Thursday 9/21 we students got to hear from James Stacey Taylor about how buying and selling things may or may not devalue their value or impact social behaviors. In this our first BFCGI speaker for the fall 2023 speaker series, Taylor used examples of sex, blood plasma, and honor societies, among other examples. In the case of paying for blood, Taylor is of the view that it is actually better than having people voluntarily give it. In partial support for that claim, he pointed out that the US provides 80% of the world’s blood plasma, and they are one of the very few countries who allow people to be paid to donate plasma. Paying helps bring more plasma to those who need it. In other cases, such as paying to get a Nobel prize or to get into an honor society, paying for such things seems to undermine their value altogether.

James Stacey Taylor is a Professor of Philosophy at The College of New Jersey. He holds an MA (Hons) and an MLitt from St Andrews University, and an MA and a PhD from Bowling Green State University.

He is the author of five books, Stakes and Kidneys: Why markets in human body parts are morally imperative (Ashgate Publishing, 2005/New York: Routledge, 2017), Practical Autonomy and Bioethics (New York: Routledge, 2009), Death, Posthumous Harm, and Bioethics (New York: Routledge, 2012); Markets with Limits: How the commodification of academia derails debate (New York: Routledge 2022), and Bloody Bioethics: Why Prohibiting Plasma Compensation Harms Patients and Wrongs Donors (New York: Routledge, 2022).

He also is the editor of two major collections of original essays by prominent philosophers: Personal Autonomy: New essays (Cambridge University Press, 2005) and Death: Metaphysics and Ethics (Oxford University Press, 2013).

He is also the author of 100 journal articles and book chapters, in venues such as Social Philosophy & Policy, American Philosophical Quarterly, Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, Journal of Applied Philosophy, and Public Affairs Quarterly.

He is currently working on a book exploring the ontological and moral limits of markets.

He has authored numerous Op-Eds for publications such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Daily News, USA Today. His award-winning Op-Ed for the Los Angeles Times was credited with influencing the ruling of the 6th District Court circuit that led to the legalization of payment for bone marrow. He is an occasional contributor to The Times Higher Education.

He lives with his wife and daughter on a small working farm in rural New Jersey.

We are very excited about our BFCGI speakers for this fall. (both will be in Harper Union Pacific Room)

On Thursday 6pm September 21 James Stacey Taylor will be presenting a talk on markets and morality in the Harper Center Union Pacific Room. Taylor teaches at the College of New Jersey and is the author of 5 books: Markets with Limits: How the commodification of academia derails debate (New York: Routledge 2022), and Bloody Bioethics: Why Prohibiting Plasma Compensation Harms Patients and Wrongs Donors (New York: Routledge, 2022), Stakes and Kidneys: Why markets in human body parts are morally imperative (Ashgate Publishing, 2005/New York: Routledge, 2017); Death, Posthumous Harm, and Bioethics (New York: Routledge, 2012), Practical Autonomy and Bioethics (New York: Routledge, 2009). The talk will be at 6pm in the Harper Center. He has authored numerous Op-Eds for publications such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Daily News, USA Today. His award-winning Op-Ed for the Los Angeles Times was credited with influencing the ruling of the 6th District Court circuit that led to the legalization of payment for bone marrow. He is an occasional contributor to The Times Higher Education.

At 6pm September 28, Santiago Meija, Business Ethicist from Fordham University, will be making a presentation on “Corporate Ownership and the Common Good” in the Union Pacific Room at the Harper Center. Of the 3 most-downloaded articles from Business Ethics Quarterly in 2022, Meija wrote 2 of them. Some of his most recent articles include:

• Santiago Mejia. (2023). “The Normative and Cultural Dimension of Work: Technological Unemployment as a Cultural Threat to a Meaningful Life.” In: Journal of Business Ethics. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-023-05340-0
• Santiago Mejia and Joshua A. Skorburg (2022). “Malleable Character: Organizational Behavior Meets Virtue Ethics and Situationism.” In: Philosophical Studies. 179.12 pp. 3535–3563.
• Santiago Mejia and Dominique Nikolaidis (2022). “Through New Eyes: Artificial Intelligence, Technological Unemployment, and Transhumanism in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun.” In: Journal of Business Ethics, 178.1, pp 303-306.
• Santiago Mejia (2022). “Socratic Ignorance and Business Ethics.” In: Journal of Business Ethics, 175.3 pp. 537–553.
• Santiago Mejia (2021). “Which Duties of Beneficence Should Agents Discharge on Behalf of Principals? a Reflection Through Shareholder Primacy.” In: Business Ethics Quarterly, 31.3 pp. 421–449.
• Santiago Mejia (2021). “The Peculiar Nature of the Duty to Help During a Pandemic.” Business Ethics Journal Review 9.2, pp 8–13.

Two of our Institute colleagues have exciting new opportunities to pursue. While we will miss them and their impact at Creighton, we know they will have a powerful impact in their fields in their new positions. David McPherson is heading to the University of Florida (Gainesville) where he will be teaching in a new great books program and college within the University which he will help get started. Christina is leaving to go to Boston College, a fellow-Jesuit school, where she will be a member of the theology department. This will be a great loss to Creighton, but a wonderful support for the common good, because they will be able to advance thoughtful work from a higher profile in their new positions! We wish them all the best, and pray for good things for their futures!

Andy Gustafson was interviewed by Nathan Beacom, executive director of the Lyceum Movement in Des Moines. You can listen here.

The Lyceum Movement calls itself “A School for Community Life” and they put on public events and panels to help people come together and talk about life. Their mission statement is:

“Our mission is to build meaningful communities by providing a space for neighbors to learn together in friendship. The Lyceum offers classes, events, and a shared space to explore great ideas, great deeds, great art, and the questions that affect our life together. In so doing, it seeks to shape citizens and communities well-formed in self-government for the common good.”

This week Carson Young will come to Creighton to present on the topic of what business firms owe their stockholders. It should be a thoughtful and provocative talk. All are welcome!

This week BFCGI is helping bring to campus two different speakers. First, Tony Annett will speak about his new book Cathonomics Tuesday night at 7pm in the Harper Center. Annett worked for the IMF for nearly 15 years, before moving to Columbia U and eventually Fordham, where he teaches economics. Second, renown Frank Knight scholar Ross Emmett will be presenting a public talk on the issue of “Entrepreneurship and Faith” Thursday at 6pm in the UP room at the Harper Center.

The 2022 Fall BFCGI speaker series started off with a great panel discussion consisting of Katie Bruno (CU ’14) who is a partner at , Morgan Meyers of NBC in Lincoln NE, and Jeff Hitt, who has an Edward Jones office in Papillion. Gustafson led the discussion, which ranged from the importance of fiduciary responsibility and transparency to the role of counselor which financial advisors tend to play as they help people work through and think through important life issues. Financial advising is about a whole lot more than simply helping clients increase their wealth!