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868 Articles

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Environment

Meredith McFadden

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1 Feb 2019

Democracy and the Next Generation

Should the next generation of voters be able to affect political change - before they're of age? With an issue like climate change, the answer is complicated.

Photograph of the entrance to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, showing a stop sign and a guard station along with a sign naming the institution and the warden Burl Cain

Criminal Justice

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29 Jan 2019

Angola Prison and the Ethics of Prison Labor

The "Alcatraz of the South" has a troubling history. Once a private plantation, the "Bloodiest Prison in America" now uses mandatory labor and religious services as a means of moral rehabilitation. Can the gains ever outweigh the moral ills?

All Society Stories

A photograph of the word "knowledge engraved in white sandstone

Knowing What You Don’t Know

Science is becoming more partisan; public opinion is divided on scientific facts. How did we get here, and what can we do?

28 Jan 2019

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A drawing of a king holding an old-fashioned safety razor with the message "Gillette Safety Razor: King of Them All"

Examining Masculinities: Why Gillette Struck a Nerve

Gillette’s foray into #MeToo activism meets with opposition. But how is its critique culturally situated?

24 Jan 2019

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Amy Elyse Gordon

Photograph of a gavel next to two large books

Judd v Weinstein: Reexamining Ex Post Facto

Ex post facto laws allow us to avoid retroactive legislation. But in the era after #MeToo, maybe there are some crimes that should be punished after the fact.

15 Jan 2019

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Photograph of the Moon tarot card propped against a crystal with several other tarot cards arranged in the background

The Resurgence of Tarot

What does the newfound popularity of tarot tell us about society?

14 Jan 2019

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Amy Elyse Gordon

Photograph of the White House

The Rise of Political Echo Chambers

Echo chambers are creating insular factions and polarizing politics. Is this a problem? And is there a way out?

11 Jan 2019

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Photograph of a long hall of cells with light and a dome at the end

Aging and Blaming in the Criminal Justice System

As the average life expectancy increases, those sentenced to life in prison are facing more punishment than previous generations.

10 Jan 2019

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Rachel Robison-Greene

photograph of a keyboard and screen displaying code

The Persistent Problem of the Fair Algorithm

Algorithms may seem like the perfect remedy to human error, but even algorithms can be biased.

4 Jan 2019

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Tucker Sechrest

Image of many protesters in Charlottesville

Bothsidesism and Why It Matters

Bothsidesism means acknowledging that moral equivalence is dangerous: just because there are two sides of an issue doesn't mean they're ethically equal.

2 Jan 2019

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Photograph of a sign for a medical marijuana dispensary

Which Voices Matter? Ballot Initiatives, Marijuana, and Legislative Paternalism in Utah

In November, Utah voters made medical marijuana legal with a ballot measure. However, legislation is already underway to restrict it.

31 Dec 2018

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Rachel Robison-Greene

Photograph of an empty courtroom

Cyntoia Brown and the Limitations of "Self-Defense"

Our societal notions of what "self defense" should mean is based largely on what an adult male might do in a situation. Such a definition failed Cyntoia Brown, was was sentenced to 51 years in prison for killing an abuser.

27 Dec 2018

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Amy Elyse Gordon

photograph of students packed into lecture

Should You Rate Your Professor? The Ethics of Student Evaluations

Just how reliable are student evaluations of teachers at the end of the semester? Often, they reveal biases.

26 Dec 2018

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Photograph of an exam room in a doctor's office

Examining Medical Intervention and Gender Confirmation

The gender binary has long held sway over medical intervention for many kinds of treatments, especially for those who identify outside that binary.

20 Dec 2018

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Meredith McFadden

What PETA Gets Right about Animal Metaphors (and What it Gets Wrong)

PETA's list of updated metaphors has sparked memes and ridicule. What did PETA do right - or wrong?

19 Dec 2018

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Photograph of a billboard that says Avery's Auto Salvage and 24-Hour Towing

Making a Murderer, Brain Fingerprinting, and the Ownership of Thoughts

Netflix's Making a Murderer sometimes uses questionable practices to tell true crime stories. Among these methods is "brain fingerprinting."

13 Dec 2018

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Rachel Robison-Greene

Photograph of several dockless scooters on an area of pavement with a sunset sky in the background

Dockless Electric Scooters and the Ethics of City Design

Those zippy little scooters that are showing up in many cities pose more problems than you might expect, from environmental questions to disabilities.

12 Dec 2018

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Photo of a man speaking into a microphone, standing in front of a screen displaying a tumblr dashboard

On Tumblr, Adult Content is Banned - For Good?

Tumblr's ban on adult content claims to be making the blogging platform a better, safer place, yet hate speech is still readily found. Is the ban the best solution?

11 Dec 2018

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Group of people gathered around a holiday table

Why Are Political Debates So Difficult?: A Holiday Survival Guide

Why do we argue with family over the holidays, and how can we start to bridge the gap?

3 Dec 2018

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"554T9816" by Cliff licensed under CC BY 2.0 (Via Flickr).

A Requiem of Retribution at a Black Mass: Whitey Bulger and Prisoner Welfare

What are the ethical ramifications of placing notorious or elderly criminals in prison systems where they are at risk for violent attack?

30 Nov 2018

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Rachel Robison-Greene

Photograph of people at a booth in front of a partially obscured sign that says "Welcome Business Advisors"

Should Pointless Jobs Exist?

Both Marxists and capitalists predicted we'd have to do less work in the 21st century, so why do so many "pointless" jobs exist?

27 Nov 2018

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Amy Elyse Gordon

A photo of the Hollywood sign at sunset.

Hollywood Structures: The Age Gap in Relationships

The landscape of Hollywood gives male celebrities permission to prey on younger women, like 31-year-old rapper Drake's relationship with-18 year-old model Bella Harris.

16 Nov 2018

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