Category Archives: Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Focus on research: Can Plato help us pick the next president?

Leave a comment

By Sarah Clark Miller

Editor’s note: This column originally appeared on Penn State News through a partnership between the Rock Ethics Institute and Penn State Today. You are invited to ask a question by filling out and submitting this form. An archive of the columns can be found on the Rock Ethics Institute website. 

Question: What can the power of invisibility teach us about the role of ethical leadership in contemporary democracy?

An ethicist responds: Caucus season is here. In picking the next president, how do we choose the best candidate? Common criteria include candidates’ takes on specific issues, their ability to serve as commander in chief, and how we imagine they would navigate delicate international imbroglios. It is telling that we are less likely to consult a crucial set of concerns regarding whether candidates would lead in a manner that is just, virtuous, and compassionate.

Enter one of the oldest philosophical thought experiments, Plato’s Ring of Gyges, a tale about a shepherd who finds a magic ring that grants him the power of invisibility when he turns the bezel toward his palm. Imagine the possibilities. If you found a ring of invisibility, how would you use it? For good? For evil? To promote justice? For personal gain? To play amusing pranks on unsuspecting colleagues?  Continue reading Focus on research: Can Plato help us pick the next president? →

Health & Medicine, Society & Culture

The House of Cards characters have terrible sleep habits

Leave a comment

By Jordan Gaines Lewis

Editor’s note: As Sleep Awareness Week is upon us, (March 6-13, 2016), and the release of the fourth season of House of Cards was Friday, (March 4, 2016), we are republishing the following article, which originally appeared on The Conversation on March 5, 2015.

Please be aware, this article contains spoilers from season three of House of Cards.

It’s entirely possible that I’ve been staying up too late this week. After leaving the lab at the end of the day, I’ll head home to binge on the political drama House of Cards, the third season of which has been dumped onto our Netflix queues.

Simultaneously, the National Sleep Foundation is sponsoring Sleep Awareness Week from March 2nd to 8th, which makes me feel guilty for how poor my sleep hygiene has been lately. But perhaps I shouldn’t be too hard on myself – after all, I’m not the leader of the free world who needs to make rational, clear-headed decisions about my country on a daily basis.

Since the first episode of the show, I’ve been pretty appalled by the Underwoods’ poor sleep habits. So here are three simple sleep hygiene rules that Frank and his wife Claire would be wise to follow.  Continue reading The House of Cards characters have terrible sleep habits →

Health & Medicine, Science & Technology, Society & Culture

Fear itself: Disease outbreak reports could cause health problems

Leave a comment

“There is evidence that fear of disaster or disease can bring about coronary heart disease, a weakened immune system, and psychological distress,” says James Dillard. “In the case of Zika, women of child-bearing age who are attentive to media coverage might be particularly vulnerable to the type of fear that can have health repercussions.”

Aedes aegypti , one of the transmitters Zika virus. Wikimedia Commons
Aedes aegypti , one of the transmitters Zika virus. Wikimedia Commons

Less than two years after the Ebola scare spread through the country, the threat of a Zika virus outbreak is starting to frighten Americans, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

The fear of these diseases, however, may end up affecting more people’s health and causing more disruption to society than the diseases themselves, said James Dillard, professor of communication arts and sciences.  Continue reading Fear itself: Disease outbreak reports could cause health problems →

Society & Culture

Probing question: Is it legal to bar immigrants based on religion?

Video Leave a comment

We are proud to introduce a new series: our popular Probing Question feature in the form of a video.

In the first episode (above), Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, founding director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Penn State Law, addresses one of the most intensely debated political issues this year: the proposal to restrict immigrants to the U.S. based on their religion.

In each episode, we ask one of our faculty members to share his or her expertise on the question of the day, which could involve anything from a pressing global issue to a popular object of curiosity. Please email series producer Melissa Beattie-Moss at mbmoss@psu.edu with ideas, comments, and questions.

Earth & Environment, Society & Culture

Parks prompt more unity in the community

Leave a comment
National Recreation and Parks Association
National Recreation and Parks Association

As spring approaches, many thoughts turn toward warmer weather and outdoor activities. And at the same time we are smack in the middle of the 2016 presidential election season — where so many issues seem to be divided along party lines. But in a recent Penn State study, researchers found that Americans overwhelmingly support local parks regardless of political affiliation.  Continue reading Parks prompt more unity in the community →