who has taken the ethics course already

by Catherine Gibson Sr. 10 min read

Are ethics courses useless?

In a recent editorial, the Wall Street Journal announced that ethics courses are useless because ethics can't be taught. Although few people would turn to the Wall Street Journal as a learned expert on the teaching of ethics, the issue raised by the newspaper is a serious one: Can ethics be taught?

Who can complete the available online ethics training?

Elected officials, public employees, and members of the general public are welcome to create a login and complete the available online ethics training. A certificate of completion will be available for printing upon conclusion of the online session.

Can a certified ethics trainer provide private ethics training?

List of Certified Ethics Trainers able to provide private ethics training through March 2022.

Can ethics be taught?

In a recent editorial, the Wall Street Journal announced that ethics courses are useless because ethics can't be taught. Although few people would turn to the Wall Street Journal as a learned expert on the teaching of ethics, the issue raised by the newspaper is a serious one: Can ethics be taught? The issue is an old one.

Why do we need ethics?

First, as Magee suggests, a course in ethics can help students understand the dangers of rationalization. A lot of bad behaviour goes on because good people tell themselves that such behaviour is not, in fact, bad. In the vast majority of cases, such rationalizations are rooted in very poor reasoning — reasoning which, if made explicit, would be clearly and transparently untenable. A course in ethics gives students an opportunity to look at some of the most important rationalizations, in order to examine them under the cold, dispassionate light of logic.

How does ethics affect students?

Second, a course in ethics can quite simply give students the opportunity to talk, at length, about ethics, something they likely wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to do. This can have several different positive effects. First, it can make students more comfortable talking about topics that might otherwise be too awkward to raise. How can you talk in a constructive way about Conflict of Interest, for example, if you’ve never even uttered the words before? A chance to talk at length about ethics in a classroom setting can also reveal to students that not everyone shares their views on ethics, and that they shouldn’t be so cocky. The student who thinks it “obvious” that the bottom line is all that matters can find out that — lo and behold! — not everyone thinks that way. An ethics course can also give students a chance to enunciate their own values in a constructive way. A student who finds herself repeatedly speaking, from the heart, in a safe classroom setting, about the importance of treating people fairly may come to realize that that’s an important part of who she is. She may then find it easier to speak up when she observes injustice in the workplace.

Why is ethics important in a classroom?

An ethics course can also give students a chance to enunciate their own values in a constructive way. A student who finds herself repeatedly speaking, from the heart, in a safe classroom setting, about the importance of treating people fairly may come to realize that that’s an important part of who she is.

Should business schools pay more attention to ethics?

The only thing nearly as common as the view that business schools should pay greater attention to ethics are heartfelt expressions of the view that doing so is in fact useless. Typically, skepticism about ethics education is rooted in a mistaken view of what the goals of such education are. If you think that giving students a course in ethics is ...

Can ethics professors turn bad people into good ones?

An ethics professor can’t turn bad people into good ones, any more than she can turn water into wine. Luckily, that’s really not what’s needed, and so doing so it’s not the aim of any sane ethics course. The most recent volley in this ongoing debate is a short blog entry on Forbes, written by MBA student Lachlan Magee.

Why are ethics courses useless?

In a recent editorial, the Wall Street Journal announced that ethics courses are useless because ethics can't be taught.

Who was the first person to look at ethics?

Much of the research that Rest alludes to was carried on by the late Harvard psychologist, Lawrence Kohlberg. Kohlberg was one of the first people to look seriously at whether a person's ability to deal with ethical issues can develop in later life and whether education can affect that development.

What are the factors that stimulate moral growth?

Many factors can stimulate a person's growth through the three levels of moral development. One of the most crucial factors, Kohlberg found, is education. Kohlberg discovered that when his subjects took courses in ethics and these courses challenged them to look at issues from a universal point of view, they tended to move upward through the levels. This finding, as Rest points out, has been repeatedly supported by other researchers.

What is the earliest level of moral development?

The earliest level of moral development is that of the child, which Kohlberg called the preconventional level. The person at the preconventional level defines right and wrong in terms of what authority figures say is right or wrong or in terms of what results in rewards and punishments. Any parent can verify this.

What did Kohlberg find about morals?

Kohlberg found that a person's ability to deal with moral issues is not formed all at once. Just as there are stages of growth in physical development, the ability to think morally also develops in stages. The earliest level of moral development is that of the child, which Kohlberg called the preconventional level.

Who was the philosopher who said ethics consists of knowing what we ought to do?

Almost 2500 years ago, the philosopher Socrates debated the question with his fellow Athenians. Socrates ' position was clear: Ethics consists of knowing what we ought to do, and such knowledge can be taught. Most psychologists today would agree with Socrates.

Can ethics be taught?

Can ethics be taught? If you look at the hard evidence psychologists have amassed, the answer is yes. If you read the Wall Street Journal, you wouldn't have thought so.

Why is ethics important in media?

It can either make a society or break it. Ethics teaches us the value of watching over our words just as we watch over our hands. Because we never know when we might be using them to hurt other people. Media practitioners, with all the respect they get from the public, must always speak of the truth.

Do media practitioners speak truth?

Media practitioners, with all the respect they get from the public, must always speak of the truth. ♥ It’s the least they can do for the people. I know it’s easier said than done. I know it’s almost impossible to imagine media companies only speaking of the truth. But the truth is, it is imperative that they do.

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