How system dynamics education may enhance virtue-based Ethics

In this paper, the author’s teaching experience at a Belgian Business school gives ground to the tenet that system-dynamics (SD) education would serve virtue-based Ethics in a complex world. Information is first provided on a SD course in Brussels created by the initiator of the Euro Working Group on OR and Ethics, Professor Brans. It is then argued that this teaching may induce a cognitive transformation towards a holistic view on complex decision problems, letting emerge several meta-virtues: respect, attentiveness, and wisdom. This cognitive process is illustrated by some SD modelling examples from the classroom reflecting important young people’s preoccupations in today’s society.

Trefwoorden:System dynamics Education Virtue-based ethics