ACR-GNY & CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College present

The Self-Determination Principle: Mediation and the Moral Realm

What connection does the mediation process have with the moral dimension of human life? Usually, it is seen as a method of reaching agreements and solving problems, but does mediation have a dimension that goes beyond these practical functions and reaches into the moral realm? This talk will suggest that it does, based on the work of feminist and relational thinkers like Carol Gilligan and others, and on new legal theories based on “virtue ethics.” The talk will also explore how the “fundamental principle” of self-determination in mediation can only be fully understood if the moral dimension of the process is acknowledged. Additionally, this discussion will provide examples of how mediation can be practiced in ways that support the moral impulse that underlies engagement in conflict for many parties.

ROBERT A. BARUCH BUSH

Robert A. Baruch Bush, Rains Distinguished Professor of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University; Co-Founder and Board Member, Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation.

Professor Bush’s scholarship and teaching focuses on mediation and alternative dispute resolution. He is one of the originators of the “Transformative Approach” to mediation, as explained in his best-selling book, The Promise of Mediation (1994, 2d ed. 2005), co-authored with Dr. Joseph Folger and translated into six languages. Bush has practiced, taught and written about mediation for over 40 years, authoring five books and more than thirty articles/chapters on mediation and ADR. His most recent article is “Self-Determination, Needs Satisfaction and Moral Growth – in Mediation and Negligence Law: A Paradigm Shift in Underlying Worldviews” (forthcoming in the Harvard Negotiation Law Review, Spring 2025). In 2017, Bush received (together with co-author and colleague Joseph Folger) the Association of Conflict Resolution’s William Kreidler Award for Distinguished Service to the field of Conflict Resolution. In 2022, he received the L. Randolph Lowry Educator of the Year Award from the Southern California Mediation Association.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Roundtable Breakfasts are virtual meetings on Zoom. The link will change each month and will be distributed to all registrants the day before and the morning of the event. All listed times for ACR-GNY events are for Eastern Time. 8:00 am – 8:30 am | Join call to network with attendees 8:30 am – 10:00 am | Presentation and Discussion About the Roundtable Breakfasts The Roundtable Breakfasts are organized by ACR-GNY and the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College. They take place the first Thursday of the month and are ongoing since 2001. Views expressed in connection with any Roundtable event publicity or at sessions are those of the speakers and participants and not of the CUNY DRC or ACR-GNY. This program is supported by ACR-GNY's 365 Sponsors: