MIRRORS AND WINDOWS - Understanding Oneself by Knowing Others

February 8, 2012

Can we gain self-knowledge through the study of the lives of other people, historical or fictional? Panelists discuss how learning about the lives of others can affect one's sense of self.

HARD-WIRED: Do we choose our politics or do our brains choose them for us?

April 11, 2012

Recent research in neuroscience suggests that political preferences reflect differences in the very structure of the brain. How does this affect our ability to defend our political affiliations on rational grounds?

SELF-KNOWLEDGE - A Perilous Pursuit?

September 21, 2011

The quest for self-knowledge often involves concentrated attention on oneself. Could this inward focus actually prove counter-productive to developing the external interests, attachments and relationships that make our lives satisfying and worthwhile?

What does it mean to know thyself?

THE AUTHENTIC SELF

November 9, 2011

Does our "self" depend in any meaningful way on our ancestral history? Could we reject that inheritance while preserving our identities? Is our identity at any given time nothing more than the result of our life experiences up to that point? Or is there an "essential" self that survives through all the changing causal influences that affect our desires, ambitions and roles in life?

SECRETS IN CYBERSPACE - When is it ethical to keep and reveal secrets on the internet?

February 23, 2011

In September, Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge after being outed by his roommate on Twitter and Facebook.  A couple of months later the release of hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. government documents by WikiLeaks led to both death threats and worldwide praise for founder Julian Assange.  As new leak-sharing organizations modeled after WikiLeaks appear, the issues of exposure, censorship and safety in cyberspace have come to the forefront of our public discussion.


While truth is a worthy ideal, clearly some things are better kept secret. It may be easy to label lies as unethical, but what about revealing the truth? What might put others in danger and how do you decide?

When is it ethical to reveal secrets on the Internet?

ENGAGING GEN Y - How do we engage Iran and North Korea for a more productive dialogue and ethical foreign policy?

March 30, 2011

Historical conflict and more recent nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea have fueled long-standing moral and political concerns in the US about these two adversarial nations.

As the boom of Generation Yers -- those born in the 1980s and after -- begin to act in international politics, what can we expect and/or hope to see? Most Yers around the globe are facing increased inter-connectivity with the web, migration, and communication systems, while at the same time facing increased stakes for global resources, increased arms build-ups, and fall outs from years of conflict. Will old conflicts and ideologies continue to dominate international dialogue or can we expect something different?

TRUTH OR PREJUDICE - When do a professor's in-class comments cross the line into improper advocacy?

November 17, 2010

Should professors disclose their personal and professional opinions in class?

What does it mean to expect professors to teach all views equally?

Should they state which views they find most compelling?

Does knowing the professor’s opinion make a student feel that she needs to agree with the professor to receive a better grade?

What has been your experience as a student or professor?

When do a professor's in-class comments cross the line into improper advocacy?

WAR OF WORDS - Where do we draw the line between free speech and hate speech?

September 22, 2010

Winning the fight for justice requires that you change the minds of those who disagree with you — or at least of the undecided. When the debate is passionate and increasingly divisive — Muslim mosques, gay marriage, abortion — what are the proper rules of engagement? How can you be true to yourself and your most strongly held beliefs, while respecting those who vehemently disagree with you? Where legal lines may provide protection, they may not promote conversation or meaningful dialogue. Beyond drawing a bright legal line between free speech and hate speech, are there other ethical limits to how you can publicly express your opinion?

Where do we draw the line between speaking our mind and expressing hate?

THE NEIGHBOR WITHIN - What should we do about America's illegal/undocumented immigrants?

October 20, 2010

Calls for immigration reform are coming from across the political spectrum. The one thing almost everyone seems to agree on is that the current situation is unsustainable. Immigrants who circumvented the legal immigration process in order to find a better life in the United States are accused of being a burden on social services, increasing unemployment and crime, and undermining the rule of law. Meanwhile, their undocumented status makes them subject to exploitation and forces them to live with the persistent fear that their families could suddenly be torn apart.

What should our “nation of immigrants” do about our 11 million uninvited neighbors within?

ROBOTS AND ALIENS - When the time comes, should human rights apply?

November 17, 2010

As robotic and Artificial Intelligence technologies that aim to imitate human beings continue to improve, we face the possibility that our creations may someday claim for themselves some of the rights and protections we take to be universal to man. Less likely, but also possible, is that if contact with aliens is made, they could also make this demand of us.

What, if anything, would justify giving moral rights and protections to robots and extraterrestrials?

XXTREME MINORS - WHEN SHOULD WE ALLOW MINORS TO PUT THEMSELVES IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS?

February 26, 2010

(SEE LESSON PLAN)

Our society often complains that teenagers waste their time with idle senseless distractions. We like to see teenagers push themselves, strive to achieve great things, and take risks. And we turn those who are the youngest ever to accomplish anything of significance into celebrities. But taking risks can mean putting oneself in dangerous situations – particularly in extreme sports and natural expeditions. How dangerous is too dangerous? What principles should guide us when determining when should we allow minors to put themselves in dangerous situations?

PARENTING OUR PARENTS - HOW SHOULD WE MANAGE THE CARE OF OUR PARENTS AS THEY GET OLDER?

March 26, 2010

We all know that parents have to take care of their children. But does there come a time when we have to start taking care of our parents? What if it costs us serious time and serious money? What if they fight us and tell us to go away and leave them alone? Should we respect their autonomy as we watch them deteriorate, or should we force them to do what we think best for them? How should we parent our parents?

PAST AND DISTANT PEOPLE - WHAT ARE OUR OBLIGATIONS TO THE DEAD?

April 30, 2010

"Dead men tell no tales," so why should it matter how we treat them? What's wrong with partying on their graves, violating the terms of their wills, or speaking ill of them? What could be the basis of any moral obligations in the treatment of those no longer living among us?

LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HEALTHINESS

September 25, 2009

(SEE LESSON PLAN)

It may be legal in the United States for medical insurance companies to deny healthcare coverage in certain situations, but is it ethical? Is access to healthcare coverage a basic human right? And if we expect our employers and/or our government to provide coverage, do we have a responsibility to take care of our own bodies and keep them as healthy as possible? How much of the burden is ours and how much can we justifiably place on others? At the end of the day, do we have a moral right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of healthiness?

THE ETHICS OF EATING: IS IT POSSIBLE TO EAT WITH A CLEAR CONSCIENCE?

October 30, 2009

(SEE LESSON PLAN)

We live in a world today where our food choices are almost limitless. So much so, that there is a television network devoted entirely to food. But as our food-options multiply, so do the methods of killing, raising, transporting, preparing, and engineering food for our consumption. How can we indulge in the vast array of food options open to us but still ensure that our choices are morally responsible ones? What we choose to eat may help perpetuate the cruel or unjust treatment of animals, utilize resources that have a profound impact on others around the world, and negatively impact the environment in a myriad of ways. Is it possible to eat with a clear conscience?

NOT OKAY TO PAY THIS WAY?

November 20, 2009

(SEE LESSON PLAN)

For those who find themselves at the top of the corporate executive ladder it’s become both accepted and expected to receive a salary based on very favorable terms that can bear little resemblance to those offered other employees. While this is perfectly legal, is it moral? Must executive compensation depend on the standard metrics of performance, merit, or contribution? Is there anything wrong with paying an executive a salary that dwarves that of those at the bottom of the corporate latter? And what about payment incentive structures that lead to risky behavior that could lead (as it has in the past) to economic disaster? When is it not okay to pay in a particular way?

SELLING BODY ORGANS

February 27, 2009

(SEE LESSON PLAN)

Desperately need some money? Sell yourself. Blood, sperm, eggs: Why not a kidney? It's yours after all! Shouldn't you have the right to sell your organs? In the US alone, more than 77,000 people are on the waiting list for kidney transplants. Many of them will die because the organ they need is not available. Shouldn't they have the right to purchase these organs from those willing to part with them for monetary compensation? Or is there something fundamentally immoral about treating our body parts as a commodities to be bought and sold? Would a market in body organs result in the unfair exploitation of poor people who have little else to sell? Or could we devise an international legal system that precludes exploitation?

GOOGLE HUMAN RIGHTS

March 27, 2009

(SEE LESSON PLAN)

When you Google for information, are you supporting Chinese political censorship? Do global information gatekeepers like Yahoo, Microsoft, and Google have a responsibility to protect and promote human rights overseas? Aren't they businesses after all? And if you want them to stop blocking democracy sites for the Chinese government, what can you do—boycott? Come on, how could we live without Google? Does morality require that much of us?

FUTURE AND DISTANT PEOPLE

April 24, 2009

(SEE LESSON PLAN)

Are you obligated to consider future generations of human beings? Are you responsible to people you've never met on the other side of the globe? It is so easy now to harm people without knowing we are doing it. What you eat, what you buy, what you drive profoundly affects the life prospects of other people. How do we behave ethically in such an interconnected world?