Thinking Ethics

Reducing cheating

 

I find it strange that although life expectancy is increasing, we live more and more in the immediate present. This trend towards short term decisions and instant gratification is very worrying for society and the conservation of the planet. 

I found this interesting article on diminishing cheating but getting persons to focus on their future selves in Government Executive.com : "Cheating pays but imagine your future" by Rachel Nuwer. The study is interesting, and might even work. But I don't see how you are going to get people to focus on their future selves before making a short term (and beneficial) decision.  

Is ethics a luxury ? Does it only kick in when basic needs have been met (bottom of the Maslow hierarchy of needs) ? So it would not be considered in survival situations (wars, strife, starvation...) or even in start-up companies? I suppose some people are more ethical by inclination or awareness and we would take into account mitigating circumstances in extreme cases - but the grey zone seems to be expanding.

 

The sequence of the Maslow pyramid also seems to be relaxing as the new generation seem to be quite happy living with their parents and do not feel the same need to become independent as their elders. But even with their first job they want self-actualization before independence. Which makes them even more short-term minded and focussed on instant gratification. It is a real challenge to keep them motivated in the workplace and, I suspect, also interested in the good of the company or the community before their own needs.

 

 

 

 

 

us and... reinventing ethics

This post came in from George Scheller :

Ethics have in time always been reinvented see the case for the main religions over time. Mr. Gardner took a lion’s tale to paint his calligraphy. It was Prussian law that dictated society at the end of the eighteenth century on part out of need and on part out of the ongoing intellectual fashion. Weimar did not meet par. He also forgets slave and opium trade prevalent during the empire days and arranged by prolific personalities in this sector as members of parliament and congress.

 

Many persons were doctors, others lawyers, all were gentry and all belonging to the elite. The ethical professional then reminds me of the whistleblower of today.

 

In China there has always been a balance between Confucianism and Legalism depending on gusto and circumstances. I see little or no ethics here but a set of working rules to manage a society effectively.

 

That society as such can have two very different views as with Japan and China – see Funaoka Seigo on Chinese and Japanese outlook between family and government. We must go back to the golden rule… The advantage of the rule is in it’s flexibility and therefore ease of implementation into individual societies. The global village story is a myth. Origin, history, background, family values, language body and spoken language, a conglomerate of personal points of view composed out of need, outlook, opportunity etc. etc. define the accepted ethic or moral in a specific region. Ethics are diverse, local and temporary. The introduction of cell phones and social websites make for fleeting values.

 

There are also physiological and psychological questions to reply as – what is greed and when and why does it set in?  

 

The suggestion of an agora or a trustee committee is inspiring but is it realistic? It’s certainly worth the while.

 

The way will probably be slow and tedious very much like an opening of the free mason’s ideology and they too had their problems over the centuries.

2013 World Happiness Report

The 2013 World Happiness Report released by Columbia University Earth Institute gives the following ranking - first Denmark, followed by Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Very good analysis in the National Geographic by Roff Smith.

We need to talk about ethics

I have been meaning to post this article by Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for a long time. It is entitled Reinventing Ethics.

Basically, it covers the difficulty of using a traditional moral code in a society where democratization and digitalization have substantially changed behavior and respect for authority. He is calling for a sort of agora type public discussions by profession to discuss complex issues and determine appropriate codes of behavior. And as I have said before - we need to start talking about this now!

What is your social Q ?

Great quiz from McKinsey on Society on finding your socially conscious consumer quotient:

"Global consumers have been flexing their purchasing muscles for political purposes since at least the 18th century. From the Boston Tea Party to Gandhi’s Salt March to today’s campaigns against conflict diamonds and fast food, we present highlights in the history of consumer activism and ask you to decide how you would have responded to each campaign. Based on your answers, we’ll tell you what kind of consumer you are. - See more at: http://voices.mckinseyonsociety.com/the-socially-conscious-consumer/#sthash.gQnJeVHZ.dpuf"

Take the quiz and find out what is your social quotient. 

Take the survey!

The UN wants to hear from YOU! On their survey website - MY WORLD. The global survey aims to capture people's voices, priorities and views. They ask you to choose 6 issues out of 16 which would make a difference in your life. The results will be used to prepare the next development agenda.

Sustainable consumption

There is a new report just out by BBMG, Globescan and Sustainability, the Regeneration Consumer Study:

Re: Thinking Consumption - Consumers and the Future of Sustainability

More people are buying less, but buying better. It will come as no surprise that the results show that consumers won't compromise on cost and performance. There is still a big issue with trust - about the producers' claims on packaging. So certification and labels will probably gain in importance. It's an easy and interesting read.

Permissiveness

There is a saying in French that one's freedom stops where somebody else's freedom starts. And so the debate going on about freedom of speech vs protection of values is particularly interesting. The outrage caused by the crummy video insulting the Prophet is hard for us in the West to understand. How can we explain that this is not a political statement or a wide held belief but just some strange person's interpretation that he is allowed to air?

Interesting article by Ed Collins on the subject on Ethics Newsline entitled Limiting Permissiveness.

And good article on the dilemma faced by internet companies on what and how to censor by Somini Sengupta in The New York Times entitled "Free speech in the age of YouTube".

Without trivializing the events - I would like to suggest that we have limits for bad taste - which the video was a clear example of.

Oxytocin - the moral molecule

Apparently, Paul Zak ,a neuro-economist who is a professor at Claremont Graduate University of Southern California, has evidence that Oxytocin makes us more trustworthy. Watch his TED talk here.

Civility

Some of us go around bemoaning the loss of civility in society. I found this article in Ethics Newsline entitled "The link between Civility and Ethical Behavior" by Ed Collins interesting, in view of the fact that he suggests ways of doing something about it. We then should all stand up and protest - let our views be know.

So, for the all the bashing in politics - call or write your congressperson. In a public debate, stand up and protest to the Chair. In entertainment - start a boycott (good luck with that one!), and last but not least - educate your kids to be respectful.  I am all for these actions - but hope a critical mass forms soon to have an impact, otherwise, it is a losing battle. On the other hand, look what has happened to acceptance of smoking.... there might be a reversal on the civility front too!