Intro
Arjun: When we started the inflection point series, the idea was simple. It was to make sense about how things are changing with technology, with AI music, and more broadly how the world itself is shifting. How to think about it. Even since then, a lot has changed even in the last few months. If you are listening to this now, you are probably aware that we are living through a moment of global tension, but when we say change, what exactly are these changes and what causes these changes?
Is it just the price of milk, food, and things that affect your everyday life, or are there things beneath all of that that has fundamentally shifted? If you think about it, beneath all of this are agreements. 

Agreements that are between institutions, markets, organizations, and the relationships with you.

And these agreements are what we call as the fabric of society. These agreements are built on trust. Some of the trust is written, some of them formalized on paper. Some of that is implicit around responsibility and around what is acceptable and what is not. And that last part of what is acceptable and what is not is where it gets interesting.
Because when what is acceptable and what is not is constantly being challenged, it eventually reflects in the way we deal and treat each other. And that's where ethics comes in. Ethics as a discipline examines the assumptions that we are making. In the way we deal with each other, what are we holding constant and what are we changing and what are we choosing to include when we are dealing with others?

It was while I was having these unsettling questions, I met Professor Chris Brooks at Northeastern University.

It was during his class. Professor Chris helped me appreciate the idea of slowing down and asking better questions, and more importantly, staying with the uncertainty.
Chris has spent over two decades teaching philosophy, ethics, and leadership across high school, undergraduate and graduate settings. He teaches at Northeastern and also leads a unique ethics program at Souhegan High School where he engages with his students deeply. With philosophical inquiry through a college level curriculum.

We invited Chris and his students, Noah Fillon, Grace Clark, and Zofia Rosenfield. Onto the podcast.What you're about to hear is an interesting conversation and a take on ethics and what it means to be ethical. In 2026. 

You're listening to Innocence Theory. This is the inflection point series. Now over to the conversation.

Guest  Introductions
Arjun: If you all could share your name, what you're studying, what you're looking forward in 2026 as we begin the year, that'll be great.
Zofia: I'm Zofia. I am, I don't know what I'm gonna study when I go to college, but I'm really looking forward to starting that experience and just getting to learn new things and make new friends.
Noah: Hi, i'm Noah. I'm also looking forward to college and I wanna major in either engineering or astronomy.
Grace: I'm Grace and I wanna major in English and then hopefully become a book editor.
Arjun: thank you for being there. professor Chris, welcome.
Chris Brooks:  Thank you Arjun for inviting me to be on the show. I think that, um, one of the things that's just so amazing about having conversations, about important topics is, setting aside the time, to just have a conversation and to share what we're thinking and to, um, see where we can make the world a little bit better, um, in any capacity is a really useful thing.
So this is a really great opportunity to just have a conversation, talk about things, and if it gets some of your listeners, To think about things maybe in a different approach, in a different way than, than I think the success of the work that you and Dinesh have been doing, will clearly, clearly be beneficial for all.
So thank you so much for, uh, allowing me and my three students, to participate in today's conversation. So we're looking forward to it.

Define Ethics, what does it mean to you?
Arjun: The core topic of today's conversation is around ethics. there is this ongoing inquiry that we are also pursuing on how AI is changing the way we look at ethics, new policies, new technology improvements, all of this in a, in a world that is extremely rapid and evolving very fast.

Arjun: Uh, I wanna begin by asking all of you without using the word ="ethical". What does ethics mean to you? What would you define living responsibly as and what does that look like for you?
Zofia: so I think of ethics and I think of just being thoughtful about like other people in your environment, just making thoughtful decisions about what you do.
Noah: I agree. I also think the term living responsibly like obviously suggests you have a responsibility like MO mostly to others and the world as a whole, and just being conscious in like your everyday decisions and how it'll impact others and the globe.
Grace: Yeah, 
I agree with both of those and I also think that it just means to learn about the world around you and actually try to understand like the world and the people around you instead of just. Ignoring everything and going your own way in a sense.
Examples of Living Responsibly
Arjun: What would be good examples of people around you who you think is, are living responsibly? Do you, do you have good reference points of people around you?
Zofia: I honestly, like, when I think of that, I think a lot about my parents because I feel like the way that I've grown up and the way that they've shaped me and like the values that I have are just because they emphasize being thoughtful about your actions and like knowing what you're talking about and being open to hearing other opinions and perspectives and stuff.
And I think my parents have laid down like a really good framework for me.
Noah: I think some of my friends come to mind, like particularly some of them who are more like environmentally conscious, like, uh, picking up like trash on walks and that sort of stuff, but also like being able to understand the concept of empathy and understand that everybody's coming from somewhere and they have their own like influences in their lives to how they're acting, even if the way they're acting isn't exactly positive.
Zofia: I think that, um, my parents, like Z said, have always kind of taught me to appreciate other people and not just like, I guess not be selfish, but also through school, like teachers like Chris or like our English teacher, Sean, like people like that who kind of don't necessarily influence your beliefs, but they teach you how to inform your beliefs and I think that that's really important.
Arjun: Noah, you mentioned values, you mentioned e empathy as well. my question there is what are some values that strike you as, being responsible. And what are those values that you wish, you could carry more?
Values and Challenges in Practicing Ethics
Noah: I think a sense of duty is a big one, like to yourself and taking care of yourself, but also to others and understanding that your actions do have a weight, even if they're small and that they do affect other people. And just having a general sense of responsibility in that like same sort of way is also very important. 
Zofia: I think just being kind, which kind of tags along with what we've been saying, but Chris says all the time, like, assume best intentions. Like assume that the people you are interacting with and working with have the best intentions because you never really know what anyone else's life is like.
And so if you're assuming best intentions, then that's just gonna set you up for more success.
Arjun: how easy or difficult is this to practice these values?
Grace: I think that it can be kind of difficult at times depending on your situation, but if you have access to like an education that teaches you the importance of those values, it's a lot easier. And also just kind of having the drive to be a good person or a responsible person makes it easy. Because if you start thinking, like if you have a closed mindset and if youdon't think about how you can better yourself, it's gonna be really difficult because you're hindering your own self.
But as long as you have a growth mindset, it's pretty simple.
Arjun: 
Noah: I definitely agree. I think learning about these sort of things definitely helps 'cause not only like do you understand the concept as a whole more, but there's also a lot of signs that you can look for. Like a big part that was emphasized in our ethics seminar was that fear and anger shut down the brain.
So like in terms of respects or like empathy, being able to just stop for a second and understand where somebody is coming from instead of like getting angry in response to maybe a view that's contrary to yours and actually understanding why they have that view to begin with is a very important thing to do.
Zofia: Yeah, I would say that it's pretty easy. That doesn't mean like every situation and every choice is gonna be easy, but just trying, like Grace said, trying to do the right thing is easy. Even though you might not a hundred percent know, like that your decisions are the right thing. It's like just trying to be a good person and that doesn't take that much effort.
Arjun: I'm already learning quite a bit here. I think there's a, there's a truth bomb somewhere you slipped out. can you quote that again?
Noah: Fear and anger have the tendency to shut down the brain.
Arjun: Nice. Is that, is, is that an original or is that, 
Noah: that's from Chris.
Arjun: that's from Chris OG in the house.

Thought Experiment 1 : Different Upbringings
Arjun: Alright, cool. thought experiment number one.

Arjun: If you grew up in different households, how would you look at living responsibly differ?
For example, if you grew up in another country, you could pick any country for that matter from your, from your knowledge of how people grow up.
Right. Uh. I guess the idea is to understand how does conditioning affect the way you look at living responsibly. And so my question is, if you grew up in a distant placehow would that look like?
Grace: one thing we talk about a lot through, we talked about it like last year in world studies, but also this year in ethics, is like different countries have different ideas of what success is. So like in America, a lot of our success is very like self-centered and it's a lot about our individual successes, whereas like Asian countries for example, a lot of them are more collective and like group success is seen as more like group growth is seen as the actual success.
So I think that a lot of times here, like even in myself, I see a lot of like my own successes as what I need to celebrate instead of other people. And I think that bleeds into like responsible living and like your values and what you think is ethical versus not. So I think that would change a lot if I grew up somewhere that was more about like collective living.
Noah: I totally agree. I also think the whole concept of responsibility in the first place is strongly linked to your moral values, and those do tend to differ between cultures. Like not like obviously not fully, like there's a general consensus that like murder is bad for example, but like on more minor topics there is like great variations between different cultures and that would directly influence what you would consider to be responsible and thus responsible live in.
Zofia: I also just think that like, even if it's not just a different country, but just growing up in a different situation, like what you're capable to do does have some weight in like what you're responsible for. Like if you have the means to be more environmentally um, conscious. Conscious, yeah. Then you are more than someone who might not have the to do that.
Dinesh: Alright.Dinesh Mm-hmm.
Arjun: any, any cross questions that you wanna post to, Zofia Noah And, and Chris as well.
Dinesh: there's one thing which really,kind of,struck me was, um. I think Grace mentioned about, learning about the world around you, is, is
probably an easier way of, uh, you know, being, uh, ethical. And, and I think that's, it's a big takeaway for me. You know, that's probably a, a gateway.
Like, just, you can just be curious, learn around, uh, learn about things around you. And that is largely okay. it feels a little safe, uh, in a situation where there's so much chaos around. but what if you learn that things are, say, uh, not working in your favor? Yeah. But learning also sometimes brings its own, uh, uh, the, the knowledge that it brings also has certain dimensions to it.
So how do you put that together?
Grace: Um, I think observing the world but also understanding that it's not all gonna be in your favor or good is what's important. 'cause you can like, obviously take in your surroundings and only accept what helps you, but you have to understand well learning about the world around you, that there's a very diverse array of topics that you're gonna come across.
And if you don't understand that, then it's not gonna be easy to be a responsible person. So it's kind of, that's where you have to make the line of what it means to be responsible or not.
Zofia: I also think just like we've talked about this a lot in class, but like challenging your views and doubting your views in like a genuine search for more knowledge and the truth will better like your abilities, but also just the world around you, which I feel like being ethical is like.
Trying to better the world around you. So like you have to doubt things. And then if you're right in what you're saying, then that doubt is just gonna build your case and that's gonna make you like your beliefs even stronger. But if you're wrong, then you like have to accept that and change your beliefs.
Yeah,
Noah: Like I totally agree with the whole like Descartes line of thinking. And also I think part of it is that sometimes it doesn't work out in your favor and that's just like how the world works in a sense. And it's like part of being like responsible or living responsibly is being able to understand that and in certain cases do something that maybe doesn't directly benefit you for the sake of other people, because that's what would be ethical or like moral.
Arjun: All right. So have a follow up. Uh, when was the last time you were like, oh, is this how the world really works? I didn't think of it this way, you know, stuff that really got you. Like, no, it shouldn't, it shouldn't be this way. Why is it this way at all?
Zofia: so this fall we were introduced to Solipsism, which is kind of off like on a track, but I had never thought about it before. And what Solipsism is is essentially like saying that you don't really know if anything actually exists. Like all of it could be made up in your own mind and like you could
be making up everything around you, even your memories.
You could be making them up because you could have just come into existence like two seconds ago. And everything that you think about is, Just something that your like mind has conceived. And I know that's kind of far out, but also it just makes you think about like the world around you and how much you really can't know anything.
and I think that just makes you consider like, well, I can't be a hundred percent right in anything, so I should consider all of people's values and beliefs as being like legitimate.
Arjun: Wow. is this the, we are all part of a simulation verse, like kind of an analogy here. Is it? Is it.
Zofia: It kind of is, but it's also just like, like I can't really know that Noah exists, like. My brain could have just made up the entire simulation itself. There could be no other being in the world except for myself, but that's like a really lonely way to live almost. So that's almost an argument for Solipsism because it's like, well, to survive you have to have things that you believe in and like to continue living, you have to have like something to work for and people to work for.
So it's like, I don't know. I think it's very interesting and I had never heard of that before and I think that really just flipped like the way that I thought about things on its head.
Arjun: What about you guys? any similar situation where you thought, why is the world this way?
Noah: It wasn't a recent thing, but I think, a big part of just growing up in general is like starting to realize like how fundamentally different people can be, even if they come from the same background. Like, I have like a lot of friends who like come from the same town. I have a friend who lives like two roads away from me, and yet we're like extremely different people in many senses.
And it's just understanding that like, even if you live under the same circumstances or roughly the same circumstances, everybody like in some way is fundamentally different from each other. And that is in many ways what makes us human. But it's just kind of like, it's a weird thought to wrap your head around that I can grow up in the same town and be friends with this person since I was in like third grade.
And we end up being completely different people.
Grace: I kind of have, um, more of a specific example of what I notice, like over I guess the past like few years or so. But it's kind of like when you're young, you don't really think about people in power or people who have power until you like really grow up and you understand what you're seeing like on the news, for example.
And I don't think I really ever understood how like greed works to the level that it does and how people just continue wanting money and power like to no end. And I think that obviously it's a pretty common example, but it's such a shocking like realization when you grow up to like have that.
Zofia: Um, kind of just going off of that too, I think like growing up is a big thing about like, yes, people in power, but even just people that you idolize, like your parents.
Just realizing that, oh my gosh, they're not these like elite beings. They're like actual people and they like have activities that they like to do for themselves and they have their own lives and just small things like that is just so prevalent as you start to get older.
Professor Chris Brooks on Ethics
Arjun: I love the thinking, and it's, it's making me think, uh, as you guys say it, professor, this is for you. how do you think all of us framed it? Uh, how do you think the idea of being ethics is, understood? what are your thoughts on what, what the students have said, and we've been asking.
Chris Brooks: Well, they've done so well, Arjun. They might pass my class. We'll see what happens. You know, they seem to have, have learned some lessons and not slept through things. So that would be my first comment. Um, in all seriousness, um, they've done a very good job. Of framing some of the key elements that I think are important to consider.
For me, it kind of falls into two categories, that they've elaborated on already. But, um, to just frame it a bit, which has to do with what you were just saying a second, again, a second ago, Arjun, about the fact that there's an element of wisdom that I think is required, to be involved in making better ethical decisions and also considering what would be a better course of action in terms of who we are as people, but also when we consider, the globe if we're talking about people, you know, collectively or, or together.
And I think that element of wisdom is connected to being a better thinker. And that to me comes, you know, from the way that I see it, two really important things to consider. One, which, The three already have done a great job explaining, which is the idea of being self-aware and then also aware of other people.
Uh, and then the second thing with better critical thinking has to do with this idea of suspension of judgment and not, not being in a situation where the identification I have with reality or people around me is, you know, from me to them first. You know, are they like me? Do they act like me?
Do they eat like me? Do they do the things you know, that I would like them to do? So I think those two key lessons, are really important when considering what ethical theory and what ethics should be helping us to do. and then that brings us sort of the other part of this, which is the conversation about what is ethics ultimately.
Um, and I think it really comes down to this idea of, you know, an optimism connected directly to the, to, to our belief that we can make the world a better place. So if you look at any of the core ethical, theories and concepts in terms of defining it, we can go to a dictionary definition pretty quickly in any culture or any language, but I don't think that fits the bill particularly well.
What I think really does is the idea that we can, when we put all those definitions together and we start using it, seeing it as in a practical nature, that it really is about how we ought to live. Like, and making decisions that are diligent towards that end result, deciding that, which then brings us to, you know, what do we do with that?
How do we make that happen? And I think a lot of that has to do with the priority, uh, of us connected to our mindset of wanting to improve. And then the second thing, which we talk about in class, and actually ironically, these three are. Involved with right now, which is building value sets and starting to talk about what really matters, uh, and putting those values down and then deciding how to priorit prioritize our lives towards those outcomes.
So it really kind of falls down into two sections. Um, you know, about better thinking and this element of wisdom. And then also this, this renewed definition of improvement, the mindset and then the value set building that goes with it. And when we can do those two things, I think that's really what ethics is kind of pushing us, uh, to consider in our lives.
And the other thing I'll just add quickly is I think ethics itself, is a difficult subject, but I also think what makes it incredibly, um. Cool and wonderful and, and, and awesome for change and movement forward is the fact anybody can connect with it, you know, other disciplines in life.
It's kind of hard 'cause you know, there's certain maybe elements of training that has to happen for that and ethics has training in of itself. But the intersection part I think is key. That we're all human and all of that connects to this, the ideas that we have here that we can make the world better and that we can be better thinkers and we can be more aware.
so I think that because it applies to all people at some level, and then we have this opportunity to improve. I think there's, there's key factors there that, that make this a, a really interesting conversation and a really interesting challenge really to, to humanity. Um, if we choose to really focus on it and then take it seriously and then of course, act on it.

Has Ethics evolved over time?
Arjun: I've always wondered whether, ethics, as an idea has evolved over the period of time. especially do you see, personally see trends around ethics, what we consider to be ethical has changed and what the bottom line of being unethical is probably still, a different kind of a blur now, uh. Or do you still see, we are circling around the same kind of questions on where to put a pin on what's ethical and what's not. Uh, how, how do you see this evolving the last maybe 20, 30 years, maybe 50 years? 
Chris Brooks: well, I, I think that it kind of bases itself on how you would define sort of how ethics is constructed. And of course that is, you know, debated depending on who it is that that is. That is commenting on that. my personal opinion, is that I'm not so sure that ethics changes as much as I think that people's interpretations of things might change.
And I think there's a big difference of around that. So, so if you're thinking about objective thought that things are either right or wrong, and that's the view that you have, right? At some level, then if that's what we think it is, which is possible, it's possible. We don't know. We don't have a hundred percent knowledge.
So that's why we're having this show and having this great conversation. Um, but if we take that mindset that, you know, basically things are right or wrong at some level, right? And that that's a concept or idea, that is apart from us, we don't construct that. We don't create that. Um, then we come to a radically different, you know, outcome or thought around the answer to your question.
If we think that ethics is a subjective. Thing that it's created by people, or those rights and wrongs are created by our interpretation, then we're at a radically different places as well. Right? So I think it comes down to the fact that in my, my humble opinion, I tend to see the being layers of ethical determination.
I think that there are some things probably that are considered in my limited interpretation as being right and wrong, and they are factors outside of human understanding. Maybe they're connected to natural law, maybe they're connected to the way the universe functions. Maybe it's connected to gods or spirits or whatever, right?
But those things are not necessarily just created by us. They're created by other things, and then we adapt around them, make sense of them, are ignorant of them, find knowledge on them, whatever. Uh, in order to sort of con continue the conversation around how to make the world a better place. 
The factors around that are, you know, can be, can deviate because if there's a core element of those, element of those values, we know very well that there's a lot of things that may be in different layers that may not have the same easy sorting component of putting this over here if it was right and wrong objectively, versus something that we could, you know, argue is different.
Uh, just because people have preferences. So I think there's a sorting mechanism that has to happen there. And then I think it's up to us to try to figure out what we believe to be the truth of the matter and we won't have all that knowledge, but conversing on it and what seems to make logical sense and then also what seems to be emotionally, uh, something that we could.
Feel deep down is, is maybe correct, um, are two of the tools that we have There might be others. and I think that helps to answer our question as to whether, you know, what we accept is true or not. So a good example of that could be, you know, when it comes to, don't know, stealing, you know, 2000 years ago, is it really about a perception of stealing that's changed since societies have different interpretations of that?
Or is it really a concept or a conversation around the concept of stealing itself? And we have a certain attitude or viewpoint towards it, but we could have all the attitudes and viewpoints we want on it. It's still kind of a natural law thing that we shouldn't steal, and that's above our pay grade and we're reacting to it.
This also does bring in Arjun, the idea of, of freedom, right? Uh, as to what. To what extent we have freedom to make choices, right? And decide things and interpret things. And, and that's another whole thing to get into, you know, in terms of interpretation as to how that affects things. So the thing is complicated, um, but I, you know, you can kind of divide it down into those two spheres when you start to think about how we would start to answer that question.

 Ethics in the Animal Kingdom
Dinesh: Chris, This is one, uh, part where you said that it, it's sort of external, uh, the idea of ethics. Uh, so I have some questions on that space. Like, uh, does ethics, exist in the animal kingdom? Do you see ethical behaviors, that are part of, some other species?
if it does, how does that exhibit, or how do you, how do we see it?
Chris Brooks: Yeah, that's a great question. And again, it would take us back to Dinesh, whether we accept that there is some power, some, some universe, some kind of components of the way that the world works. It's out of our control that sets some of these expectations, these rules, these conditions, if we wanna call it that.
There has been research on that. in particular, Jane Goodall has done an enormous amount of work, on what's referred to as, um, instinct ethics, or the ethics of reciprocity and her work, um, and, and others, has. Concluded that she believes that chimpanzees other animal king, uh, other animal species do demonstrate certain expectations around behaviors.
and in that way, that could confirm even more if she is correct, that this is more out of our hands in terms of setting up what is the right course of action, right? Or what would be expected to be the right procedure to, to process ourselves in terms of thought and action. Because animals themselves, wouldn't necessarily just be perceiving that, right?
Like we would subjectively in deciding, you know, what, what's in our interest or not. Maybe it's something that comes from instinct or natural law or something else, and yet we still, maybe we as humans have more ability to choose to go against that if we wish. You know, and, and chimpanzees are a little bit more driven by the instinct, it would still confirm that perhaps there's something bigger than us that's sort of in control of setting these guideposts.
And then we have the choice as to whether we're gonna follow it or not. And also, by the way, we, we end up getting ourselves into situations where therefore then we see clearly why we should have made a better decision or not. But we had the choice anyway and, and so we reap the rewards or we reap the penalties for those things that are happening.
And I think a lot of people think those penalties are, you know, laws that, countries have put in place or getting caught doing something. Sometimes. Really what it comes down to is the hurt we probably do to ourselves and other people. And if that's the case, some of that might be perception, but some of that just also is truth, reality, that, when you do X, Y, and Z, whatever that happens to be.
That's why people have kind of suggested over time not a good idea. 'cause it normally ends up hurting us. You know? So I think that's, that's the best way to answer that. And I think that ultimately maybe animals do exhibit some level of that interpretation, which might confirm the objective over the subjective.
What's interesting about a lot of people is they think that ultimately ethics is about them making decisions. And I wonder if that's true. You know, I often will question that and say, is that really, is that really the best definition of that? Um, just you making your decisions. maybe it's bigger than that.
And that's what connects kind of with what I think's cool about what Grace said a second ago. Well, which is that element of the collective or community, right? Communities deciding and being a part of it rather than this sort of, I'm a, my own person on an island somewhere and I can, it's all about what I want and how I'm gonna do it and my right and wrong.
And maybe it's about ours. And maybe that's part of the problem is we don't do that particularly well in all circles and situations.
Thought Experiment 2: Ethics if we had unlimited resources
Arjun: I think that's a great segue for the thought experiment that I had in mind.

 
Unlimited Resources and Ethics
Arjun: I thought this was interesting to think about if the person on the island analogy is really true, or if we had unlimited access to money or resources, or if you had the chance to say, whatever we ask for, we can get, and not just me even you can get that simultaneously without having to battle it out.
Would we need ethics as a, as a general constraint for communication or transactions? Uh, would, would ethics matter differently then? 
Zofia: I think that like, um. Yes, a big issue is like resources, but it's also just frames of thought. So you have a lot of religious conflict, you have a lot of conflict about things that aren't just about resources, and I think then you still need an ethical like conversation and a framework of what is right or wrong and how we determine that.
Noah: Yeah, I think part of ethics is dealing with like human to human interactions, but also conflicts of interest. So even if like everybody could get whatever they want, that's naturally gonna conflict with each other. It's how we govern ourselves in those interactions to resolve those conflicts that I believe ethics would then more go to focus upon rather than its traditional sense today.
Arjun: professor, what do you think about that?
Chris Brooks: Well, that's pretty interesting to take a look at right away because, um, if we interpret what you've asked Arjun from the standpoint of what would we, you know, what would happen if we had unlimited resources or what would happen if, we had the ability to kind of live in a world where, we would know what the right, judgment is all the time because remember, many of the most famous philosophical, minds in the world have argued that perhaps the greatest evil is ignorance.
It's, it's the fact we don't know. And that gets us into trouble. 'cause if we fully actually understood the ramifications of what the decisions we made or the situations we were in, we would probably make better choices. But we don't. So there's this kinda lack of, of knowledge or ignorance part that plays a part in that.
And I wonder, you know, when it comes to all of the resources we could have, or all the problems that we could solve, you know, it'd be ideal to have that situation. Would we need ethics? Would we need any of these discussions about what's right or wrong? Interesting question, but I don't have an answer for that.
But I do have an answer from this standpoint, which might be an interesting way to, to sort of twist your question a bit more, which ironically enough, these three will have to answer soon enough. So we might as well even get them started on this, which is, if you had unlimited power, if you had unlimited resources, if you had unlimited ability to do anything you want to do and it was vested in one person or a person were to gain that ability, do you think that that person would be more or less ethical?

Outro
Arjun: As we reflected on this conversation with Professor Chris Brooks and the students, it's becoming more clear that ethics is often spoken about, simply sometimes even reduced to a moral lens. But from a systems point of view, being ethical feels like a constant trade off. A trade off between what we can include and what we can leave out, what is acceptable and what is not.
And in any given context, what appears to be the most inclusive. And that is not always obvious because it's not just about knowing what is right or wrong. It's about choice. It's repeated choosing, almost like lifting weights. It might feel heavy at first, uncomfortable, but the more you stay with it, it helps you build.
It helps you shape how you think and who you become. And over time, the skill gets integrated into how you act and reflects on the decisions that you make.  while on the surface, all of this can feel quite obvious. But the moment you shift the lens, you begin to ask a different question. Are your choices inclusive?
Who is impacted by your decisions and actions directly and indirectly? And put another way, if to you, it feels like the world is going through something uncomfortable. Almost collectively like an inflection point, and you are not the one making these decisions, but someone is, or maybe even everybody is.
Then the question is, are you being included
in the next part? We take this further into what it actually means to make those choices. Especially when the stakes are real and the outcomes are not always clear.
This is the inflection point series. You've been listening to Innocence Theory. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you on the next one.