Editor’s note, May 31, 8 am ET: We’re bringing you some of our best-loved Your Mileage May Vary columns while Sigal Samuel is on parental leave. The one below originally published on October 6, 2024. This unconventional advice column offers you a unique framework for thinking through moral dilemmas. It’s based on value pluralism — the idea that each of us has multiple values that are equally valid...
This narrative presents a deeply human dilemma where technological progress collides with long-held family secrets, forcing a reckoning with competing moral claims. The strongest version of this story acknowledges the legitimacy of both the grandmother’s trauma and the child’s need for self-knowledge, framing it as a clash of equally valid values rather than a simple right-or-wrong scenario. The philosophical concept of the "moral remainder" is apt here—it recognizes that even the best decision ...