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Senator Kennedy and the ethicist’s dilemma
By Lauren | August 26, 2009
Last night, Senator Edward Kennedy died at the age of 77 from cancer. His passing marks the end of an era for those of us who grew up in the age of Camelot. The story of his life underscores the biggest challenge for those of us who focus on ethics.
The youngest child of a wealthy and politically powerful dynasty, Kennedy was born into a world of privilege that most of us can scarcely imagine. His election to the Senate was almost inevitable, as he effectively “inherited” his seat from older brother and former President John. Equally inevitable, perhaps, was his fall from grace, when he drove off a bridge in Chappaquiddick in the company of a young campaign worker, Mary Jo Kopechne. Her death destroyed any hope Kennedy might have had of being elected to the Presidency, and could have brought his public life to an end as well. If Kennedy had faded into obscurity then, just another failed son of a wealthy family, it would have come as no surprise.
Instead, Kennedy labored on in the Senate for another forty years, leaving behind a mountain of legislation to serve the public good. Health care for children, meals on wheels for seniors, civil rights for the disabled … the list goes on, and on, and on. That he died before seeing his vision of universal health care completed is a heartbreak. That he will be eulogized as the “Lion of the Senate,” remembered fondly by those who shared his vision and those who opposed it, is a testament to his extraordinary accomplishments.
Senator Kennedy personified the ethicist’s dilemma: human beings are fallible but they are also capable of achieving great things, and the same person can be both. We can, and should, agree on principles of right and wrong to govern our lives and our interactions, and we must also recognize that even the best of us will fall short of those principles at least some of the time. It’s wrong to whitewash the misdeeds of great leaders, but equally wrong to dismiss their greatness because of their misdeeds. If Senator Kennedy can serve as a reminder that, thank heaven, even deeply flawed people can accomplish lasting good, that may prove to be his most valuable legacy.
Topics: Personal Ethics, Social Ethics, ethics |