Participate In Our Survey
As noted in Rushworth Kidder’s recent commentary, the Institute for Global Ethics has begun gathering results from a new survey assessing the most severe global challenges facing humanity.
This survey now has been unrolled publicly. If you’d like to participate, just click here and let your views be known. Thank you.
In the News
Since January 2007, IGE founder Dr. Rush Kidder has been a contributor to O, The Oprah Magazine, offering advice on the ethical issues of daily life.
Read his suggestions as part of the O Magazine 'Now What Do I Do?' Advisory Panel.
Upcoming Seminars
For more information about our soon-to-be announced 2009 seminar calendar, please call: 800-729-2615 or email: events@globalethics.org
Ethics Newsline® Commentary:
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Obama and the Idea of Perfection
Obama the idealist. The phrase trips readily off the tongue and for good reason. What was it that brought tears of joy to the faces in Chicago's Grant Park during president-elect Barack Obama's acceptance speech last week? It wasn’t just his intellect, poise, oratorical skill, or political acumen. It wasn't even his race. Powerful though those are, I suspect it was his idealism — his articulate conviction that goodness exists, that progress is possible, and that excellence can be attained. During the campaign, that idealism was never far from the surface. In his acceptance speech it burst forth in his opening sentence, where he talked about an America "where all things are possible" and where "the dream of our founders is alive in our time." From the outset, it was clear that this speech wasn't going to dwell on wonky policy detail or triumphal political celebration. While he thanked his supporters for his victory, he didn't analyze it. Praising them as people willing to "put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day," he never told them how to bend it. And when he sought to account for "the true strength of our nation," he traced it not to military prowess or economic might but to "the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope." But words are easy. What makes his idealism the sign of a real visionary rather than a mere dreamer? The answer lies in five words, buried deep in his speech, that echo the preamble to the United States Constitution: "Our union can be perfected." |
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Our grade 6-12 curriculum targets character education, strengthens critical thinking, builds leadership skills, and "levels the playing field." In 2006, Building Decision Skills was one of the first reviewed by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education. On review, it was one of only two high school curriculums found to have "potentially positive effects" on students—a top level recognition, click here to read the review. To purchase a copy for your classroom or to learn more click here. Not a teacher? Consider gifting a copy today, contact education@globalethics.org for more information. |
Help your school and students start the year off right. Purchase a copy of our Building Decision Skills curriculum for your school.