What Moral Psychology Can Tell Us About Army Ethics | Sam Kolling | TEDxWestPoint

Sam Kolling argues that we have been wrong about one of our most basic assumptions about our personalities and character; he claims that we do not have a solid character that persists across time and situations. Instead, our personalities and moral behavior can be affected by something as simple as finding a dime in a phone booth, or standing close to a soap dispenser.

Sam Kolling grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2016 earning a degree in Philosophy and commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry.

[tonyborowski]

This cadet gave a compelling presentation of which many of our young Army officers need to hear. Having been in command both at home and abroad, I recognized the importance of understanding how situations affect ethical behavior. From power and responsibility to generating a quality culture, the commander can indirectly formulate an environment that promotes ethical practices within the unit. Unfortunately, this philosophy is a lost art as most leaders solely rely on regulations or policy to address ethical violations. The challenge lies in the leader’s ability to think and anticipate situational changes within their environment so that they can intercede in order to maintain discipline and protect those in their charge. I have this many times but it is worth repeating-It is better and more economical to apply preventative medicine of quality leadership than respond with triage to an unethical climate.

[anonimo]

This was good, where or how can I read his thesis?

[jeffswett]

good talk. If the Army is smart and places him right, this guy will go far.

[jvolstad]

Very interesting. He made a number of good points regarding ethics and situations.

MSG James Volstad
US Army Retired

VA Volunteer
Audie Murphy VAMC
San Antonio, Texas

[OdsnFilms]

Since Kolling is utilizing Military Ethics in context of Moral Psychology/Ethics which seems oxymoronic in my perspective ...
Could Kolling please use 3 Military Situations/Events which demonstrate your thesis statement of what Moral Psychology/Ethics can tell us about any given Military Soldier/Subject?
1st Situation
Any given WWII Death March
2nd Situation
Vietnam 1968 Mi Lai Massacre
3rd Situation
Veteran Suicide/Homicide rates after any given Type of War that has occurred Globally from the Past to the Present.
I would greatly appreciate an honest reply from Sam Kolling based on his philosophical knowledge in Military Ethics at his earliest convenience...

[marcodigiovanni]

The _'average_ Human Being', is unconscious, you _lead_ soldier

Taken to the extreme, the good remains so, for those who choose it consciously

Moral relativism is as relevant as it is to remain unconscious for the unconscious people

[todydn]

Bro you need to talk to my boss you hit every nail on the head basically it's golden rule treat people as you wish them to treat you

[zappsoren]

I find this presentation quite misleading. First, showing that situational factors matter plainly does not imply that personality and character does not matter. Secondly, many recent studies leaning to the situational side are difficult to excecute in a controlled manner and suffer from methodological issues, Thridly, many of these studies does not replicate, Forthly, some of the notable situationalists - such as Dan Ariely mentioned here - have been found to engage in fraudulent research. Fiths, most of the studies referred to in the talk are old and largely considered insufficiently rigurous. Sixths, most people in acual situations are invested in actual relationships, which are not well accounted for by the majority of situationalist studies, although relationships obviously matter (such as being someones parent). Finally, there are plenty of studies that suggest that personality traits affect moral behavior (psycopaths, for example are not to be trusted with caring for your kids). ... The truth is more complicated that what is suggested in this talik. A soldier, it should be noted, is more than a relativistic robot that mechanically responds to situations (and yes, there are examples both real braverly and kindness, as well as real cruelty in the war in Ukraine, where real traits are to some extent revealed; think for example about president Zelensky).

[Tim]

The prison experiment was so badly executed it should not be used as reference. There are enough other experiments and historical events to refer to.

[advancedmicrodevices]

BTW, why are the first two early moral teachers he mentions Muslims? Where is the Ten Commandments and King Solomon's moral proverbs, which is the main book of morals used in the Western world for thousands of years.

[HurdleC]

I didn't know Cadets wore NDSM or that they could get Air Assault. Enjoy your first Platoon LT.

[advancedmicrodevices]

True Moral Psychology teaches that most of the morals people use today originated with the Ten Commandments and King Solomon's moral proverbs. Almost all laws in the Western world are derived from, or based upon, these two sets of moral teachings. As researchers now take a much closer look at these moral teachings, we are finding they are far more advanced than previously thought. For example, proverbs makes absolutely no distinction between a man and a woman. There are no verses that say a woman has fewer rights than a man, or a woman must wear certain garments or walk behind a man. Nor do the Ten Commandments contain the slightest amount of sexism.

#1. The Ten Commandments were most likely copied down by Moses when he entered the tomb of a Hyksos pharaoh, which lends us to believe they are much older than the time of Moses (abt. 1, 500 BC). The Hyksos in Ancient Egypt are generally regarded as being the Hebrews mentioned in the Bible. Hyksos pharaohs were buried in mountainsides, while strictly Egyptian pharaohs were buried underground. One Egyptian pharaoh actually has the Ten Commandments inscribed into one wall of his underground tomb.

#2. King Solomon's book of moral proverbs are likely also much older than King Solomon's time (abt. 950 BC). Numerous verses were taught by Egyptian pharaohs who lived much earlier than Solomon. The breakdown of the name "Solomon" is first "solo" which means "one", combined with the word for the main god of Ancient Egypt which is "Amun". Pronounced together we have "Solo Amun" or simply "Solomon".

[anonymousprofessor]

I'm a psychologist and hope the military isn't listening to guys like this.

[vg]

Once he gets to a unit he will see what the world actually looks like.

[j_]

"God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."



-Romans 5:8

[BiggestRedditor]

A cadet lol. He hasn't even been in the real army

[Sobieskicharge]

Where is this guy today? Can't find anything

[Willem]

Smart kid. Insightful about leadership. I hope he's a major or something now.