Posts by Tal Fortgang '17

There is a phrase that floats around college campuses, Princeton being no exception, that threatens to strike down opinions without regard for their merits, but rather solely on the basis of the person that voiced them. “Check your privilege,” the saying goes, and I have been reprimanded by it several times this year. The phrase,…

When the Wall Street Journal published an article titled “The Shame of Princeton,” I knew something was wrong. But it was only upon hearing Professor Emeritus Richard Falk deliver the 11th Edward Said Memorial Lecture that I realized just how harmful the words of a “respected” academic can be. On February 18, Falk spoke about…

In debates over controversial social issues, liberals often invoke a version of what philosophers call the harm principle. It goes like this: Adults should be legally permitted to do whatever they desire provided that they do not harm themselves or any other parties without the consent of all parties involved. The harm principle justified practices…