Malcolm Gladwell presents a most interesting podcast about “descending into the particular” — Casuistry* (see below). Which is to value the ability to weigh equally both sides of an argument or investigation.
Those of us in leadership positions have had to do this fairly regularly when deciding personnel matters and meting out discipline.
Both what about an officer-involved death of a citizen. Can we really look at the event without a pre-existing bias?
Gladwell attempts to do this with an actual police shooting —,trying to “descend into the particular.”
Listen to it HERE and tell me what you think.
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*“Casuistry is the ‘study of cases of conscience and a method of solving conflicts of obligations by applying general principles of ethics, religion, and moral theology to particular and concrete cases of human conduct. This frequently demands an extensive knowledge of natural law and equity, civil law, ecclesiastical precepts, and an exceptional skill in interpreting these various norms of conduct.’ It remains a common tool for applied ethics” – Wikipedia.
Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation 