Life is Better With Ethics Podcast

The Life is Better With Ethics podcast recently explored the line between ethical responsibility and medical liability with a student and assistant professor from WMU’s Bronson School of Nursing, housed in the College of Health and Human Services building seen above.

The Life is Better With Ethics Podcast is taking a modern approach to ethics education. The Western Michigan University Center for the Study of Ethics in Society began audio recording lectures and publishing them as publicly accessible podcasts following their adoption of the new motto, “Life is better with ethics” in 2019. In the spirit of their new maxim, what began as a means of sharing lectures grew into a podcast series with special topics, invited guests, and a more holistic attitude towards integrating ethics into daily life.

“Podcasts give us a way to engage people in ethical reflection using an intimate format that is easy to access on the go while you’re going about your day,” said Center Director Dr. Sandra Borden. Podcasts are an accessible medium that can amplify ethics education to a broader audience beyond university campuses. The Center understood this opportunity when they began airing audio recordings of their lectures as podcast episodes. Soon after, the podcast began to transition from lecture recordings into an actual ethics show. Special episodes were launched with topics chosen by the host and invited guests.

Now, the podcast is home to timely conversations and responses to ethical dilemmas. In 2020 the podcast released a mini-series titled, “What COVID Teaches Us” in response to the ethical issues of racial equity, democratic governance, health care, and wealth inequality highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests.

With the knowledge that life is better with ethics, Dr. Borden hopes to further expand the podcast’s reach to new groups. “We hope to reach new audiences who might not usually come to a scheduled event on campus but who are still interested in thinking deeply about ethics.”

The entire Life is Better With Ethics podcast library can be found on the Western Michigan University Center for the Study of Ethics in Society website.

Has ethics made a difference at your institution over time? Contact Alexis Jimenez Maldonado, alexismaldonado@fas.harvard.edu, with ideas for forthcoming Spotlights.