Ethics in the Gray Zone

Dear Faith & Work,

Have you ever been in a meeting and you realize the chairperson is gung-ho over an idea you strongly disagree with? You quickly calculate in your mind, “Is it worth fighting over? Should I say something... or not?” If yes, then you have to decide how to express your view—and the ethics or values behind it. How can you do it in a way that lets you be heard… and shows that you want to hear them, as well?

Over the years, David has taught his signature Princeton course on professional responsibility and ethics, subtitled by students as "Succeeding without Selling Your Soul." In it, he has crafted five essential questions that help us stay ethically prepared and fit. (By the way, a book based on the course is due out from Princeton University Press this winter!)

In this Quarterly Review for Q1 2025, I've felt especially mindful of the fourth of those five questions: "What is your public language for ethics?" Scroll down and check out some of the public conversations we've been part of lately. And see if it's helpful for your own public ethical language!

Gratefully yours,

Seth Cohen, Forbes' Chief Impact Officer,

with David Miller

Seth Cohen, Chief Impact Officer for Forbes magazine, heads up an ongoing series of interviews on the Forbes Youtube channel with people from a range of backgrounds who bring new and interdisciplinary insights into the markets and marketplace life. In January, he interviewed David Miller in a wide-ranging interview covering David's “bilingual” (marketplace and theology) path to creating FWI, shifts in the way religion is approached in companies, and the ways in which people draw on their faith backgrounds for ethical questions, and the ways in which people draw on their faith backgrounds for ethical questions. You can see the interview here.

David Miller on the podcast "Future Ready Leadership"

In November, FWI director David W. Miller was interviewed by Jacob Morgan, entrepreneur and author in leadership, the future of work, and employee experience.

“Today, organizations are constantly pressured to innovate, deliver profits, and navigate complex challenges,” Morgan writes. “But one question often goes unanswered: What role do ethics and values play in the success of a company? In this week’s podcast episode, Dr. David Miller challenges the notion that leadership is purely about strategy and performance metrics. Instead, he argues that a deeper sense of purpose, rooted in faith and values, is essential for driving authentic and sustainable leadership.” You can listen to the podcast here.

Susan Richardson an invited participant at

BYU Faith-Based/Social Impact Summit

In December 2024, Susan Richardson, FWI lecturer and manager of communications and operations, was an invited participant in an inaugural summit in Provo, Utah, sponsored by the Ballard Center for Social Impact. The summit gathered a cohort of academic-center leaders from around the country–each a significant participant in the unique space of social impact and how religious identity, of any tradition, informs involvement. Discussions centered around several areas, including: religious institutional support, the role of personal faith-based motivations, engaging with social impact practitioners from a faith-based point of view, useful models in cultivating faith "skills" alongside social impact skills, and improving the social impact at our own home institutions.

Classes of '79 and '52 invite David Miller

to panel on AI and ethics

For Alumni Day 2025, the classes of 1979 and 1952 convened a panel discussion on AI and ethics, inviting FWI Director David W. Miller to serve as participant and preceptor/moderator. Springing off the 2024-25 Princeton University pre-read - Dr. Fei-Fei Li's ('99) The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI - the panel discussed the complexity of the human mind and managing the positive and negative aspects of AI. You can see the video here.

David Miller speaks at Andlinger energy summit and Princeton Theological Seminary

On December 4-5, 2024, David Miller was an invited panelist at the “From Ambition to Reality Summit,” part of an ongoing series of conversations and publications about how we can build the necessary trust for speeding up the energy transition. The world is behind on its climate targets, and one of the reasons for this could be that there is a lack of trust between stakeholders, which acts as a brake to a lot of climate progress. The event was hosted by the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment in partnership with Worley. David drew on the white paper he coauthored with Michael, “Towards a Restoration of Trust,” to discuss practices around trust that can be gleaned from the world's faith traditions. Read more here.

In January, David was an invited panelist of Princeton Theological Seminary alumni for a dinner for students and faculty from the new PTS Master of Arts in Theology (Justice and Public Life) program. David and the other panelists are alums who are working outside the usual boundaries of congregational life. The Master of Arts in Theology (Justice and Public Life) helps participants “Better understand social justice concerns and their impact on society and prepare to apply theological concepts to affect positive change. It is specifically designed for working professionals in business, education, government, and beyond, and will graduate its first cohort May 2025." You can read more here.