Q #1
Is there not more to share from the APPE conference?

Yes, there is and I will address this in a couple of questions. First of all, I may not have been as complete in my reporting on the degree to which businesses value moral reasoning in the hiring process.

For one thing, the presentation was actually reporting as part of a larger study. They did find out that businesses do look for moral reasoning skills in the hiring process — one obvious spinoff from this would be the value of students ensuring that they took some courses during their college years on applied ethics as well as moral reasoning itself. Human resource professionals indicated (at least 80% of them) that they intentionally ask questions that require a person to talk through a moral dilemma. And 3 in 4 will try to assess the individual’s capacity to apply ethical reasoning when confronted with a moral dilemma.

I am looking forward to more conversations with the leaders at the Pringle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University. They are doing some serious research in practical applied ethics and their discoveries could have significant value in the field of leadership.

Q #2
Why would the study of John Dewey be of interest to anybody?

Obviously the lack of any concentrated study on this early 20th Century American philosopher, suggests that there is not a much interest. Alan Preti from the Institute for Ethical Leadership and Social Responsibility (at Rosemont College) thinks we should be paying more attention. The most significant reason he suggests to do more study is because Dewey actually is foundational to this entire concept of practical ethics. Dewey’s moral philosophy underpins much of the work of Kohlberg and his colleagues at Harvard in the latter part of 20th century. As such, for me personally, Preti’s work could be more than insightful, it could be helpful to my own efforts to enhance the prism I have developed.

Preti points out that Dewey himself argued that the reality is that the moral life is messy. He wanted there to be more scientific method in the patterns of inquiry around moral judgment. There can be too much disjuncture and it would be useful to try to get back to a place of equilibrium. At the same time, if we are creatures of habit, then we should develop good habits!! Preti believes that more study of Dewey would assist in each of us growing and enlarging the self. And if we are to ensure this effort is transmitted to our students then we need to develop a pedagogy that is practical in its orientation…in other words, make them consider particular ethical perspectives as a matter of course. In a way, what Preti is doing is reminding us that there are strong philosophical foundations to practical, applied, professional ethics. The value of his research is simply this: people shouldn’t be embarrassed about focusing on practical ethics in the academy. Applied has as much merit as the theoretical. We just need to make sure that the original philosophers who championed this, are fully understood.

I’ve had conversations with Preti before. He is a sharp thinker. I like it when he helps make sure that my pedagogy and my curricula has foundational support — makes it easier to debate with those who would have ethics as an ethereal walk in a philosophical or theological garden. I am looking forward to his book, when it comes out in the next year or so… I may even buy some copies to give to Deans and Acadmeic VP’s I know who need a reminder of the value of the practical and applied in their ethics programs!!\

g.w.