MOGO (Most Good) « Zoe Weil

A Morality Pill?

Posted on February 3, 2012 by zoeweil

Peter Singer and Agata Sagan had an opinion piece in The New York Times this past Sunday, which asks whether we’re ready for a morality pill. The essay describes the variation between humans (as well as rats) regarding empathy and willingness to come to another’s aid. Both humans and rats lie along a spectrum, which [...]

Filed under: MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: behavior, bystander effect, drugs, empathy, ethics, free will, morality, Most Good Least Harm, Peter Singer, philosophy, rats, research, studies | Leave a Comment »

Politicians’ Failures of Generosity

Posted on February 1, 2012 by zoeweil

Image courtesy of Newton Free Library via Creative Commons. For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Common Dreams, a progressive news site. Here’s an excerpt from “Politicians’ Failures of Generosity”: “It’s intriguing to me that wealthy politicians, even knowing that the public will scrutinize their charitable contributions, are so [...]

Filed under: MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: character, charitable giving, ethics, Generosity, morality, Most Good Least Harm, philanthropy, politicians, politics, values, wealth | 1 Comment »

The Depth of Animal Emotions

Posted on January 30, 2012 by zoeweil

Image copyright Zoe Weil. For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “The Depth of Animal Emotions”: “On January 14, we adopted a new dog. He was found tied to a tree a week [...]

Filed under: MOGO (Most Good), animal intelligence and emotion | Tagged: responsibility, Most Good Least Harm, animal emotions, compassion, animal welfare, empathy, suffering, dogs, golden rule, animal rescue | Leave a Comment »

A Prison Without Bars Reminds Us We Can Change Entrenched Systems

Posted on January 25, 2012 by zoeweil

Image courtesy of randy OHC via Creative Commons. For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “A Prison Without Bars Reminds Us We Can Change Entrenched Systems”: “I recently learned about the Bastoy prison [...]

Filed under: MOGO (Most Good), systemic change | Tagged: Bastoy prison, changemakers, criminal justice system, criminals, justice, norway, prisons, solutionaries, systemic change | Leave a Comment »

From Complaint to Compassion to Kindness

Posted on January 16, 2012 by zoeweil

One of my favorite quotations is this: “Be kind for everyone is fighting a great battle.” It’s often a hard one to remember when we’re late and the driver ahead is poking along, or when we’re treated rudely or worse, or when someone seems truly mean-spirited or cruel. Yet kindness always matters, and often our [...]

Filed under: compassion, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: assumptions, compassion, empathy, helping others, Kindness, mindfulness, perspective, videos | Leave a Comment »

Redemption & Reunion: Elephants Never Forget

Posted on January 9, 2012 by zoeweil

I could write a blog post today about circuses; about captive elephants and their plight. There is much to say about our treatment of animals for entertainment, but I’ll write that post another day. For today, please enjoy this short, beautiful video, and then consider — before participating in forms of entertainment that use and [...]

Filed under: animal protection, compassion, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: animal captivity, animal cruelty, animal exploitation, animal protection, circuses, compassion, elephants, entertainment, videos | 1 Comment »

My Lightbulb Moment: What We Do Matters

Posted on January 5, 2012 by zoeweil

For my blog post today, I wanted to share my Slant Series “lightbulb moment” story. Enjoy! For a humane world, Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“ [...]

Filed under: humane education, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: beliefs, critical thinking, faith, humane education, Judaism, modeling our message, Most Good Least Harm, religion, videos, zoe weil | Leave a Comment »

Beyond the Starfish: Creating Systemic, Lasting Change in the New Year

Posted on January 2, 2012 by zoeweil

Image courtesy of jacQuie.k via Creative Commons. Happy New Year! For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from Beyond the Starfish: Creating Systemic, Lasting Change in the New Year: “In his book, But Will [...]

Filed under: MOGO (Most Good), systemic change | Tagged: activism, compassion, humane education, justice, modeling our message, perspective, prevention, root causes, social change, solutionaries, systemic change | Leave a Comment »

My Solstice Wish for Humanity

Posted on December 21, 2011 by zoeweil

Tonight is the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere and the longest day in the southern hemisphere. Usually on the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice I write about my experience in Maine, where the darkest night also represents the turning of the year toward light. This year, perhaps because I’ve been conversing regularly [...]

Filed under: mindfulness, MOGO (Most Good), perspective | Leave a Comment »

This Everyday Hero Made My Day; Hope He Makes Your Day, Too

Posted on December 19, 2011 by zoeweil

Image copyright Storycorps. Check out this 2008 NPR story about Julio Diaz, a 31-year-old social worker who responded to a mugger by, just possibly, changing his life for the better. Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education [...]

Filed under: compassion, heroes, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: compassion, empathy, Kindness, Most Good Least Harm, ordinary heroes, violence | Leave a Comment »

Zoe Weil

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A Morality Pill?

Politicians’ Failures of Generosity

The Depth of Animal Emotions

A Prison Without Bars Reminds Us We Can Change Entrenched Systems

From Complaint to Compassion to Kindness

Redemption & Reunion: Elephants Never Forget

My Lightbulb Moment: What We Do Matters

My Solstice Wish for Humanity

This Everyday Hero Made My Day; Hope He Makes Your Day, Too

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