
Character in the News

Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.

ABC stories, interviews and videos about religion and ethics.
Articles on Morality
Science based insights for a meaningful life
News about ethics, including commentary and archival articles published by the New York Times.
Building character and composure in a team setting.
Science is still trying to work out how exactly we reason through moral problems. This articles explores developments in that search.
A Primetime webcast that revisits Stanley Milgram’s (in)famous experiments at Yale in the early 1960s.
"When it comes to the contents of students' characters, many parents and teachers are worried. The killings at Columbine High School and elsewhere have raised fears about kids' behavior and prompted new lessons about virtue. . . "
"It's a new school year at Slavens Elementary in Denver. There are new backpacks, experiences, and a fresh addition to the curriculum: character education. As CBS News Sunday Morning Correspondent Alison Stewart reports, this school's faculty is counting on community enthusiasm, as well as a federal grant, to create a school culture that will promote ethical behavior. And it joins a host of other schools nationwide embarking on character education. . . ."
"At the base of a volcano in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, there's an orphanage. Although Third World orphanages aren't normally festive places, on this day, at this time, CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports that there was reason to celebrate: the arrival of a young man named Ben Schumaker. . . ."
"Imagine you're riding in a car with a friend who is speeding and the car hits a pedestrian. You're the only witness, and the friend's lawyer asks you to testify that your friend was not at fault. Do you help your friend or tell the truth? This is one of many dilemmas visitors are asked to decide in a new interactive exhibit at the Arizona State University Museum of Anthropology. . . . "
"There is an intimate link between religion and morality. It's not fashionable to say so: many argue that talk of a link – and talk is all it is – should be stopped. After all, individuals can clearly be good without God, and religious individuals hardly stand much scrutiny as paragons of virtue. However, there's something more subtle to tease out here, and support for a connection is coming not from preachers or prelates, but science. . . . "