Ethics and Religion Talk: Are Ethicists Ethical?

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A 2013 study suggests that the behavior of academic philosophers or ethicists is not better than other professors. Why do you think this is the case? 

Father Kevin Niehoff, O.P., a Dominican priest who serves as Judicial Vicar, Diocese of Grand Rapids, responds:

The philosopher Socrates states, ‘the unexamined life is not worth living.’ To live a life following the rules without asking why or coming to a deeper understanding is problematic.

Whether a professor is one of academic philosophy, ethics, or another academic discipline, the professor is human. Sometimes the college or university systems are so large that faculty, students, and staff are but numbers. The above explains how a professor may get into the rut of treating students alike.

Human dignity ‘is rooted in creation in the image and likeness of God’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 424). Breaking free from the rut a system may create requires one to reflect on one’s behavior. One breaks free by examining not only one’s life but also the system in which one works.

Fortunately, a professor of philosophy or ethics has the intellectual tools to adjust behavior. One must identify the situation, ask questions, and direct oneself to develop a solution to the problem.

The Rev. Sandra Nikkel, head pastor of Conklin Reformed Church, responds:

These findings do not surprise me. The ability to look at our own inconsistencies and flaws is rare. We lack the clarity to see them because they're too close to us. It's easy to justify and codify what we do in order to make it admissible and make it fit into our own paradigms of right and wrong. That's why we need one another. But, we need humility in order to be open and let another person speak into our lives. A good friend will point out our blind spots and confront us. Proverbs 27:6 tells us that the wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. It would do us well to consider God's wisdom in this area, as we do life and as we interact with others.            

Linda Knieriemen, Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Holland, responds:

It is easier to preach than to  practice anything, including ethics. Regardless of academic training, we are all capable of ethical malfeasance. That’s part of the human condition. The Apostle Paul wrote ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ There is an unmistakable irony however when pastors, academicians, and ethicists err.  The public asks for and deserves high levels of integrity from those in their care and all need to be held to account and face the consequences of their behavior.

Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds:

Perhaps it’s for the same reason that religious people don’t always score high when it comes to living out the ethical and moral precepts of their faith. Hinduism teaches that we at our very core are divine in origin. Yet, due to lifetimes of habits, thought patterns and environments not affirming of spiritual growth we do not always see, or even make the effort to see, the results of our actions when they might impede the happiness of another person or the status of society and the environment in general. Shortly put, we are amazingly competent at rationalizing circumstances to benefit our convenience.

My response:

The goal of a university liberal arts education is to educate students and teach them how to think, not specifically to teach them how to be good people. Some might consider this to be a fundamental flaw in our higher education system. I happen to believe that critical thinking skills are important, but I don’t make the mistake of thinking that such skills will necessarily produce good people in the end. The ability to analyze literature or poetry, describe or critique political systems, predict future events based on historical trends, or manage a group of people in service of corporate prosperity do not lead students to strive to live lives of holiness. So it is not a surprise to me that one who teaches philosophy or ethics in an academic setting, who studies the theory of how we make decisions and the principles by which we make them, might not take into account principles of goodness or holiness when making their own behavioral choices. For a fully well-rounded education, students and faculty might combine their secular studies and research with a religious practice that teaches them how to be good people.

This column answers questions of Ethics and Religion by submitting them to a multi-faith panel of spiritual leaders in the Grand Rapids area. We’d love to hear about the ordinary ethical questions that come up in the course of your day as well as any questions of religion that you’ve wondered about. Tell us how you resolved an ethical dilemma and see how members of the Ethics and Religion Talk panel would have handled the same situation. Please send your questions to [email protected].