102 episodes

Scott Rada, Lee Enterprises social media manager, and Richard Kyte, director of the Ethics Institute at Viterbo University, talk about the intersection of ethics and modern life.

Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify.

The Ethical Life Lee Enterprises Podcasts

    • Society & Culture
    • 3.6 • 19 Ratings

Scott Rada, Lee Enterprises social media manager, and Richard Kyte, director of the Ethics Institute at Viterbo University, talk about the intersection of ethics and modern life.

Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify.

    When is a protest ethically justified?

    When is a protest ethically justified?

    Episode 140: Nearly seven months after the Israel-Hamas war began, many campuses across the country are dealing with pro-Palestinian demonstrations and encampments.

    Some college presidents have chosen to involve the police, which has led to hundreds of students being arrested. In addition, these protests have again stirred up a debate about the limits of free speech, as some think the messaging has become antisemitic.

    Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss the four tenets of ethical protests and why such principles are important.

    Links to stories mentioned in the podcast:

    Are student protests against Israel missing the mark?, by Richard Kyte

    What students read before they protest, by Ross Douthat, The New York Times

    Columbia University responds after Robert Kraft says he's pulling support over anti-semitic violence,  by Greg Norman, Fox Business

    College students should study more, by Matthew Yglesias, Slow Boring

    About the hosts: Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

    • 49 min
    Are these five things the secret to happiness?

    Are these five things the secret to happiness?

    Episode 139: If you were making a list of superstar psychologists, Carl Jung would be toward the top. According to a recent story by Arthur C. Brooks in The Atlantic, the one-time associate of Sigmund Freud coined the terms extravert and introvert, along with many of the other words we use to describe mental health today.

    One topic he thought a lot about was happiness, and how difficult it was to obtain. In 1960, as he neared the end of his long life, Jung shared five pillars that he said could help us make progress toward being happy. Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss these five pillars and why they each play an important role:


    Good physical and mental health.
    Good personal and intimate relations, such as those of marriage, family and friendships
    Seeing beauty in art and in nature.
    A reasonable standard of living and satisfactory work.
    A philosophical or religious outlook that fosters resilience.

    About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

    • 50 min
    Should AI be used to help us stay in touch with the dead?

    Should AI be used to help us stay in touch with the dead?

    Episode 138: There are 137 episodes of The Ethical Life podcast, and that means there are more than 6,000 minutes of hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talking about various ethical issues. This also means that AI can stitch together all this information and create replicas that would sound — and possibly even think — like them.

    Some people already are using such technologies to attempt to keep alive relationships for people who have died. The hosts discuss whether such technologies would help with the healing process or instead make it tougher to move on.

    Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

    Using AI to talk to the dead, by Rebecca Carballo, The New York Times

    Artificial intelligence advances fuel industry trying to preserve loved ones after death, Max Zahn, ABC News

    AI versions of deceased loved ones could be a serious threat to mental health, by Nigel Mulligan, The Conversation

    About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

    • 42 min
    Why should we care about privacy in a digital world?

    Why should we care about privacy in a digital world?

    Episode 137: With more data accumulating about us each day, hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about whether privacy is still important — or even possible.

    Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

    What Gen Z really cares about when it comes to privacy, David Ruiz, Malwarebytes

    AI hustlers stole women’s faces to put in ads. The law can’t help them, by Nitasha Tiku and Pranshu Verma, The Washington Post

    The rise of the worker productivity score, Jodi Kantor and Arya Sundaram, The New York Times

    About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

    • 52 min
    Are parents responsible for the actions of their children?

    Are parents responsible for the actions of their children?

    Episode 136: Earlier this year, James and Jennifer Crumbley were convicted, in separate trials, of involuntary manslaughter. In 2021, their son, then 15, shot and killed four students at his Michigan high school. Six more students and a faculty member were wounded. He is serving a life sentence, with no possibility of parole.

    The Crumbleys were accused of failing to take critical steps, including safely securing a gun at home, that could have prevented their son's attack. They will be sentenced later this month.

    In the wake of this verdict, The New York Times asked a group of teens whether parents should ever be held responsible for the harmful actions of their children? And if so, under what circumstances? Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss the responses the teens had to that question and why there often are many layers of blame in such a tragic situation.

    • 46 min
    Is it ever OK to judge others?

    Is it ever OK to judge others?

    Episode 135: It’s common to hear people say they’ve reached the point in life where they don’t care what others think about them. This can either sound like someone who is firm in their convictions, or it can give the impression that they don't value feedback from others about their actions and beliefs.

    Host Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss when it's appropriate to give advice — or even judge — others, and why we've been trained to believe that politics and religion are two topics that should be avoided at all costs.

    About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

    • 42 min

Customer Reviews

3.6 out of 5
19 Ratings

19 Ratings

bw7373 ,

Very left leaning

The podcast has turned into a situation where Scott Rada brings the left leaning news room story of the day to the podcast, never a real ethical situation/delema. Scott’s attempt to smear Clarence Thomas in this last episode was an embarrassment. When Richard Kyte started to question looking into other justices, I verbally thanked him out loud. We all know that if Sonya Sotomayor was accused of this, it would never have been brought up as a topic. Love the concept of the show, but really getting tired of left leaning topics…

GraceOM ,

Light on ethics - immigrants.

It’s shallow on the politics. Nothing more than headlines.
What is lacking is the ethical dimension.

These questions are not addressed:

what is the moral argument for treating immigrants - the Other?
Then what is international law regarding refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers?
What are the arguments from our founding documents about immigrants?
What do the major religions say about what obligations we have to the Other?

This was a shallow back and forth on superficial politics. This is not a discussion of ethics. Nothing of any depth.
Real disappointment. Delete

Top Podcasts In Society & Culture

Inconceivable Truth
Wavland
The Interview
The New York Times
Stuff You Should Know
iHeartPodcasts
This American Life
This American Life
Expedition Unknown
Discovery
Wild Card with Rachel Martin
NPR

You Might Also Like

Radiolab
WNYC Studios
Throughline
NPR
Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Ologies with Alie Ward
Alie Ward
This American Life
This American Life
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
NPR