How can respectful conversation illuminate the personal and ethical approaches to complex social and political issues so that we can see the best path forward?
An Ethical Lens will…
…cut through the hostility and noise of contemporary social debate so as to uncover the ethical and personal challenges of our times.
…offer us opportunities to engage in empathetic perspective taking and learn from the experiences of others.
…enable us to envision worthy futures together.
Join us in our quest for productive, relevant dialogue that can help shape our understanding of each other and live
in alignment with an ethical future.
April 18, J. Jondhi Harrell, Community Organizer and Activist
Surviving Incarceration and Reentry
We turn an Ethical Lens on “Surviving Incarceration and Reentry.” What are the personal, spiritual, and social resources needed for people to remain whole when they end up in prison? How can people best make it through our retributive system, reset their lives, and reenter a society where they can flourish? What can be done to humanize our justice system so that it nurtures the best in human personality, personal responsibility, and community support?
Community Organizer, activist, and founder and Executive Director of The Center for Returning Citizens, J. Jondhi Harrell, joins the Philadelphia Ethical Society in conversation on April 18, 2022. He has played prominent roles in numerous local organizations including the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition, #215EndCashBail, Beyond the Bars, and the Free Meek Mill Movement.
May 23, Helen Gym, Philadelphia City Council Member
Progressive Politics
What are the challenges for someone pursuing a progressive political platform that focuses on the needs of people and families rather than corporate interests? How can we prioritize the meaning of community organizing, public education, the needs of our children, the rights of immigrants, and issues of public safety while deconstructing racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression?
Mother, teacher, public education advocate, and long-time Philadelphian, Helen Gym has spent her life protecting public spaces, fighting mayors and developers who would take publicly funded land for private interests like casinos and for-profit charter schools. We welcome you to listen in on her conversation with Hugh Taft-Morales as they dive into what it takes to create the “Philadelphia” its people deserve.
June 6, Kim Roosevelt, Professor of Administrative Justice
Justice and the Constitution
How does our Constitution and system of justice evolve to match and redefine an ever-changing America? How do political and ethical issues affect how the law treats people, such as during the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII and the fate of aliens seized by the U. S. government and held in facilities such as Guantanamo? How can our country solve the problem of minority partisan control of the Supreme Court and the danger to the election integrity of potential future SCOTUS cases?
Kermit Roosevelt is a Professor for the Administration of Justice at UPenn and award-winning author of the book The Nation that Never Was: Reconstructing America’s Story. A specialist in constitutional law, his work has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, and the Washington Times, among others. He is also the great-great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt.
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