The topic of ransoms raises a wide array of ethical questions. The first set concerns the permissibility of taking hostages to exact a ransom. Could it ever be morally acceptable to kidnap someone in order to secure a ransom from [...]
Should hate speech be banned? This article sets out a framework through which to organize the current scholarly debate. It contends that the debate must be disaggregated into discrete analytical stages, lest its participants continue to talk past one another. [...]
My thesis is that we should regard ethics and public policy (EPP) as a special subfield of political philosophy, marked by a particular methodological commitment: to assist citizens and policymakers in their actual deliberations about public policy. EPP can assist [...]
This paper interrogates Cécile Laborde’s account of the proper role of religion in the liberal state. It begins by examining Laborde’s claims that prevailing liberals are not committed to broad neutrality about the good, but rather only restricted neutrality about [...]
Should governments pay ransoms to terrorist organizations that unjustly kidnap their citizens? The United Kingdom and the United States refuse to negotiate with terrorist groups that kidnap and threaten to kill their people. In contrast, continental European countries, such as [...]
Why value democracy? One familiar answer is that democracy expresses respect for citizens, whereas non-democratic modes of governance insultingly express disrespect. Recent work has subjected this view to substantial criticism, raising serious doubts about its plausibility. This article contends that [...]