- The Courage to Care
Borden reads from David French’s opinion column and discusses care as a guide to human interactions, with courage needed to act rather than look away.
- Bystanders and Personal Responsibility
The hosts condemn sexual violence and discuss the responsibility of people who witness harm to protect others rather than remain passive.
- Fraternities, Community, and Accountability
Klein questions blanket bans on fraternities, while Borden reflects on the loss of community such bans can create and emphasizes university leadership’s responsibility.
- Shared Standards and Moral Education
Klein argues for common ethical boundaries and considers how families, education, and the broader culture teach people what is unacceptable.
- Moral Decline or Selective Memory?
Borden challenges the idea that the past was uniformly better, raising the influence of continuous news coverage as the hosts debate social change.
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The Erosion of Morality
About this Episode
Dr. Mark Klein and Enid Borden use a reported sexual assault at Cornell as a starting point for discussing moral courage, care, and responsibility toward others. Borden draws on a David French opinion column to ask what it means to care enough to intervene, while Klein argues that shared ethical standards matter more than banning fraternities. They debate institutional accountability, the role of family and society in teaching values, and whether nostalgia and constant news coverage affect perceptions of moral decline. Both conclude that recognizing harm, valuing people, and having the courage to change are essential.