Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on others, here is my take on today’s post, “Should a Man Have Told His Mother-in-Law That She Was Dying?” My mother-in-law died recently of cancer. She was 88 and had a full and good life. She did not have full-blown dementia, but she had[…] Keep reading →

If you read this blog, you know I care about leadership and how to improve yours—in business, personal, family, and every other part of your life. I presume you do too. As much as you’ve learned from the blog, you can learn more from doing. If you want to improve because you’re moving up the corporate ladder, just finished school, starting your own projects, or any other reason that you[…] Keep reading →

I compiled feedback from students in the entrepreneurship class I taught at NYU last semester. Though the students were undergraduates, I taught basically the same exercises as I do with executives and seasoned executives, who get similar results. As much as my vanity would like to take credit for some of these reviews, more credit goes to the style of teaching I use—inquiry-driven project-based learning—and the people who developed it[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on others, here is my take on today’s post, “Should My Rich Friends Apply for Financial Aid?” Close friends of mine are raising four young children in a city with an extremely high cost of living. Not a small feat. They are not millionaires, but[…] Keep reading →

You saw the video of the cop slamming the student in a grade-school classroom. Everybody is quick to talk about race and belligerent cops. What everyone is missing We’re so accustomed to regimented schools, we miss what an anti-educational environment we’ve made our schools into. Notice that during this violent interaction, none of the other students or the teacher acts with shock, to defend her, or to do anything but[…] Keep reading →

The more I work in American universities, the more I see their decision-making and leadership behind the scenes. The more I learn about student-focused project-based learning connecting students’ lives to what the schools are trying to teach and move away from more abstract academic approaches, the more I see alternatives to the education I got that I think serve students’ and society’s interests more. I care about students in schools[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on others, here is my take on today’s post, “What Should an Ethicist Tell His Readers?” I’ve just been asked to take on a column that deals with ethical quandaries. Is there anything I should let readers know? KWAME ANTHONY APPIAH My response: The person[…] Keep reading →