Today, the world mourns the loss of Alexei Navalny, a fearless advocate for liberty and democracy in Russia, who died in a Siberian penal colony on February 16, 2024, aged 47.
Once again, on January 23, 2024, Iranian authorities executed two political dissidents, Mohammed Ghobadlou and Farhad Salimi, after unjust trials.
These latest tragedies shed light on the ongoing pattern concerning Iran’s use of the death penalty in persecuting both opponents of the regime and ethnic minorities.
While the use of the death penalty by authoritarian regimes is not surprising, what can be said for its use in countries that claim to be free societies?
A tragic irony lies in the contradiction of a so-called free society embracing a barbaric practice that fundamentally defies the very essence of freedom — the state’s ability to make an irreversible decision on whether an individual should live or die.
How can qualified immunity continue to be a protective shield for officers who neglect their duties, especially in cases where lives are at stake?
Imagine waking up one day to find your car or even your home is no longer yours. Law enforcement, armed with the authority of civil asset forfeiture, has seized it, suspecting connections to criminal activity.
Even though you are innocent, the burden of proof is on you, it’s near impossible to get your case in front of a judge, and it could be years before you get your property back.
Now, this may sound like the plot of a dystopian novel, but for countless individuals across the United States, it’s a terrifying reality.
Decriminalization, as we define it today, removes the penalty for simple possession of drugs, but still enforces penalties on individuals found selling or trafficking.This policy is certainly better than prohibition and will undoubtedly save countless lives. However, it does maintain the worst problems created by prohibition. Here’s why the right drug policy is to legalize and educate…
The fact that government agents have promised to obey the government does not excuse them when they obey unjust orders, nor does it relieve them of moral culpability for following those orders.
To provide benefits under the umbrella of social justice, the government will have to violate individuals’ rights to themselves and their property.
What should we do about the fact that some people are able to earn more money than others? Should government redress the resulting disparities in income? The answer is often believed to hinge upon our conclusion about the role of luck in affecting income-earning abilities. Those on the political left emphasize factors beyond the individual’s […]
My thesis is simple: If you want to square libertarianism with social justice, John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice is probably not a book you should reach for.
Although Rawls is part of the liberal tradition, he is arguably the pinnacle of the “high” liberal tradition, which is a far cry from the “classical” side I’m more comfortable with.
Most arguments in favor of the death penalty fold under their own weight.
Property rights are key for a free society. Since they set out what belongs to whom, they are the foundation for human freedom. Property norms tell us who can do what, with what, and to whom. When securely guaranteed, property rights offer a basis (if not the best basis) for predictability and stability. As social […]
Advocates of social justice have actively fought against free expression in recent years because of the alleged negative emotional impact it can have on marginalized people. In their effort to stifle speech they disagree with, they’ve called for the imposition of trigger warnings and safe spaces, as though they have a right to not be […]
A lot of people – especially the kind of people who read blogs like this! – have very strong views about politics. This is especially true when our political views are based on moral views. If we think that universal health care is a good idea because we think it’s likely to result in more […]
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