ABSTRACT
Economic growth in North America is essentially finished because of the depletion of natural resources, the proliferation of environmental impacts, and the inability of governments and banks to deal with the enormous debt that has accumulated over the last 20 years. The end of economic growth is the harbinger of a new societal context for museums, because the implications for continued prosperity are profound and immensely challenging. Underlying these issues is the need to break the tacit silence that surrounds the role of contemporary museums as keepers of the status quo. In considering a renewed mandate for museums, it is suggested that all museums have six ethical responsibilities, including public advocacy, problem solving, collaborating on the funding of solutions, insisting on the accountability of government and the private sector, scientific and humanities research, and maintaining collections as knowledge data banks.
