I am Egyptian!

This morning I heard on NPR that the organizer of the Egyptian protest against Hosni Mubarak are searching protesters entering the city for weaponry - demonstrating a commitment to nonviolent protest. In his regular editorial, Nicholas Kristof urges solidarity with the protesters: "We are all Egyptians!"
My prayers go out for the Egyptian people: that Mubarak will step down; that Mohamed ElBaradei will rise to this occasion and lead the people; that our country will do the right thing and support democracy rather than national interest and security.

Today, I am Egyptian!

Reflections on the FCIC Report

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission issued its report on the financial crisis of 2008 this past week. The biggest controversy arising from the release of the report is whether the financial crisis could have been avoided. In what I believe is a fairly balanced and well-argued article in today's New York Times, Joe Nocera argues that it could not have been avoided - not so much because it was a phenomenon beyond the control of mere mortals - but more along the lines of "it has ever been thus." Nocera suggests that it is probably impossible to pinpoint the blame on a single person, agency, group, or circumstance. Rather, it was all of these - plus misbegotten human intentionality and human foibles. He notes that we need a psychologist more than an investigator to help us understand all that went on in creating this crisis. He ends by noting that the question about the financial crisis is not whether it will happen again, but when it will happen.

I pretty much agree with Nocera. At the same time, as an ethicist I think it is important to recognize that the ethical problem with the financial crisis was the number of people in the financial sector who jumped at the chance they saw to reap huge profits from the new laws. Even the part about encouraging people with scant financial resources to take out mortgages beyond their means didn't give them pause. This is a serious moral problem. It is for this reason that undergraduate and graduate business programs must not only teach business ethics but also need to teach virtue. This of course opens up the whole debate about whether such things can be taught. I think, though, that we are beyond this debate. Virtue must be taught. Surely there are enough ethics centers at universities in the country to take up the creative task of teaching our young some moral integrity.

Lead from the Heart: Ethical Perspectives in Healthcare

The Center for Organizational Ethics at Marian University is sponsoring the 2nd annual Lead from the Heart event: Ethics Perspectives in Healthcare on Wednesday, February 23, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Our speakers will be Dr. Chuck Dietzen, Founder and President of the Timmy Foundation, and Dr. Lucia Wocial, Nurse Ethicist and Program Leader at the Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics at Indiana University Health. Dr. Chuck will speak on compassionate end-of-life care and Dr. Wocial will speak on moral distress in healthcare professionals.

The event will be held at Allison Mansion on the campus of Marian University. Registration will begin at 4:00 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres served at 4:30. The speakers will begin at 5:00 p.m. with questions and answers from 6:00 t0 6:30.

I think this should be a very exciting event addressing two critical issues in healthcare ethics. I hope to see a great crowd there. If you know anyone who might be interested, let them know about this event. Questions? Call me at 955-6115 or email me at kspear@marian.edu.