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Created and managed by Carnegie Council Senior Program Director and Senior Fellow William Vocke, Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 90-second segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues.
Also in the Global Ethics Corner series
Global Ethics Corner: Who Does Everest Belong To?
(01:59)
From: Carnegie Council
A fight on Mt. Everest between Nepalese Sherpas and European climbers has again raised questions about tourism and the world's tallest mountain. Should the Sherpas, who live ...
Global Ethics Corner: Food for Peace?
(02:12)
From: Carnegie Council
Food for Peace, which ships American farm products to developing nations, has long been criticized for crowding out local agriculture. Now, to the dismay of the U.S. farming ...
Global Ethics Corner: Should Childhood Vaccinations Be Mandatory?
(02:05)
From: Carnegie Council
Childhood vaccination programs have been met with skepticism and hostility in the U.S. Some oppose them on religious grounds, while others worry about preservatives. Do ...
Thought Leader: Dan Ariely
(03:41)
From: Carnegie Council
"The good news is that we're figuring out some of the big mistakes people are making, and if we figure out in time, we can try to fight that and actually do things in a ...
Global Ethics Corner: Was the Boston Lockdown Justified?
(02:09)
From: Carnegie Council
As authorities searched for one of the Boston Marathon bombers, the city of Boston and its suburbs were put on lockdown. Was this action justified? Does this set a dangerous ...
Global Ethics Corner: What’s Going on in Guantanamo Bay?
(02:02)
From: Carnegie Council
With over half of the detainees on a hunger strike, tensions are worse than ever at Guantanamo Bay. Is it finally time for the United States to close this detention camp? Or ...
Thought Leader: Srdja Popovic
(02:45)
From: Carnegie Council
"There are two kinds of countries in this world, the good ones and the bad ones. The good ones I count as the countries where the governments are afraid of their people. The ...
Global Ethics Corner: Kenyan Election Controversy
(02:05)
From: Carnegie Council
After a controversial election, Kenya has inaugurated Uhuru Kenyatta, who has been indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity, as its new president. Should Kenya, a hub ...
Global Ethics Corner: Are We Good Because of God?
(01:52)
From: Carnegie Council
A new book claiming that bonobos can feel empathy suggests that morality may be biological. If this is the case, what purpose does religion serve? Is it still a useful tool ...
Global Ethics Corner: Who Benefits Most From Wearable Computers?
(01:56)
From: Carnegie Council
Apple and Google will, reportedly, both soon be selling computers that you can wear. But will the trove of details that these devices will be able to collect be an invasion ...
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Piece Description
Created and managed by Carnegie Council Senior Program Director and Senior Fellow William Vocke, Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 90-second segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues.
Transcript
Are we born good?
Babies as young as six months overwhelmingly prefer those who help rather than those who hinder, according to Bloom in The New York Times Magazine.
At Yale University's Infant Cognition Center, babies were shown shapes and puppets that acted out scenes. Babies regularly reach for those that show empathy or niceness. "Some sense of good and evil seems to be bred in the bone."
Other studies suggest that the environment builds moral fabric, that "socialization is critically important." Heinrich argues that acting kindly toward strangers is more likely in free market economies, which for trade depend on an ethical foundation of fairness and transparency.
Perhaps a higher being instills a sense of ethics in humanity? Darwin's collaborator Alfred Wallace thought that moral actions by people go beyond what biological evolution could explain. D'Souza suggests that altruisti...
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Additional Credits
William Vocke- Producer, Program Director, Writer and Voice Talent
Deborah Carroll- Production Manager
Robert Smithline- Editor
Terence Hurley- Editor
Ina Pira- Media Coordinator
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