Value systems that the Dalai Lama sees as inadequate are advancing our scientific knowledge and technological power, as well as leaving what to do with this power should be left up to each individual. He writes how leaving out society while making ethical decisions about these matters would make it so that considerations for human welfare and ethics would be easily left out when regulating these scientific developments. He believes how it is crucial for us to critically think about what is being developed and why. With the way that we are doing things now, a lot of people are not taking these things into consideration, they are simply just progressing forward without thinking critically.

In the Dalai Lama’s view, the public should be more involved in ethical debates about the complex problems that we face. This is because he believes that these decisions should not be left up to people such as scientists, business interests, or government officials, these decisions should not be left up to such small communities where choices may run biased. As the Dalai Lama suggests, the discussion that the public should be having can be in any form whether it be “through the media, public consultation, or the action of grassroots pressure groups” (198). This can face many complications with how he describes this. I understand that he believes that the large general public should have a solid grasp on the knowledge that is under question, it is fair that people should be aware of and have knowledge of what is around them. On page 198 of “Ethics and the New Genetics”, the Dalai Lama writes about how schools need “to provide not only training in the empirical facts of science but also an examination of the relationship between science and society at large”. As an education major, I have already had a glimpse inside of what the education system is like now. For one thing, schools follow what is known as Common Core State Standards. These are standards that are set in place, they are things that the teachers must be able to have their students accomplish by the end of the school year in each subject. Some of these specific standards, from what I have worked with, do not leave some teachers with a lot of wiggle room in their curriculum, being that there would not be enough time to teach students these things. Along with this, schools are ever changing. I have done my fieldwork at Biddeford Primary School for the whole past school year, and I learned that there is not even a time where students learn science or history anymore. This is to make more time for reading, writing, and the new math curriculum. If (and possibly when) more schools make this change then there would not even be enough time for students to start learning about these pieces of knowledge.

Principles that the Dalai Lama suggests we should use to think critically in the 21st century are being able to recognize how precious life is, having an understanding of the basic need for balance in nature, the use of this to guide our thoughts and actions, and to make sure that we hold compassion as the main motivator for our goals. This is also said to be used in consideration of all potential consequences. These principles are based on the Dalai Lama’s beliefs that the world should just behave as one instead of divided into groups such as races, nationalities, and religions. They can be found “at the heart of all major spiritual traditions” (199). Each key factor of the “moral compass” that the Dalai Lama discusses can help to shape us as a whole in a way that can benefit the whole human race as well as, in the end, Earth. These key factors are making sure compassion is the foundation for our motivation, taking into account any possible short-term and long-term outcome for each and every problem, we must remain unbiased and honest when reacting and addressing any problems, when faced with “ethical challenges” we must respond in a way that recognizes our knowledge and vulnerability to being misguided, and everyone must strive to keep in mind the well being of humanity as well as our planet. These “key factors” are supposed to be our main ways of guiding what our decisions are based on and what should be taken into consideration while making these ethical decisions as well.

I believe that the Dalai Lama’s “moral compass” is not compatible with Herzog’s advocacy of the “troubled middle”. This is because in “Animals Like Us” Herzog himself defines the troubled middle as “those of us in the troubled middle love in a complex moral universe” (6). This means that you do not necessarily fall on one side of the fence, you are on it. You may sway from one side to the other but currently, you are perched atop of it. With the troubled middle defined as such, it is easy to see that the Dalai Lama’s “moral compass” does not follow these lines. In fact, it is happily sitting on one side of the fence, wondering why there are people on the other side of it. Though it does not align with the troubled middle, I feel as though there are some strengths that Herzog could talk about. For instance, the moral compass has people take many things into consideration.  Herzog says that one of the perks of being a “middler” is that you are able to “see the world in shades of gray rather than in clear blacks and whites” (6). This is the same when making ethical decisions “using” the moral compass. You should not just see things in one, biased way. Instead, all things should be considered in the near and distant future. Though it is great to be able to think about the vast possibilities of outcomes from your actions, using the moral compass is almost in itself slightly biased. It only allows you to motivate your thoughts and actions using compassion. Though this is a valid point to see, there could be certain situations where you should not let this happen. Some examples could include sending a sexual predator to jail, attacking in self-defense during a robbery, or even trying to destroy Hitler. In situations like these, these people could have a bad effect on either yourself or someone else if you show compassion. If the judge showed the predator compassion because they were exploring their sexual needs, they could traumatize someone else. If the assailant was shown compassion for just trying to “get by” by stealing from others, then they will just keep robbing other people. And well, it’s obvious what could have happened if we showed Hitler compassion.