Courageous Conversations In Ethics: On Borders and Immigration

A young man from Alaska wants warmer weather, better job prospects, to be close to his sister, and to learn to surf. As long as he has the resources, he can move to California. He doesn’t need any special documents or qualifications. No one will physically prevent him from relocating. But if that young man is from Mongolia, things are different. Except in very narrow circumstances, he can’t just move to California. Some think that restrictions on movement are morally indefensible: we should treat the two cases above similarly, and allow people to move freely not just within their own country, but throughout the world. Others think that countries have the moral right to place limits on migration. Immigration policy is an important political topic in its own right, but underneath questions of policy and politics are moral questions about how people should be treated and what rights they have.

Explore these questions and more in a moderated discussion on February 26, 7:00 PM in Watson Forum with Hrishikesh Joshi (University of Arizona) and Christopher Freiman (William & Mary). The event will also be available via Live Stream.

This moderated discussion is part of the Prindle Institute’s Courageous Conversations in Ethics series. Students, faculty, staff, and community members are welcome to attend. We encourage attendees to bring questions, as there will be an extended Q&A session with the guests following the discussion.

Courageous Conversations in Ethics is aimed at examining challenging moral issues from a variety of perspectives. These are not debates in the traditional sense, but rather an opportunity for people with different perspectives on the same issue to meet for productive dialogue.