As a humanist I believe in the equal worth of all human beings.  My humanist sentiments open my eyes to the problem of global poverty, the pervasiveness of patriarchy and the dangers of extremism.

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An idealist is one who aspires to bring about a better state-of-affairs than those realized in the status quo.

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As a political theorist who works on issues that intersect the biological sciences and medicine, I frequently get puzzled looks when I tell students and colleagues I am working on aging and longevity science.  Their puzzlement is understandable, as these topics do not currently receive much attention in the discipline.

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There are many different ways to arrive at a list of the top priorities a society should set for itself.  One could set priorities based on the intuitions or “gut instincts” people happen to have at any given time.  Or, alternatively, one could base priorities on the empirical data we have concerning what harms individuals and societies and what the magnitude of the benefits of mitigating such harms would be.  I prefer the latter approach.

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