Jessica Flanigan – författare

Prostitution is often referred to as "oldest profession." Critics of this expression redescribe it as "the oldest oppression." Debates about how best to understand and regulate prostitution are bound up with difficult moral, legal, and political questions. Indeed, it can be approached from numerous angles--is buying and selling sex fundamentally wrong? How can it possibly be regulated? How can sex workers be protected, if they are allowed to work at all? In this concise, for-and-against volume, ethicists Lori Watson and Jessica Flanigan engage with each other on the nature and consequences of sex work, revealing new and profound ways in which to understand it. The volume opens with a joint introduction, before Lori Watson first argues for a sex equality approach to prostitution in which buyers are criminalized and sellers are decriminalized, also known as the Nordic model. Watson defends the Nordic Model on the grounds that prostitution is an exploitative and unequal practice that only entrenches existing patterns of gendered injustice. Full decriminalization of prostitution only stymies existing occupational health and safety standards and securing worker autonomy and equality. Further, to Watson, drawing a distinction between sex trafficking and prostitution is irrelevant for public policy; what underpins them is demand, which fuels the inequalities of both. That is what needs to be addressed. In a rebuttal, Jessica Flanigan contends that sex work should be fully decriminalized because restrictions on the sale and purchase of sex violate the rights of sex workers and their clients. She argues that decriminalization is preferable to policies that could expose sex workers and their clients to criminal penalties, and leave them at the mercy of public officials. Putting these two views on sex work into conversation with one another, and opening up space for readers to weigh both approaches, the book provides a thorough, accessible exploration of the issues surrounding sex work, written with both sympathy and philosophical rigor.

If a competent adult refuses medical treatment, physicians and public officials must respect her decision. Coercive medical paternalism is a clear violation of the doctrine of informed consent, which protects patients' rights to make medical decisions even if a patient's choice endangers her health. The same reasons for rejecting medical paternalism in the doctor's office are also reasons to reject medical paternalism at the pharmacy, yet coercive medical paternalism persists in the form of premarket approval policies and prescription requirements for pharmaceuticals. In Pharmaceutical Freedom Jessica Flanigan defends patients' rights of self-medication. Flanigan argues that public officials should certify drugs instead of enforcing prohibitive pharmaceutical policies that disrespect people's rights to make intimate medical decisions and prevent patients from accessing potentially beneficial new therapies. This argument has revisionary implications for important and timely debates about medical paternalism, recreational drug legalization, human enhancement, prescription drug prices, physician assisted suicide, and pharmaceutical marketing. The need for reform is especially urgent as medical treatment becomes increasingly personalized and patients advocate for the right to try. The doctrine of informed consent revolutionized medicine in the twentieth century by empowering patients to make treatment decisions. Rights of self-medication are the next step.

Grammatical errors and orthographic mishaps are often played for laughs, but this subtle sanctioning by the sticklerocracy can have real social consequences too. Attention to prescriptive spelling and grammar rules is insidious and harmful.As Jessica Flanigan argues in Why It’s OK to Have Bad Spelling and Grammar, grammarianism often maintains hierarchies, entrenches the advantages of privileged groups, and imposes arbitrary barriers to knowledge production and innovation. For example, the stigmatization of bad spelling and grammar disadvantages linguistic minorities, non-native speakers, and people with disabilities. Spelling and grammar norms are also frequently arbitrary and unnecessary. The petty grammandos among us, who cling to pedantic linguistic conventions, are standing in the way of innovative forms of communication and efficient speech, such as the emoji ☺. For these reasons, Flanigan argues that bad spelling and grammar are OK. It’s time to break free from the tyranny of the grammilitia in the name of comprehension and creativity. As long as speakers and writers can effectively communicate to charitable listeners and readers, people shouldn’t care about bad spelling and grammar.Key FeaturesExplains why spelling tests and spelling bees are counterproductive in achieving literacy and better communicationEngages with the history of language policing and the brave anti-grammarian resistanceDescribes some of the key benefits of linguistic liberalismProposes a political agenda to resist the sticklerocracy and overthrow a world of word nerds

Grammatical errors and orthographic mishaps are often played for laughs, but this subtle sanctioning by the sticklerocracy can have real social consequences too. Attention to prescriptive spelling and grammar rules is insidious and harmful.As Jessica Flanigan argues in Why It’s OK to Have Bad Spelling and Grammar, grammarianism often maintains hierarchies, entrenches the advantages of privileged groups, and imposes arbitrary barriers to knowledge production and innovation. For example, the stigmatization of bad spelling and grammar disadvantages linguistic minorities, non-native speakers, and people with disabilities. Spelling and grammar norms are also frequently arbitrary and unnecessary. The petty grammandos among us, who cling to pedantic linguistic conventions, are standing in the way of innovative forms of communication and efficient speech, such as the emoji ☺. For these reasons, Flanigan argues that bad spelling and grammar are OK. It’s time to break free from the tyranny of the grammilitia in the name of comprehension and creativity. As long as speakers and writers can effectively communicate to charitable listeners and readers, people shouldn’t care about bad spelling and grammar.Key FeaturesExplains why spelling tests and spelling bees are counterproductive in achieving literacy and better communicationEngages with the history of language policing and the brave anti-grammarian resistanceDescribes some of the key benefits of linguistic liberalismProposes a political agenda to resist the sticklerocracy and overthrow a world of word nerds

Libertarianism: The Basics is an up-to-date and accessible introduction to libertarianism that breaks down abstract philosophical ideas in a fresh way.Flanigan and Freiman interweave a wide-ranging survey of different libertarian philosophical traditions, with a discussion of libertarian perspectives on various applied topics of contemporary interest. Chapters introduce readers to the major theoretical debates in libertarianism, illustrating these debates through real-world policy case studies that draw on contemporary issues concerning criminal justice reform, immigration policy, national security, the environment, and more.Ideal for teaching and appropriate for students at all levels, including high school, Libertarianism: The Basics will be the go-to text for anyone who is interested in learning more about political philosophy, applied ethics, philosophy, politics, economics, and public policy. The authors present arguments and ideas through a series of historical and contemporary cases, making the book suitable for all readers who want to learn about cutting-edge libertarian views on matters in both political philosophy and public policy.

Libertarianism: The Basics is an up-to-date and accessible introduction to libertarianism that breaks down abstract philosophical ideas in a fresh way.Flanigan and Freiman interweave a wide-ranging survey of different libertarian philosophical traditions, with a discussion of libertarian perspectives on various applied topics of contemporary interest. Chapters introduce readers to the major theoretical debates in libertarianism, illustrating these debates through real-world policy case studies that draw on contemporary issues concerning criminal justice reform, immigration policy, national security, the environment, and more.Ideal for teaching and appropriate for students at all levels, including high school, Libertarianism: The Basics will be the go-to text for anyone who is interested in learning more about political philosophy, applied ethics, philosophy, politics, economics, and public policy. The authors present arguments and ideas through a series of historical and contemporary cases, making the book suitable for all readers who want to learn about cutting-edge libertarian views on matters in both political philosophy and public policy.

Disability studies and human enhancement stand out as two emerging areas of research in medical ethics, prompting debates into ethical questions of identity, embodiment, discrimination, and accommodation, as well as questions concerning distributive justice and limitations on people’s medical rights.