different perspectives of others, and what can we do to minimize our own bias? In this work of historical ethical fiction, Timothy the builder, the most important carpenter in the community, has gotten word of a talented upstart who seems perfectly content to stay poor while producing exquisite wood work. Timothy visits the carpenter on several occasions, first to hire him (he refuses) then to threaten to put him out of business. In each case Timothy is unable believe the reasons the carpenter gives for being disinterested in playing the competing businesses game. Even after Timothy’s loyal assistant leaves him for the carpenter, he is still unable to overcome his own bias and see the alternative perspective.

What makes one belief true, and another absurdly false? What does it mean to “be a man” or “be a woman” when biology is changeable? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, two couples have gotten together for a night of drinks. The conversation turns to reincarnation, fortune tellers, the 1980’s AIDS epidemic, and soulmates. Eventually, Jaime, who was born a woman, but transitioned to become a man, reveals to the group she is going to have a baby, “as a man.” The issue comes to a head when Mike, a gay man, questions how Jaime can have a baby yet identify as a man and questions what it even means to be a man, or a woman, if not by the ability to have children.

What do you tell a sick child dealing with the Epicurean “problem of evil?” In this work of philosophical short story fiction, a mother takes her child to Sunday church. Her child is sick and his hair is slowly falling out. She reassures him God still wants him to come to church (even without hair), but a mean-spirited parishioner tells the boy, “Boys who wear hats in church go to hell.” The boy comes home and asks his mother how God can be both all powerful, all knowing, and all good, and yet he can still be sick. Furthermore, he tells his mother, he doesn’t want to go to church again.

Should a baby being born into exceptional suffering be terminated so as to prevent its suffering? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Keery is a midwife in training. As part of her training she learns the midwives’ secret, at the moment a child is born, the midwife can see the child’s future. Keery also learns from her mentor when that future involves a life of extreme suffering, the midwife will often kill the newborn baby and tell the mother it was stillborn. Keery oversees her first birth, sees the future suffering of the child, but refuses to kill it. Later, at another birth, she sees the future suffering the newborn causes others as an adult, and decides the humane thing is to kill it.

If you had the ability to try and improve humanity by playing God, would you do it? Do you have an ethical obligation to do it? In this philosophical short story fiction, Jack is abducted by the Zoomarians, an alien race who seeded earthlings. However, the Zoomarians have come to believe humans are going astray; that they are too violent, too selfish, and too destructive to their environment. Accordingly, they have kidnapped Jack in an effort to have Jack play god by projecting his voice into the minds of various humans about to do wrong. It is the Zoomarians’ hope that, over time, Jack will be able to move humanity onto a more noble path. Jack initially declines the offer, but changes his mind and settles into a long life of trying to save humanity, one person as a time.

Are our choices in life, and throughout all time, predetermined, or is there the ability to make different, and better, choices with additional information? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, an older disfigured man has a horrible life. He is brought into a government facility because they have discovered that he met his older self when he was younger, thus establishing that he must now be sent back in time to take part in the action he has already experienced as his younger self. The old man lies to the agency and decides, while back in time, he will try to warn his childhood self away from the errors of his life. While talking to his childhood self the narrator makes realizations about the younger version of himself and the differences between memory and truth.

At what point in a date do you owe the other party the duty to inform them you are engaged? Is marriage an exercise in love, or practicality? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the law school student narrator working at a summer factory job decides to set up her shy female friend, Susie, with her boyfriend’s shy brother, Barry. They go on a double date and everything seems to be going fine. Only later does the narrator and her boyfriend find out that Barry is engaged to a mail-order bride from Southeast Asia that will be arriving shortly. The shy Barry, it turns out, wanted to “practice” going on a date before his new wife arrived. The law student narrator is embarrassed, and struggles with the moral duty both she, and Barry, owe to Susie.

Who is in the best situation to understand the just punishment for a crime? To what extent should crimes of youth carry lifetime stigmas? In this work of ethical fiction, Rory is the middle-school bully. The focus of this bully is on taking naked pictures with his cell phone of other boys in the locker room, then using those photos to blackmail them into getting, and giving him, nude photos of their girlfriends. This is exactly what he does to get nude photos of Elizabeth. He then blackmails Elizabeth with those photos for sexual favors. His plan would have gone smoothly enough (again) except one of Elizabeth’s failed suiters (Travis) overheard the plan and told the police. The police used his testimony to get a search warrant and a prosecution. Rory is sentenced to four years in juvenile detention and lifetime status as a sex offender. Years, and a Ph.D. in philosophy later, Travis isn’t entirely sure he made the right decision by coming forward.

Can philosophical inquiry give us meaning in life? In this philosophical short story, the narrator holds a season ticket for the local professional soccer team, which isn't very good. He sits next to Angus, an elderly man who takes care of his wife with dementia and gets a little bit of free time for himself. After the local team scores, the narrator feels something he's never felt before: the futility of the whole experience. Angus diagnoses this as an existential crisis that might be resolved with words, specifically the words of philosophers. Thus, during each game of the season, Angus teaches the narrator about a different philosophical theory. However, one day Angus doesn't show up to the match. The narrator goes to Angus's house and finds out that, according to his wife's wishes, Angus killed her and then killed himself. The narrator then spreads Angus's ashes across the soccer pitch.

What is the root cause of political polarization? In this philosophical short story, Professor Gault is having a rough day. His graduate-level class on the growing polarization in politics is just as heated and polarized as the subject they're discussing. He thinks his students are the bugs trapped in the web of rhetoric, instead of being the spider. In a daze after class, a strange woman strikes up a conversation with him and presents an alternate theory. Perhaps, she argues, the underlying foundation of our time is narcissism. Maybe politics is just fertile ground for those who want to feel like gods in a fantasy world of their own creation, where only they can fight the eternal battle of good versus evil. Perhaps polarization isn't genuine, but merely the result of narcissists attempting to wage epic battles to avoid realizing that, outside of the world they've imagined, they don't really matter.

Do right and wrong actions change depending on how the recipient perceives them? Should you help someone who clearly needs it but will resent you for doing so? In this philosophical short story, John boards a train full of commuters and a rowdy group of teenage boys. When he makes eye contact with the teens, they turn their attention to him. Just before a fight breaks out, an Englishman nearby intervenes and asks the youth to stop. The teens turn on the Englishman and viciously beat him before leaving. While the other passengers tend to the Englishman, John's sympathy for him turns to anger when he realizes the Englishman's cowardice in the situation.

To what extent should we judge the questionable decisions of those suffering from emotional trauma? In this philosophical short story fiction, the narrator’s mother worked in a factory when she was in her twenties. The factory manager, Terry shocks the factory employees when he announced his child has leukemia and he would very much appreciate any employees who would test if they were a stem cell transplant match. The narrator’s mother, along with most of the employees, volunteer to be tested. Time passes and, over the Christmas holiday, everyone gets drunk. Terry’s mother leaves with Terry and sleeps with him. Although she has no memory of the affair, her friend confirms she was overtly flirting with Terry man at least 20 years her senior. She reports the incident to human relations and Terry is reprimanded, but not fired. Word gets out and the narrator’s mother is ostracized by the other employees to the point she goes on leave for mental health reasons. Months pass and match results come back, she is a match. Terry (and his wife) plead for her to save their child’s life, but she refuses, and the child dies.

Is it possible to overcome societal pressures and interact genuinely with neighbors? In this philosophical short story, an elderly white woman who lives as a minority in a predominantly black neighborhood is targeted with a urine-filled water balloon in front of her home. The message is clear: she is no longer welcome in this racially charged environment. Zion, the young black boy who lives next door, has known her his entire life and they have been friends. He has helped her with small chores around the house. Zion advises her to leave the neighborhood. As time passes, Zion visits less frequently, and eventually returns the pile of sweaters she had knitted for him over the years. A "good metaphor," she says. This story is a part of our legacy-of-excellence program, first printed in After Dinner Conversation - December, 2020 issue.

Is it better for people to be free, or made equal? In this philosophical dystopian short story, society is divided into two groups: the American Political Union (APU) and the Old American Republic (OAR). The narrator, a highly intelligent young woman, lives in the APU, a society where it is impossible to judge someone based on their race, gender, occupation, or ability. Although she enjoys living in a world where everyone is equal, she yearns to be recognized for her academic talents. Her best friend, BLE, is not as gifted in academics. Together, they decide to cross the border and live in the OAR, where they can be more appreciated for their abilities. They succeed but find that being judged is not always as pleasant or fair as they expected. The narrator is eventually recruited for her academic abilities to help bring down the wall that separates the two societies, allowing for the free flow of people across borders. This story is a part of our legacy-of-excellence program, first printed in After Dinner Conversation - December, 2020 issue.