Episode 188: Heidi M. Giebel on Achieving Ethical Excellence (February 19, 2021)

This week on The Open Door we discuss ethical excellence. Why do some achieve it while others fail? Our special guest is Heidi M. Giebel, professor of philosophy at the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota. She is the author of Ethical Excellence: Philosophers, Psychologists, and Real-Life Exemplars Show Us How to Achieve It (The Catholic University of America Press, 2021.)

1. Some people overcome great hardships and do good things; others have seemingly wonderful childhoods and then do evil things. How can we understand these reversals?

2. How do the virtues lead to moral excellence and, indeed, to an excellent life overall?

3. What sort of direction do the ancient Socratic and Confucian traditions bring to moral education today?

4. How does the empirical research of psychologists give us guidance?

5. In everyday life we speak of traits like “willpower,” “grit,” “stick-to-it-iveness,” and “having a heart.” Should they be dismissed as folk-psychology, or are they touchstones for constructive theory-building?

6. Of late we have heard a great deal about healthcare workers and first-responders as COVID heroes. What do moral heroes offer us in terms of our own striving for ethical excellence?

7. Your account of moral excellence draws on both relevant stories and interviews that you have carried out. How does the biographical contribute to building moral excellence?

8. As the mother of a large family, have you been able to make use of the lessons of your research in daily life?

9. As a Christian, you believe that however mightily we strive for moral excellence we cannot succeed without “amazing grace.” Do today’s “thought leaders,” whether in or out of the academy, have any appreciation of our dependency on God’s gracious gifts?

10. Could you tell us a bit about your next project?