Ethics and the Professions—Good Practitioners in a Rising Asia

Date: 

Friday, October 16, 2015, 12:15pm to 1:45pm

Location: 

Harvard Asia Center, CGIS South, S153, 1730 Cambridge St.

A talk in the Modern Asia seminar series at the Harvard Asia Center. A light lunch will be served.


Speaker: Kenneth Winston, Retired Lecturer in Ethics, Harvard Kennedy School

Description
Many Asian countries are in transition, as they struggle to adapt to the demands of a global world.  This struggle is not only economic and political; it is moral.  Simply put, it is a struggle to preserve what one believes to be of value in one’s own culture or tradition while responding to new circumstances and participating in new relationships.  Thus, it often involves a hybrid of traditional beliefs and transplanted values, which makes Asian countries fascinating laboratories of political and ethical development.  In particular, it includes emerging democratic aspirations and increasing commitment to standards of professionalism, which are constituent elements of the new moral environment in Asia.  As a result, the ethical questions faced by practitioners have a special salience and demand close attention.  This talk presents a general framework for thinking about these questions, focusing on the kinds of moral competence needed in working for the good of others.

 Contact: Holly Angell, 496-6824, vhangell@fas.harvard.edu