Talmudic Ethics: Reflections on Jewish Faith, Reason, and Experience
Sooner or later, it happens to almost everyone. You face a tough ethical decision, and you have to pick a course of action that will let you live with yourself. You feel like you are lost in a maze of possibilities, unsure which courses of action will lead you out of your turmoil, and which will leave you in a dead end of regret and self-recrimination.
Traditionally, Jews have looked to the Talmud to help them unravel tangled instincts. Because the Talmud recognizes that ethics is complex, subtle, and multi-valenced. It knows that complicated questions cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. And it offers discussion and perspective to help you make sense of life's most wrenching dilemmas.
In this course, you will tackle big issues like abortion, euthanasia, freedom of expression, and fair business practice. You will learn how the best Jewish minds struggled with hard choices for thousands of years, and trace their search for satisfying resolutions. And you will discover how Judaism offers a moral compass to help you find direction through the labyrinth of life.
We can't promise to provide you with all the answers. But we guarantee to give you a new way to think about the questions.
Lesson Four: Words That Wound
What happens when a playwright portrays a public figure in a negative light? Can the playwright be sued for slander and character defamation? Is there special protection accorded artists so that they may be free to create? Are their artistic statements held to different standards than assertions made in the press or in the context of regular public discourse? Or are all people equally accountable for their hurtful words?
