A critical assessment of the "moral mentality" espoused by the political right identifies inconsistencies in its conservative values, arguing that right-wing leadership is lacking in moral compassion and unable to live up to its prescribed notions of virtuous behavior.

In 1986, Elie Wiesel received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his victory over "the powers of death and degradation, and to support the struggle of good against evil in the world." Soon after, he and his wife, Marion, created the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. A project at the heart of the Foundation's mission is its Ethics Prize, an essay writing contest through which thousands of students from colleges across the country are encouraged...