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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"

This is the fourth in a series about American History and the Ethics of Memory. This post originally appeared on February 9, 2016. It was a hotly contested presidential election, and the mudslinging was fierce. There were allegations of fiscal corruption, sexual impropriety, and—perhaps most damning of all—bad writing.  The Democratic candidate, it was rumored, spelled Congress … Continue reading "Campaigning on Literacy"

This is the second in a series on American History and the Ethics of Memory. This post originally appeared on September 15, 2015. Warner Madison doesn’t trust the police. He thinks they view all black people with suspicion, harass them on the streets, and arrest them without cause. When police accost his children on their … Continue reading "Long Distance Information, Give Me Memphis, Tennessee"

This post originally appeared October 13, 2015. A father hands over the keys to his house to a stranger, his children fast asleep upstairs. Two grandparents share their living room with a traveling salesman in town for the week. A young woman falls asleep in the guest room of a man she has never met … Continue reading "When Is It Rational to Trust a Stranger?"

This post originally appeared on October 20, 2015. In March 2015, Wisconsin became the 25th state to adopt “right-to-work” laws. Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, Montana, and West Virginia are all considering such laws. Right-to-work laws do not prohibit unions. They prohibit agreements between unions and employers that require workers to be members of unions … Continue reading "Freedom of Association and Right-to-Work Laws"

This post originally appeared November 10, 2015. In 1977, punk pioneer Poly Styrene used loud, screamed, overdriven vocals to revolt against the stereotype that “little girls should be seen and not heard.” In the 1990s, the riot grrrl bands she inspired used similar strategies to shout “revolution girl style now!” In 2014, Rebecca Solnit, who … Continue reading "Women’s Resilience and Post-Feminist Sexism"

‘Tis the season for politics, once again, in the United States of America. And while some surprising new topics, like the size of candidates’ hands, have cropped up in this cycle, some of the mainstays of American political rhetoric are also at the rendez-vous. Take Donald Trump, for instance. In January, one of his campaign … Continue reading "Freedom and the 2016 Electoral Season"

This post originally appeared on October 27, 2015. Like most human beings, I grew up imbibing racist stereotypes. Since I am Italian, those stereotypes were to some extent different from the kind of stereotypes I would have acquired had I grown up in the United States. For instance, I thought all people “of color” were … Continue reading "So I am a racist. What do I do now?"

This post originally appeared in The Indy Star on February 26, 2016. The critically acclaimed television drama of the early 1960s, “Naked City,” concluded each episode with the narrator proclaiming, “There are 8 million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them.” In this era of oversaturated television programming, one would think … Continue reading "Too Much TV and Nothing to Watch"

“And these children that you spit on, as they try to change their world” The observation goes back at least to Bertrand Russell of an inverse correlation between how adamant a person is in their opinion and how much they know about the topic, but nowhere is this more starkly illustrated than when we come … Continue reading "Chicago Protests and Social Movement Arrogance"

Philosophers known as hedonists, and probably some slightly more normal people as well, have held that pleasure is the only thing we desire in itself, that pleasure is the only thing good in itself, and that it is the only thing that makes a person’s life good. To evaluate these claims, we must distinguish three … Continue reading "Pleasure (and Happiness and Good Lives)"

This post originally appeared November 3, 2015 “Dignity” was invoked no fewer than 10 times by the supporters of gay marriage during the proceedings of the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy used the term 8 times in the majority opinion of the court. He concludes the opinion of … Continue reading "Can Someone’s Dignity Be Taken Away?"

This post originally appeared on May 28, 2015. I’ve got a friend who’s suffering from depression. He’s been holed up in his house for the last two years; living first on sick pay, then savings; venturing out only for fish and canned vegetables. (“They’re healthy.”) I visit him from time to time, which isn’t often … Continue reading "Why Act When It Doesn’t Make a Difference?"

A Black Police Officer’s Fight Against the NYPD (New York Times) by Saki Knafo “Over the last two years, Raymond has recorded almost a dozen officials up and down the chain of command in what he says is an attempt to change the daily practices of the New York Police Department.” When Parents and Surrogates … Continue reading "What We’re Reading: February 25, 2016"

This post originally appeared on December 4, 2014. When I was 8, I started ballet. I was a disciplined kid who took everything seriously, and dance quickly became a great passion of mine. But for many years I wasn’t that good; I felt I lacked the natural physical abilities that bless talented ballerinas. One day something … Continue reading "Is Envy Always Malicious? (Part Two)"

Stop Bernie-Splaining to Black Voters (New York Times) by Charles M. Blow “It is not black folks who need to come to a new understanding, but those whose privileged gaze prevents them from seeing that black thought and consciousness is informed by a bitter history, a mountain of disappointment and an ocean of tears.” If … Continue reading "What We’re Reading: February 18, 2016"

This post originally appeared on November 18, 2014 Imagine you check your email and find a congratulatory message from your boss announcing that your colleague has just been promoted. This colleague joined the company at approximately the same time as you did, and works in your sector. You were in line for the same promotion … Continue reading "Is Envy Always Malicious? (Part One)"

There are lots of ways to get involved with Prindle! Find out the different internships and roles Prindle has to offer DePauw students by coming to our event. The event will be held on February 25th at 11:30 AM in the UB Ballroom. Lunch will be served. We will be giving information on the different … Continue reading "How to Get Involved with Prindle Info Session"