Society

On Monday, President Obama announced that “a free and open Internet was as critical to Americans’ lives as electricity and telephone service” and should be regulated as such. This approach, called … Continue reading "A Free and Open Internet"

It must be something in the air. Indiana is not known for its air quality or green policies, and the state’s capital is no exception. Despite a bill passed this … Continue reading "Something In The Air"

Former CBS correspondent Sharyl Attkisson is either a paranoid kook or victim of one of the most heinous government abuses of a reporter in American history. Either way, the rest … Continue reading "Is Sharyl Attkisson a victim of Obama administration?"

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"

Continued education, especially college, has long been seen as a positive and transformative experience, changing those who enroll and readying them for the world after graduation. But what happens when … Continue reading "“My Beautiful Failure” and Competition in Higher Education"

In honor of this week’s Kids for Ca$h documentary screening, it might be good to revisit a school policy with the potential to land misbehaving children in jail: zero tolerance … Continue reading "Zero Tolerance, Zero Learning"

“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"

As the outbreak of Ebola enters its seventh month, the ethical dilemmas facing the world continue to increase. While the issue of experimental treatments remains unresolved (see my previous post … Continue reading "The Ethics of an Epidemic"

From trick-or-treating to carving silly faces into pumpkins, Halloween was always my favorite holiday as a child. But my joy in dressing up as my favorite super hero and going … Continue reading "What Halloween costume choice says about our ethics"

These days, it seems that everyone is trying to “eat clean.” As I browsed the news this week, I clicked over to the “Healthy Living” page of the Huffington Post … Continue reading "Stigmatizing Food Choice to People Without Choices"

Guest post by Anthony Baratta, Sustainability Director at DePauw University.  Check out the Office of Sustainability on Facebook and Twitter. Soulja Boy CDs, broken office chairs, flip phones, jean shorts, … Continue reading "Envisioning Zero Waste at DePauw: Where do flip phones go to die?"

Originally appeared in The Indianapolis Star The dim news for the journalism industry just keeps coming. A recent Gallup news poll shows public trust of the media is at historic lows. … Continue reading "News media must fight back against negative image"

What’s the point of a liberal arts degree? Is asking whether it’s useful even a valid question? Inside Higher Ed spotligthts St. John’s College as a model of a broad … Continue reading "Is Your Degree Important?"

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"

That’s right. This post has the word “ain’t” in its title. So what? In a recent interview, Harvard University Professor of Psychology and celebrated writer, Stephen Pinker, explains the “curse of … Continue reading "Literary Hazing “Ain’t” Ethical"

Fifty years, two months, and one week ago, a US destroyer was attacked (or was it?) by the North Vietnamese in the Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of North Vietnam. … Continue reading "History’s (Un)Truths"