Humanities & Society

One of the nation’s most celebrated journalists, Carl Bernstein, will deliver the Elliot Stein Lecture in Ethics at 4 p.m. Thursday, October 23, in Graham Chapel. The Assembly Series lecture, titled “Public Ethics: The Responsibilities of Elected Officials,” is free and open to the public and is being co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Ethics and Human Values in Arts & Sciences.

Who can ignore this 500-pound gorilla?It’s a 500-pound gorilla that Robert Criss, Ph.D., professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, sees standing on the speaker’s dais at political rallies, debates and campaigns. Its name is population growth. “Population growth is driving all of our resource problems, including water and energy. The three are intertwined,” Criss says. “The United States has over 305 million people of the 6.7 billion on the planet. We are dividing a finite resource pie among a growing number of people on Earth. We cannot expect to sustain exponential population growth matched by increased per capita use of water and energy. It’s troubling. But politicians and religious leaders totally ignore the topic.”

The candidates might be different than at any other time in American history, but they’re positioning themselves very similar to previous presidential candidates, says Peter Kastor, Ph.D., history and American culture studies professor.

A confluence of changes in the health-care system are going to lead to a perfect storm that will make us realize our health-care system needs a major overhaul, says Timothy D. McBride, Ph.D., leading health economist and professor of social work.

Kastor”These are unprecedented candidates in an unusual election year, but what’s striking is how these candidates are positioning themselves and describing themselves in ways very similar to previous presidential candidates, and in ways that are very typical of their parties,” says Peter Kastor, Ph.D., history and American culture studies professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Kastor”These are unprecedented candidates in an unusual election year, but what’s striking is how these candidates are positioning themselves and describing themselves in ways very similar to previous presidential candidates, and in ways that are very typical of their parties,” says Peter Kastor, Ph.D., history and American culture studies professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

FazzariWUSTL economist Steven Fazzari, Ph.D., argues that we have now reached the “Minsky moment,” the time when an unsustainable financial boom turns to bust. “The serious consequences for employment and economic growth in this crisis can be mitigated, but not eliminated, by the defensive financial bailouts that the federal government has initiated,” Fazzari says.

Block”Emergency government bailouts of private industry are nothing new, but what makes the recent spate of so-called bailouts so extraordinary is simply the numbers involved and the extent of government involvement in ownership and management,” says Cheryl Block, leading federal budget expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “We absolutely need a better regulatory infrastructure to monitor and provide better early-warning signals, and to provide procedural mechanisms for responding to emergencies. It is troubling that weighty decisions are being made on an ad hoc basis behind closed doors. These decisions potentially involve not only substantial amounts of taxpayer money, but they also involve employment decisions regarding management of major business enterprises.”

Cancer death rates in the United States are highest among African Americans, but a new report shows that in Missouri the disparity in cancer incidence and death between African Americans and whites is declining. As a result, cancer incidence (the rate of newly diagnosed cases) between the races is equal, although the death rate will probably remain higher for African Americans for some time.

An array of panels, discussions, artistic expressions, lectures and other special events are taking place on the Danforth Campus throughout the presidential campaign season. To access the entire Election Programming calendar, visit any of the following Web sites: assemblyseries.wustl.edu, gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu, gpc.wustl.edu, and debate.wustl.edu.