Most people are familiar with a game called Jenga. Players remove rectangular blocks one-by one from a tower and place them on top without collapsing the tower. The person who removes the last block successfully and places it on top is the winner. The game is over when the tower collapses under its own weight. … Continue reading Jenga
Tag: ethics
The Game
When I was in college, we joked about how we had to learn “what to kiss and when.” Some of my classmates facetiously said their goal in life was to “amass great wealth and power.” Generally, we rejected the notion that college was all about making money and “climbing the ladder.” That was then. But … Continue reading The Game
The Expendables
Once upon a time, my class watched the classic Hitchcock film, “Lifeboat,” in our first-year seminar course. The lifeboat was a microcosm of life. With severely limited resources, nine passengers on a lifeboat were faced with deciding who will live and who will die. Now, an algorithm might give a seriously injured man a lower … Continue reading The Expendables
Profit
We have been the parents of two Great Pyrenees dogs. Both were wonderful companions and although they sometimes intimidated people, they were friendly, especially to children. The Great Pyrenees is an offshoot of the Tibetan Mastiff line, traditionally a guardian of livestock and palaces, such as Versailles. They were also employed by the French Resistance … Continue reading Profit
Efficiency 2.0
Efficiency as an area of expertise did not exist until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The quest for greater efficiency is therefore a product of the industrial revolution. I’m not convinced the concept even applies to anything beyond assembly lines, shipping, and certain types of office work. In my last post, I questioned … Continue reading Efficiency 2.0
Do Not Harm
I’m grateful to Domenic Spera for being a good mentor to me. My first year in grad school was also his first year as a faculty member at Indiana University. I was privileged to be assigned to his Jazz Ensemble, and I benefitted from his teaching more than I realized at the time. I’ve written … Continue reading Do Not Harm
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