TOWARDS A NEW DIALOGUE

Moral Crisis

In a time characterized by differences in nearly every point of view, many people seem to agree on at least one point, that social institutions are breaking down all around us. The evidence cited includes such items as collapse of traditional cultures and faiths, the resort to drugs for escape, violent crime, deteriorating school systems, child abuse, homelessness, illegitimacy and divorce, poverty, joblessness, growing wealth disparities, environmental despoilation.

As a result, many have come to feel that they are in the midst of a social crisis. Some go further and say that to call what is going on a social crisis, as serious as that is, is to misunderstand the problem. They see common elements in these indicators of social breakdown, the loss of moral and spiritual bearings and the absence of moral vision. From this angle, the factors cited above are only the social symptoms of a deeper sort of crisis -- a moral and spiritual crisis within the soul of society. These symptoms are signs that our direction in life and our affection for others are being lost. The questions that are being asked in response to the deteriorating social situation, both in government: Do we need universal health care, affirmative action, or welfare? What is the economic policy priority, jobs or competitiveness? -- and in business: How do we keep employees working and satisfy shareholders? Should we invest in developing countries? -- require answers formulated in terms of human purpose and affections. But our institutions rarely look for answers in such terms because the matters at stake are no longer seen to involve a moral and spiritual dimension.

Purpose of the New Dialogue

The purpose of the New Dialogue is to try to understand the causes and nature of the current crisis as well as what people can do to respond. The inquiry is conducted by means of a "Dialogue" because a new consensus is sought and this is best obtained through an extended conversation which includes persons from many backgrounds and perspectives. The Dialogue is "New" under the belief that the nature and the severity of the crisis are unique enough to demand new responses. But the new responses must draw on the highly valued traditions and lessons of the past.

We take hope in the fact that many people appear to share a concern about the seriousness of current circumstances. However, given the ever-quickening and ever- intensifying pace of contemporary life, we feel that an adequate forum to share and express this concern is lacking. The New Dialogue hopes to offer such a forum. By so doing, we hope to enable the attainment of a moral common ground and offer a channel for expressing the collective moral evaluations that it gives rise to.

All are invited to participate. The only requirement for participation is a willingness to listen respectfully and to deliberate in a collaborative effort to achieve understanding and find some way out of the crisis.

The New Dialogue has already held several extended conversations among persons with backgrounds in theology, ethics, and economics and with professional experience in business, government, law, and medicine. In these conversations the participants focused on what appears to be a major cause of the moral crisis and developed a set of moral norms as the first steps in resolving it.

The following pages discuss our conclusions. Please take the time to read further. Let us have your thoughts on our diagnosis of the situation and initial recommendations for action.

The Need for Moral Norms

The Cause of the Moral Crisis