Please join WVU's Speculation Academy and THE QUESTION for a discussion of this question. WVU College of Law Professor Amy Cyphert will guide us on March 29, 2019 from 4-5pm in the Betty Boyd Lounge of E. Moore Hall.

When you imagine an ideally diverse and inclusive university, what do you see?  How does it feel to be a part of that community? What makes it a better place to learn, teach, create, and live?  What are some of the features an ideally diverse and inclusive university?  What can we do, right now, to get there?

Why is it that ignorance sometimes excuses morally wrong behavior but sometimes doesn't? How might the fact that some ignorance is culpable and some is non-culpable bear upon this question? Does all non-culpable ignorance serve as a legitimate excuse? When is an agent culpable for being ignorant? 

*How does poetry inspire respectful public conversation about issues on which people passionately disagree?

*What are some poems or songs that have inspired respectful public discourse on contentious issues and/or inspired positive social change?

Is a person who is aware of sexual harassment or other kinds of abuse an accomplice if they do nothing to help?  

How does taking a photo, or viewing a photo, shape your viewpoint, your memories of the past, and your experience of the present?  

How Does Mass Communication Ignite a Reformation? The Luther 500 Edition

This year marks the 500-year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.  How did the ideas of a simple German monk, Martin Luther (1483-1546), ignite a successful revolution in 1517 that forever changed Christianity, publishing, mass-communication, and education?

In the United States, over two million people are in prison.  Many people in our prisons are incarcerated for non-violent crimes.  What is the impact of mass incarceration on prisoners, their families, and our communities?  Is mass incarceration in conflict with a humane and decent society?  Or, is it required to preserve peace and justice?

     Are psychopaths morally responsible for their actions?  Many philosophers think that in order to be held morally responsible, one must possess an understanding of the moral impact of one's actions and have the capacity to engage in moral reasoning.  Psychopaths lack the capacity to feel emotions such as empathy, guilt, and remorse.  Do these defects prevent them from understanding morality?  Do these defects make them incapable of engaging in moral reasoning?  Are they off the moral hook?