Words of Wisdom from the Ethics Sage Do you care about others, or are you a selfish individual? Do you accept responsibility for your actions or blame others for bad things that happen to you? Do you love others unconditionally or expect something in return? These are some of the questions to ask yourself to […]
The Philosophy of Ethics Read More »
Being Intentional in Teaching Ethics Aristotle has said: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” This means a lot to me as I strive to inculcate ethical values in my students. Can we teach students to be ethical? This is something I’ve thought about a lot during my 30+ years
Is There a “Best” Way to Teach Ethics? Read More »
We Need to Return to the Common Good I’ve been hearing a lot about the term “The Exhausted Majority.” It refers to the belief that generally, the American public is more flexible in their political views, fed up with polarization, believe we can find common ground, and are less active in our political discourse. Nationwide,
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A Framework for Judging Right from Wrong I am a big supporter of teaching virtues and values to both college students and professionals. The reason is that they lay a foundation for ethical behavior. In this blog, I will explain why. Moral Values Values are basic beliefs that govern our actions and represent the intention
Virtues and Values Enhance Ethical Behavior Read More »
Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide??? Yesterday’s insurgency at the U.S. Capitol demonstrates why situational ethics is killing America. No civilized society would condone the storming of the U.S. Capitol. How do we explain it? A small group of people thought it was the right thing to do. Following numerous challenges to the 2020 election
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Does Teaching Ethics Do Any Good? Does teaching ethics work? If teaching ethics does no good, then why are we doing it? The answer may lie in knowing what are (or should be) the goals of teaching ethics. First, let’s discuss what ethics education is not and should not be expected to do. One thing
Identifying the Goals of Ethics Education Read More »
Where’s the Moral Outrage? The events of last week which at least 50 people were killed and 50 wounded in an attack targeting two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, were despicable. The admissions cheating scandal in the U.S. raises serious questions about whether the large group of people involved know the difference
Have We Regressed into Nietzsche’s “Moral Nihilism”? Read More »
Virtue + Practical Wisdom = Human Flourishing We gain practical wisdom through the choices we make in life. Aristotle refined the idea of practical wisdom in his classic book, Nicomachean Ethics. Ethics, said Aristotle, was not mainly about establishing moral rules and following them. It was about performing a particular social practice (i.e., being a physician) and that
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Teaching Ethics to College Students Do you teach ethics to your college students as I do? If so, how do you avoid teaching ethics without students feeling like you are trying to convert them to one set of beliefs or another? These are important issues for us as educators. Personally, I set a goal to
Ethics Without Indoctrination Read More »