Talmudic Perspectives on Today’s Policies
Talmudic Perspectives on Today’s Policies
Prison, Wealth, Drug Pricing, and Guns
This is a self guided study course that consists of four lessons about issues that are prominent in the contemporary policy debate.
Lesson 1 addresses the current state of incarceration in the U.S. and asks what our guiding purpose in punishing criminals should be and whether incarceration is always the best way to achieve this goal.
Lesson 2 addresses the issue of income inequality and asks whether the Torah has a moral objection to the accumulation of great wealth.
Lesson 3 addresses the problem of the high cost of many lifesaving medications and asks whether we can strike a better balance between incentivizing private investment in new drug development and increasing drug availability for the public.
Lesson 4 tackles the question of gun control and explores Torah’s attitude toward weapons and its stance on sale restrictions.
Lesson 1: Criminal Justice: What’s the Point in Punishing Criminals, and Is Incarceration Achieving It?
A quick glance at the statistics suggests an uncomfortable truth: modern-day societies imprison people at a rate unparalleled, and indeed unimaginable, in past times. Why is this so? Why do we lock people up, and what do we hope to achieve in doing so? Does the purpose of prison always outweigh the cons of conviction? What light can Jewish values shed on this much-debated issue?
Lesson 2: Income Inequality: Moral Outrage or Basic Economics?
The top one percent in the U.S. earns almost 40 times more than the bottom 90 percent, and income inequality has been steadily growing for the past 30 years. Is the wide earnings gap a moral problem that government policy must seek to bridge, or is it a perfectly moral and natural feature of the free market economy? What Jewish values should we consider when weighing in on this issue? And what implications may this topic have for our personal lives?
Lesson 3: Deadly Profits: Big Pharma, Drug Patents, and the Soaring Cost to Live
The costs of many critical medications are skyrocketing. Many cannot afford to fill their prescriptions for lifesaving drugs. Is it right for drug companies to hold patents on lifesaving medications? Is it ethical for them to maintain monopolies and charge whatever they wish? Should we allow generics to enter the market earlier, in order to drive down prices? What do Jewish law and values have to say on this dilemma?
Lesson 4: To Bear or Not to Bear: The Gun Debate
The stories in the newspapers are heartbreaking and gut-wrenching. Another person came with firearms and starting shooting at people. In a movie theater, a classroom, the workplace—it was the same horrific scene. What are we supposed to do about gun violence? Should we seek to change permissive gun laws? Should we alter restrictive gun laws? How do we balance competing interests? Should we let the evil of the few result in a restriction of freedom for the many? What teachings from the Torah are relevant to this topic, and how might they shape the discussion?
| Weight | 0.2 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 8.5 × 11 × 0.2 in |
| Audience | Campus Shluchim Offerings |
| Department | Other |
| Lessons | 4 |
Talmudic Perspectives on Today’s Policies - Self Guided Student Book
| Weight | 0.9 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 8.5 × 11 × 0.2 in |
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