Doing Ethics

In Obama's recent interview with the Al Arabiya news network he said, "The language we use matters." This might be understood to mean simply that we should try to be as persuasive as possible in promoting our ideas. But in the context of this interview about relations between the US and Muslim nations, Obama is affirming a commitment to respecting others even when we may disagree with them.

Labels: virtues

In my first blog on hard choices I noted President Obama's assertion that the economic crisis wasn't simply the result of "greed and irresponsibility on the part of some," but a consequence of "our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age."

Hans Morsbach, my brother-in-law and a successful businessman, responded with this comment: "Greed is a big part of the problem. The system allowed financial expert to collect commission on services of no value. Experts bundled mortgages of which they should have known that they were of less value than their label suggested. They did not care and just collected the service fee. When the bubble burst, they had their money and the taxpayers had to bail them out."

"Much of the blame rests with the SEC and Bush's failure to regulate. He preferred to think that no regulation was necessary as the free market would do it. He was wrong. Financial executives made millions (which are not recoverable) and the taxpayers pay the unearned income of the financial experts and also the shortfall of the value of mortgages mislabeled. The 'system' worked as the investment houses made money all along. It is like the Ponzi scheme which works smoothly until the market forces expose the problem."

I agree with Hans. Our economic system will not be responsible and just without effective regulation by the federal government. Ethics requires enforceable rules as well as encouragement and recognition of good conduct.

With hope...Bob

Labels: economics

Affirming that “our ideals give us the strength and moral high ground” to combat terrorism, President Obama today signed executive orders that will end the CIA's secret overseas prisons, ban coercive interrogation methods, and close the Guantanamo detention camp within a year.

I applaud the President's commitment to the rule of law. A chapter in Doing Ethics in a Diverse World is devoted to the war against terrorism and explains that the right not to be tortured is a human right under international law. The chapter also presents character and consequential arguments against the use of torture.

So, what should we do with the "bad guys" now being held in secret CIA prisons and at Guantanamo? Apply the rule of law. A prisoner of war is protected by the Geneva Conventions as well as US law. Anyone detained for allegedly committing a crime should be presumed innocent and tried in a court of law.

With hope...Bob

Labels: rule of law

In his inaugural address President Obama told us that the economic crisis wasn't simply the result of "greed and irresponsibility on the part of some," but a consequence of "our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age."

He was talking about ethical choices. Doing what is right and being good persons even when it seems that we might profit by doing what is wrong, or when we want good government but are unwilling to pay the taxes necessary for government that works.

But accepting that we are part of the problem should give us hope, for it means that we are part of the solution. What we do, and who we are, matters.

For those who have visited this blog, I hope you will take a few moments and share your ideas about what we should do. For my take on how we might respond to climate change and our economic crisis, I invite you to look at Doing Environmental Ethics.

With hope...Bob

Labels: economics

In his inaugural address this morning Barak Hussein Obama quoted these words of George Washington: "Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."

President Obama's call to renew the spirit of America is a call to an ethic of duty, virtue, and compassion. Rather than blame, we should build. Rather than giving up, we should give to others. Rather than worry, we should work harder for what is right.

How are we to embrace this great and difficult challenge? Each of us, in our own way.

Begin today and then share your beginning with others. No sincere effort is too small, too insignificant. You matter, and what you do matters. Each of us can do our part.

With hope...Bob

Labels: virtue

Singer and musician Melissa Etheridge recently said about homosexuality that: "Love is all there is, and love is never wrong. Why should we be threatened by love?"

The subtitle of the chapter on "Sex" in Doing Ethics in a Diverse World is "Consent Plus What?" Love is a good answer, as long as by love we mean mutual respect and commitment and not only passion.

In the law we presently have a clash of rules. Marriage in most places is heterosexual by definition, but the human right of nondiscrimination weighs in favor of gay marriage if civil unions do not provide rights equal to marriage. In the US civil union laws in several states do not override federal laws, which do not recognize civil unions as creating rights equal to marriage.

Do our stories about character and relationships help to resolve this conflict of duties and rights? Melissa Etheridge seems to think so, and I agree. How about you?

Labels: sex

Hi. I'm glad you found your way to this blog.

I explain my ethical approach in Doing Ethics in a Diverse World, written with Harlan Stelmach, and Doing Environmental Ethics. To read more about each, or to purchase either, click on the hyperlink.

Also, I invite you to visit my Doing Ethics website.

In this blog I want to share new ideas and learn from the comments of you and others who visit the blog. We face many tough moral issues, and how we respond matters. So, let's help each other figure out what to do and who to be.

I'll share some ideas here, but I hope you will share your thoughts as well.

With hope...Bob

Labels: hope