Author Profile

John Hasnas

John Hasnas is a professor of business at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business and a professor of law (by courtesy) at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. Professor Hasnas is also the executive director of the Georgetown Institute for the Study of Markets and Ethics.

He received his B.A. in Philosophy from Lafayette College, his J.D. and Ph.D. in Legal Philosophy from Duke University, and his LL.M. in Legal Education from Temple Law School. His scholarship concerns ethics and white-collar crime, jurisprudence, and legal history.

Articles by John Hasnas

The Contemporary Relevance of A Poem on the Underground Wall

Oct 6, 2017 · John Hasnas · 2 Comments

The last train is nearly due The underground is closing soon And in the dark deserted station Restless in anticipation A man waits in the shadows On my return to Georgetown’s campus this fall, I was greeted with the following broadcast e-mail message dated September 6: Dear Members of the Georgetown University Community, We write … Continue reading “The Contemporary Relevance of A Poem on the Underground Wall“

Blackmail Added to Mob Rule on UNC Activists’ Resumes Dec 12, 2018
The proper term for the actions of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate student assistants and instructors threatening to withhold grades unless Silent Sam—a statue of a Confederate soldier who was pulled off his pedestal by a mob of activists in August—is removed from campus is not “strike,” as the activists claim. … Continue reading “Blackmail Added to Mob Rule on UNC Activists’ Resumes”
A Unique Opportunity for Athletics Reform Dec 10, 2018
Many colleges are setting up their student-athletes for failure. Whether one looks to the long-term neurological health risks that young athletes are subject to, or the myriad cases of academic dishonesty within athletics departments, it appears that the personal and academic well-being of student-athletes is often compromised for the sake of “the game.” Fortunately, the … Continue reading “A Unique Opportunity for Athletics Reform”
From Diverse Professors to Professors of Diversity Dec 7, 2018
Ever since Justice Powell’s lone opinion in Bakke allowed the camel’s nose of “diversity” under the anti-discrimination tent, controversy has raged over preferential treatment awarded to college applicants of certain races. Just as hurricanes often change direction after landfall, the diversity movement has recently taken off in some surprising new directions that deserve public attention. … Continue reading “From Diverse Professors to Professors of Diversity”

Blackmail Added to Mob Rule on UNC Activists’ Resumes Dec 12, 2018
The proper term for the actions of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate student assistants and instructors threatening to withhold grades unless Silent Sam—a statue of a Confederate soldier who was pulled off his pedestal by a mob of activists in August—is removed from campus is not “strike,” as the activists claim. … Continue reading “Blackmail Added to Mob Rule on UNC Activists’ Resumes”
From Diverse Professors to Professors of Diversity Dec 7, 2018
Ever since Justice Powell’s lone opinion in Bakke allowed the camel’s nose of “diversity” under the anti-discrimination tent, controversy has raged over preferential treatment awarded to college applicants of certain races. Just as hurricanes often change direction after landfall, the diversity movement has recently taken off in some surprising new directions that deserve public attention. … Continue reading “From Diverse Professors to Professors of Diversity”
The Four Perspectives of Higher Education Policy Explained Dec 5, 2018
Explaining higher education policy is never easy (even to people who are involved in it). Over the years, while training young writers for the Martin Center, I have come up with a model that has proven useful. One way to produce clarity among the confusion is to apply a model having four basic perspectives rather … Continue reading “The Four Perspectives of Higher Education Policy Explained”

Blackmail Added to Mob Rule on UNC Activists’ Resumes Dec 12, 2018
The proper term for the actions of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate student assistants and instructors threatening to withhold grades unless Silent Sam—a statue of a Confederate soldier who was pulled off his pedestal by a mob of activists in August—is removed from campus is not “strike,” as the activists claim. … Continue reading “Blackmail Added to Mob Rule on UNC Activists’ Resumes”
A Unique Opportunity for Athletics Reform Dec 10, 2018
Many colleges are setting up their student-athletes for failure. Whether one looks to the long-term neurological health risks that young athletes are subject to, or the myriad cases of academic dishonesty within athletics departments, it appears that the personal and academic well-being of student-athletes is often compromised for the sake of “the game.” Fortunately, the … Continue reading “A Unique Opportunity for Athletics Reform”
From Diverse Professors to Professors of Diversity Dec 7, 2018
Ever since Justice Powell’s lone opinion in Bakke allowed the camel’s nose of “diversity” under the anti-discrimination tent, controversy has raged over preferential treatment awarded to college applicants of certain races. Just as hurricanes often change direction after landfall, the diversity movement has recently taken off in some surprising new directions that deserve public attention. … Continue reading “From Diverse Professors to Professors of Diversity”