Hello, and welcome.
The Prindle Institute for Ethics equips people to deepen their understanding of moral perspectives and to think critically about the ethical issues we all face. These issues range from the small and personal to the large and public. Ethics, at its core, asks questions about right and wrong, good and bad, and how these ideas shape our obligations to ourselves and to others. Because these questions arise everywhere, ethical reflection touches nearly every field—education, politics, history, science, engineering, business, the environment, and beyond. For that reason, the Prindle Institute supports a wide range of projects and initiatives across many disciplines and communities.
Since our founding in 2008, DePauw students have been at the heart of our mission. We work to promote the study of ethics across disciplines and throughout daily life. But our reach extends well beyond the classroom. We foster ethics education in partnership with local and regional communities, university faculty and staff (at DePauw and beyond), K–12 educators, and professionals through our executive education programs. The Institute has grown into a national leader in ethics education and serves as the institutional home of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE)—the world’s largest professional ethics organization. Through all these efforts, we aim to help people become more thoughtful citizens, capable of recognizing and reasoning through the ethical questions that shape our shared world.
Most of us agree that ethics matters. We believe we should treat others fairly, justify our decisions, and act with integrity. But not everyone agrees on what ethics education should look like. Some think it’s about shaping a person’s character; others think it’s about teaching a set of values or identifying the “right” answers to moral questions.
At the Prindle Institute, we take a different view. In a pluralistic democracy, questions of right and wrong are often contested—and that’s precisely why they’re worth discussing. The easy cases don’t demand our deepest reflection. The hard ones do. Questions like, Is it ever permissible to break a law for the sake of justice? or What do we owe to future generations?—these are the moments when ethical thinking becomes essential.
So what’s the value of ethics education if it doesn’t hand us the right answers? We believe progress lies in the process. Through dialogue, we can rule out weak answers, understand the reasoning behind strong ones, and learn to see moral problems from many perspectives.
Ethics education, understood in this way, cultivates vital skills: the ability to make sound decisions, communicate them clearly, build consensus, and understand opposing viewpoints. These are skills essential not only for professional success but for living together in a diverse and democratic society. At a time when public discourse is often fractured and polarized, our work—helping people think and talk together about what matters most—is more important than ever. I invite you to explore, to question, and to join us in this work.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Dunn, Ph.D.
Phyllis Nicholas Director
The Prindle Institute for Ethics
DePauw University