Join us in person at CBA 3.202 or via Zoom here. Much of today’s debate about abortion rights deals with questions about the point in pregnancy at which the fetus or embryo first acquires the right to live. But the real question we must answer to resolve the debate is a philosophical one about the […]
Investing for Society? Why We Should Preserve Shareholder Capitalism and How to Do it
Over one-third of total managed financial assets in the US are in funds that seek so-called sustainable investments, mostly in pursuit of strategies that focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations. In this talk, I evaluate the models of shareholder versus stakeholder capitalism, and argue that shareholder capitalism should be preserved. I consider how […]
How Will AI Change Ethics?
Please join the Salem Center as we welcome Pedro Domingos to discuss AI. The ethical issues surrounding AI have received a lot of attention lately, but unfortunately it’s all been about shoehorning AI into current Western ethical norms. But AI will dramatically change society and therefore ethics, as did previous technological revolutions (e.g., printing, the pill). This talk will examine how AI might change our views of what’s ethical and what’s not, and how […]
Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom
Please join the Salem Center as we welcome Dr. Ilya Somin to discuss how broadening opportunities for foot voting can greatly enhance political liberty for millions of people around the world. People can vote with their feet through international migration, choosing where to live within a federal system, and by making decisions in the private […]
What is freedom?, Choose Your Issues Ep 9
The Podcast of the Objectivism Program at the Salem Center in the University of Texas at Austin. Gregory Salmieri and others discuss issues of the day in light of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of reason, individualism, and capitalism. Join us live in CBA 3.202
“Because of Yearning for an Ordinary Life”: The Fight for Freedom in Iran, China, and the World
Protest movements have broken out against the oppressive regimes in Iran and China. Young Iranians posted their reasons for rebelling under the hashtag Baraye, meaning “because” and the singer-songwriter Shervin Hajipour compiled many of these reasons into a song of the same title that has become an anthem of the Iranian movement and an inspiration […]
Nepo Babies and a Level Playing Field?, Choose Your Issues Ep 10
The Podcast of the Objectivism Program at the Salem Center in the University of Texas at Austin. Gregory Salmieri and others discuss issues of the day in light of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of reason, individualism, and capitalism. Join us live in CBA 3.202
A Conversation on the Future of Abortion Laws and Policies
Join us in person at RRH 5.402. Address: 300 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX, 78705 Heather Gebelin Hacker, JD has over 15 years of experience in high-stakes appellate and trial litigation. Heather has handled cases involving environmental, administrative, employment, and criminal law, interstate water disputes, and has extensive experience in constitutional law. […]
How Higher Education Betrayed the Public Interest
Between rising student debts, a dysfunctional employment market, and a sharp leftward shift in the ideological climate on campus, America’s university system is in peril of alienating the taxpaying public that sustains its basic operations. Using the tools of economic analysis, this lecture will examine what went wrong with American higher education and how we […]
The Fertility Gap: Why Women around the world are having fewer Children than they Desire
Clara E. Piano is currently an assistant professor of economics at Austin Peay State University. She received her PhD in economics from George Mason University. Her primary areas of research are family economics, law and economics, and public choice. She has published academic papers on many topics including mental health and marriage, Renaissance art contracts, […]