Public Philosophy

The Ambivalence of Resilience

This essay is dedicated to Peter Emmanuel Mara and Eds Abadam-Mara, my dear friends. Sending you love and strength. There is something discomfiting about referring...

The Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850: Law as a Tool of Oppression

On February 12, 1793, Congress passed the first Fugitive Slave Act entitled, “An act respecting fugitives from justice, and persons escaping from the service...

Can Critiques of ‘Speciesism’ be Disentangled from Ableism?

On November 4th 2020, The Guardian reported the proposed slaughter of 15-17 million mink in Denmark. 12 people had become infected with a novel...
a human figure sculpture near the church

Why Study Dead White Men?

It’s no secret that many revered and influential philosophers of the early and late modern periods were racists. They weren’t like many of the...

Why do reparations arguments fail? 

This post is based on material that was presented at a colloquium session on Reparations at the 2022 APA Central. Frigault’s talk was entitled...

How a Ghost in the Library Got Me a Job in the White House

When I was in graduate school, I worked in the gifts department of the university library. My job was to process, sort, and acknowledge...

Where the Hell have Us White Philosophers Been? The Need for Peace, Love, and...

This piece is dedicated to the memories and legacies of the late Charles Mills and Lonel Woods.  I miss you both dearly. “So now that...

Why Law

Law is not the only way to try and control behavior. Psychological manipulation, brute force, and managerial direction are other alternatives. The complaints about...

The Necessity of Guaranteed Housing

Louise, a woman of 42, lost her house in the divorce several years back. Having limited financial resources, she’s been sleeping often in her...
shapes of hands and a scythe

Unnatural Bodies: Disability as Metaphysical Threat

When, in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, a group of eighteen German physicians who participated in the killing of more than fifty...