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Character counts: Neutrality on core issues like truth is immoral
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More from OpinionThis has been a big week for me. It's National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week, highlighting a national movement started by the Joseph & Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics, a nonprofit organization established in honor of my parents.
The truth is, I am not only proud but amazed at how big the CC! movement has become.
In 1992, when the concept of confronting the issue of deteriorating social ethics by advocating the importance of core moral values and personal character was launched, schools and most youth-serving organizations conscientiously steered away from teaching values. Fearing it would incite protests or lawsuits from one group or another who disagreed with the values selected, they took the road of value neutrality, grounded in what I call "moral agnosticism" — the belief that no formulation of ethical values could transcend cultural, religious and socioeconomic differences.
The central theme of the CC! movement is that value neutrality on core issues like truth, personal responsibility and justice is itself immoral and that schools and other organizations that help shape the ethical perspectives of youngsters have a duty to promote the development of positive character traits like trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and good citizenship.
One group I call "politicizers" couldn't believe a secular strategy based on shared values wasn't simply a ploy to promote partisan political ideologies.
Another, the "trivializers," ignored research and common sense and tried to dismiss character-development efforts as either impossible or ineffective.
The "cynics" were certain that schools would never have the courage to trade politically safe values-neutrality for a program promoting ethical virtues.
The battle is hardly over, but as the millions celebrating CHARACTER COUNTS! Week 2007 prove, we're getting stronger and we're not going away.
Visit the charactercounts.org Web site to find out what you can do.
— Michael Josephson, of Playa del Rey, is founder and president of the Joseph & Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics and of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition. His Web site is www.charactercounts.org. He can be reached by e-mail at commentary@jiethics.org.
Posted by shaver_one on October 26, 2007 at 10:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think you can see just how important Character is to the readers, by the overflowing number of responses here.
Character does count.
But, I'm not sure I share the same definitions of Personal Character, Moral Values, Ethical Virtues, or Justice with you. So, I'll honor my own character and values and pass them on to my children...on my own.
Thanks, however, for the thought.
Posted by lthrnek on October 26, 2007 at 6:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Character IS important to "Men of Honor."
We spend the first couple of weeks in Marine Corps Boot Camp nowadays teaching recruits what their parents failed to teach.
but. . who even thinks about such things as "Personal Honor" anymore????
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