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.