USD Center for Ethics, Economics and Public Policy 2017-2018 Year in Review

2 0 17 – 18 Y E A R I N R E V I E W

CENTER FOR E TH ICS, ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY

UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO

BRINGING DIVERSE IDEAS

The University of San Diego pursues academic excellence in its teaching, learning and research to serve the local, national and international communities. With a Carnegie Classification of Doctoral/Research University, USD is ranked 86th among national universities by U.S. News & World Report.

University of San Diego USD sets the standard for an engaged, contemporary Catholic university where innovative Changemakers confront humanity’s urgent challenges. Founded in 1949

by Mother Rosalie Clifton Hill and Bishop Charles Francis Buddy, the College for Women, College for Men and the School of Law merged in 1972 to form the University of San Diego, a Catholic university governed by a lay board of trustees.

USD has earned the Ashoka U designation as a Changemaker Campus, one of only 40 universities to earn this distinction nationwide.

The Changemaker Campus designation and philosophy is strongly aligned with the university’s Catholic identity. Both reflect a deep conviction to develop ethical and responsible leaders committed to the common good who are empowered to engage a diverse and changing world.

The University of San Diego is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, and its professional schools are accredited by their respective professional bodies.

From the Director It has been an exciting and productive year at the University of San Diego’s Center for Ethics, Economics and Public Policy. We held two major debates attracting more than 500 undergraduate students, college professors and community members. We hosted a major conference on Happiness and Freedom that attracted more than 100 undergraduates who spent an entire day thinking deeply about the philosophical and economic foundations of a free society. We developed and implemented a new undergraduate curriculum in philosophy, politics and economics.

And we hired a new, tenure-track faculty member in the department of philosophy who will be bringing new energy and ideas to our center.

We’ve been busy. And we’re just getting started.

As Hayek noted, the building of a free society can and should be an “intellectual adventure.” Here at the center, we view it as both our responsibility and our privilege to help students take the first steps on that adventure — to educate them about the moral and economic ideas that are the intellectual foundation of freedom, to inspire them to pursue those ideas further and to guide them toward a career where they can use those ideas to make a real difference.

It is a rewarding, exciting and humbling role for us as educators, and we are honored and grateful for the support you have given us.

Matt Zwolinski, PhD

“We must make the building of a free society once more an intellectual adventure, a deed of courage.”

— Friedrich Hayek

“The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood.

Indeed, the world is ruled by little else.”

— John Maynard Keynes

A New Undergraduate Curriculum Visiting speakers and film screenings can expose students to ideas they haven’t encountered in the classroom. But for those ideas to really sink in, it takes repetition, reinforcement and serious critical thinking. That’s why one of our main goals at the center has been the development of a formal undergraduate course of study in philosophy, politics and economics.

Such a program would allow students to think about the philosophical and economic foundations of a free society not just for a few hours in the evening, but for hundreds of hours.

We’re very pleased to announce that starting this fall our new undergraduate minor in philosophy, politics and economics will become

a reality! This minor will provide students with the opportunity to explore the moral foundations of a market society, to think critically about how government should deal with problems like poverty and crime and to compare the ideas of Adam Smith and Karl Marx, all in a rigorous academic environment of free and open inquiry.

A New Professor We are thrilled to announce that a new faculty member will be joining us this fall as a tenure-track assistant professor of philosophy and affiliate of the center. Jonathan Anomaly, PhD, comes to the University of San Diego with a long record of successful program building.

At the University of Arizona, and previously at Duke University, Professor Anomaly was instrumental in developing and building student excitement for their undergraduate programs in philosophy, politics and economics. Along with Michael Munger, Geoffrey Brennan and Geoff

Sayre-McCord, he is the editor of the leading textbook in the field, published by Oxford University Press.

We can’t wait to see what his energy, experience and enthusiasm will do for us here at USD!

Promoting Open Debate This year at the Center for Ethics, Economics and Public Policy, we continued our series with two more exciting debates.

The first was on educational freedom and school choice, featuring Terry Moe of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and Harry Brighouse, a philosopher at the University of Wisconsin. The second

debate explored important issues surrounding threats to free speech on college campuses, featuring noted literary critic Stanley Fish and Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

Both of these debates explored important issues of public policy.

But just as importantly, they serve as a model for students of how reasonable, intelligent people can disagree strongly with each other while conducting themselves in a way that is civil, respectful and intellectually serious. That, we believe, is a lesson that is vital for the future of our democratic society.

Praise from President James Harris Our work at the center in promoting the free and open exchange of ideas has not gone unnoticed. The president of the University of San Diego, James Harris, expressed his appreciation for the work of the center and its role at a Catholic university committed to the pursuit of truth.

“At USD we’re committed to not merely promoting the diversity of ideas but understanding them. … The center brings people with different views together in a thoughtful, civil environment.”

— USD President James T. Harris

James T. Harris III, DEd University of San Diego President

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/QUOgLfHGC_E

Student Spotlight: Trinity Manning-Pickett One of our most important jobs at the center is identifying and nurturing talented students to prepare them for a career where their ideas can make a real difference in the world. Trinity Manning-Pickett first became acquainted with the center’s work as a student in Professor Zwolinski’s course, The Ethics and Economics of Wealth Creation. She stood out for her intelligence and passion for ideas at the intersection of philosophy and economics. She has become one of the center’s star students.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned during your time with the Center for Ethics, Economics and Public Policy?

One of the most important concepts I have learned at USD is the necessity to critically engage with people and their ideas. When I took a philosophy course with Dr. Zwolinski, I soon realized that while an expert may have a seemingly sound argument with all the relevant points addressed, there were often areas or varying perspectives pursued that enhanced, clarified or effectively contradicted the previous argument. Through this ongoing discourse, we collectively are able to attain a more thorough understanding of the world.

I personally observed this through the center’s debates on minimum wage and free speech, as well as its seminar on Happiness and the Free Society.

Distinguished experts in these fields debated with one another, each establishing and defending very good points, and provided the audience with a more comprehensive view of the issues.

What do you see as the value of studying philosophy and economics at a Catholic university like USD? As a Catholic, one of the great things I love and really value about the University of San Diego is that it provides ample opportunity for students to engage in many challenging topics and disciplines, while also providing Catholic theological and moral input. I have found that USD is not simply concerned about preparing successful students for the workforce, but also offers guidance on how to engage with a secular world while maintaining one’s Catholic identity.

The Center for Ethics, Economics and Public Policy is an excellent example of that guidance because it invites

students to engage with a diverse set of issues in a responsible and honorable manner. I think these challenges prepare us to be grateful and informed witnesses of our inherited world, and responsible stewards of the world we hold for future generations.

What are your plans for after graduation?

In Fall 2018, I am entering the Master of Science in Economics program

at Tufts University. After I complete that program, I plan to pursue a doctorate in economics. In my career, I intend to be a researcher in the fields of international economics and economic development, specifically for the purpose of analyzing the relationship between countries’ economies and histories. My goal is to contribute to the formation of policies directed toward improving standards of living and long-term economic growth.

Engaging Undergraduates Helping students at the University of San Diego to better understand the moral and economic dimensions of important public issues is at the core of our mission. Toward that end, we’ve moved beyond our signature debate series to produce a number of events throughout the academic year which focus on our undergraduate audience.

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“I left every event put on by the Center for Ethics, Economics and Public Policy with a better understanding of the various arguments and issues at stake, and consequently feel that I am better equipped to thoughtfully form or reevaluate my own views on each respective topic.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend these events during my time at USD!” — Logan Mack ’18

A screening of the film Poverty, Inc., which highlights the problems faced by big government foreign aid programs in combatting global poverty. Magatte Wade, a Senegalese entrepreneur who was featured in the film, talked with students about its core ideas.

A panel on President Trump’s tax reform, featuring faculty members from law, economics and political science, focused on how the new tax laws will affect individual families, economic growth and the distribution of wealth.

“It has been so helpful that the events that the center hosts integrate economics and public policy with ethics. This supplementation to my own discipline helps me develop a more well-rounded, informed consideration of public policy issues.”

— Clarissa Wolatz ’18

Spotlight: Happiness and Freedom On November 11, 2017 — a Saturday, mind you! — more than 100 undergraduate students from around Southern California came to the University of San Diego to spend the entire day learning about philosophy and economics. They came to USD for a conference sponsored by the Center for Ethics, Economics and Public Policy on Happiness and the Free Society.

Over the course of the day, students heard Mark LeBar lecture on Aristotle’s understanding of happiness, and how it involves more than the pursuit of short-term

pleasure but real meaning in life that can only come from morally virtuous living.

They heard Derek Yonai lecture on business in a free society, and how successful businesses run not on greed and exploitation but on relationship building and the production of value.

And they heard Deirdre McCloskey lecture about the rise of capitalism in the West, and the consequent rise in living standards along almost every measurable dimension over the last several hundred years.

Deirdre McCloskey

Students not only had the chance to interact with faculty members during the question and answer periods of their lecture, but also more informally during lunch and an evening reception.

It was a rare opportunity for students to let ideas sink in deep and make connections that would help them pursue those ideas more deeply in the future.

“This event provided an opportunity to meet and talk with brilliant professors in an environment that is not usually open to students.”

— Kate Arenchild, St. Mary’s College

“This was a refreshing perspective that changes my attitude toward business.”

— Alex McNichol, University of San Diego

“A mind-blowing day of discovery.

Thank you!”

— Susan Elliott, graduate of the University of Delaware

What’s Next The 2018-19 academic year is already shaping up to be a big one for the Center for Ethics, Economics and Public Policy.

Professor Anomaly will start teaching at USD in September, and students can begin taking courses in our new philosophy, politics and economics minor in the fall semester.

We already have an exciting debate lined up on the topic of gun control.

Join us on Tuesday, October 16, from 4 – 5:30 p.m. at the Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre. Save the date!

CENTER FOR ETHICS, ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY

Founders Hall, Room 167A 5998 Alcalรก Park San Diego, CA 92110-2492 (619) 260-4094 Email ceepp@sandiego.edu www.sandiego.edu/ceepp