Our academies of higher education are fine purveyors of knowledge. Yet, there is something missing.
It has only been within the last twenty years that ethics was no longer stuck in a corner in the Religion and Philosophy departments
of most major universities. Strikingly, the debate still rages among faculty and administrators over whether or not ethics
can even be taught.
What is even more incredible is the turf wars among departments who can teach it and fail to see
the ethical dilemma that little scenario creates. Colleges and universities alike have reluctantly been dragged into value-difference
arguments and display what might best be described as a benign reluctance to teach ethics. They have no interest, nor do they
wish to take the lead to teach applied ethics in their communities. In other words, in their minds, why teach what they believe
is not teachable.
This abysmal record of accepting ethical accountability to lead community ethics development efforts
is not unique to educational institutions. This universal systemic problem exists nationally and internationally among
all organizations that influence the public lifestyle, underlying cultural morality, and day-to-day conduct.
Organizations concerned with the pressures of maintaining their own images of ethical propriety are
pulling together increasingly disparate ideas of political correctness and what is, or is not, ethical. In defining their
own conduct that should accompany grounded organizational ethical behavior has, unfortunately, created a whole new set of
dilemmas for institutions pressured to step up to the plate.
