Jessica Flanigan

Books

2025 Why It's OK To Have Bad Spelling and Grammar  

2019 Debating Sex Work   (with Lori Watson)

2017 Pharmaceutical Freedom  

Books in Progress 

under contract The Ethics of Expecting  

under contract Libertarianism, the Basics  (with Chris Freiman)

Edited Volumes

under contract The Philosophy of Taylor Swift   (with Ryan Davis and Lindsay Brainard) 

2017 The Ethics of Ability and Enhancement   (with Terry Price) 

Refereed Articles 

forthcoming “Political Ideology and Public Health” 

2024 “Putting Wilt Chamberlain Back in the Game (with Chris Freiman) 

2024 “Public Reason Illiberalism and Ideology” (with Jason Brennan and Chris Freiman) 

2022 "Wealth Without Limits" (With Chris Freiman) 

2022 "Social Equality as an Institutional Ideal" 

2021 “Speech and Campus Inclusivity” (with Alec Greven) 

2020 “The Ethics of Prenatal Injury” 

2020 “Drug War Reparations” (with Chris Freiman) 

2020   "Boundary Problems and Self Ownership" 

2018         "Duty and Enforcement" 

2017         "All Liberty is Basic" 

2017         "Philosophical Methodology and Leadership Ethics"

2016         "Sweatshop Regulations and Workers' Choices" 

2016         "Rethinking Freedom of Contract" 

2016         "Seat Belt Mandates and Paternalism" 

2015         "Obstetric Autonomy and Informed Consent" 

2014         “A Defense of Compulsory Vaccination” 

2014         "Non-culpable ignorance and HIV Criminalisation" 

2013         “Public Bioethics” 

2013         “Inequality and Markets in Bodily Services” 

2013         “Charisma and Moral Reasoning” 

2013         “Economic Freedom and the ACA” 

2013         “Adderall for All: A Defense of Pediatric Neuroenhancement” 

2012         “Three Arguments Against Prescription Requirements” 

Chapters and Essays

2024 “Evading and Aiding: The Moral Case Against Paying Taxes” (with Jason Brennan and Chris Freiman)

2023 “Prohibition and Pandemic Risks” 

2023 “Credibility and the Standpoint Expectation” 

2022 “Anarchism and Redistribution” 

2022 “Revisiting Pharmaceutical Freedom” 

2022 “Leaderless Work and Workplace Participation” 

2022 “Public Health and Healthcare Policy” 

2021 “Deception and Sexual Harassment” 

2021 “The Case for Decriminalizing Sex Work” 

2020 “The Rawlsian Mirror of Justice” 

2020 "Ethical failure and leadership – treatment and selection” 

2019         "An Anarchist Defense of the Basic Income 

2018         Coercion and Privatization

2017         Libertarianism and Medicine 

2017        "Kantian Ethics, Wellbeing, and Disability"

2016        Patient-Driven Drug Development          

2016        “Double Standards and Arguments for Tobacco Regulation” 

2015        "The Ethics of Authentic Leadership"

2015        "Can Social Costs Justify Public HealthPaternalism?"  

2014        "Employers Rights and the ACA 

2014        “The Perils of Public Health Regulation” Society 

2013        “Commentary: An Argument for Permitting Amphetamines and Instant Release Methylphenidate” 

2013       “Commentary: Refusal Rights, Law, and Medical Paternalism in Turkey” 

2012       “Prescription requirements: a reply to Taylor, Martin and Eyal” 

Reviews

2016          “Review: Values and Vaccine Refusal” 

2015          “Review Essay: What Money Can’t Buy” 

2014          “Review Essay: Our Bodies Whose Property?” 

Collaborative Scholarship 

2021 "The place of philosophy in bioethics today." 

2021 "Racial justice requires ending the war on drugs." 

Encyclopedia Entries 

2024   “Ethical Leadership” The Sage Encyclopedia of Leadership Studies

2024 “Moral Risk” The Sage Encyclopedia of Leadership Studies

Scheduled 

Jan 28 "Political Equality and Household Labor" Wabash College

Mar 29 "Political Equality and Gendered Labor" Rhodes College 

Apr 16 "The Purpose Project" Pacific APA

Recent

Nov 15 "Sports Socialism" PPE, New Orleans 

Oct. 18: “Animal Offsets” Duke University

Oct 26: "Reciprocity and Regulation" APHA

Oct 29: "The Ethics of Wealth Inequality" Davidson University 

"Who Wants to be a Trillionaire" Harvard University 

"Animal Offsets" Harvard University 

"The Ethics of Drug Development" University of Richmond Faculty Research Symposium 

“Rethinking Chronic Pain” University of Buffalo

"Pharmaceutical Freedom" Vitalia

“Pounds of Prevention” University of Toronto 

“Measuring the Mission” University of Arizona 

Disability and Personal Identity University of Richmond Disability Justice Symposium 

“Capitalism and Christian Motherhood” BYU 

“Child Labor and Compulsory Education” Central APA 

"Mere Adequacy and Motherhood" PPE Working Group

"Children and Sweatshops" PPE Society 2023

"Animal Offsets" PPE Society 2023

Courses 

• Ethical Decision Making in Health Care                          

• Leadership Ethics

  • The Purpose Project (2022-present)

  • Course Development Grant: Templeton Foundation (2023)

• Leadership Ethics Applies In the Field (LEAF) (2023-present) 

  • Public Speaking and Ethics Bowl 

  • Course Development Grant: Institute for Citizens and Scholars (2023)

  • Course Development Grant: UR Democracy and Disagreement Initiative (2023)

• Critical Thinking

  • Jepson Philanthropy Institute (2015)

  • Argument Mapping (2018, 2019) 

Other Teaching

• Science Scholars: Faculty Coordinator 2016-2020 and 2022-2024

• Gary McDowell Institute: Faculty Discussion Leader 2022-present  

Undergraduate Advising  

• Senior Honors Thesis Advisor

  • Freedom of Speech (2020-2021)

  • The Ethics of K-12 Education (2018-2019)

  • The Ethics of Higher Education (2016-2017)

  • Environmental and Business Ethics (2015-2016)

  • Medical Ethics (2013-2014)                               

  • Public Health Ethics (2012-2013)

• Independent Research Advisor

  • Research Assistant Advisor (1x) 

  • Independent Study Advisor (7x)

  • Summer Research Advisor (2x)

Graduate Student Mentorship 

• Graduate student mentorship 

  • Institute for Liberal Studies (Philosophy advisor) 2022-2023

  • Institute for Humane Studies 2021-2022

• External Ph.D. Reader

  • Tena Thau (Oxford University, DPhill in Philosophy) 

  • Malia Dalesandry (George Mason University, Schar School of Policy and Government)   

Awards and Recognition  

• Distinguished Educator Award (2020)

• UR Last Lecture (2017) 

• ODK UR Faculty Member of the Year (2017)

• Student Awards Ceremony Recognition for Mentorship (2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2024)

• Westhampton College Recognition for Mentorship (2x) (2017)

• ODK Recognition for Teaching and Mentorship (2013, 2016)

• Senior Banquet Invited Speaker (2015, 2017)

• Scholar-Athlete Recognition for Mentorship (2015)

Advising

• I regularly advise Jepson Senior Honors Thesis projects.

• I am an academic advisor for Jepson and PPEL students  

• I also advise and mentor graduate students. If you are an early-career scholar please feel free to contact me to talk about your work! 

Ethics Bowl

• I coached the Jepson Ethics Bowl teams in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2023.  In addition to competing in their regions, four teams were semifinalists, and three teams participated in the APPE National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl competition.  

Pedagogy 

• WGSS Feminist Pedagogy Workshop 

• LGBTQIA Safe-Zone Certification   

• Jepson Philanthropy Institute (Resources for teaching Critical Thinking through effective altruism) 

• The Open Inquiry Toolkit (2020, created with Alec Greven)  

Philosophy for Kids

Strange stories about big ideas 

Philoswiftie

Taylor Swift- Philosophized 

Public Lectures 

• "Meaning, Morality, and Regret" ODK Last Lecture 

• "Pharmaceutical Freedom" Hayek Lecture at Duke University 

UR Ethics Fellow

Public ethics programming at UR

Jepson Forum Coordinator 

Masculinity in a Changing World

“The Fix: Health, Science, and the Future”

Bylines

• “Why Taylor Swift Songs are Philosophy” The Conversation, 2014

  • Reprinted in 35 outlets, including Fast Company, Miami Herald,The Houston Chronicle, and SF Gate

• Taylor Swift vs. Bob Dylan Daily Nous, 2023

• Russian Sanctions: The Helpful, the Harmful, and the Pointless (with Chris Freiman) Reason, March 2022

• The Secret To Vaccinating Children: Off-Label Vaccinations Reason, September 2021

• “The Ethics of Human Challenge Trials” Cato Unbound. Lead essay and two responses, March 2021 

• “DIY Vaccines and Citizen Science” The Benchmark, 2020

• "The Case Against Voting for Charisma" The Conversation, 2019

• Beyond the Fight for $15" The Benchmark, 2019

• “The Feminist Case for a Universal Basic Income" Slate Magazine, January 2018

• "Libertarianism and Medicine" The Washington Post, 2017

• "The Ethics of Self-Medication” Cato Unbound. 

  • • • • • • Lead essay and two responses (1, 2), July 2017

• “Politics and Anarchist Ideals” Center for a Stateless Society Mutual Exchange, June 2017

• “Relational Egalitarianism and Politics” Pea Soup, March 2017

  • • • • • • Pea Soup Ideas Award: First Place, Political Philosophy  

• “Why Sex Work Should Be Legal” Learn Liberty, March 2017.

• “Whose Autonomy? Risk & The Politics of Vaccination” The Critique: Vaccines Belief & Autonomy; September 2015.

• “A Feminist Libertarian Dilemma”   Australian Broadcasting Corporation, March 2012

• Bleeding Heart Libertarians   Contributing writer

Conversations

• Conversation with Tyler Cowen

• Conversation with Peter Singer

• Conversation with James Hamblin

• Conversation with Wendy Chung 

Podcasts and Video

• The Religious Imagery of Taylor Swift,  Billionaire Debate, Eras, & Dave Chappelle, Auxoro, 2024

• “Does Taylor Swift Deserve Her Billion Dollar Fortune?” Open to Debate, 2024 

  • Featured in Fast Company 

• “The Next Trillionaire” Scripps News Live, 2024 

• “Libertarianism” Practicing Health Equity 2023 

• “The Curious Case of Male Birth Control” Value Judgments 2023

• “The Ethics of Parenting” Microdigressions with Spencer Case 2022 

• “The Case Against the FDA” Stranded Technologies Podcast 

• “The Ethics of Academia” The Ethics of Academia Podcast 

• “The Ethics of Sex Work” Listen and Think Podcast 2021

• “Gattaca” Pop and Locke Podcast  

• Cato Daily Podcast "Pharmaceutical Freedom" 

• Society and the State "Why you should be able to get the drugs you need." 

• Free Thoughts "Pharmaceutical Freedom" 

• Rationally Speaking, "Why people should have the right to self-medicate." 

• The Rubin Report "Medical Ethics, Health Care, and Sex Work" 

Interviews

• NPR "“Bioethicist on Libertarian Views Toward Face Mask Laws” All Things Considered, 2020

• Quartz "The case for prescribing Adderall to kids who don't have ADD" 2017 

• Trouw "We have a right to self-medication" (Dutch) 2014

Influence

• When Dying Patients Want Unproven Drugs The New Yorker (2023) 

• Tax Legal Weed and Give the Money to Drug War Victims Daily Beast (2022)

• Arizona Expands the Right To Try New Medical Treatments Reason (2022)

• Flu Is Making A Comeback. Here’s What We Can Do About It Cato (2022)

• More Anti-Opioid Tripe. This Time From Forbes - And Stanford ACSH (2022)

• Opinion: Greg Abbott's vaccine demagoguery: Welcome to 'lethal partisanship' The Washington Post 2021

• Opponents of COVID-19 vaccine mandates have a curious definition of 'freedom' HuffPost  2021 

• What happens when vaccine incentives aren't enough? Bloomberg 2021

• Why Some Libertarians Support Vaccine Mandates VOA (2021)

• Freedom of Contract in Bloomberg Opinion  (2019)

• Charisma in Bloomberg  (2019)

• Consumers' rights in Bloomberg (2019)

• Drug policy in the McGill Tribune (2019)

• Basic Income in the Green European Journal (2019)

• Self-medication in Bloomberg Law (2019) 

• EpiPen pricing, Winston-Salem Journal (2016) 

• The EpiPen dilemma, WBFJ (2016) 

• Josh Hardy and experimental drugs, WRIC (2014).

• Basic Income in the NYT (2013)

• Pharmaceutical regulation and conflicts of interest, WRIC (2013).

• Genetic diagnosis of disease, WRIC (2013).

Reports

• Policy Brief: Scope of Practice Reform, The Center for Growth and Opportunity, 2021

• Report: Public Health and Ideology,  UK Faculty of Public Health, 2022 

Community Health Leadership Workshop (here)

Talks and Consulting

• "Comments on Drug Importation" Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources 

• “Moral Urgency and Self-Medication” Vitalia @ Prospera (2024) 

• 1DaySooner Invited Speaker (2023) 

• Public Health Ethics and Law Event, London Public Health Registrars and the FPH (2023)

• “Economic Freedom, Autonomy, and Challenge Trials”  1 Day Sooner (2023) 

• “The Case for Legalizing all Drugs” ILS Freedom Week (2022)

• “Pharmaceutical Freedom” The Fraser Institute (2022)

• “What is Neoliberalism?” Institute for Liberal Studies (2021)

• “Defending our Right to Test—At Home Testing” Cato Institute (2021)

• “The Case for Legalizing all Drugs” ILS Freedom Week (2020)

• “COVID-19 and the Right to Test” Cato Institute (2020)

• “Freedom of Expression at UR” Richmond Rotary Club (2020)

• “Emancipation Workshop” Mercatus Center (2020)

• “Why we should decriminalize sex work” The Fraser Institute (2019)

• “Pharmaceutical Freedom” State Health Policy Summit, Dallas, TX (2019)

• “Pharmaceutical Freedom” Cato Institute Health Care University (2019)

• “Market Feminism: A Defense” Southern Methodist University, O'Neill Institute (2018)

• “The Case for Off-Label Drug Marketing” Cato Institute (2018)

• “Tobacco Control Ethics Meeting” Georgetown Law School (2018)

• “Pharmaceutical Freedom” Mercatus Center (2017)

• Ethics Champions Program- Trinity Health Systems (2017) 

• “Pharmaceutical Freedom” Cato Institute (2017)

• Vox Conversations, Vox.com (2016)

• “Responsibility and Regulation” Inspire2Live Annual Meeting (2015)

• “The Perils of Public Health Regulation” Manhattan Institute (2013)

• Riverside PACE—Elder care consulting (2012-2013)

Jepson School of Leadership Studies- University of Richmond

• Academic Affairs Committee (2012-2014) (2023-present) 

• Faculty Mentor (2022-present) 

• Undergraduate advisor (2012-present)

• General Education Applications (2023) 

• Jepson Forum: Speaker series coordinator (2015-2016) (2023-2024)

• Scholarship Committee (2016-2020) (2022-2023)

• Science Leadership Scholars advisor (2016-2020) (2022-2024)

• URISE and admissions presentations (2016-present)

• Search Committee, Social Science (2019-2020)

• Ethics Bowl Coach: Regional and national competitions (2013-2019)(2023)

• Jepson Colloquium: Conference coordinator (2015-2016)  

• Search Committee Co-chair, Philosophy (2017-2018)

• Search Committee, Social Sciences (2015-2016)

• Curriculum Assessment Committee (2015)

• Student Affairs/Admissions Committee (2014)

Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law- University of Richmond

• PPEL Undergraduate Advisor (2016-present)

• PPEL Advisory Committee (2014-present)

• Search Committee, Philosophy (2016-2017)

• Healthcare speaker series coordinator (2013-2014)

University of Richmond

• Gary McDowell Institute student discussion leader (2022-present) 

• PEIC General Education Cohort (2023-present)

• Faculty Technology Committee (2022-present)

• Sustainability Committee (2017-2018) (2022-present) 

• Health Professions Advisory Committee (2016-2019) (2021-2023)

• University Ethics Fellow (2018-2019)(2022-2023)

• RSO Student Leadership Training (2023) 

• Health Studies Advisory Committee (2014-2022)

• Deans Review Committee- RSB (2022)

• Freedom of Expression Task Force (2019-2020)

• Health Care Studies Search Committee (2019-2020)

• Title IX Sexual Assault Prevention Committee (2018-2020)

• Ethics Initiative (2017-2020)

• College Fellow, Lora Robins Hall (2017-2020)

• General Education Curriculum Review Committee (2018-2019)

• Political Philosophy FLC/Ethics Working Group coordinator (2015-2019)

• Summer Advising (2017-present)

• Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Committee (2017)

• Morrill Chair Search Committee (Ethics) (2016)

• Strategic Planning: Academic Excellence Working Group (2016)

• Westhampton College Student Affairs Committee (2014-2015)

Program Committees

• American Society for Bioethics and Humanities philosophy subcommittee (2013-2016)

• AMITNAPHIL Program Committee (2015-2016)

Editorial Boards

• Public Affairs Quarterly

• Politics, Philosophy, and Economics

• Journal of Medicine and Philosophy  

• The Molinari Review

• HEC Forum  

Referee

American Society for Bioethics and Humanities—Philosophy Subcommittee • Australasian Journal of Philosophy • Bioethics • Canadian Journal of Philosophy • Criminal Justice Ethics • Ergo • Ethical Theory and Moral Practice •European Journal of Philosophy • HEC Forum • The Independent Review • Journal of the APA • Journal of Applied Philosophy • Journal of Bioethical Inquiry • Journal of Business Ethics • Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy • Journal of Medicine and Philosophy • Journal of Medical Ethics • Journal of Social Philosophy • Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal • Law, Culture, and the Humanities • Law, Ethics, and Politics •Leadership • Leadership and the Humanities • Mercatus • Oxford University Press • Pacific Philosophical Quarterly • Palgrave • Philosophical Studies • Philosophical Quarterly • Political Studies • Politics Philosophy and Economics • PPE Society • Public Affairs Quarterly • Public Health Ethics • The Reason Foundation • Res Publica • Routledge • Social Philosophy and Policy • Social Theory and Practice •

Affiliations

• American Philosophical Association

• APEE

• PPE Society

• American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (philosophy subcommittee)

• International Leadership Association