The Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that 'disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind'. From this point of departure, we argue that philosophical, political, and religious reflections on core concepts such as conscience, freedom, equality,…

This essay critically examines the underlying assumptions about freedom and democracy at the basis of those like the NRA who argue that the United States does not have a gun problem and that the second amendment protects citizens' rights to own any gun they wish. Inspired by Hannah Arendt's political philosophy, the author first discusses three…

Recent reform initiatives calling for "civic" ("public-good" or "democratic") professionalism can be seen as a response to the widely reported decline in public trust in the professions and an attempt to partially remedy this problem through a more publically engaged professionalism. The author draws on the political…