ethics news & views

March 30 | Never Say Die: Vitalism, False Hopes, and Value Conflicts

A Visiting Professor Lecture by Dr. William Winslade, James Wade Rockwell Professor of Philosophy of Medicine, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Time: 4:00-6:00
Place: Emory Hospital Auditorium

Vitalism is the view, based on religious or secular values, that a person’s life should be prolonged as long as possible even if the person is terminally ill or permanently unconsciousness. This lecture will explore the psychological, legal, social, and ethical consequences of vitalism in the context of several recent controversial cases.

For more information, please contact Marion Osborne at (404) 727-5048. Sponsored by the Center for Ethics and Emory Health Sciences.

April 2 | Sex, Shopping & Self

Consumerism, body image, eating disorders, and sexual orientation will be the subjects of a Center for Ethics dialogue between popular author Naomi Wolf and television personality Carson Kressley on April 2. The dialogue will be moderated by Rev. Bridgette Young, Associate Dean of the Religious Life Program.

March 16 | Medical Error and Medical Narcissism

Disclosing a harm-causing medical error can be one of the most anguishing conversations a healthcare professional can have. In addition to fears that disclosure might lead to a lawsuit, a harm-causing error can also assault the professional’s sense of competency and adequacy. Often, the necessary conversation between healthcare professional and patient or family is avoided or conducted very poorly.

John Banja's new book, Medical Errors and Medical Narcissism, examines the concept of “medical narcissism” and how error disclosure to patients and families is often compromised by the health professional’s need to preserve his or her self-esteem at the cost of honoring the patient’s right to the unvarnished truth about what has happened.

This groundbreaking book explores common psychological reactions of healthcare professionals to the commission of a serious harm-causing error and the variety of obstacles that can compromise ethically sound, truthful disclosure. Insights are offered on how talented, capable persons who feel a driving need to demonstrate their competence can fall into narcissistic traps. Guidance on disclosing errors artfully and ethically is provided through a series of step-by-step recommendations along with a list of particularly helpful words and phrases.

A reading and discussion with author John Banja at 7pm, Wednesday, March 16 in the Jones Room, Woodruff Memorial Library. Book signing and reception to follow. Free and open to the public. RSVPs to (404) 727-1179 are appreciated but not required. Parking information.

Feb 28 | Palestinian-Israeli Unity Project: Breaking The Ice

In January of 2004, the international organization Extreme Peace Missions, a German-based foundation, sent four Palestinians and four Israelis on an expedition from Chile to Antarctica. The "Breaking the Ice" expedition was developed to help build understanding between the two groups and is similar in purpose to North Carolina Outward Bound School’s Unity Program for teenagers.

After sailing the gale-driven seas off Cape Horn, these men and women hiked Antarctica and climbed a previously unnamed peak that is now known as the Mountain of Palestinian and Israeli Friendship. The Dali Lama, Kofi Annan, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and other international dignitaries lent their public support to this landmark peace mission.

Four members of this expedition will visit Emory to speak about this life-changing experience at 3pm, Feb 28 in Winship Ballroom. The event is sponsored by the Center for Ethics, North Carolina Outward Bounds, and the Office of Religious Life.

For directions and parking information, contact the DUC InfoDesk at (404) 727-8425.

Feb 17 | New Ethical Issues at the End of Life

Daniel P. Sulmasy, OFM, MD, PhD, will speak 4-6pm Feb 17 on "Sedation, Hydration, and Alimentation: New Ethical Issues at the End of Life" as part of the Interdisciplinary Program in Bioethics. The lecture will be in the Rita Anne Rollins Room, 8th Floor, School of Public Health.

This Visiting Scholar Lecture is jointly sponsored by Emory University Health Sciences and the Center for Ethics.

Sulmasy is Chair of the John J. Conley Department of Ethics, Saint Vincents Hospital and Medical Center, and Director of the Bioethics Institute at New York Medical College.

Feb 8 | Intersexuality and Intersex Activism

Emory University’s Department of Women's Studies, the Office of LGBT Life, the LGBT Programming Council and the Center for Ethics will sponsor a workshop in intersexuality 6-8pm, February 8 in DUC 250. The workshop will include a basic introduction to intersex issues and activism, including the workshop leader's personal story of being intersexed

For directions call the DUC Infodesk at (404) 727-8425. For more information, contact workshop leader Caitlin Childs.

Center co-sponsors events series on Darfur crisis

By Edward Queen. Emory University’s commitment to being an ethically engaged institution means that faculty, students, staff, and administrators do not merely teach, research, and study about issues of ethical importance, but that they expend their energies trying to address them.

On one contemporary issue, the impending threat of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, Professor Deborah Lipstadt asked: What are we doing at Emory? The answer was provided by a large swath of the Emory University community coming together to make its voices heard and to address the problems faced by the Darfurians.

Nov 10 | Rethinking Healthcare Reform: Universal Healthcare Vouchers

The Bioethics Program of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center and the Emory University Center for Ethics invites you to join Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Clinical Bioethics at the Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health, as he addresses "Rethinking Healthcare Reform: Universal Healthcare Vouchers."

Emanuel will speak 4:30pm, November 10 in the Rita Anne Rollins Room (8th Floor), Rollins School of Public Health. Refreshments will be served before the lecture.

Nov 4 | The Myth of Moral Justice: Why Our Legal System Fails to Do What's Right

American culture is obsessed with the law, the legal system and lawyers. Yet most people report that they don’t trust lawyers and hold them and the legal system in very low esteem. Why is this?

Attorney and novelist Thane Rosenbaum proposes solutions in his new book The Myth of Moral Justice. He discovers a legal system with definitions of justice very much at odds with citizens’ expectations that the law will do the right thing.

Rosenbaum teaches at Fordham Law School. 6:30pm, November 4 in White Hall 208. Sponsored by the Center for Ethics with co-sponsorship from the Pre-Law Society and Mock Trial.

Oct 26 | Developing Leadership: A Business Prescription for Making Sense & Doing Well

As Chairman of Unilever Russia-Ukraine, Arjan Overwater has focused on transforming human resources practices to gear the company for a global environment for growth and change. Before working for Unilever, he headed HR for Coca-Cola in Northwest Europe.

Born in Amsterdam, Overwater holds a doctor in theology from Rijks University of Utrecht and an MBA from the University of Sussex. He served as a Fellow at the Emory’s Center for Faith Development in 1984-1985.

5:15pm, October 26 in Goizueta 204. Sponsored by Goizueta School of Business and the Center for Ethics, with co-sponsorship by NetImpact and the International Business Association.

Oct 13-Nov 14 | Genocide in the Sudan: Emory Responds

Several Emory organizations are partnering to co-host public events exploring the current crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan from Oct 13 to Nov 14. For a full listing of programs, please visit Emory's "Genocide in Sudan" webpage. (Or download this printable flyer.)

Support for this project is provided by the Office of International Affairs, the Halle Institute for Global Learning, the Institute for Comparative & International Studies, the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Emory College, the Institute for Jewish Studies, the Center for Ethics, the Institute of African Studies, Campus Life, the Office of Multi-Cultural Programs & Services, the Muslim Students’ Association, Amnesty International Emory, Emory Hillel, Religious Life, the African Students Association and the Hightower Lecture Fund.

For more information about this series please contact Mary Jo Duncanson at (404) 727-2536.

Center launches 'Student Think Tank' to plan, implement campus ethics events

This year the Center for Ethics will experiment with a new approach to its public events. In April the Center recruited a dozen student leaders to help it plan and implement undergraduate-oriented public programming for the 2004-2005 academic year.

Recruited students were drawn from:

• Ethics and Servant Leadership;
• Bridging Academics, Service, and Ethics;
• Science and Society; and
• Emory Living Wage Coalition (originally an EASL service project).

The diverse group of undergraduates also actively participates in student government and campus activist and service groups. At its initial May meeting, the Think Tank decided to focus its energies this year on the ethics of power, beauty/consumerism, professional ethics, and sexual orientation. Anticipated event formats will likely include film screenings, discussion forums, and student/faculty panels.

The group hopes to develop a major event tentatively titled “Sex, Shopping, and Self” for the spring semester.

Additional film screenings, workshops, and panels planned with the Student Think Tank will be publicized on campus and on the Center for Ethics’ website throughout the year.

Oct 26 | Unilever Chair to address Goizueta, Center

Arjan Overwater, Chairman of Unilever Russia/Ukraine, will visit the Center for Ethics and Goizueta Business School 5:15pm, October 26 in Goizueta 204. He will speak about servant leadership in a corporate business context.

Health Care Consortium Conference is a Hit

The 10th Annual Conference of the Health Care Ethics Consortium of Georgia (HCECG), planned as an exceptional educational event and as a joyous celebration, truly accomplished both. With a dual focus on both the history that serves as the foundation of bioethics and a glimpse of what may face us in the future, the conference, A Decade of Ethics Experience: Looking Back, Looking Forward, held March 31 to April 1, offered a discussion of past successes and failures and speculated on future challenges.

Lechner and Inauguration videos now online

RealPlayer streaming videos of Frank Lechner's globalization lecture and the ethics panel for Inauguration Week are now available on the Center's multimedia webpage.

April 20 | When Doctors Make Mistakes

The Southern Institute for Business and Professional Ethics' next Executive Breakfast Forum will examine the legal and moral questions confronting doctors and patients when medical errors occur. The speaker will be Dr. John Banja, medical ethicist at Emory University and one of the nation's leading authorities on the problem of medical error--how frequently it occurs, the consequences for patients, and the issues facing physicians regarding disclosure of errors.

7:30am, April 20 at the Capital City Club, Atlanta. Registration required. Conducted in cooperation with the Center for Ethics.

April 19 | Religion, Globalization, and the Struggle for Freedom

Frank Lechner, Associate Professor of Sociology at Emory College, will lecture as part of the Center for Ethics' series on religion and globalization at 7:30pm, April 19 in White Hall 111.

Why do many religious groups oppose globalization – and should they? Can religious organizations contribute to globalization and even take advantage of it? What kind of religious engagement in globalization is most likely to make a difference? Will globalization marginalize religion in world society? This lecture challenges conventional jeremiads about globalization by arguing that the experience of some globalizing religions and the thrust of the movement for religious freedom contain potentially inspiring answers to these questions.

The event is free and open to the public. Nearby parking is available in the B. Jones Lot and Peavine Visitor Parking Deck.

CANCELLED | Broad in the Concrete: The Global Appeal of Womanist Theology

PLEASE NOTE: Due to an unforeseen conflict, this event has been cancelled.

Jacquelyn Grant, Calloway Professor of Systematic Theology at the Interdenominational Theological Seminary in Atlanta, will lecture as part of the Center for Ethics' series on religion and globalization at 7:30pm, April 13 in Winship Ballroom, Dobbs University Center.

Womanist theology has attracted the interest of a wide range of women. Cross-racial and cross-cultural experiences accent connections, even as differences create challenges. What accounts for the connections, which extend far beyond the Black women’s community in the United States of America? What are implications of the challenges?

April 9 | Genetically Modified Organisms: Our Genes, Our Future

Award winning geneticist, environmentalist, and educator David Suzuki, Nat C. Robertson Distinguished Professor in Science & Society, will participate in a symposium 10am to 3pm, April 9 in Cox Hall Ballroom. The symposium also features Steven Stice, University of Georgia cloning expert and biotech entrepreneur; Sam Dryden, CEO, Emergent Genetics, Inc.; and Sherry Knowles, intellectual property lawyer.

The event is free and open to the public but reservations are required.

April 7 | The Challenge of Sustainability: Setting the Real Bottom Line

Scientist, environmentalist, and educator David Suzuki will deliver a public lecture 7pm, April 7 in Winship Ballroom, Dobbs University Center. His presentation will focus on contemporary sustainability issues.

Suzuki is Emory's Nat C. Robertson Distinguished Professor in Science & Society. The author of more than thirty books, he is recognized as a world leader in sustainable ecology. He is well known to millions as the host of the popular science television series, The Nature of Things.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (404) 727-6722. Sponsored by Emory College Faculty Science Council, the Program in Science & Society, and the Center for Ethics.

March 30 | Emerging Challenges for Ethics and Leadership in the Professions

The Center for Ethics will host a symposium on ethical challenges in the professions as part of Emory's celebration of the inauguration of President James Wagner. The symposium will take place in WHSCAB Auditorium from 4-6pm on March 30. The event is open to Emory students, faculty, staff; Woodruff Health Sciences staff; and invited guests.

Hosted by Center for Ethics director James W. Fowler, panelists include:

• James W. Curran, Dean, Rollins School of Public Health
  
• Pierre Ferrari, President, Hot Fudge Social Venture Fund
  
• Frances Smith Foster, Candler Professor, English, Women's Studies, African American Studies and American Studies
  
• Michael Johns, CEO, Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center
  
• Thomas Long, Bandy Professor of Preaching, Candler School of Theology
  
• Michael J. Perry, Woodruff Professor, Law School
  
• Tammie Quest, Director of Postgraduate Education, Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine
  
• Diana C. Robertson, Associate Professor, Goizueta Business School
  
• Stuart M. Zola, Director, Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center
  

Sustainability events at Georgia Tech

On March 17, Amory Lovins, Founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute and America's leading thinker on innovative energy policies, will be speaking at 4:00pm on campus at Tech at the Tennenbaum Auditorium.

On April 29, Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert, Swedish scientist and founder of The Natural Step, will be speaking at 5:30pm on campus at the Ferst Center for the Arts. The Natural Step provides the definition of Sustainability we have adopted at Interface, and Dr. Robert is my close advisor regarding the path to the top of that mountain called "Mount Sustainability".

More information is available at the Institute for Sustainable Development and Technology.

Robert Franklin and Chandra Muzaffar videos now online

RealPlayer streaming videos of the recent globalization lectures by Robert Franklin and Chandra Muzaffar are now available on the Center for Ethics' multimedia webpage.

March 18 | 'Weathermen' documentary

Emory Law School will host a screening of the Academy Award nominated (2004) documentary, The Weather Underground, 6:30pm, March 18 at Gambrell Hall.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Director Sam Green; former Weather Underground member and current activist, Laura Whitehorn; and former communications secretary of the Black Panther Party and current Emory law professor, Kathleen Cleaver.

The documentary tells of the rise and fall of the Weather Underground, a group of middle-class, idealistic youth protesting the Vietnam War and racism in America. The Weathermen, as they were known, used violence to try to overthrow the United States government during the 1970s. Attacks included bombing the U.S. Capitol building, vandalizing cars and businesses, and breaking Timothy Leary out of prison. The group evaded one of the largest FBI investigations in history.

"The goal of the documentary is not so much to give answers but to raise questions," Green said. "By exploring this controversial subject with depth and balance, we hope to encourage a broad debate of some of the most important issues of our time."

The screening will start at 6:30pm in Tull Auditorium at the law school. Community organizations and information tables also will be present. Parking is free and available in the Lowergate South parking garage, behind the law school. Admission is free, but seating is limited; doors open at 6pm.

March 2 | Shaping a Global Ethic: The Role of Islam and the Muslim Community

Given the accelerated drive towards globalization, a Global Ethic–-a set of core spiritual and moral values which the human family can identify with–-has become imperative. Such a shared ethic will be the foundation for sustaining just institutions and equitable relationships in the global arena. All our belief systems have something to contribute.

As a religion with a strong universal dimension expressed in its recognition of the oneness of the human family and in its acknowledgement of the dignity of all human beings, regardless of their religious and cultural affiliation, Islam will also be able to help shape this Global Ethic.

However, a segment of the Muslim community will have to jettison its exclusive, sectarian outlook. Strengthening both the principle and practice of universal justice and compassion within the Muslim community and indeed among all people is one of the great challenges of the twenty-first century.

Chandra Muzaffar is President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) in Malaysia.

Lecture: 7:30pm, March 2 in the third floor of Cox Hall.
Workshop: 2pm, March 3 in DUC 363.

Feb 24 | Vague & Potent Forces: Religion, Race & the Burden of Globalization

Most discussions of globalization devote inadequate attention to the ways in which this complex process interacts with race and religion. Yet, many in the developing world regard globalization as hegemonic and destructive of local culture, faith, and dignity. Fortunately, religions offer the will to resist domination and the possibility for negotiating globalization within just bounds. This lecture will examine some of the historical and contemporary dimensions of this fascinating interplay of issues.

Presented by Robert Franklin, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics in the Candler School of Theology. 7:30pm, February 24 in the Winship Ballroom, Dobbs University Center.

March 5-7 | Disability Studies and the University

The Modern Language Association is holding the first national conference in the humanities on disability studies, “Disability Studies and the University,” on March 5-7, 2004, at the Emory University Conference Center. (View a tentative conference outline.)

Feb 20-21 | Academic Honor 2004: A Student-Centered Conference

February 20-21, 2004. This conference is for a select group of small liberal arts colleges and universities to come together at Emory's Oxford College to discuss the challenges, rewards and responsibilities of creating an honorable community on our campuses. Through presentations and small working sessions, students and faculty will have the opportunity to discuss their campuses’ practices and policies regarding academic integrity.

Religion and globalization series resumes

The Center for Ethics' lecture series on religion, ethics and globalization continues into the spring semester. Fall lectures are available for viewing on the Center's website. All lectures are free and open to the public. No RSVPs are necessary.

New Emory Mini-Ethics School:
Monday evenings from February 16 to March 22

What is the good life and how do you live it? Is there such a thing as evil, and if so what is its nature? How does ethics relate to vocation and professionalism? What are the ethical implications of new biomedical research like genetics and business scandals like Enron? What does ethics have to say about the state of civil society in America?

Taught by the faculty and staff of the Center for Ethics, the Mini-Ethics School is offered through the Emory Center for Lifelong Learning (formerly Evening at Emory). The short course is intended for interested adult learners who wish to expand their understanding of ethical issues.

Cost for the six sessions is $90, and enrollment arrangements can be made through the Emory Center for Lifelong Learning at (404) 727-6000.

The tentative schedule is as follows:

February 16: What is ethics? How do we do ethics?
February 23: What is the good life? How do we determine our vocation?
March 1: Evil, genocide, and terrorism.
March 8: Health care ethics, bioethics, genetics, and medical error.
March 15: Ethics and the professions. Business and legal ethics.
March 22: To be determined from student input.

"From the Ashes of Corporate America" now online

An mp3 audio file of the panel discussion, "From the Ashes of Corporate America: Can a Phoenix Rise?" as broadcast on WABE 90.1FM, is now available on the Center's multimedia resource webpage. Full details of the event are available here.

Edward Queen video now online

A RealPlayer streaming video of Edward Queen lecture, "A Culture of Death: Anti-Globalization's Threat to Our Common Humanity," is now available on the Center's website media section.

Harvey Cox and Christopher Queen videos now online

RealPlayer streaming videos of the recent lectures by Harvey Cox and Christopher Queen are now available in the Center for Ethics' website media section. Further videos will be made available in the media section as well.

Nov 18 | Ethical Business Practices: Who Is Responsible?

The Carter Center Council for Ethical Business Practices in collaboration with the Goizueta Business School and Center for Ethics at Emory University presents "Ethical Business Practices: Who Is Responsible?" on November 18 at 3pm in the Cyprus Room at the Carter Center.

National governments are proving ill equipped to manage an increasingly complicated suite of global problems, from infectious diseases to climate change to international trade to regulation of business. That governance shortfall is leading to calls for corporations themselves to help fill the gap, such as increased self-regulation and self-monitoring. But is this a legitimate expectation? Who or what is responsible for ethical business practices? Is it the government, the corporation, or the individual as employee who is responsible? Our panelists will discuss the balance of responsibility in today’s changing corporate and global environment and the distinct yet shared responsibilities of these different sectors, concluding with an example of how a successful compliance program resolves these diverse demands.

Panelists:

• Anne Florini, PhD, Brookings Institution and Author of The Coming Democracy: New Rules for Running a New World
• Charlotte McDaniel, PhD, STM, Candler School of Theology and Fellow in the Center for Ethics, Emory University
• Joyce Hosking, Vice President, Corporate Compliance for UPS

Date: November 18, 2003
Time: 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm with cocktail reception to follow
Place: The Cyprus Room, The Carter Center, One Copenhill, 453 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta Georgia
Cost: Free except for persons requesting CLE credits (request for CLE certification pending)
RSVP: Please respond by November 14, 2003 to (404) 420-3446 or call for further information
~ Space is limited ~

Nov 4: A Culture of Death: Anti-Globalization's Threat to Our Common Humanity

The Center for Ethics' Edward Queen, director of the Ethics and Servant Leadership program, will speak November 4 as part of the Center's series on religion and globalization:

Contrary to how its supporters present its positions, anti-globalization, rather than affirming a concern for human beings, presents on a practical level a profoundly disturbing and callous disregard for human suffering and, on a more philosophical level, a rejection of the idea of our common humanity. The rejection of the latter, rather than being an affirmation of others, becomes instead a distancing and a separation. To the extent that others differ from me, I can disregard any appeals they make for support and assistance that are based on shared values, hopes, and goals. We share nothing. To the extent to which the other appeals for my help based on claims of such shared realities, this reflects only their lack of authenticity and their "rootless cosmopolitanism." In this lecture, Edward Queen, examines the conceptual and factual weaknesses of anti-globalization forces and challenges individuals to struggle together for a way of thinking about the world and its future that incorporates a vision of a common humanity.

[ Posted by Chance Hunter on October 21, 2003 | Permanent Link | Comments (8) ]

Wink video now online

A RealPlayer video of Walter Wink's September 23 lecture is now posted on the Center for Ethics video webpage. Future religion and globalization lectures will be posted there as well.

[ Posted by Chance Hunter on October 02, 2003 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) ]

Oct 21: Engaged Buddhism and the Roots of Violence

Harvard Buddhist scholar Christopher Queen will speak October 21 as part of the Center for Ethics lecture series on religion and globalization.

Among the dangers of our time, according to the Dalai Lama, is a loss of compassion for those who cause great suffering. We forget that greed, hatred, and delusion afflict both the terrorist and the victim. These "three poisons" are the roots of militancy--the impulse to end violence with more violence. Engaged Buddhism, the activism of figures like the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Dr. Ambedkar, the late Indian untouchable leader, finds middle ground between holy withdrawal and holy war. Chris Queen illustrates the beliefs and practices of the new Dharma with stories from Buddhist liberation movements in Asia and the West.

Oct 7: After Armageddon: The Politics of the End Time

Noted Harvard theologian Harvey Cox will join the Center for Ethics on October 7 as part of the religion and globalization lecture series:

American Protestant dispensational fundamentalism --by means of the wildly best-selling Left Behind series of novels--is having an impact (both direct and indirect) on US foreign policy, especially in the Middle East, The scenario for the "end-time" includes the return of the Jews to a homeland, the "rapture", the rebuilding of the Temple, an attack by the forces of the anti-christ, the miraculous intervention of the warrior Jesus and the conversion of the Jews. This fatalistic scenario distorts the political and moral realities, skews the perception and judgment of millions of readers, and has become a major barrier to a genuine peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Cox will lecture October 7 at 7:30pm on "After Armageddon: The Politics of the End Times." The lecture will take place in the Winship Ballroom in the Dobbs University Center (DUC), and a reception and book signing will follow. Nearby parking is available in the Michael Street or Peavine Decks. The event is free and open to the public, and no reservations are necessary.

Oct 27: From the Ashes of Corporate America: Can a Phoenix Arise?

WABE and the KSU Coles College of Business are pleased to host a forum of business schools to discuss the future of business ethics on Monday October 27th, 2003 at BellSouth's Midtown Facility at 725 W. Peachtree Street (at the corner of 3rd). Come at 6.30pm for light refreshments and 7-9pm for the forum.

The forum is intended to attract business people on the Greater Atlanta area, especially those who are in a position to influence business ethics in their organizations, and those who are thinking of adding an M.B.A. to their skills set. Faculty, staff and students of all local universities are also welcome The general public is also invited. WABE will record the Forum for later broadcast

In the wake of the recent corporate scandals, one must ask "Whose fault is it? The individuals or the system, and what can we do to prevent them happening again?" In addition to creating new laws (e.g. Sarbanes-Oxley) and punishing the convicted, part of the solution is to address the role of Business Schools. The WABE FM 90.1 and Coles College of Business Ethics Forum is an opportunity for the public to mentally bridge the gap between theory and reality. A Panel of speakers representing five Georgia universities will provide different perspectives on the responsibility of Business Schools to produce an ethically-grounded managerial and executive workforce. In the Q & A session that will follow, it is hoped that business leaders will contribute their views on the practicalities of these perspectives. The goal of the evening is to address educational processes that will transform ethical ideals into strategically-sound business practices.

Sept 23: Principalities & Powers in Globalized Conflict

Noted biblical scholar Walter Wink will join the Center for Ethics September 23 and 24 to inaugurate the year's series on "Religion & Globalization."

Wink will lecture Tuesday, September 23 at 7:30pm on "Principalities & Powers in Globalized Conflict." The lecture will take place in Winship Ballroom in the Dobbs University Center (DUC), and a reception and book signing will follow. Nearby parking is available in the Michael Street or Peavine Decks. The event is free and open to the public, and no reservations are necessary.

Wink will conduct an interactive workshop on approaches to nonviolence on September 24 from 3pm to 5pm in the Cox Hall Ballroom. The workshop is especially for Emory students, but all are welcome. Emory professors bringing large groups (ten or more) should email Chance Hunter.

[ Posted by Chance Hunter on September 15, 2003 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) ]

Religion & globalization lecture series:
Fall schedule of events

September 23, 7:30pm. "Principalities & Powers in Globalized Conflict." With Walter Wink, Auburn Theological Seminary. Winship Ballroom, Dobbs University Center. Reception following. Part of the "Religion & Globalization" lecture series. For more information, contact Chance Hunter at chunte2@emory.edu or (404) 727-1179. No RSVP necessary.

September 24, 3-5pm. Workshop. With Walter Wink, Union Theological Seminary. Cox Hall, Rooms 1 & 2. For more information, contact Chance Hunter at chunte2@emory.edu or (404) 727-1179.

October 7, 7:30pm. "After Armageddon: The Politics of the End Times." With Harvey Cox, Har-vard Divinity School. Winship Ballroom, Dobbs University Center. Reception following. Part of the "Religion & Globalization" lecture series. For more information, contact Chance Hunter at chunte2@emory.edu or (404) 727-1179. No RSVP necessary.

October 21, 7:30pm. "Engaged Buddhism & the Roots of Militancy." With Christopher Queen, Harvard University. Location TBA. Reception following. Part of the "Religion & Globalization" lecture series. For more information, contact Chance Hunter at chunte2@emory.edu or (404) 727-1179. No RSVP necessary.

November 4, 7:30pm. "Globalization & Universal Values?" With Edward Queen, Director, Ethics and Servant Leadership. Lo-cation TBA. Reception following. Part of the "Religion & Globalization" lecture series. For more information, contact Chance Hunter at chunte2@emory.edu or (404) 727-1179. No RSVP necessary.

[ Posted by Chance Hunter on August 18, 2003 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) ]

Disclosing medical error: August 28

The next meeting of the Clinical Ethics Faculty Seminar is entitled "Disclosing Medical Error: Obscurities, Fears, Ethical Obligations, and the Future." Presented by John Banja, PhD, Clinical Ethicis, Center for Ethics; and Associate Professor, Rehabilitation Medicine.

Thursday, August 28, 2003, 3:30-5pm. Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Road, Conference Room 864.

We hope that you join us. Please notify other faculty who may be interested in this topic. The Clinical Ethics Faculty Seminar is hosted by the Quality of Life Program of the Emory University Center for Ethics and School of Medicine.

Marian Osborne at (404) 727-5048 or mosborne@learnlink.emory.edu.

All in the family?
Religion, ethics & globalization

By Chance Hunter. Ravaged by decades of religious wars, the great powers of Europe in 1648 signed the Treaty of Westphalia, signaling the rise of the sovereign, centralized nation-state as the key actor in international affairs. Religious rivalries of course continued, but wars would now be fought for king and country, not doctrine. Society increasingly secularized, religion becomes just one facet of civil society among others. Secular ideologies—sometimes uncannily similar to the theological forbears—mobilized the masses for total war. Until the collapse of the Soviet Union, rivalries between European nation-states (and their increasingly independent colonies) shook the world.

But now the global order based on the sovereignty of competing nation-states draws to a close. One nation-state towers over the rest. Called the “indispensable nation” by Madeline Albright, the United States demonstrated its dominance with now two wars with Iraq. But elsewhere, the nation-state seems lest robust.¹ The bonds of the expanding European Union grow closer, and a newly formed African Union hopes to follow in its footsteps. Periods of regional anarchy and genocide followed hard upon the collapse of failed nation-states in the Balkans, sub-Saharan Africa, and Central Asia. And no nation seems able to challenge the US’ lead in military technology for decades to come.

[ Posted by Chance Hunter on August 15, 2003 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) ]

Hascall to speak at 'Employee Council Brown Bag' July 11

Friday, July 11th 12pm - 1pm
Goizueta Business School, room *304*
(*NOTE the change in room number)

Getting a living wage? | April 1 @ 7pm

What is a "living wage?" Is it practical? Can Emory or Atlanta afford it?
Will it hurt the economy? Has anyone implemented it in Atlanta?

Rethinking just war: Fall 2002/Spring 2003 events series

Bioterror and America's Secret War CANCELLED

Due to the current situation in Middle East, New York Times journalist Judith Miller has been assigned to northern Iraq and will be unable to make her previously scheduled speaking appoint on February 26. We apologize for any inconvenience. No rescheduling is anticipated at this time.

U.S./Korea: Where are we heading?
4 p.m. February 13 White Hall 208

Emory University announces that James T. Laney, President Emeritus of Emory University, 1977-1993, and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, 1993-1997, will address the community at the Emory Public Issues Forum.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited. The public is welcome. Seating is limited. Reception to follow in the White Hall lobby. Co-sponsored by the Joint Activities Committee of Emory College, the Division of Campus Life, and the Center for Ethics.

Rethinking just war: Fall 2002 events focus

Several Center for Ethics staff, students, and board members met in April to evaluate the Center's past three to four years of public programming and to begin to plan for the future. Out of that meeting came a consensus for a new model of public events programming for the Center: the "cluster model."

Inter-religious conflict in the name of God

Novelist and former Roman Catholic priest James Carroll, author of the controversial book Constantine’s Sword, will visit Emory on February 4 and 5 to explore the hard edges of interfaith dialogue in the wake of September 11.

Published last year, Constantine’s Sword raises difficult questions about the historical relations of the Roman Catholic Church with Judaism over the last two millenia. Beginning in Auschwitz and tracing his way back, Carroll notes how the Christian Church early defined itself over against Judaism, a decision in self-definition that has often had disastrous consequences.

Manhattan-based business ethicist to speak March 6-7

“The challenges in business have never been greater. War, terrorist threats, struggling economies, sagging markets and the collapse of air travel, advertising and other sectors, have produced an anxious and chaotic environment. Since September 11, 2001, our uncompromising focus on ‘faster, cheaper, better’ and ‘lean, fast and flexible” is being replaced by a new conversation in the workplace about human priorities and the relationship between business and its stakeholders. If there was ever a moment pregnant with possibilities, it is now.” –Keith Darcy

Ralph Nader packs out Glenn Memorial on Halloween night

Glenn Memorial Auditorium was filled Halloween night with a standing-room only crowd to hear leading consumer activist and Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader speak to the "Ethics of Public Participation." Hosted by the Center for Ethics with the cooperation of the Emory College Council and the Student Programming Council, the evening event began with a standing ovation as Nader took to the stage.

[ Posted by Chance Hunter on November 01, 2001 | Permanent Link | Comments (8) ]

Looking ahead to Spring 2002 Center events

Center for Ethics events planned for early spring:

All details are tentative until published in the Spring print edition of ethics news & views.

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Where's Ralph? The ethics of public participation

Ralph Nader speaks. October 31, 2001. Glenn Memorial Auditorium, 1652 N. Decatur Road. Doors will open at 7:30pm. Parking is available at the Fishburne Deck. No RSVPs or tickets necessary. Seating is limited.

For many years Ralph Nader has been a controversial figure, to say the least. Beginning with the 1965 publication of Unsafe at Any Speed, Nader has long stood out as America’s leading consumer advocate.

Who owns the music? Intellectual property after the Napster controversy

Napster forum: 8pm, September 5, 2001 Glenn Memorial Auditorium 1652 N. Decatur Road. Doors will open at 7:30pm. Parking is available at the Fishburne Deck. No RSVPs necessary.

Watch the video with RealPlayer

The late 1990s saw the advent of online digital music trading, and if any one medium symbolized that brave new world, it was Napster. Created and founded by college dropout Sean Fanning, Napster enabled its users to anonymously swap song files over the internet – free and easy music by any measure.

Ellis returns to Emory March 27

When South African physicist George Ellis led an afternoon workshop last semester, there was standing room only. And so we were delighted when we learned he would be coming for another visit.

You can catch Ellis again March 27. He will give a presentation on "Cosmology & Ethics" at 7:30pm in White Hall, Room 205. He will also lead a workshop on "Science in Service to Society" (RSVP requested) at 2:30pm in Cox Hall, Rooms 1 & 2.

Jim Blanchard explores wisdom in the workplace March 23

Update:
You can catch Jim Blanchard at 9am March 23 at Goizueta Business School, Room 130. (Updated March 15, 2001 2:21 PM)

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On the positive uses of irony

From the February 15 lecture at Emory.

More by Jedediah Purdy.

I want to talk with you about irony. You know that word refers to a contradiction between the literal meaning of words or actions and their meaning in the context where they take place.

But that definition doesn't capture the mood of irony. As we tend to use it, irony is a way of getting distance from a situation, a theme, a personality, an incident. It's also a kind of self-protection. If you asked me, "Has your heart ever been broken," and I answered, "Yes, when they kicked Marilyn off of Survivor last week," I would be denying you access to a part of me. By answering an intimate question with televised melodrama, I would also be setting myself apart both from your question and from the pop culture that I use to answer it. By making the question appear vaguely ridiculous, I can avoid addressing it by making myself superior to it.

Calendar of Events Fall 2000

___october
Friday, October 6, 1pm
Public lecture and workshop, "Reconciling Science & Religion: A South African's Personal & Professional Journey," Dr. George Ellis, University of Capetown. Cox Hall, Rooms 1& 2. Please RSVP to (404) 727-1179 or chunte2@emory.edu.

Rebuilding community in America: moving beyond irony and cynicism

Author Jedediah Purdy will join the Center for Ethics February 15-16 for a discussion of his new book, For Common Things: Irony, Trust and Commitment in America Today.

Purdy hopes to reinvent enthusiasm as a value for public life and personal commitment. He stands in opposition to the ironic attitudes identified with “Gen X,” seeking to lessen what he sees as an ironic detachment and cynicism that suffocates interest in embracing "common things"—environment, education, culture, law and government. Purdy believes this detachment is due mainly to media influence—particularly shows like Seinfeld and publications like Wired Magazine.

Stephen Carter visits Emory ethics center

Author Stephen L. Carter will visit Emory October 30 for a lecture and book signing at 4pm in White Hall, Room 208.

Stephen Carter, author of the best selling The Culture of Disbelief, redefines the role of religion in politics in his new book, God’s Name in Vain. Carter argues that American politics is unimaginable without America’s religious voices. Using contemporary and historical examples, from abolitionist sermons to presidential candidates’ confessions, he illustrates the ways in which religion and politics do and do not mesh well, and the ways in which spiritual perspectives might make vital contributions to our national debates.

Parker Palmer to visit Emory

The University Advisory Council on Teaching is pleased to announce that Parker Palmer will be visiting Emory University on November 17-18, 2000. Parker J. Palmer is a highly respected writer and traveling teacher who works independently on issues in education, community, spirituality, and social change.

The author of such widely-praised books as The Courage to Teach, To Know as We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual Journey, The Company of Strangers, and The Active Life, Parker Palmer is a senior associate of the AAHE and senior advisor to the Fetzer Institute. For more information regarding Parker Palmer’s visit, please contact Karen Brown-Wheeler, Program Coordinator for UACT, at kbrow01@emory.edu or (404) 712-9156.

Reconciliation Symposium

President Chace has declared the 2000-2001 academic year the “Year of Reconciliation,” and the RECONCILIATION SYMPOSIUM on January 25-27, 2001 will be the centerpiece of a year-long series of talks, performances, and other activities on the theme of reconciliation.

Ethics Center Public Events Spring 2000

Citizenship in a Network Society

What does it mean to be a good citizen in the information age? How do technological innovations shape our concepts of community? David Batstone addresses these questions in his work on technology and ethics.

"Best Place to Work" CEO shares perspective on values in business

In October 1999, E&SL brought James Blanchard, head of the Georgia-based Synovus Financial Corp., to speak at Emory on "Tending the Heart of a Business." Synovus placed at the top of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" this year.

Dr. Thomas R. Insel Shares Research Findings on Mammals & Monogamy at Herndon Lecture

"Are we by nature monogamous?" That question was one addressed in the J. Emmett Herndon lecture given by Thomas R. Insel, M.D., director of Yerkes Primate Research Center, to a packed Winship Ballroom audience on 27 October. And the answer? Well, yes and no.

[ Posted by Donna Price on September 01, 1998 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) ]