Pop Culture A.G. Holdier | 1 Jul 2021 On “Dog-Wagging” News: Why What “Lots of People” Say Isn't Newsworthy Focusing public attention on any one thing inevitably means exercising discretion. How does one wield it responsibly?
Pop Culture A.G. Holdier | 21 Jun 2021 What It Means to Be a Hero Superheroes are the embodiment a host of norms and ideals that say a lot (deliberately or not) about what we think and believe.
Intersectionality and the Problem of the MCU’s Ancient One Our various social identities often transcend the labels and boxes made to contain them. 17 Jun 2021 | A.G. Holdier
UFOs and Hume on Miracles Hume cautions us about believing others when their claims are unbelievable. 26 May 2021 | Benjamin Rossi
Public Divorces and Media Privacy Does the public have any overriding interest in knowing every sordid detail concerning the lives of the rich and famous? 12 May 2021 | Kiara Goodwine
Saturday Night Live and the Humanization of Elon Musk Can the show maintain its critical edge while offering controversial figures a platform? 10 May 2021 | Beatrice Harvey
On the Art of Evildoers Is there any separating art from artist? Are publishers complicit? Cases continue to mount, but answers are hard to come by. 6 May 2021 | Benjamin Rossi
How Can the 2022 Olympic Games Remain Neutral? The International Olympic Committee asks that we celebrate sport while holding our tongues. 5 May 2021 | Katherine Hennessey
“Not Like Other Girls” and Internalized Misogyny Efforts to break with sexist norms can sometimes reinforce the harmful structure they seek to escape. 30 Apr 2021 | Beatrice Harvey
On Climate Refugees and Captain America Marvel's latest has superheroes struggling with problems we're only beginning to confront. 28 Apr 2021 | A.G. Holdier
Art, Death, and Experience A piece of conceptual art challenges our traditional understanding of death with an aim of reinvention. 12 Apr 2021 | Beatrice Harvey
The Ethics of Dark Tourism Might we have a moral obligation not to trivialize the suffering of others? 7 Apr 2021 | Rachel Robison-Greene
True Crime and Empathy The genre is full of moral pitfalls and sticky situations for producers and consumers alike. 2 Apr 2021 | Beatrice Harvey
Acknowledging a Violent Past: Disney's Racist Fairy Tales Given the impact Disney has in shaping young minds, might the company have an obligation to use its power to make amends for past harm? 18 Mar 2021 | Katherine Hennessey
Grief and Saint Augustine (and WandaVision) The latest chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe looks for the lessons that loss teaches. 8 Mar 2021 | A.G. Holdier
Philosophical Insights from Great Literature What formative moral lessons hide in plain sight within the pages of the books that charted our childhood? 4 Mar 2021 | Marshall Bierson
Leaving Britney Alone At bottom, the stories swirling around the pop icon all presume to pass judgment on another's capacity for autonomy. 1 Mar 2021 | Beatrice Harvey
'Locked Down': Representing the Pandemic on Screen What, if any, constraints should there be on the way the story we are currently living gets told? 26 Feb 2021 | Kenneth Boyd
Can Hyperfemininity Be Radical? Is there progress regarding sexual politics that can be made by leaning into the male gaze? 19 Feb 2021 | Beatrice Harvey
'Malcolm & Marie' and the Politics of Representation Sam Levinson's latest again raises questions about the limitations of white writers writing non-white characters. 16 Feb 2021 | Beatrice Harvey
The Ethics of Cringe What can cringe culture tell us about social norms, self-awareness, and moral shaming? 5 Feb 2021 | Beatrice Harvey
The Social Justice of Copyrights and “Public Domain Day” What might explain the delay in making our most important cultural artifacts freely accessible to the public? 18 Jan 2021 | A.G. Holdier