The Greeks called it arête. Traditionally translated as “virtue,” its central meaning is excellence. In the Iliad and the Odyssey, arête is applied to courage and strength, especially when exhibited in competition and this is one common dimension. But it’s more. An aspect of the value of responsibility, the pursuit of excellence, carries an ethical component when others count on our effectiveness at...

Washington and Lincoln could not have come from more different backgrounds. And yet, in spite of vast differences, both men not only attained the highest office in the land, but the admiration and respect of generations. Both consistently rank as the top two presidents by most scholars. While Lincoln was born dirt poor in Kentucky, Washington was born to a...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,...

You never know where inspiration will come from. One of the great pleasures in teaching a class of motivated New Hampshire students about ethics are the many personal stories they share. The pre-class assignment was to answer the question derived from the book’s title: What do you stand for – what principles do you live by? Describe a moment of...

Responses to my commentary It’s Confirmation Bias Time in America, about the political spinsmanship regarding Clint Eastwood’s Super Bowl ad, were all over the political map. From, “I Love Clint Eastwood” to “The message was the same: American Exceptionalism;” from, “We are going to Politically Correct ourselves out of existence,” to “It was disturbing to me and completely contrived.” However, one reader,  » Read...

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans was not only a responsible and caring chief to his tribe, but was, perhaps one of the most honorable leaders of peace. Not long after Joseph became chief, settlers began overrunning his land based on the treaty forced upon his people by the U.S. government. While he wanted to protect...

Who would think that a TV ad featuring Clint Eastwood giving America a pep talk would create so much political uproar? “I was, frankly, offended by it,” said Republican strategist Karl Rove. “I’m a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, I thought it was an extremely well-done ad, but it is a sign of what happens when you have Chicago-style politics, and...

Last November, 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft reported on a nice little perk that members of Congress have enjoyed for some time, insider trading. According to a report entitled, Insiders, Kroft interviewed “Peter Schweizer… a fellow at the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank at Stanford University… Schweizer says he wanted to know why some congressmen and senators managed to accumulate significant wealth...

The Super Bowl is about everything that is over-the-top. From the two-hour pre-game to the intro of the teams, and the million dollar ad buys for commercials that compete for most creative, funniest, most special effects, well… you get the idea. This year caught all of us completely flat-footed. You could hear a pin drop… not when Madonna made her...

What, you haven’t hear about this? What if I told you that this year, football’s premier event, the Super Bowl, will be played under amended rules? That’s right, in a move that will stun New York fans and likely launch thousands of protests, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is set to announce that Giants’ running backs and receivers will be required...