Are the Arts Helping Us Reflect?

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The arts can help us reflect in a different way about matters that are really important to us. I think we're evolving into culture that is more comfortable, i mean, gradually being more vulnerable and accepting of emotions. That provides fertile terain for starting to be more comfortable talking with ourselves about our ethical beliefs as well. And if we don't spend some time in spaces that aren't entirely within our own homes, talking o other people about their values, we're gon to just stop talking altogether.

Roleplaying games and the Marvel universe may be fictional, but they can also teach us a lot about morality in the real world. Christopher Robichaud is a Lecturer in Ethics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. In this episode, he shares ways we can explore important, everyday issues in fun, safe, and unexpected ways. Christopher has made a career out of teaching ethics and philosophy using pop culture, dissecting moral questions using anything from zombie apocalypse simulations to superhero narratives. He received his doctorate in philosophy from MIT. In 2015 he won the Innovation in Teaching Award at the Harvard Kennedy School for creating a day-long simulation--using design elements from old school tabletop roleplaying games like D&D--where policy students wielded their leadership skills and confronted ethical dilemmas to deal with a zombie pandemic. To learn more about "How to Be a Better Human," host Chris Duffy, or find footnotes and additional resources, please visit: go.ted.com/betterhuman