David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times, spoke about selfishness and dishonesty during a School Leaders Roundtable at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture in March.
Brooks explained why “we’re all slightly selfish and a little bit dishonest” to dozens of school leaders 10 different sectors of education who convened in Charlottesville, Virginia to discuss character education.
“The rule is, we all steal as much as we can to maintain our self-image,” Brooks said.
New York Times columnist David Brooks discussed the “inborn nature” of infants and how their social and cooperative nature serves as a starting point for character development during an event at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia this spring.
Brooks shared his views on character development with dozens of school leaders—from public, independent, private, religious, and other types of schools—developing character education programs across the United States.
“We’re social egotists,” Brooks said. “We’re cooperative creatures.”
