Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Personal responsibility

Personal responsibility
Getty Images

Kevin Frazier will join the Crump College of Law at St. Thomas University as an Assistant Professor starting this Fall. He currently is a clerk on the Montana Supreme Court.

At a time when so many issues seem beyond the control of any one person, it’s important to remember that the institutions capable of changing the status quo are made up of folks like you and me. In other words, individuals can change the world by changing the institutions they drive and keep running. A teacher can reorient a school. An engineer can alter a company. An organizer can upend a community. That said, an individual’s efforts will only bring about collective change if that one person gives others opportunities to join them.


The importance of courageous contrarians and the collaborators they attempt to inspire to join them became all the clearer during my two-week tour of Berlin and Krakow with Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE).

On that trip, I learned about Lothar Kreyssig, a district court judge at the time of Hitler’s reign and an example of a courageous contrarian. Early in 1940, the Nazi regime launched Operation T-4, which involved the killing of individuals unfit and unworthy of Aryan race due to epilepsy, schizophrenia, asocial behavior, and “mental enfeeblement.” Many professionals--including doctors and lawyers--made those killings possible. Yet, Judge Kreyssig dared to steer members of the legal community away from perpetuating this system.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Judge Kreyssig soon realized that patients sent to Operation T-4 killing sites never returned. In response, he did not merely hope that the institution would suddenly reverse its ways. Instead, he took all available actions to protect those under his care as their legal guardian and provided others with an opportunity to join him in ending a horrific practice. First, he instructed the State Hospital to not release any of his wards without his approval. Second, he traveled to one of the killing sites to again order that none of his patients be transferred to that location. In short, he recognized that his individual actions--though just a ripple--could catch the attention of others and bring about a wave of institutional reform.

Sadly, such a wave never formed. Others refrained from supporting Judge Kreyssig’s efforts. Soon he found himself forced into retirement--unable to prevent thousands of killings under Operation T-4.

One could interpret Judge Kreyssig’s courageous stand as a failed effort. He stood up to a killing machine that simply evolved, grew larger, and succeeded in many of its worst goals. Still, Judge Kreyysig opened a door to resistance that others could have followed. The mere act of creating such an opportunity reduced the odds of catastrophe--though his gamble did not pay off it could have and that’s all any individual can hope to do.


To bring things into the modern era, Frances Haugen--the Meta whistleblower--provides an example of a courageous contrarian who managed to place a winning bet on upending an institution. Haugen and Judge Kreyssig both risked their jobs and reputations to encourage the reform of massive institutions--in Haugen’s case, others shared her courage and followed her lead. Members of the press picked up her story. Congressional officials gave her a platform. Her former colleagues verified her allegations and, to some extent, affirmatively responded to the concerns she raised.


A lack of change cannot and should not be blamed on institutional rigidity and resilience--every institution is just the sum of a finite group of individuals. Each of those individuals have agency and, consequently, power over that institution. At a minimum, they can choose to reject an assignment, to delay a duty, or to otherwise poorly perform their job. Such actions may not seem revolutionary but such actions can cause ripples that turn into waves of reform.

Cynicism is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think institutions are too large to change, then they will carry on as is and your power to leverage your influence will go unrealized. Some are better positioned than others to take risks that may jeopardize their lives and their well-being. But all of us bear a responsibility to take whatever actions are necessary to disrupt institutions that sow discord, foment inequality, and divide our communities. The risks you take may spark another to contribute to the movement--a pattern that, when repeated, can result in institutional change and societal reform.

Read More

Are President Trump’s Economic Promises Falling Short?

U.S. President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Oval Office at the White House on May 05, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker

Are President Trump’s Economic Promises Falling Short?

President Donald Trump was elected for a second term after a campaign in which voters were persuaded that he could skillfully manage the economy better than his Democratic opponent. On the campaign trail and since being elected for the second time, President Trump has promised that his policies would bolster economic growth, boost domestic manufacturing with more products “made in the USA,” reduce the price of groceries “on Day 1,” and make America “very rich” again.

These were bold promises, so how is President Trump doing, three and a half months into his term? The evidence so far is as mixed and uncertain as his roller coaster tariff policy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Closeup of Software engineering team engaged in problem-solving and code analysis

Closeup of Software engineering team engaged in problem-solving and code analysis.

Getty Images, MTStock Studio

AI Is Here. Our Laws Are Stuck in the Past.

Artificial intelligence (AI) promises a future once confined to science fiction: personalized medicine accounting for your specific condition, accelerated scientific discovery addressing the most difficult challenges, and reimagined public education designed around AI tutors suited to each student's learning style. We see glimpses of this potential on a daily basis. Yet, as AI capabilities surge forward at exponential speed, the laws and regulations meant to guide them remain anchored in the twentieth century (if not the nineteenth or eighteenth!). This isn't just inefficient; it's dangerously reckless.

For too long, our approach to governing new technologies, including AI, has been one of cautious incrementalism—trying to fit revolutionary tools into outdated frameworks. We debate how century-old privacy torts apply to vast AI training datasets, how liability rules designed for factory machines might cover autonomous systems, or how copyright law conceived for human authors handles AI-generated creations. We tinker around the edges, applying digital patches to analog laws.

Keep ReadingShow less
Global Lessons, Local Tools: Democracy at Home and Abroad

Global Lessons, Local Tools: Democracy at Home and Abroad

Welcome to the latest edition of The Expand Democracy 5 from Rob Richie and Eveline Dowling. This week they delve into: (1) Deep Dive - Inviting 21st century political association; (2) Australian elections show how fairer voting matter; (3) International election assistance on the chopping block; (4) Checks and balances and the US presidency; and (5) The week’s timely links.

In keeping with The Fulcrum’s mission to share ideas that help to repair our democracy and make it live and work in our everyday lives, we intend to publish The Expand Democracy 5 in The Fulcrum each Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Democracy Is Not a Given—It’s a Daily Fight

People with their fights raised.

Getty Images, LeoPatrizi

Democracy Is Not a Given—It’s a Daily Fight

Since the start of this semester, I’ve seen a disturbing rise in authoritarian behavior across the country. At the university where I teach, the signs have become impossible to ignore. The government has already cut a huge part of the Department of Education’s funding and power, pulling millions from important research.

This isn’t how most people imagine authoritarianism—it doesn’t usually show up with tanks in the street. It creeps in quietly: at school board meetings, through late-night signing of laws, and in political speeches that disguise repression as patriotism.

Keep ReadingShow less