In this week’s show, we attempt to shed light on an age old question: How do otherwise good people do bad things?

We discuss the Volkswagen scandal, what it was and why it was so troubling. We then circle back to the “scandal ridden” presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and ask similar questions. Both of these stories teach us an important lesson about the origins of ethical failures and how it applies to our lives.

We delve into the controversial insight given by Hannah Arendt, a German born philosopher, who, when writing about the Adolf Eichman trial in the 60s, coined the phrase “the banality of evil.” Her insight explains a motivation behind our actions and inaction.

We were privileged to have  prominent psychologist Dr. David Pelcovitz on the show as well who introduced us to the concept of Ethical Fading and why otherwise good natured people seem to violate their own moral compass when engaged in a matter of self interest.