Guam recently passed legislation allowing for chemical castration, without consent, of sex criminals. Is such a punishment justified?

College students are burning the candle at both ends. Will their lack of sleep catch up to them?

Falling school enrollment has driven children into the hands of Islamic militants in the Middle East. How far will it go?

This week, Pope Francis gave local priests the ability to lift excommunications. Is this a gesture of opening or a ploy for followers?

On 9/11 we remember two tragedies. These include the terrorist attacks in 2001 but also the Chilean coup d'etat that occurred on 9/11 in 1973.

Oliver Sacks, a honored neurologist, openly grappled with his impending death from terminal illness. How can Americans learn how to die more gracefully?

Brutal Images of Syrian Boy Drowned Off Turkey Must Be Seen, Activists Say (New York Times) by Robert Mackey “A sense of weary resignation at the plight of the Syrians — and hundreds … Continue reading "What We’re Reading: September 10, 2015"

Egyptian authorities are moving toward banning veils in public places. Does this combat extremism or suppress religious freedom?

More and more refugees are resorting to backchannel paths to safety, including human trafficking. This often ends in death instead of freedom.

We live in a digital age in which humanity has the ability to connect in ways heretofore only imagined in science fiction. Anyone over the age of 30 has surely … Continue reading "Parenting in Public: Social Media and Public Shaming"

St. Francis of Assisi was known for his minimalistic lifestyle. Yet today, Assisi has seen an influx of luxury spas and resorts. How does this balance out?

The Ethics of Watching and Sharing Violent Viral Videos (Vice) by Allie Conti “Questions about whether to publish upsetting content used to be the purview of media outlets…but thanks to social media … Continue reading "What We’re Reading: September 3, 2015"

Dangerous levels of pesticides in marijuana reveal a growing tension between public health and drug policy.

The Hell You Say (New Yorker) by Kelefa Sanneh “The new battles over free speech are fierce, but who is censoring whom?” How Google Could Rig the 2016 Election (Politico … Continue reading "What We’re Reading: August 27, 2015"

Contrary to worries about political correctness gone wild, trigger warnings can be a valuable classroom tool.

Pics or It Didn’t Happen (Medium) by John de Jong “Is Photography Even a Healthy Pastime? Considering Susan Sontag’s ‘On Photography’” The Movement Against Solitary Confinement (New York Magazine) by Benjamin Wallace … Continue reading "What We’re Reading: August 20, 2015"

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 … Continue reading "Solving California’s Water Crisis: A Libertarian Perspective"

Online images of death raise questions of ethical viewership, victim privacy and morbid curiosity.

The Makeup Tax (The Atlantic) by Olga Khazan “Women who wear makeup earn more and are treated better. This has steep costs, in both money and time.” This may be the biggest … Continue reading "What We’re Reading: August 13, 2015"

Examining the controversy behind a film's re-imagining of the 1969 Stonewall Inn riot.

The dangers of viewing activists' interruption of Bernie Sanders at a Seattle rally from a single perspective.

Seventy years later, the Hiroshima bombing's legacy requires a reexamination.

Facebook's patent for new analytical tools encourages discriminatory lending practices.

So You Flunked A Racism Test. Now What? (Codeswitch) by Maanvi Singh “You’re probably at least a little bit racist and sexist and homophobic. Most of us are. Before you … Continue reading "What We’re Reading: August 6, 2015"