In the wake of many recent mass shootings, gun control has taken center stage in public debate in the United States. Those who advocate much stricter gun control point to the bad effects of the continued availability of so many guns in the U.S. Opponents of gun control often appeal to the right to self-defense to argue for their position. How should a society balance the individual rights of its members to protect themselves with its responsibility to promote public safety, more generally?

On June 14, 2014, China’s State Council announced a plan to establish a social credit system, which would assign “social credit scores” to citizens based on their behavior. Chinese State Council say being rewarded for good behavior will make citizens want to be better, but critics view this as an invasion of privacy and personal freedom. How can a community balance its interest in encouraging its members to engage in socially desirable behaviors with community members’ interests in individual privacy and liberty?

Brandy was just accepted to law school but isn't sure if she should attend. She also deeply wants to be a stay-at-home mother, and she and her partner want to have children right away. She is deeply divided by these two options but her friend Wynona thinks it's obvious that Brandy should go to law school. If she didn't, she would throw away an important opportunity, she would be wasting her talents, and she would be betraying feminists who fought to expand opportunities for women. What values are at stake in this debate? Is the decision about what career path to pursue a purely personal decision?

The US FBI has maintained a No Fly List since shortly after 9/11. As of 2016, there were approximately 81,000 people on the list, though only 1,000 of those were US persons. Some argue that the list is an unjustified violation of civil liberties, since a person need not be convicted of a crime to be added to the list. The list also can lead to false positives. However, the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center argues that it is an important counterterrorism measure.