2.2 Moral imagination

A moral imagination is the ability for a person to sense and feel the ethical aspects of a certain situation. Moral perception is about being able to identify these things – but that could be done in a cold and clinical way. A moral imagination, on the other hand, is about feeling the ethical needs of others. It is therefore an empathetic ability. In the words of Ladkin:

For Ladkin, a moral imagination is about being able to imagine the lived experiences of another person – like playing a film of their lives in your mind. People with a heightened moral imagination will be more aware of how to avoid making insensitive or unethical decisions, but also better equipped to make decisions that enhance equity and justice.

You can cultivate a moral imagination by exposing yourself to people whose backgrounds, lives and experiences are different to your own. We all live in bubbles, social and work circles that to a great extent are predetermined for us by where we were born, went to school, college, university, where we work and live in the present.

Yet we can break out of these closed circles and cultivate a capacity to empathise with others, as you will explore in the following activity.

Activity 2 Cultivating moral imagination

Timing: Allow around 15 minutes

Watch the following video, where Paul Sesay talks about intentionally breaking out of his social bubbles. As you watch, note down the ways in which he accomplishes this.

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Transcript: Video 2 Paul Sesay – breaking out of social bubbles

PAUL SESAY:

I’ve witnessed so many Black leaders intentionally coming out of their social bubble to great effects. And I think, first of all, when you take yourself out of your social bubble, it can then inspire you to learn about different cultures, different people, different aspects of society. And once you’ve done that, you can network with the right people if you want to get out there and basically have an idea for your business or you’re driven and you’re focused about what you want to do. And they can absolutely help you to get to that level.

But once you’ve done that and once you’ve actually got to that level, you can then go back to your own social bubble and inspire others. And say, listen, this is what I’ve done. I’ve gone out my social bubble. I’ve met the CEO of this company or they’ve just inspired me to do what I’m going to do now. And I want to inspire you in my own social bubble to be able to get out there and do it yourself, because if I can do it, so can you. And I truly believe that. If you are from an inner city area or from a deprived area and there’s not much inspiration out there, it’s even more important to go back in there and actually pay it forward. I’ve gone back in. I’ve said to them, OK, this is what you do. This is how you can do it. And they’ve far exceeded me sometimes as well, which is absolutely what you want. And then it has a ripple effect or a domino effect to the rest of the community out there. So I think that’s why it’s really important to get out of your social bubble.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Coming out my social bubble has helped me tremendously. I’ve managed to liaise with so many amazing companies, so many fantastic people, people that just want to help you as an individual, that want to sit there and guide you, or I can help them as well. I’ve managed to then liaise with companies, CEOs of companies, HR directors, and so on and so forth, to help them on their inclusion journey based on what my journey has been. Because I’m from a diverse background and I want to share the difficulties that I had growing up trying to apply for jobs, and so on and so forth, how I felt with certain kinds of careers. And so it’s absolutely a way to sit there and make real change within organisations.

We’ve liaised with The Open University when George Floyd was murdered, and we developed something called Black Leaders. This is how the Black empowerment leadership programme was developed, from an idea that sparked from the communities, from myself and different communities across the UK. And that’s the power of it. That’s the power of getting out your social bubble.

National Diversity Awards, 90,000 nominations and votes this year from right across the whole of the UK from every strand of diversity, with LGBT, race, disability, age, race. And from an idea to actually sprouting into something that’s ingrained in the national psyche is beyond what I could ever have dreamed of. And that’s what’s happened when I took myself out of that social bubble. I’ve managed to influence so many people, so many organisations, probably millions of employees through the top 50 or the 150 organisations that I currently liaise with.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

First of all, do a lot of internal work with yourself, a lot of belief work, a lot-- ask the universe. Read books, I think they’re really, really important. There’s so many inspirational books that I can see. Meditate, all them kind of things. And it might sound silly to some people, but absolutely, when you clear your mind, that’s when the most creativity comes.

Once you’ve done that and you’ve worked on yourself, then go and find some mentors. Go and find people that will influence you, that will inspire you. Ask for help. Do not be afraid to ask for help -- and that’s one of the most fundamental things that I’ve learned, because people will help you. And when you move forward, you can help them back as well. So once people have mentored you and opened their networks to maybe help you get to where you’re going, then make sure you manifest your ideas to the universe, and work and take each step at a time. You take one step, two steps, three steps. I’ve done this with all my initiatives. I’m not very academic myself, but what I am is very determined to see something through.

So when I thought of the National Diversity Awards or Inclusive Top 50, it was just an idea in my head, and then I took each step. I simplified it and took each step to where I need to go. And then all of a sudden, I took 50 steps. I’m looking back and thinking, wow, we’re three years in, we’ve got all these celebrities. We’ve got all these people. We’ve got all these organisations that are involved, listening to what we’re doing. So that’s what I tell all my mentees and the younger people that are out there. Go for your goals. And before you know it, you’ll be-- 200 steps, 300 steps, or 10,000 steps, and you’re actually influencing so many people to build your future. Because you can have a future, but you’ve got to work hard for it. It doesn’t come easy, and hard work absolutely pays off if you do it in the right way.

End transcript: Video 2 Paul Sesay – breaking out of social bubbles

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Video 2 Paul Sesay – breaking out of social bubbles

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Discussion

There are many ways of breaking out of your social bubbles. Here are some examples:

• getting to know people different from us at work
• volunteering with a local charity
• joining a trade union and attending branch meetings
• taking an interest in different cultural practices and finding out more
• starting to follow people campaigning on different issues, such as poverty, misogyny, racism, climate change
• immersing ourselves in films and literature that portray a life and culture very different to our own.

There are two barriers to developing moral imagination. The first is the attention economy. Because people’s lives are becoming increasingly flooded with information, imagery and distractions – mainly through mobile phones and other digital devices – it can be difficult to allow yourself to feel what others feel. The other barrier is fear. Experiencing new realities and being exposed to the experiences of others can be challenging, sometimes making us feel awful.

Going through an experience when you are exposed to moral imagination is difficult. It can be easier to shut down our feelings and close ourselves off from the world. Sometimes escapism is necessary, to replenish oneself. No one can be ‘on’ 100% of the time. In fact, people who try to be can burn out very quickly. Therefore it is critical to leading with ethical purpose that you find sustainable practices to get yourself through, which is the topic of the next section.