Selected Academic Works

Philosophical Analysis of
The Book of Martha

This analysis of Octavia Butler's short story The Book of Martha was recorded for one of my dual-enrollment courses at a local community college. In the story, Martha is an creative writer tasked by god to come up with "any change or solution to improve humanity as she sees fit. I analyze Martha's proposed solution through the lens of Rousseau's theory of inequality and the "Original Condition." 

Spoilers: Martha's solution is to grant humans vivid dreams that satisfy their innate, hidden desires. She believes that by artificially granting their desires, people will become less virulent in real life. Pros of this solution include potential reduction of violence in society, as people execute harmful desires in their dreams. Cons include excessive addiction to the unreal, undermining real change required in society.

I argue that inequality and virulence are rooted in scarcity of resources, which could hypothetically be eliminated by divine intervention. Thus, a more effective hypothetical approach would be just returning, essentially, to the original condition. Outside of Martha's hypothetical, I argue that policy interventions and societal solutions can reduce scarcity through wealth redistribution, collective welfare, and other methods. Such solutions would prevent the pitfalls Martha's solution entails.

The Hate U Give Critical Analysis

This paper was written for my dual-enrollment course. Here, I analyze the complex social cycle of incarceration, unemployment, and recidivism. I also examine this cycle within context of Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give, and I explore how advocacy movements such as "Ban the Box" seek to address the issue of systemic racism.

Resolved: The United States federal government should ban single-use plastics.

Resolved: The United Nations should abolish permanent membership on its Security Council.

Resolved: The United States should substantially reduce its military support of Taiwan.