Scholars Discuss Ethics In Science Center Panel

Three Harvard scholars gathered to discuss the "quiet revolution" taking place in ethics education and touched on the difficulties of teaching morality as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of the Harvard Alumni Association.

The university is "taking ethics training seriously and trying to set an example" for other institutions, said Dennis F. Thompson, Whitehead professor of political philosophy and the director of Harvard's Program in Ethics and the Professions.

Thompson said that a "kind of revolution in ethics teaching and research" has been taking place at the University, citing the number of courses dealing with ethics that have been added since 1976.

Teaching ethics to undergraduates is a special challenge because the standard textbooks are not tuned to their experiences, he said.

"When teaching ethics to undergraduates, we try to relate it to the problems that they face such as campus issues," Thompson said.

'A Part of Their Lives'

"I try to get my students to understand that ethics is a part of their lives whether they like it or not," said panellist David B. Wilkins, an assistant professor of law.

Wilkins and Thompson were also joined by Lynn M. Peterson, director of the Medical School's division of medical ethics.

Harvard's ethics program was launched in 1986 and "brings together scholars with competence in philosophical thought and scholars with experience in professional education in the hope that they will learn from each other," Thompson said.