Are there common virtues and principles that everyone can access for an individual and common good? Peter Wehner, a writer and Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative think tank, will explore the question at the Spahr Chair Annual Lecture on Ethics.
Dr. Tom Sutton, professor in the department of politics and global citizenship at BW, and Dr. Param Srikantia, professor in the BW School of Business, will be respondents following Wehner’s presentation. Sutton and Srikantia will act as commentators and then open the floor to students who wish to ask questions, Sutton said.
During his career, Wehner has served in three Republican presidential administrations, was a speech writer for George W. Bush, and managed the Office of Strategic Initiatives. He also has numerous publications credits, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Financial Times, The Weekly Standard, National Review, Commentary, National Affairs, Christianity Today and Time magazine. Although he is considered to be moderately conservative, Wehner’s presentation is in praise of democratic virtues, Sutton said.
“It’s a little unusual to have someone with his background to be able to speak on those issues,” said Sutton. “Part of what I think would be a great value for people to see him is that typically you hear the critiques of the Trump Administration, on the political side, from the democrats. This is from somebody within.”
Wehner is outspoken about the current political climate. Sutton said he will provide a deeper context of how the president’s behavior, attitudes and policies are affecting the sense of morality in the realm of ethics. Wehner will also attempt to lay out a set of ethical principles that can be utilized within both politics and business life.
“He brings a very applied perspective to these kinds of questions,” said Sutton, “which is incredibly valuable because many of us in the academic side read about it, but we aren’t in the middle of it.”
Wehner was selected to present by Dr. David Krueger, who holds the Charles E. Spahr Chair in Managerial and Corporate Ethics. The event is expected to be attended by students, faculty, staff and people outside of the university who are interested in this type of political commentary.
The value in attending an event rooted in business ethics is that it has the potential to provide a different way of thinking, said Dr. Srikantia. He wishes students will attend and learn about a unique perspective.
Both Srikantia and Sutton said they encourage students to be engaged and ask questions pertaining to the topic. Since the presentation topic is unique, they hope students take advantage of Wehner’s insight, they said.
“Students should raise questions that focus on the deeper level of reality that we don’t talk about in [common] discourses,” said Srikantia. “It’s the opportunity for the young [students] to raise questions.”
The event will be hosted at the Center for Innovation & Growth on April 1 from 7-8:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.