Nick GeiserBentham and Utilitarianism: An AppreciationIn a recent series of articles on this website, Russ Roberts develops a “critique of utilitarianism” as a theory of individual decision…12 min read·Jul 20, 2022----
Nick GeiserMore on the Purported Moral Right to own IPThe most important defense of the idea that IP protections respect pre-existing moral rights is Robert Merges’ 2011 book Justifying…3 min read·Feb 8, 2021----
Nick GeiserThere is no Moral Right to Intellectual PropertyVaccine development has been one of the few bright spots in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it also brings renewed…5 min read·Feb 8, 2021----
Nick GeiserWhy care about consistency?The expression, “I just care about consistency,” sometimes comes up in political arguments. It is interesting because it suggests a…5 min read·Feb 5, 2021----
Nick GeiserTwo Cheers for Mutual AdvantageIn this post I want to explore a dimension of politics that seems to have been wrongly marginalized in discussions of political conflict…9 min read·Dec 1, 2020----
Nick GeiserNo, We are Not Living Through a “Coup Attempt”One consequence of social polarization in American politics has been an increase in public accusations of “coups” and “treason.” This…4 min read·Nov 8, 2020--1--1
Nick GeiserWhat Netflix’s New Documentary Misses About the Challenger DisasterNetflix has a new four-part documentary out called Challenger: The Final Flight on the January 1986 space shuttle disaster. As other…4 min read·Oct 2, 2020----
Nick GeiserWhen should we replace public monuments?One problems with the debate over renaming institutions and removing statues is the absence of a coherent set of principles for deciding…5 min read·Aug 2, 2020----
Nick GeiserWhen does the charge of “undermining agency” rest on a mistake?There is a familiar dialectic in debates over “individual responsibility” in politics, and which has become salient in the recent debate…4 min read·Jul 22, 2020----
Nick GeiserPolice Misconduct and Collective ResponsibilityA natural response among police officers to the apparent murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin is defensiveness and…4 min read·May 31, 2020----