What does it mean to disapprove of something on moral principle? Do any and all prejudices, fears, dislikes, and rationalizations count as moral beliefs? Or, as I am more inclined to believe, does society regard moral convictions as something much more particular than any run-of-the-mill feeling? In his essay, “Lord Delvin and The Enforcement of Morals,” … Read more
This is part 2 of a two-part series assessing America’s infrastructural integrity and the outlying factors impeding policy change. Who is most directly to blame for the presently unsustainable, and pitiful, state of affairs? Congress is not guiltless. Aside from kicking the proverbial can down the road for decades and feeding into public skepticism with … Read more
(Dis)United Kingdom Cue the Union Jack and bring on the Jerusalem – it’s been one heck of a summer for British nationalism. With the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee kicking off the summer and the Olympic glow still lingering, patriotism has been at an all time high. Yet, behind this united front of cohesion and cookie-cutter images … Read more
This is Part 1 of a two-part series assessing America’s infrastructural integrity and the outlying factors impeding policy change. Although the Beltway has been abuzz about sequestration and the potential deep cuts to various federal programs on the horizon (among other topics of interest), one trend has remained consistently on the up and up for almost half a … Read more
With the electoral process complete and Mohamed Morsi established as Egypt’s first democratically elected president, it seems appropriate to look back on the journey that Egypt’s political scene has gone through in the last year and a half to gain a better perspective of where the country is headed in the near future. Going back … Read more
Six HPR writers analyze Mitt Romney’s recent choice of Paul Ryan as his running mate.
Updated August 14 at 12:42 p.m. Having heard the night before that Mitt Romney was going to announce his running mate Saturday morning in Norfolk, Va., I woke up very early to catch the latest punditry and find out who had been chosen. I quickly learned that Mitt Romney’s choice was Paul Ryan, the representative … Read more
Right around 1975, something very special happened: the Baby Boomer generation turned 18. They could finally vote, and the change in tone was immediate. The politics of the time shifted to meet a newer, more boisterous demographic, and the country began a new era. In their first election, the Boomers capitalized on a decade of … Read more
Hanne Blanke’s Straight – The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality, promised to be innovative and refreshing. While there are many books that attempt to explain the historical and societal perspectives of homosexuality, there have hardly been any works that try to map the development of the concept of heterosexuality and the prevalence of the heteronormative standard … Read more
The selection of Paul Ryan as the VP nominee epitomizes the problem of the Romney 2012 campaign. Romney has been running to the right since the primaries began, yet has failed to convince the electorate that he is not a “Massachusetts Moderate.” Regardless, he won the GOP nomination. This August, Romney has made the judgment … Read more