Studying ethics, 'Star Trek' style, at Drake; Des Moines Register, 11/10/16

Daniel P. Finney, Des Moines Register; Studying ethics, 'Star Trek' style, at Drake:

"What I found in this class of 18 young people was hope.

So much of the presidential election discourse was negative, pessimistic and cruel. It exposed deep-seeded prejudices in a much larger portion of our population than many of us expected. The final result deeply unnerved at least half the electorate.

Beyond the sheer magnitude of bile, there was the clear absence of thoughtful consideration of issues by so many engaged in angry arguments.

Everything seemed to be bisected into a comic book morality of good vs. evil: Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader, Batman vs. the Joker and so on. Very little nuanced thinking or discussion occurred, despite the complexities of the individuals and the issues involved.

Yet in this classroom, I saw exactly what I desperately desired from the people who sought to be leaders of this country: reason, thought, empathy and advanced thinking."