Honesty – Building a Virtuous Cycle

From plagiarism, to infidelity, to financial fraud, dishonesty seems to be a universal part of the world we live in. This not only affects our sense of security and comfort, but also discourages innovation and growth at the personal, professional, and societal level. We have spent the last few years exploring this topic through the (Dis)Honesty Project and a number of different initiatives: the documentary feature film “(Dis)Honesty – The Truth About Lies,” a traveling installation called the Truth Box, and the project’s digital properties including its own website. We aim to broaden the project’s impact by extending its educational work and creating targeted wraparound programming that engages individuals around the topics of honesty, integrity, and trust in the contexts of their lives. The programs encourage character development through dialogue, demonstrations, and periodic reminders. With the support the John Templeton Foundation, we will a) provide licenses for our film and its complementary curriculum to schools and universities who otherwise could not afford them; b) produce talkback discussions around the film for professional associations that initiate meaningful exploration of dishonesty and ethical culture within particular industries; and c) create and test a new approach to ethics training in organizational settings that facilitates discussions around dishonesty and provides periodic, consistent reminders to strengthen an ethical culture. Through these programs, we can help individuals develop, value, and maintain an honest, virtuous character and establish mechanisms and precedents that support this endeavor, ultimately creating a virtuous cycle that advances honesty, integrity and trust in the communities in which we live and work.