The 24th Annual AAPAE Conference focused on applying ethics in an increasingly fractured world. The keynote speaker, Dayo Sowunmi II, discussed how the rapid rate of change has impacted norms and conventions. He noted how self-focus through increased selfie-taking may relate to self-esteem and narcissism, especially among millennials. Sowunmi proposed habituating thoughtful ethics through core situations and encouraging creative collaboration between government, non-profits, and businesses to address issues and create jobs. He concluded by suggesting participants commit to saying "sorry" when witnessing any hurt to serve as a reminder to bring ethics back into our interactions.

1. 24th Annual AAPAE Conference:
Applied Ethics in the Fractured State
Dayo Sowunmi II – 23 June 2017

2. Inspiration
• Story that inspired my talk here today
• Daughter showed me bruise she got while
playing at daycare
• I said, “sorry, my dear”
• She replied, “but daddy it wasn’t your fault”
• My use of the word sorry was to show
empathy – that I felt her pain, not to imply I
was responsible for the bruise
• I realised I need to do a better job of teaching
her about empathy, and wanting the best for
other people 2

3. Overview
1 Rate Of Change In Our World
2 Norms & Conventions
3 The ‘Selfie’ Way Of Life
4 Applying Ethics As Panacea
5 How We Can Take Action Creatively
6 Q & A
3

4. Rate Of Change In Our World
4
Volatility
Uncertainty
Complexity
Ambiguity

5. Rate Of Change In Our World
5

6. Norms & Conventions
• 1949 Geneva Convention not respected
universally
• Durant (1926), summing up a thought by
Aristotle: “we are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
• Ethics, derived from Ethos => Habits…
6
Durant, W. (1926). The Story of Philosophy: the Lives and Opinions
of the Greater Philosophers. New York, Simon & Schuster.

7. The ‘Selfie’ Way Of Life
• Percentage of ‘selfies’ on our smartphones?
• What does that say about us?
• Any link with self-esteem and/or narcissism?
• 85% of millennials taking selfies *
• The selfie bias **
• Further Research: Cultural or generational
differences?
7
* 2016 Osterman Research Millennials Survey
** Diefenback & Christoforakos (2017) The Selfie Paradox

8. Projected Population by Generation
8

9. Applying Ethics As Panacea
9
Engrain
Thoughtful
Habits
Into
Core
Situations
• We are complicit in the world’s decline if
we do nothing
• We are what we allow

10. How We Can Take Action Creatively
101 – Submission from Navitas Ltd to House of Reps (Feb 2017)
• Better collaboration between Government,
Not-For-Profit and For-Profit
• Charities employ 1.2 million Australians
• $100 billion annual revenue (6% of GDP)
• Shift mindset to create job for the future,
rather than find job of the past 1
Gov
FPNFP

11. How We Can Take Action Creatively
11Source: Australian Institute of Company Directors (2017)
• Australia’s last 15 federal governments
served terms of only 2 ½ years – that’s
Volatility!
• Up to three out of every 10 years are
lost as governments respond to a shorter
election time span.

12. How We Can Take Action Creatively
12Source: Australian Institute of Company Directors (2017)
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3
8
4
0
2
4
6
8
10
Senate House of Reps
Term (In Years)
Today Proposed

13. Wrap Up
13

14. The Trigger
14
The next time we witness someone hurt,
no matter how slight, we’ll say “sorry”
and that action will serve as our
constant reminder to Bring Ethics Back

15. @dayomedia
dayo@anode.com.au anode.com.au

16. Questions?
@dayomedia
dayo@anode.com.au anode.com.au