How did we get this finance industry?

As a share of American GDP, the finance industry has doubled in size in the past 40 years, to over 30% of American Corporate profits. Many argue that this presents a real problem for the long-term stability of the U.S. economy. I argue that it presents real concerns for both social justice and the health … Continue reading How did we get this finance industry? →

Moller on Moral Risk

Moral issues are complex. Likewise the philosophical arguments that bear on these issues. What are the practical implications of this complexity? In a recent article (http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~dmoller/Welcome_files/Moral%20risk%20pdf%20draft.pdf) Dan Moller argues that the practical implications are more significant and far-reaching than we commonly recognize. Moller focuses on the moral permissibility of abortion (MPA). Moller's argument runs roughly as … Continue reading Moller on Moral Risk →

Travels in Siberia

When I was a sophomore in high school, my World History teacher, Mrs. Alger, had what Ian Frazier, author of Travels in Siberia (2010) would probably refer to as a bad case of "Russia-love." She was fascinated with the intellectuals of the era, and like any good high school teacher, that fascination captured her students' … Continue reading Travels in Siberia →

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suppose an ER doctor has to perform an operation on a person who murdered his wife (an assassination, say), otherwise the person dies.i submit that the doctor is not guilty of murder if he lets the person die, and he is morally innocent (no matter at what distance in time the 2 events occur). i … Continue reading untitled →

A Rationality Pill?

Suppose that you are a person who suffers from what an economist would call a "high discount rate." You tend to attach very little importance to the long-term consequences of your actions. As a result, you smoke and drink a lot, eat a lot of bacon, are massively in debt, and so on. Then, someone … Continue reading A Rationality Pill? →

How medicare sets hospital prices

The great Uwe Reinhardt presents a useful primer to the discussion of health care reform that should interest OPers (mindful as they are of the importance of primary social goods). I supervised a remarkably thoughtful (and empirically informed) thesis on Health Care Justice last semester, which brought into sharp relief the ridiculousness of the public … Continue reading How medicare sets hospital prices →

An Interesting Asymmetry in Common-Sense Morality

I was driving Dave Schaffer to the bus station this past week--Dave's a member of this blog, but has never contributed and, possibly, never visited, a speculation this very comment should confirm or disconfirm--and he pointed out an interesting asymmetry in common-sense morality. I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Suppose there is an action, A, … Continue reading An Interesting Asymmetry in Common-Sense Morality →

More on Living within our Means

Here.

The Media, Pennant-Racing, and Living Within Our Means

A popular narrative of the recent election is that Americans are fed up with the federal government’s inability to “live within its means.” Real American people have to; state governments have to (more or less); the federal government should as well. I could write for days about the ways in which the analogy from personal … Continue reading The Media, Pennant-Racing, and Living Within Our Means →

The New World

This year and last, I showed this 2005 film to my AP Language and Composition class, I suppose for two reasons. First (the less noble reason) - this time of year is extremely busy because of the Debate team travel schedule, and the movie itself takes almost 5 full class periods to show. Second (hopefully … Continue reading The New World →