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Randy Cohen      

Ethicist, Emmy Award-winning Writer, Public Radio Host

Randy Cohen is an American writer and humorist known for his diverse contributions to both print and television media. He authored "The Ethicist" column in The New York Times Magazine from 1999 to 2011, a role that significantly shaped public discourse on ethics. This column was widely syndicated throughout the U.S. and Canada. Cohen has also penned several books that delve into ethical quandaries and their broader societal implications, including "The Good, the Bad and the Difference" and "Be Good: How to Navigate the Ethics of Everything."

Cohen's initial foray into professional writing included crafting humor pieces, essays, and stories for prominent publications such as The New Yorker, Harper's, The Atlantic, and Young Love Comics. His television career is equally notable, beginning with his work on "Late Night with David Letterman," where he earned three Emmy Awards. He achieved a fourth Emmy for his contributions to Michael Moore's "TV Nation" and humorously received a fifth Emmy due to a clerical error, which he decided to keep. Cohen also served as the original head writer for "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," where he co-wrote the theme music. In 2010, he ventured into theater with his first play, "The Punishing Blow," which was staged at New York’s Clurman Theater.

Currently, Cohen continues to influence public perspectives on ethics through his work in broadcasting. He is the creator and host of "Person Place Thing," a public radio program that explores the intricate relationships people have with the places and things in their lives. Additionally, he is developing "A Question of Ethics," a new show poised to engage audiences on public radio.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania, Cohen attended the State University of New York at Albany, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2011. He holds an MFA in music composition from the California Institute of the Arts. In his highly engaging and entertaining keynotes, Cohen tackles a wide array of ethical dilemmas, from personal conduct in everyday situations to the ethical challenges in modern leadership and organizational practices, providing audiences with insightful perspectives on navigating ethical decisions in a complex world.

Speech Topics


Plagiarism, a Kind of Defense

We all deplore plagiarism, but should we? Randy Cohen argues that much of what we label as plagiarism in fiction, in music, and in art, is not only acceptable, it is admirable. Indeed it is the only way such work can be done. Other kinds of plagiarism - in academic work, for example - deserve our scorn. How do we distinguish between them and how ought we respond to each?

Drive an SUV in Manhattan & You're Driving Straight to Hell: The Ethics of Transportation

In this talk, Randy Cohen takes a close look at the ethics of transportation. Ethics concerns the effects of our actions on others. If you drive a private car when you have alternatives - say for a half-mile hop in a big city - then those effects are horrible: you pollute the air, squander public space, and kill about 30,000 of your neighbors every year.

Being "The Ethicist": An Evening with Randy Cohen

After 12 years writing the popular New York Times Magazine column "The Ethicist," Randy Cohen shares details and answers popular questions of his unusual job: Were those letters real? Did he ever get one wrong (or, depending on your perspective, right)? Audiences are given a chance to pose their own ethical dilemmas or set Cohen straight about a past column.

How to Be Good

If we can reach a rough consensus on right and wrong - don't lie, don't cheat, don't steal - why don't we all behave virtuously? Cohen explores the idea that the answer lies not in our characters but our circumstances, and discusses how to create the kind of communities (in our neighborhoods, our schools, and our businesses) in which we are likely to behave admirably. During the Q&A, he then applies these ideas to the actual ethical problems facing the audience.

Humor

Business and Personal Ethics

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  • The Good, the Bad and the Difference
  • How to Tell Right From Wrong in Everyday Situations
  • "An Evening of Ethics"

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