The Ethical Life

Episode 54:  Last month David Brooks of The New York Times wrote a column headlined “Why your social life is not what it should be.” Hosts Rick Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how technology, which is designed to bring people together, often keeps us apart. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: The Big Sort , by Bill Bishop Seven key takeaways from Raj Chetty’s new research on friendship and...

Episode 53: President Joe Biden said his administration plans to forgive up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for anyone who earns less than $125,000 a year. People who went to college on Pell grants can have up to $20,000 forgiven. Hosts Rick Kyte and Scott Rada debate this significant and expensive policy, and what it means about fairness and the structural funding problems in higher educa...

Episode 52:  Although the worst of the pandemic seems to be behind us, most people agree that remote work — at least for some employees — is here to stay. Rick Kyte and Scott Rada discuss the benefits and challenges associated with this fundamental change in how we do our jobs, along with some of the long-term consequences. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: Statistics on remote worker...

Episode 51: Thousands of Americans die each year because the demand for organs far exceeds the supply. And we’ve all heard stories about hospitals in our communities struggling to get enough people to voluntarily donate blood. Hosts Scott Rada and Rick Kyte discuss what can and should be done to increase donations and save lives. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: Assessing global orga...

Episode 50: To mark our 50th episode, hosts Rick Kyte and Scott Rada wanted to tackle a big and important topic, and few are bigger – and more polarizing – than religion. The hosts – who have clearly different points of view – discuss the Bible, the existence of an afterlife and the effectiveness of prayer. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: Here’s why we shouldn’t give up on churches...

Episode 49: A recent poll found that small businesses are the most-respected institution in America today. And, according to the Better Business Bureau , if consumers spend $100 at a local business, roughly $68 stays within their local economy. However, a column last year by Matthew Yglesias , points out that, unlike small businesses, larger companies look for more qualified candidates for leaders...

Episode 48: Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss the recent protests aimed at Supreme Court justices and whether confronting them or other public officials in private spaces is appropriate. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: Tweet from ShutDownDC asking service workers to report sightings of Supreme Court justices Pete Buttigieg shuts down Fox News on Kavanaugh protesters Here's what we...

Episode 47: Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss whether we have the right social structures in place to allow us to develop humility as a virtue and why we need to have our beliefs and behaviors routinely challenged by others. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: Humility is required for living a good life , by Richard Kyte How do you know if you’re actually humble? , by Tyrone Sgambati,...

Episode 46: Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss a recent story by Derek Thompson of The Atlantic in which he outlines the four forces that are propelling the rising rates of depression among young people. About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Cros...

Episode 45:  A few weeks ago, a Google engineer was placed on administrative leave after he said a chatbot created by his employer had achieved sentience. The company said its systems imitated conversational exchanges but did not have consciousness. It also said the employee violated its confidentiality policy. The question about whether computers have a soul is still open to debate, but what’s cl...

Episode 44: With recent polls showing most Americans aren’t happy with the direction of the country, Richard Kyte and Scott Rada debate how much of that is because of the the negative thrust of many of the news reports people see and share on social media. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: Why is all COVID news bad news? , by the National Bureau of Economic Research The media is biase...

Episode 43: Over the past few years, trans issues have gotten much more attention, especially with more children talking about and sometimes questioning their own gender. In the episode, Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about why this topic is so polarizing for many Americans and ideas about how to think about acceptance and treatment. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: We need to do b...

Episode 42: In 2020, more than 45,000 people in the United States died from gun-related injuries, but the number of people who die each year from alcohol-related causes is more than twice that. Yet social media and cable news is not filled with debates about how to solve this problem. Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about what can be done to address this problem that is underpinning much of the v...

Episode 41: Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about why so many gun owners feel like their voices are being drowned out by the extreme positions so many people take on this polarizing issue. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: What hunters say about guns might surprise you , by Richard Kyte Poll finds parents are scared about gun violence in schools, and so are their school-aged children...

Episode 40: According to a story in Fast Company , when the history of the COVID-19 pandemic is written, the disease’s economic and cultural impact will surely include the Great Resignation . Rick Kyte and Scott Rada look at the pros and cons of this recent trend, and they discuss why so many of those people changing jobs seem to have second thoughts. Links to stories discussed during the po...

Episode 39: A recent poll found that, unsurprisingly, Americans say inflation is their No. 1 concern. Next on the list are worries about political extremism, crime and immigration. In this episode, Scott Rada and Rick Kyte discus why most voters seem to focus more on social issues rather than on policies that might fix the problems they care about the most. Links to stories discussed during the po...