For every imaginable problem there is an advice column. Ann Landers' ubiquitous daily installments tend toward family and relationship issues. Dan Savage's "Savage Love" addresses what we might call "love in the '90s" ('00s just looks weird). And then there are the countless aspiring Solomons, tucked away in business, health, and lifestyle magazines, guiding their readers through the stock market, vitamin supplements, or canning.

One newcomer has taken as his focus the ethical dimension of life. For over two years now Randy Cohen has been writing a question-and-answer column for The New York Times Magazine called "The Ethicist." Each Sunday readers are presented with a handful of moral quandaries: Should employees have the right to e-mail privacy? Who should pay for a broken window of a car parked a bit too close to a ballpark? And, of course, the ever popular, Should I tell on [fill-in-the-blank]? Cohen responds, untangling right from wrong with nuance and a double helping of wit. The lively back-and-forth has made "The Ethicist" one of the magazine's most popular columns, one that is rapidly branching out into syndication.

When reading through standard Q&A, who hasn't wondered, "What qualifies this person to tell anybody anything?" (This is usually followed by the "I could do a better job" thought). With authority comes an expectation of credentials. People assume someone called "The Ethicist" has a long list of degrees, awards, and books.

Cohen does have a book, Diary of a Flying Man, and a master's degree in music composition. As for awards, he's got a couple of Emmys for comedy writing.

Ethical comedy

Ethics à la Letterman

Cohenfucius says ...

Being The Ethicist

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