News

In case you missed it: a look back at the 2020 Moffett Lecture
Feb. 1, 2021

Many of us – at least in the pre-pandemic era – spent a third of our daily lives, or half of our waking hours, in what we consider to be work.  If we were lucky, our work not only provided us with a source of income but was a source of many other things including relationships, significance, esteem, self-esteem, and even identity. Then the…

Ethical challenges of vaccine distribution
Jan. 13, 2021
Peter Singer, Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values, was one of five...
Jan-Werner Mueller on last week’s violence at the U.S. Capitol
Jan. 13, 2021

In two separate op-eds, Professor of Politics Jan-Werner Mueller discusses the right to rowdy protests, the line crossed by Trump supporters last week and the need to punish the President for his role in inciting an insurrection.

While calling for Trump to be impeached, removed from office and banned from politics for life in his…

Melissa Lane at Festival del Classico
Jan. 13, 2021

Drawing on her award-winning book, Eco-Republic, in which she reflects on the ethics and politics of sustainability, Class of 1943 Professor of Politics and Director of the University Center for Human Values Melissa Lane addressed the question “Is an ecological republic possible today?” at the virtual…

The empowering influence of Peter Singer's book "The Life You Can Save"
Dec. 14, 2020

Kelsey Piper, a staff writer for the Vox, discusses reading Peter Singer’s book The Life You Can Save and how effective altruism has helped her during the pandemic in her article “The world’s problems overwhelmed me. This book…

Jan-Werner Mueller's Op-Ed "Merkel's Last Chance"
Dec. 10, 2020

Professor of Politics Jan-Werner Mueller's Op-Ed in Project Syndicate, "Merkel's Last Chance," discusses Europe's "rule-of-law" crisis and its effects on the EU.

"Giving with the Heart and the Head" A Project Syndicate Op-Ed by Peter Singer
Dec. 10, 2020

In his recent Op-Ed, Peter Singer explores the psychology of giving. To read the full piece, click here.

Interview with Melissa Lane on “Solitude and Social Distancing”
Nov. 24, 2020

Melissa Lane, Class of 1943 Professor of Politics and the Director of the University Center for Human Values, was interviewed for the Denver Project for Humanistic Inquiry's podcast, "The Human Context" a series offering humanistic perspectives on the pandemic. The episode is titled “

Kian Mintz-Woo publishes piece in the journal "Climate Policy"
Nov. 16, 2020

Former Postdoctoral Research Associate Kian Mintz-Woo has published a piece in the journal "Climate Policy". Together with colleagues, he argues that during the COVID-19 pandemic is the best time to introduce or strengthen carbon pricing policies. This work is…

UCHV faculty and affiliated faculty weigh in on the outcome of the U.S. election
Nov. 9, 2020

Jan-Werner Mueller, Roger Williams Straus Professor of Politics of Politics, on accountability, truthful recording of history, and the Trump Administration in his op-ed in Project Syndicate, “

Peter Singer publishes book on eating ethically
Oct. 22, 2020

Peter Singer's book Why Vegan?  has now been published by Penguin in the UK and Norton in the US. 

A Q&A with Peter Singer about the book is available…

Peter Singer's op-ed in Project Syndicate about COVID-19 lockdowns
Oct. 22, 2020

In his Project Syndicate op-ed, "To Lock Down or Not to Lock Down", Professor Peter Singer assesses the costs and benefits of COVID-19 lockdowns.

Eric Gregory quoted in The New York Times article
Oct. 22, 2020

Eric Gregory, Professor of Religion, is quoted in the New York Times article, "Biden and Trump Say They're Fighting for America's 'Soul.'  What Does That Mean?"

Former UCHV postdoc Annette Zimmermann wins award for Boston Review Essay
Oct. 12, 2020

The essay, “Technology Alone Can’t Fix Algorithmic Injustice”, co-authored with Princeton doctoral students Elena Di Rosa (Philosophy) and Hochan “Sonny” Kim (Politics) won The Hastings Center's 2020 David…

Andrew Chignell elected President of the North American Kant Society
Oct. 9, 2020

Andrew Chignell, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Religion and the University Center for Human Values, has been elected as President of the North American Kant Society. He will serve for three years.

Elizabeth Harman answers pandemic ethics questions in Princeton Alumni Weekly
Oct. 7, 2020

Elizabeth Harman answers Princeton Alumni Weekly readers' questions about pandemic ethics in "Tiger Ethics: How to Pick a Schooling Option This Fall."

Jan-Werner Mueller to give the Barbara Harrell-Bond Lecture at Oxford University’s Center for Refugee Studies
Sept. 29, 2020

On November 18, Jan-Werner Mueller will give the Barbara Harrell-Bond Lecture at Oxford University’s Center for Refugee Studies. He will lecture on “Democracy versus Right-Wing Populism.”
 

Peter Singer discusses Effective Altruism movement in the Washington Post Magazine
Sept. 28, 2020

Peter Singer discusses the thinking behind the Effective Altruism movement and its impact in the Washington Post Magazine article "The Rise of the Rational Do-Gooders."

Special issue of Daedalus released from learnings of the Witnessing Professionals and Climate Change conference
Sept. 23, 2020

The newest issue of Daedalus, “Witnessing Climate Change,” was released this week. The magazine grew out of the Witnessing Professionals and Climate Change conference that the UCHV, CFI, and PEI hosted in 2018, and includes articles written by Princeton faculty Robert H. Socolow and Elke U. Weber.

Peter Singer Project Syndicate op-ed: How (Not) to Fight COVID-19
Sept. 18, 2020

In his Project Syndicate op-ed "How (Not) to Fight COVID-19," Professor Peter Singer and co-author Joanna Masel argue that "public-health experts who adhere to rigid rules for containing the pandemic…

Kim Lane Scheppele discusses virtual teaching on University homepage
Sept. 14, 2020
In this article, Professor Kim Lane Scheppele discusses her insights from last semester's pivot to virtual learning and how she continues to innovate in her “Classical Sociological Theory” graduate seminar this fall.
Ben Bramble weighs in on the ethics of challenge trials for a coronavirus vaccine
Sept. 1, 2020

In his opinion piece for The Conversation, former LSR Fellow Ben Bramble writes "Challenge trials for a coronavirus vaccine are unethical – except for in one unlikely scenario." 

 

Kim Lane Scheppele discusses Victor Orbán’s rise to power
Sept. 1, 2020

In the Open Democracy article "Dark money, dirty politics and the backlash against human rights," Professor Kim Lane Scheppele discusses Victor Orbán’s rise to power.

Corey Cusimano discusses research findings in PsyPost article
Aug. 26, 2020

Corey Cusimano, a postdoctoral research associate in cognitive science of values, found that individuals tend to view themselves as less capable than other people of voluntarily changing their beliefs. His research was recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and is discussed…

The Case for Human COVID-19 Challenge Trials
Aug. 18, 2020
In this Project Syndicate article, Professor Peter Singer and Isaac Martinez argue that "Regulators should permit and begin to prepare for “human challenge” vaccine trials in order to end the COVID-19 pandemic. In these trials, fully informed volunteers would be injected with potential vaccines (or with a placebo) and then intentionally exposed to the virus."
LSR Fellow Ben Bramble publishes book on COVID-19 pandemic
Aug. 17, 2020

2019-20 LSR Fellow Ben Bramble published "Pandemic Ethics: 8 Big Questions of COVID-19". The book is open access, so it can be downloaded and read for free by all those who are interested in the following issues questions and issues:

Joseph Chan, UCHV Global Scholar and Visiting Professor, quoted in The New York Times
July 28, 2020

In response to the firing of his law colleague by The University of Hong Kong, Joseph Chan was quoted in The New York Times article "Hong Kong University to Fire Law Professor Who…

Ethics Classes Change Behavior - Peter Singer & co-authors publish study
July 27, 2020

Professor Peter Singer published a co-authored study on "Do ethics classes influence student behavior? Case study: Teaching the ethics of eating meat" in Cognition, a leading international peer-reviewed journal.

According to Singer, the study is "the first-ever controlled trial to show that teaching philosophy can change behavior, not…

Elizabeth Harman's Daily Princetonian Op-Ed, "Racist research must be named, but often allowed"
July 27, 2020

Elizabeth Harman is Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Philosophy and Human Values. To read her Op-Ed about academic freedom and racist research, click here.

Kim Lane Scheppele research featured in Washington Post
July 21, 2020

Professor Kim Lane Scheppele's paper, co-authored with David Pozen (Columbia Law School), is the topic of this Washington Post op-ed "As the Trump disaster gets worse, a new political theory helps explain it" written…

UCHV is pleased to announce our Postdoctoral Research Associates for the 2020-21 academic year
July 17, 2020

Corey Cusimano is a cognitive scientist investigating how people evaluate their own and others’ mental states. His research asks questions like: how do ordinary people decide that an emotion or belief is good or justified? And: when, and why, do people hold others responsible for their thoughts,…

Announcing our Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Faculty Fellows for 2020-21!
July 15, 2020
Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Professor for Distinguished Teaching 2020-2021

Christia Mercer, Columbia University
Christia Mercer is the Gustave M. Berne Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University, editor of Oxford Philosophical Concepts, and co-editor of Oxford New Histories of Philosophy, a book series devoted to making…

Andrew Chignell discusses the ethics of veganism and omnivorism
July 10, 2020

Listen to Professor Andrew Chignell discuss the ethics of veganism and omnivorism on this Sigma Radio podcast

Annette Zimmermann interviewed about algorithmic justice on Policy Punchline podcast
July 9, 2020

UCHV postdoc Annette Zimmermann was interviewed for a recent episode of Princeton University's Policy Punchline podcast. The podcast addresses the following questions: What is…

“Is Age Discrimination Acceptable?” A Project Syndicate Op-Ed by Peter Singer
June 12, 2020

In his recent Op-Ed, Peter Singer explores the question, should we value all human lives equally?  To read the full piece, click here.

 

Black Lives Matter: A message from Melissa Lane, Director of the University Center for Human Values
June 9, 2020

The University Center for Human Values affirms as a fundamental human value that Black Lives Matter.  We call for justice for all those who have been the victims of police violence and of other forms of oppression and inequality which are unequally visited upon people of color, and for the systemic changes that are needed to prevent their…

Melissa Lane writes about teaching Plato in the pandemic
June 8, 2020

Melissa Lane, the Class of 1943 Professor of Politics and director of the University Center for Human Values, writes about teaching Plato in the pandemic.  To read the article, click here.

Andrew Chignell discusses ‘good hope’ in dark times in the podcast "We Roar"
June 5, 2020

To read the article, including a link to the podcast, click here.

UCHV GPF Stephanie Fan awarded Josephine de Karman Fellowship
June 2, 2020

Graduate Prize Fellow Stephanie Fan  awarded a Josephine de Karman Fellowship.  The Josephine de Karman Fellowship Trust was established in 1954 by the late Dr. Theodore von Karman, world-renowned aeronautics expert and teacher and first director of…

Sophia Taylor '20 on the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre
June 1, 2020

June 1, 2020, was Princeton’s Class Day.  It was also the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.  Sophia Taylor, a graduate in the Princeton Class of 2020, wrote her senior thesis in Politics, with a certificate in African American Studies, on this event and its aftermath.  She shared her thoughts on its role in the traumatic and…

UCHV Short Movie Prize Winner is Ilene E ’21 and Honorable Mention to Athena Chu ‘23
May 27, 2020

The University Center for Human Values is delighted to announce that the winner of the 2020 UCHV Short Movie Prize is Ilene E for “Home | 家”. Athena Chu was awarded Honorable Mention for “In a Beautiful Country, Mothers Grow".  Follow the links below to watch their movies.

Winner:  Ilene E '21 for Home | 家 […

The Princeton-CEU Workshop Report by Théophile Deslauriers and Johan Trovik, with contributions from Melissa Lane
May 20, 2020

The Princeton-CEU Workshop on the topic of Democracy and Autocracy took place on May 1 and 2, organized by Jan-Werner Mueller of Princeton’s Department of Politics and hosted on a virtual platform by the University Center for Human Values (UCHV), to launch a planned two-year research interchange…