Ethics Roundtables

Ethics Roundtables are presented virtually in partnership with Felician University and are free and open to the public.

Join us for our upcoming fall events:

Eyes Everywhere: The Ethics of (Still) Being Watched
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., ET | Zoom Link

Continuing our earlier Ethics Roundtable conversation, Eyes Everywhere: The Ethics of (Still) Being Watched returns to the rapidly evolving ethical landscape of surveillance. As institutions increasingly rely on artificial intelligence, biometric technologies, predictive analytics, and algorithmic decision-making, the boundaries between safety and intrusion, convenience and control, and innovation and exploitation have become increasingly difficult to define.

This roundtable will explore not only who is being watched, but also who has the power to watch, who benefits from surveillance, who bears its risks, and what responsibilities institutions have when collecting and using personal information. Particular attention will be given to the ways surveillance technologies can reproduce or intensify existing social inequalities, disproportionately affecting marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Bringing together perspectives from ethics, education, technology, law, public policy, and professional practice, the discussion will consider how individuals and institutions can respond ethically to a world in which surveillance is increasingly difficult to see, understand, or escape. Ultimately, the roundtable asks how values such as privacy, consent, transparency, accountability, equity, and human dignity can guide the development and use of surveillance technologies in a world where being watched has become an increasingly ordinary condition of modern life.

Guiding Questions

• How has the ethical landscape of surveillance changed as artificial intelligence, biometric technologies, and predictive systems have become more deeply embedded in everyday life?
• Who has the power to watch, collect, interpret, and act upon personal data, and what ethical responsibilities accompany that power?
• What happens to consent when surveillance is ubiquitous, concealed, or effectively unavoidable? If there is on consent, what are the implications of that?
• How should institutions balance legitimate concerns for safety, security, efficiency, and accountability with individual rights to privacy, autonomy, and transparency?
• In what ways can surveillance technologies reproduce or intensify existing inequalities, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable communities?
• Are there forms or uses of surveillance that are inherently unethical, and what ethical frameworks can help us determine when surveillance is justified, when it has gone too far, and when resistance may be morally warranted?

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The American Experiment: Virtue, Belonging, and the Common Good
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., ET | Zoom Link

As the United States reflects on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and enters another period of civic reflection, questions about the American experiment take on renewed significance. Many influential voices in the nation’s founding era argued that the success of this experiment depended not only upon laws and institutions, but also upon the civic virtues and shared responsibilities of its people. At a time of deep polarization, declining institutional trust, persistent inequalities, and competing visions of national identity, ethical questions surrounding the common good raise fundamental concerns about belonging, civic responsibility, and the kind of society we hope to build together.

This roundtable will explore the virtues necessary for sustaining a just, inclusive, and flourishing society, as well as the challenges of cultivating those virtues in contemporary American life. Rather than assuming agreement about which virtues matter most, the discussion will examine how different ethical, philosophical, religious, and political traditions understand the character traits and civic responsibilities that enable democratic communities to thrive. The conversation will also consider how race, class, religion, migration, and other forms of difference shape experiences of belonging and participation, and how individuals and institutions can contribute to communities in which every person is recognized as possessing inherent dignity and a meaningful stake in a shared future.

Bringing together perspectives from ethics, philosophy, religion, political theory, history, education, law, sociology, public leadership, and professional practice, the discussion will explore how different traditions understand civic virtue, whether certain virtues are essential for democratic life, and how those virtues might be cultivated across profound moral, political, and religious differences. The conversation will consider what individuals, communities, and institutions owe one another in order for democratic societies to flourish. Ultimately, the roundtable asks what virtues are necessary to cultivate the common good in a diverse nation and how those virtues can strengthen civic life without demanding conformity, excluding those on the margins, or diminishing the dignity of those with whom we disagree.

Guiding Questions

• What virtues are necessary for individuals, communities, and institutions to cultivate the common good in a diverse and pluralistic society?
• What can the successes and failures of the American experiment over the past 250 years teach us about the virtues required for democratic life?
• What does genuine belonging require in a nation shaped by differences of race, class, religion, migration, political conviction, and lived experience?
• Can democratic societies sustain deep disagreement without a shared commitment to certain civic virtues? Why or why not?
• What responsibilities do individuals, leaders, educational institutions, religious communities, civic organizations, and other institutions bear for cultivating the virtues necessary for a healthy constitutional democracy?
• How can appeals to national identity, shared values, or unity strengthen civic life while respecting disagreement, protecting human dignity, and expanding opportunities for belonging?

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The Ethics of Just War: Ancient Traditions and Modern Challenges
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 | 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., ET | Zoom Link

For centuries, the just war tradition has provided one of the most influential ethical frameworks for examining the morality of armed conflict. Drawing from philosophical, religious, legal, and political traditions, just war thinking seeks to establish moral limits on when nations may resort to force, how wars should be conducted, and what responsibilities remain when conflict ends. Yet in a world shaped by rapidly changing technologies, shifting geopolitical realities, and new forms of warfare, longstanding principles concerning just cause, legitimate authority, proportionality, discrimination, and civilian protection face increasingly complex challenges.

This roundtable will explore not only whether and when war can be morally justified, but also who has the authority to make such judgments, who bears responsibility for the consequences of armed conflict, and whether traditional ethical frameworks remain adequate for contemporary warfare. Particular attention will be given to challenges posed by autonomous weapons, artificial intelligence, drones, cyber warfare, terrorism and non-state actors, humanitarian intervention, and conflicts in which distinctions between combatants and civilians are increasingly difficult to maintain.

Bringing together perspectives from ethics, philosophy, religion, law, military studies, international relations, public policy, and professional practice, the discussion will consider how individuals, institutions, and nations can think ethically about the use of military force in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Ultimately, the roundtable asks whether the ancient traditions and enduring principles of just war thinking can continue to provide meaningful moral guidance in contemporary conflicts and what ethical responsibilities individuals, governments, military leaders, and the international community bear in limiting violence, protecting human dignity, and pursuing a just and lasting peace.

Guiding Questions

• Can the just war tradition adequately address contemporary challenges such as terrorism, non-state actors, humanitarian intervention, and conflicts that cross national borders?
• How should the ancient traditions and enduring principles of just war thinking be understood and applied in the context of contemporary armed conflict?
• How should principles such as just cause, proportionality, discrimination, and civilian protection be interpreted when contemporary conflicts increasingly blur the boundaries between combatants and civilians?
• What ethical challenges do artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, drones, cyber warfare, and other emerging technologies pose for traditional understandings of moral responsibility in war?
• Who has the moral and political authority to determine when the use of military force is justified, and what responsibilities accompany that authority?
• What responsibilities do individuals, governments, military leaders, and the international community have not only during armed conflict, but also in preventing war, ending violence, repairing harm, and building a just and lasting peace?

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Ethics Roundtables | Spring 2027

The Ethics of Resistance: Power, Responsibility, and Moral Courage
Friday, March 5, 2026 | 2:45 p.m. - 4 p.m. @ APPE Conference [In Person]
Friday, April 2, 2026 | Time TBD | @ APPE Virtual Conference [Zoom]

Throughout history, individuals and communities have confronted difficult questions about when and how to resist unjust laws, institutions, and systems of power. From civil disobedience and conscientious objection to whistleblowing, protest, and acts of noncooperation, resistance has played a central role in challenging injustice and promoting social change. Yet resistance also raises complex ethical questions about authority, responsibility, complicity, and the limits of individual and collective action.

This roundtable will explore not only when resistance may be ethically justified, but also what responsibilities individuals and institutions bear when confronted with injustice, wrongdoing, or abuses of power. Particular attention will be given to the moral tensions surrounding obedience and dissent, complicity and accountability, courage and personal risk, and the use of violent and nonviolent forms of resistance. The discussion will also consider how differences in social, political, and institutional power shape who is able to resist, who bears the consequences of resistance, and whose acts of dissent are recognized as legitimate.

Bringing together perspectives from ethics, philosophy, religion, law, political theory, education, healthcare, organizational leadership, and professional practice, the discussion will consider how individuals and communities can respond ethically to unjust structures and exercises of power. Ultimately, the roundtable asks what moral responsibility requires when individuals encounter injustice, when obedience becomes complicity, and how moral courage can enable individuals and communities to challenge power while remaining accountable for the consequences of their actions.

Guiding Questions

• Under what circumstances is resistance to laws, institutions, or systems of power ethically justified?
• When does obedience to authority become complicity in injustice, and what responsibilities do individuals have when their personal or professional obligations conflict with their moral convictions?
• How do differences in social, political, and institutional power shape who is able to resist, whose resistance is considered legitimate, and who bears the risks and consequences of dissent?
• What role does moral courage play in resistance, and how should individuals balance the responsibility to challenge injustice with the personal, professional, and social risks of doing so?
• What ethical distinctions should be made among civil disobedience, conscientious objection, whistleblowing, protest, noncooperation, and violent or nonviolent forms of resistance?
• How can ethical frameworks help individuals, professionals, and institutions determine not only when resistance is justified, but also what responsible and effective resistance should require?

 

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The Limits of Forgiveness: Justice, Responsibility, and Reconciliation
Wednesday, April 14, 2026 | 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., ET | Zoom Link

Forgiveness has long occupied a complex place in ethical, philosophical, religious, and political thought. Often regarded as a virtue, a moral ideal, or a necessary step toward healing and reconciliation, forgiveness can offer a path beyond resentment, retaliation, and cycles of harm. Yet forgiveness also raises difficult ethical questions about justice, accountability, responsibility, and the obligations of those who have been wronged. In the aftermath of personal, institutional, and collective harms, the call to forgive may promote healing and restoration, but it may also risk minimizing wrongdoing, overlooking injustice, or placing additional burdens on victims.

This roundtable will explore not only whether and when forgiveness is ethically appropriate, but also whether forgiveness can ever be morally required, who has the authority to forgive, and what relationship forgiveness should have to accountability and justice. Particular attention will be given to the tensions between forgiveness and punishment, repentance and reconciliation, individual and collective responsibility, and memory and healing. The discussion will also consider whether some harms are unforgivable and how differences in social, political, and institutional power shape expectations surrounding forgiveness and reconciliation.

Bringing together perspectives from ethics, philosophy, religion, psychology, law, restorative justice, healthcare, peace and conflict studies, and professional practice, the discussion will consider how individuals, communities, and institutions can respond ethically to wrongdoing and harm. Ultimately, the roundtable asks whether forgiveness can contribute to justice and reconciliation without diminishing responsibility, silencing those who have been harmed, or allowing individuals and institutions to escape accountability.

Guiding Questions

• What is forgiveness, and how should it be distinguished from excusing, forgetting, reconciliation, or the abandonment of justice?
• Can forgiveness ever be morally required, or must it always remain the choice of those who have experienced wrongdoing and harm?
• What relationship should forgiveness have to accountability, punishment, repentance, and efforts to repair harm?
• Are there harms that are morally unforgivable, and who has the authority to determine whether forgiveness is possible or appropriate?
• How do differences in social, political, and institutional power shape expectations surrounding forgiveness, particularly when those who have been harmed are pressured to forgive individuals or institutions responsible for wrongdoing?
• How can individuals, communities, and institutions pursue forgiveness and reconciliation while preserving justice, responsibility, memory, and accountability?

 

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Past Events:

Eyes Everywhere: The Ethics of Being Watched
Wednesday, April 8, 2026

What Do We Owe Each Other? Ethics in the Age of Generative Tools
Saturday, March 7, 2026 | Hybrid – APPE Annual Meeting & Zoom

Bodies That Don’t Belong: Access to Health Care and Marginalized Persons
Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Whose Speech, Whose Streets? Navigating the Ethics of Protest in Polarized Times
Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Climate Justice: Ethical Responsibilities in Environmental Stewardship
Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Virtual Realities, Real Ethics: Navigating the Digital Frontier
Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Ethics in Action: Making Mental Health Care Accessible and Affordable
Wednesday, November 1, 2024

The Politics of Differences: Can Conservatives and Liberals Have a Conversation?
Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Innovation with Responsibility: Ethics and the Applied Uses of AI
Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Inclusive Futures: Ethical Implications of AI and Its Impact on Marginalized Communities
Wednesday, March 20, 2024

AI Content Creation: Exploring Ethical Implications and Responsibilities
Wednesday, October 25, 2023