Politics

We have all heard it before: the kid out on the baseball field shouts, “you hit like a girl.” Adults do it too. In fact, just last fall my sister’s … Continue reading "‘Like a Girl:’ A cultural context"

“I’m not a scientist” is the most common response made by Republican Party members when discussing climate change. New York Times “Political Memo” by Carol Davenport humorously discusses this rather banal avoidance … Continue reading "What Do Politicians Actually Need To Know?"

I was listening to this NPR story today that presented two rebuttals to the claim that voter restriction laws make it difficult for historically disenfranchised people to vote. They both strike me as … Continue reading "How Not to Defend Voter Restriction Laws"

Come out to Prindle on Tuesday, November 4 at 7 PM for a screening of the film Kids for Ca$h, a riveting, non-fiction thriller about a judicial scandal that shocked America when … Continue reading "Kids for Ca$h Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion"

One would certainly hope that, as far as environmental regulation goes, we are better off than we were fifty years ago. We would hope that novels like Rachel Carson’s ground-shifting Silent … Continue reading "Politicizing a Tragedy, 30 Years after Bhopal"

You may have heard the term ‘Slacktivism’ thrown around in reference to charitable acts diluted with apathy. ‘Slacktivism’ can take theform of anything from donating small amounts of money to a cause … Continue reading "‘Slacktivism:’ The problem with benevolence"

A recent Gallup poll found that 70% of Americans favor using federal money to expand pre-school programs across the country. There were differences along party lines. Only 53% of Republicans … Continue reading "A Libertarian Argument for Public Education"

The Conflict Studies Program, The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics, and the Department of Art and Art History are thrilled to announce an upcoming visit by artists Jon Rubin and … Continue reading "Conflict Kitchen will be hosted Oct. 27-30 by Prindle, Conflict Studies and the Art Department"

Government surveillance is a political hot topic, and Twitter has now taken its stand on it. The company has decided to sue the U.S. Government about a law that does … Continue reading "Twitter, Transparency, and National Security"

Decisions towards more ethical governmental process are good, right? The citizens of Tallahassee, Florida certainly think so.  With recent support of the citizens’ Ethics Advisory Panel, created by the City … Continue reading "The Ethics of Enforcing Ethics"

In the wake of Edward Snowden’s leak about the NSA surveillance programs, tech companies have been quick to respond to consumer concerns about the privacy of their data. Google and … Continue reading "New Privacy Battle Between Tech Companies and the Feds"

The White House announced that it has adopted a looser policy on airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria. The United States has been conducting airstrikes against ISIS, and … Continue reading "Striking Syria: Civilian Casualties"

Originally appeared in The Indianapolis Star The Federal Communications Commission is supposed to ensure that the electronic media serve the public interest. A current FCC rule, however, works primarily to serve … Continue reading "Time to Give NFL’s Blackout Rule the Boot"

There is no question that, in many cases, it is ethically wrong to kill. But is it possible for it to be ethically wrong to save a life? In an “ethically … Continue reading "Can Death Row Inmates Save Lives?"

This article, by DePauw History professor David Gellman, originally appeared in Historians Against Slavery on August 15, 2014. If all the great abolitionists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were … Continue reading "Abolitionists Unfrozen"