Lifeboat Ethics: How Scarcity Thinking Sets Us at Each Others’ Throats [new The Good Life column]

The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “A scenario that is beloved of ethicists, public policy experts, and management consultants asks you to imagine yourself on a lifeboat. “Built into such scenarios are powerful assumptions with life-or-death consequences, so as we work through the lifeboat scenario try to make those assumptions explicit. Here we go: “You […]

Lifeboat Ethics: How Scarcity Thinking Sets Us at Each Others’ Throats [new The Good Life column] Read More »

Upcoming seminar in Lisbon, Portugal: “The Enlightenment versus Postmodernism”

On December 6, 2014, I’ll be giving a three-hour seminar for graduate students at the Catholic University of Portugal. My topic is “Two Narratives of Modernity: Enlightenment and Postmodern.” The seminar is hosted by the Institute for Political Studies and is part of its “Governance, Leadership and Democracy Studies” series. Many thanks to Professor João

Upcoming seminar in Lisbon, Portugal: “The Enlightenment versus Postmodernism” Read More »

O renascimento do nazismo na Europa – não é somente racismo

Um antigo fantasma está novamente assombrando a Europa — movimentos e partidos políticos neofascistas e neonazistas estão voltando à tona. Essa reportagem no The Guardian destaca um aumento nos ataques aos judeus na França, Alemanha e Holanda. Mais ao leste e ao sul, partidos simpatizantes ao nazismo estão crescendo nas urnas em países como Hungria

O renascimento do nazismo na Europa – não é somente racismo Read More »

A vida é injusta? Meu desafio ao melhor jogador de tênis do mundo [Portuguese translation]

Vou me gabar um pouco. No ensino médio, eu era muito bom no tênis. Agora, muitos anos depois, sou um jogador ocasional de fim de semana que, de alguma forma, adquiriu a resistência (e os joelhos) de um homem de meia idade. Contudo, ainda tenho essa fantasia recorrente que jogarei contra o melhor jogador de

A vida é injusta? Meu desafio ao melhor jogador de tênis do mundo [Portuguese translation] Read More »

Why Power Does Not Corrupt — and It’s Character That Matters Most [new The Good Life column]

The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “In previous columns, we’ve taken up sex and money, so now let’s turn to power. As with sex and money — and most of the important matters in life — many silly things are said about power. Perhaps the granddaddy of those silly things is the oft-quoted

Why Power Does Not Corrupt — and It’s Character That Matters Most [new The Good Life column] Read More »