I have been teaching Ethics at Framingham State University (in
the greater Boston area) for a few years. This course is for one semester only.
I usually teach in the Fall and in the Spring, but not during the Summer. I am
in the Psychology/Philosophy department, and have created my own approach to
this academic discipline.
I start with theoretical issues, such as, How free are we?
Where do we get our ethics from? What are Virtue Ethics? Then, I move to classical material that deal
with ethics. We read and study in class a number of texts taken from the Hebrew
Bible, New Testament, Dead Sea Scrolls, Koran, Greek literature, rabbinic
material, medieval philosophy and contemporary literature. The third component
of my course is dedicated to the discussion of modern issues, such as legal
ethics, racial prejudice, environmental ethics, and sexual ethics. During the fourth
and last part, I ask my students to debate a particular issue before the class,
such as a specific death penalty case, an extortion issue, or gender identity
dilemma.
The response of my students has been positive. I love to
engage them in ethical debates, and want them to take a position, however
uncomfortable. One of my favorite cases comes from the rabbinic literature
(Sifra on Lev. 25: 36): Two people are in the desert. They have only one flask
of water. If both drink, both will die; if one of them drinks, he/she will
survive. You carry the flask. What would you do? Then, I make the case even
more complicated: I say, the other person is your child. Here, most
participants vote to give the bottle to the child. But, if I say, the other
person is your hated brother-in-law, opinions change.
What do I want to achieve?
a)
I want my students to
think, and to think logically, and weigh the outcome of the issues at hand in a
rational way, without, however, ignoring the needs of the heart. I don’t want
them to act impulsively, but to look at both sides of the issue before making a
decision.
b)
I want my students to
realize that we make ethical decisions all the time, and we need to develop a
sensitivity in this area.
c)
I stress that certain
things are clearly wrong: to be a Nazi is despicable; there is no other side.
To be a racist, is bad; there is no justification for it. But, at times, the
lines between right and wrong are blurred. To save a life, your own or someone
else’s, people often behave in an “unethical” way. For example, a woman who willingly commits
adultery with a terrorist in order to save her life. Her behavior is
understandable, and justifiable, even if it is not totally moral.
d)
Finally, I want my students
to have empathy. This is more than caring about another individual. Empathy
requires that you put yourself in that person’s shoes, almost to be that
person. When you show empathy, you are more likely to behave in a humane way.
And, that is good.
What do you think?
Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D.
Sept. 5, 2017
