Jessica Flanigan

I am the Richard L Morrill Chair of Ethics and Democratic Values and Professor of Leadership Studies and Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law at the University of Richmond. 


My research addresses the ethics of public policy, medicine, and business. I am the author of Pharmaceutical Freedom (OUP 2017) and the co-author of Debating Sex Work (OUP 2019), in addition to numerous articles in journals such as Philosophical Studies, The Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Leadership, The Journal of Moral Philosophy, The Journal of Business Ethics, and the Journal of Political Philosophy. 


I recently completed a book about Why It's Ok to Have Bad Spelling and Grammar (Routledge, 2025). I am currently wrapping up a book and several essays about the ethics of pregnancy and fertility policy. I am also writing about animal ethics, supererogation, libertarianism, pro sports, and Taylor Swift. 


This year, I am teaching Leadership Ethics and Medical Ethics. I'm also the Gary McDowell Institute Discussion Leader.


Here is my CV. 

Email: jflaniga@richmond.edu

Please use the link below to schedule a time to meet. 

Research

Books


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


2019 Debating Sex Work (OUP, 2019) 


2017 Pharmaceutical Freedom (OUP, 2017)


Books in Progress 


under contract The Ethics of Expecting (OUP) 


under contract Libertarianism, the Basics (Routledge) 

Edited Volumes

under contract The Philosophy of Taylor Swift  (OUP) 

2017          The Ethics of Ability and Enhancement   (Palgrave), Co-edited with Terry Price. 


Refereed Articles 

forthcoming Political Ideology and Public Health” Social Philosophy and Policy (initial submission invited)

2024 Putting Wilt Chamberlain Back in the Game: 

Why Liberalism Is Not Compatible with Distributive Egalitarianism” 

The Independent Review  

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

Australasian Journal of Philosophy,

2022 "Wealth Without Limits" (With Chris Freiman) Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 

2022 "Social Equality as an Institutional Ideal" Ethics Politics and Society

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

2020 “The Ethics of Prenatal Injury” Journal of Moral Philosophy 

2020 “Drug War Reparations” (with Chris Freiman) Res Philosophica

2020   "Boundary Problems and Self Ownership" Social Philosophy & Policy

2018            "Duty and Enforcement" Journal of Political Philosophy

2017             "All Liberty is Basic" Res Publica 

2017             "Philosophical Methodology and Leadership Ethics" Leadership 

2016             "Sweatshop Regulations and Workers' Choices" Journal of Business Ethics

2016             "Rethinking Freedom of Contract" Philosophical Studies 

2016             "Seat Belt Mandates and Paternalism" Journal of Moral Philosophy

2015             "Obstetric Autonomy and Informed Consent" Ethical Theory and Moral Practice

2014              “A Defense of Compulsory Vaccination” HEC Forum  

2014              "Non-culpable ignorance and HIV Criminalisation" The Journal of Medical Ethics

2013              “Public Bioethics” Public Health Ethics

2013              “Inequality and Markets in Bodily Services” Political Theory 

2013              “Charisma and Moral Reasoning” Religions 

2013              “Economic Freedom and the ACA” Public Affairs Quarterly  

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

2012              “Three Arguments Against Prescription Requirements” 

The Journal of Medical Ethics,


Chapters and Essays

2024 “Evading and Aiding: The Moral Case Against Paying Taxes” 

(with Jason Brennan and Chris Freiman)  Extreme Philosophy (Routledge) 

2023 “Prohibition and Pandemic Risks” Pandemic Ethics: From Covid 19 to Disease X ( Oxford)

2023 “Credibility and the Standpoint Expectation” Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy.

2022 “Anarchism and Redistribution” Wealth and Power (Oxford) 

2022 “Revisiting Pharmaceutical Freedom” HEC Forum

2022 “Leaderless Work and Workplace Participation” Debating Leaderless Management (Palgrave)

2022 “Public Health and Healthcare Policy” Routledge Companion to Libertarianism, (Routledge)

2021 “Deception and Sexual Harassment” Palgrave Handbook of Sexual Ethics, (Palgrave)

2021 “The Case for Decriminalizing Sex Work” Routledge Handbook on Philosophy of Sex and 

Sexuality, (Routledge)

2020 “The Rawlsian Mirror of Justice” Symposium on Liberalism and Distributive Justice, Philosophy

  and Public Issues)

2020 "Ethical failure and leadership – treatment and selection” Debating Bad Leadership: Reasons and 

Remedies (Palgrave)

2019           "An Anarchist Defense of the Basic Income" The Future of Work, Technology, and Basic Income 

(Routledge) 

2018            "Coercion and Privatization" NOMOS

2017            "Libertarianism and Medicine" The Routledge Handbook of Libertarianism (Routledge)

2017            "Kantian Ethics, Wellbeing, and Disability" The Ethics of Ability and Enhancement (Palgrave)

2016            “Patient Driven Drug Development” Philosophical Issues in Pharmaceuticals (Springer)            

2016           Double Standards and Arguments for Tobacco Regulation” Journal of Medical Ethics,

2015           “The Ethics of Authentic Leadership” in Leadership and Ethics (Bloomsbury)

2015           “Can Social Costs Justify Public Health Paternalism?” 

in New Perspectives on Paternalism and Health Care (Springer)

2014            “Employers’ Rights and the ACA” (modified version of “Economic Freedom and the ACA,”)     

in The Affordable Care Act Decision: Philosophical and Legal Implications (Routledge)

2014           “The Perils of Public Health Regulation” Society 

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

American Journal of Bioethics,  

2013           “Commentary: Refusal Rights, Law, and Medical Paternalism in Turkey” The Journal of Medical Ethics

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

The Journal of Medical Ethics,  


Reviews

2016          “Review: Values and Vaccine Refusal” Journal of Value Inquiry  

2015          Review Essay: What Money Can’t Buy” Leadership and the Humanities  

2014          “Review Essay: Our Bodies Whose Property?” 

APA Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy 


Collaborative Scholarship 

2021 "The place of philosophy in bioethics today." 

Blumenthal-Barby, Jennifer, Sean Aas, Dan Brudney, Jessica Flanigan, 

S. Matthew Liao, Alex London, Wayne Sumner, and Julian Savulescu. 

The American Journal of Bioethics  

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

Earp, Brian D., Jonathan Lewis, Carl L. Hart, 

and Bioethicists and Allied Professionals for Drug Policy Reform.

The American Journal of Bioethics  


Encyclopedia Entries 

2024   “Ethical Leadership” The Sage Encyclopedia of Leadership Studies

2024 “Moral Risk” The Sage Encyclopedia of Leadership Studies

Upcoming Talks

Scheduled 

Oct 10: "Political Equality and Gendered Labor" Harvard University 

"Who Wants to be a Trillionaire?" Harvard University 

Oct. 18: “Animal Offsets” Duke University

Oct 26: "Reciprocity and Regulation" APHA

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

Nov 8 “Chronic Pain Epistemology” U Colorado Boulder 

Nov 9 "Pharmaceutical Freedom" The Fraser Institute, Toronto 

Nov 15 "Sports Socialism" PPE, New Orleans 

Mar 29 "Political Equality and Gendered Labor" Rhodes College 

Apr 16 "The Purpose Project" Pacific APA


Recent

"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

Teaching

Courses 

Other Teaching

Undergraduate Advising  

Graduate Student Mentorship 

Awards and Recognition  

Advising

Ethics Bowl

Pedagogy 

Public Philosophy

Philosophy for Kids

Strange stories about big ideas 

Philoswiftie

Taylor Swift- Philosophized 

Public Lectures 

UR Ethics Fellow

Public ethics programming at UR

Jepson Forum

Masculinity in a Changing World

Media

Bylines

Conversations

Podcasts and Video

Interviews

Influence

Policy

Reports


Community Health Leadership Workshop (here)


Talks and Consulting


Service

Jepson School of Leadership Studies- University of Richmond

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

University of Richmond

Program Committees

Editorial Boards

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