The Center for Ethics Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

May 19, 2007

The Center's 20th anniversary year culminated in a grand celebration on May 18 and 19, with a major keynote address by Amartya Sen, a panel of former fellows (Zeke Emanuel, Amy Gutmann, Elizabeth Kiss, Larry Lessig, Samantha Power), and a festive dinner for alumni and friends at the Charles Hotel, where Dennis Thompson was honored for his work with the Center. Former faculty and fellows from many universities here and abroad (including Austria, England, Greece, India, Israel, and Italy) came for the celebration. Distinguished guests included interim President Derek Bok, Harvard Corporation member Nannerl Keohane, and former President Neil Rudenstine. Former Harvard Deans Graham Allison, Al Carnesale, J. Bryan Hehir, Joe Nye, and John MacArthur, who were present at the Center's creation, returned for the celebration. Mrs. Lily Safra, member of the board of the Foundation that has endowed the Center, toasted the Center and its achievements.

Professor Amartya Sen, a long-time faculty associate of the Center, delivered the keynote address on Friday afternoon. His topic was: "Can Justice Help Practice?" On Saturday morning, a panel of former Fellows, now eminent scholars and educational leaders (Ezekiel Emanuel, Amy Gutmann, Lawrence Lessig, and Samantha Power) addressed the same theme from their own perspectives. Among the topics covered were the ethical dilemmas surrounding government responses to genocide, the allocation of healthcare services, and wages for service workers at wealthy universities. On Saturday afternoon, another distinguished panel including Carnesale, Kiss, and Steve Macedo (director of the Princeton Center for Human Values), discussed ethical issues in the university, ranging from political correctness to admissions preferences.

On Friday evening, over 200 people honored the Center's director, Dennis Thompson, his work, and the work of the Center, at a gala dinner at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge. The highlight of the evening was the after dinner talk by Derek Bok who, as president, took the first steps that led to the creation of the Center in 1987. His decision to return as interim president may not have been mainly motivated by a desire to preside over the Center's anniversary celebration, but we think he could not have had a better reason. Having been present at the beginning, he spoke with authority not only about the Center's history but, even more importantly, about its future and the need to continue its important work. He concluded: "So, looking back on my years of presiding over Harvard, it really is, quite honestly, hard for me to think of anything I am prouder of than the work that Dennis and many of the rest of you in this room have done to take an idea and turn it into a living and significant reality."

Dennis Thompson's contributions to the field of practical ethics were also highlighted, eloquently, by former President Neil Rudenstine, who spoke at the reunion lunch on Saturday. As the event ended, Arthur Applbaum, KSG Professor of Ethics and Public Policy, and director of the Center's Graduate Fellowships, concluded that "Twenty years isn't quite enough - we haven't even figured out if ethics is singular or plural!"

In addition to the weekend events, the Center has marked it's anniversary year by featuring former fellows in the lecture series throughout the year. Summaries of the lectures may be found on this website. As we commemorate two decades of achievement, we look forward to the future with great anticipation.