The Ethical Life

By Scott Rada and Richard KyteSociety & Culture

The Ethical Life episodes

September 13, 2023 What makes a city a great place to live?
Episode 107: A recent study looked at what the best places to live in America have in common. It found that people seem to thrive when inequality is low; when landownership is widespread; when social connection is high; and when corruption and violence are rare.
Host Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about which steps can be taken to boost the social connectivity of our cities and towns, and why rural areas often face the biggest challenges.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast:
What the best places in America have in common, by Kathryn J. Edin, H. Luke Shaefer, and Timothy J. Nelson, The Atlantic
Disinvestment in rural Kentucky leaves ‘nothing to do’ but drugs, by Liv Mann, University of Michigan
Third places help communities thrive, by Richard Kyte
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
50 min
September 06, 2023 Do young people have a lesser work ethic?
Episode 106: Across our nation, millions of students are heading back to colleges and universities, but there is plenty of disagreement about whether those degrees will help prepare young people for the work force.
Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how different generations view the workplace and what responsibilities schools have in preparing students for the future.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast:
No wonder work ethic is waning. Colleges leave students unprepared. by Mitch Daniels, The Washington Post
3 in 4 managers find it difficult to work with GenZ, Resume Builder
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
48 min
August 30, 2023 Why don't we talk more about class prejudice in America?
Episode 105: We talk a lot about diversity in this country, and while many Americans seem to like the idea of having a country that is welcoming, most of us still choose to spend most our time with people who are a lot like ourselves.
And this is especially apparent when it comes to class.
Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss why far too many people are comfortable in discriminating against people who have fewer economic advantages.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast:
Where do socioeconomic classes mix? Not church, but Chili’s, by Catherine Rampell, The Washington Post
Barbara Kingsolver thinks urban liberals have it all wrong on Appalachia, The Ezra Klein Show podcast
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
41 min
August 23, 2023 Does reciting the Pledge of Allegiance still make sense?
Episode 104: In a country that today seems to put less of a value on reverence and tradition, hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada debate whether the Pledge of Allegiance remains an effective way to express the best values of being an American.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast:
Here's why we should say the Pledge of Allegiance, by Richard Kyte
Is the Pledge of Allegiance just an empty, performative ritual? by Nicholas Goldberg, Los Angeles Times
Here is a breakdown of laws in 47 states that require reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, by Brad Dress, The Hill
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
58 min
August 16, 2023 Are we making progress in climate change fight?
Episode 103: You don’t have to look far to see the ravages of climate change. In recent weeks, one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history killed scores of people in Hawaii, and July was the hottest month ever recorded.
Host Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about how we must do two things at once — try to somehow slow the warming while also being better prepared for the effects still to come.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast:
The clean energy future is arriving faster than you think, by David Gelles, Brad Plumer, Jim Tankersley and Jack Ewing, The New York Times
Young environmental activists prevail in first-of-its-kind climate change trial in Montana, by Matthew Brown and Amy Beth Hanson, The Associated Press
How climate change could cause a home insurance meltdown, by Michael Copley, Rebecca Hersher and Nathan Rott, National Public Radio
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
52 min
August 09, 2023 What would you do if you faced these four ethical dilemmas?
Episode 102: Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada are off this week, so we looked back though our show archives and are sharing four of our favorite ethical dilemmas from the past year.
Topics include whether to help a stranger experiencing emotional distress and what to say if the table next to you at a restaurant has unruly children?
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
39 min
August 02, 2023 How will artificial intelligence change how entertainment is made?
Artificial intelligence and how we deploy it is likely the top ethical dilemma the world is facing, and recent actor and writers strikes in Hollywood have put the issue in a bright spotlight.
Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how worried we should be about computers taking over more of what we watch and read, and whether live performances and sports will benefit.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast:
The Robot Did It: The biggest twist in the new mystery story “written” by artificial intelligence? It’s pretty good!, by Laura Miller, Slate
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
45 min
July 26, 2023 What steps can be taken to reduce homelessness?
Episode 100: There are debates happening in all parts of our country about homelessness, and according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, things have been getting worse.
Since 2017, homelessness has risen by 6 percent nationwide, and although nearly everyone wants to reverse this trend, there is little agreement about how to accomplish that.
Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss the causes that got us to this point, along with the policies that might help us reduce this trend.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast:
Here's why we should choose compassion over callousness, by Richard Kyte
The root cause of the homelessness crisis, by Jerusalem Demsas, The Atlantic
The ethical dilemmas behind plans for involuntary treatment to target homelessness, mental illness and addiction, by Katherine Drabiak, The Conversation
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
48 min
July 19, 2023 Why do people think the past is much better than it really is?
Episode 99: We often hear people talk about the past in glowing ways. The people of the past, many think, behaved better, were more trustworthy and had a better set of ethical standards.
But you don’t have to look too closely at our history to see that past generations were much less welcoming of people who were different than them — often in pretty horrific ways.
Host Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss this disconnect between what we think about the past and what the past was really like.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast:
Your brain has tricked you Into thinking everything is worse, by Adam Mastroianni, The New York Times
Why it's harder for families to 'thrive,' by Matthew Yglesias, Slow Boring
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
48 min
July 12, 2023 What are third places and why are they so important?
Episode 98: There has been more talk recently about the importance of third places.
For those who are unfamiliar, the term was coined by author Ray Oldenburg in his book “The Great Good Place.”
First places, he writes, are where we live, and second places are where we work. The third place is somewhere where we want to be — and it’s often a place where we connect with others in the community.
Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about why such places are so important and what can be done to make them more common.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast:
Healthy communities require more public spaces, by Richard Kyte
A record share of Americans is living alone, by Daniel de Visé, The Hill
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
42 min

About The Ethical Life

From the publisher's feed

Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Kyte is also the author of "Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way)."