Back to Prindle Institute

Pamela J. Hobart

Pamela J. Hobart studied philosophy and education at the doctoral level at Columbia University’s Teachers College, and she holds a B.A. magna cum laude in philosophy from Georgia State University. From 2012 to 2014, Pamela served as the K-12 Education Program Officer for the Institute of Humane Studies at George Mason University. Her research interests include libertarianism, virtue ethics, social norms, character education, homeschooling/unschooling, and the epistemology of reasonable disagreement, and she lives in New York City.

Featured

Pamela J. Hobart

|

10 Apr 2017

Peter Singer and the Ethics of Effective Altruism

Peter Singer has advocated for a form of altruism that prioritizes the effectiveness of aid in lessening suffering above all else. What are the implications of his position?

Featured

Pamela J. Hobart

|

27 Mar 2017

Peter Singer and the Ethics of Eugenics

Pamela J. Hobart argues that more nuance is needed when deciding what counts as eugenics, and whether eugenics can be ethical.

What Does It Mean To Be Implicitly Biased?

Analysis of the Implicit Association Test reveals that implicit bias may be more difficult to detect than often thought.

6 Feb 2017

|

Pamela J. Hobart

A Libertarian Perspective On Gendered Bathroom Segregation

Recently in the United States, bathroom usage rights for transgender people have come to the political fore. As a part of Title IX protections against gender discrimination in federally funded educational institutions, the Obama administration has recently ordered public schools to allow students to use whichever bathrooms they please. This should free transgender students from … Continue reading "A Libertarian Perspective On Gendered Bathroom Segregation"

12 Jul 2016

|

Pamela J. Hobart

Same-Sex Marriage: A Libertarian Perspective

The dust is just now beginning to settle on same-sex marriage in the United States, since the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges established the unconstitutionality of state-level bans on such marriages. Though the law of the land has been established, all the legal and sociocultural effects remain to be seen (for example, … Continue reading "Same-Sex Marriage: A Libertarian Perspective"

5 Jan 2016

|

Pamela J. Hobart

Solving California's Water Crisis: A Libertarian Perspective

If you move to California these days, as I did a few months ago, the jokes about bringing your own water along will be abundant. Of course, access to clean water is no laughing matter – water is one of the only specific things, along with oxygen, that literally every human requires for life. Like … Continue reading "Solving California’s Water Crisis: A Libertarian Perspective"

18 Aug 2015

|

Pamela J. Hobart

Education and a Free Society: Part Two

Contributing Scholar Pamela J. Hobart on a libertarian form of education.

23 Jun 2015

|

Pamela J. Hobart

Education and a Free Society: A Libertarian Perspective (Part One)

If liberty is so fundamentally important to libertarians, then they should readily support means of achieving and maintaining it. Taking it as a given that libertarians care about liberty as a primary sociopolitical value and aren’t going to change their minds about that, should they include public education amongst these means? Dr. Cullison has argued that … Continue reading "Education and a Free Society: A Libertarian Perspective (Part One)"

6 Apr 2015

|

Pamela J. Hobart

Libertarian Paternalism: An Introduction

We’re now over a month into the new year – how are those resolutions coming? Even if you didn’t happen to make any for yourself, the cultural phenomenon of the new year’s resolution sheds interesting light on the persistent gap between what kinds of lives individuals think would be best for themselves and what kind … Continue reading "Libertarian Paternalism: An Introduction"

11 Feb 2015

|

Pamela J. Hobart

Consumerism, Capitalism, and Personal Identity

Shopping hangovers are just as real of a threat at this time of year as the drinking ones. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just behind us (but Christmas still ahead), it can seem once again like everyone’s busy typing denouncements of consumerism with one hand while grabbing sweet deals and swiping plastic with the other. Amidst … Continue reading "Consumerism, Capitalism, and Personal Identity"

8 Dec 2014

|

Pamela J. Hobart