The NAU Institute for Public and Professional Ethics in Leadership
Jeff Downard is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at NAU and teaches courses in ethics, law, and environmental protection. It was an honor to have him speak for the Institute!
Professor Downard’s research interests are broad but centered on the foundations of experimental methods of inquiry and applying these methods to the study of the healthy evolution of moral and legal principles in modern societies. Recent inquiries into the pragmatic application of blockchain systems to improve transparency and trust in the private and public sectors for the sake of addressing problems of structural injustice are part of this longer-term effort.
Michael Lynch argued that truth is a democratic value and he outlined three challenges to this value we face in contemporary society: knowledge polarization, intellectual arrogance, and disinformation.
He is currently working on a book on truth in politics, trying to figure out if there is such a thing, and if there is, how we might discover it.
Check out our other Northern Arizona University Institute for Public and Professional Ethics in Leadership events!
Last semester was a whirlwind of activity for the Institute: we started an online series, welcomed a postdoctoral scholar, hosted two incredible guest speakers, delivered guest speeches, and most importantly – began setting a course for the future of the Institute.
Keep reading our Newsletter!
Leadership ethics belong in all fields. In every discipline, people take on leadership roles. A part of leadership is working with other people, building trust, and making decisions. Having a strong ethical sense and attention to the ethical implications of these interactions and decisions is good leadership.
Learn about how ethics is related to different fields!
