Virtue prompts change not from the outside, not institutionally, but from a transformation in shared human consciousness, a cultural change of heart, We learn its lessons not from economic models and legal briefs, but principally from truth expressed in fiction –myths and legends, fables and feature films - Aesop’s Fables for adults. These are the province of shared human experience and sensibility, particularly of virtue - a nearly obsolete concept these days. Less familiar are issues more subjective than objective, reflective than combative, instinctual than intellectual. We’re familiar with these – they’ve been well-rehearsed in op-eds and speeches by politicians and pundits, activists and the media.
Proposed reparations for the USA’s racial history raise complex legal, economic, and other issues.