Ethics for the Real World by Howard and Korver – Making Better Personal Ethical Decisions for Work and Life

What does ethics mean to you?  I asked this question to the people around me and the responses commonly point to a state of vagueness, and of confusion.  Some are able to observe ethics when lapses occur.  Most think that there are different types of ethics.  Not many are able to articulate and relate to the benefits of being ethical at the personal level.  Is there such a thing as ethically right or wrong?  Some may ask.

Yet, we face ethical decisions in our day-to-day life, at work and out of work.  Maybe we lie to avoid embarrassment.  Maybe we think that white lies are acceptable, especially if lying will lead to a ‘greater good’.  How about making promises that we can’t keep?  Is it wrong to download or copy intellectual properties?  Shall we work for or invest in organizations whose products harm innocent people?  Note that none of these questions that cover the areas of deception, stealing, and harming has a demarcation between work and life.  It is the same person who makes these decisions based on the same ethical code.

Having taught ethics for decades – both in the academic and profession arenas – the authors Ron Howard and Clint Korver have put together a book that clearly defines what ethics is.  In crisp black and white, the authors leave no room for ambiguity.  And because of their extensive training experience, “Ethics for the Real World” is one of the rare books I read that focuses on imparting knowledge via a simple structure, filled with lively easy to relate real life case studies, thought experiments, real life ethical codes that their students have drafted, and a book summary with key learning points, examples, supplemented with the page numbers as a quick reference guide.

I picked this book because I confess that in my life and in my line of work, at times I do find myself trapped in many so-called gray areas where I am tempted to transgress ethics.  And I did in some situations.  “Ethics for the Real World” opens my eyes to perspectives that I have not previously thought of.  I am not a skeptic but I was initially skeptical when I was asked to draft my own ethics code (one generic code for all types of situations).  How is it even possible when the scope is so huge?  Upon reading some of the examples written by the students, I am convinced that it can be done.  In fact, I may draft one and share with you all here in my website.  After I have finished reading the book, I am also convinced that it is possible when faced with situations – personal and professional – I shall be able to create alternatives and look for a quality solution that may even be transformational.  We may regret decisions made that are unrelated to ethics.  But to transgress ethics leads us to remorse.  In as much as possible, I would like to live a life with no remorse.

Related Website: ethics {for the real world}

Book Summary

Kindly note that this book summary is written for my own future reference.  It may read dry without the case studies and illustrations from within the book.

Ethical refers to behavior considered right or wrong according to our own beliefs no matter the culture or society.  We develop our own code for self-improvement, and not to criticize others.  Having good ethics enable us to lower the barrier between others and to enhance relationships.

Ethics is about actions, not thoughts.  It is important to note that there are three dimensions of action: prudential, legal, and ethical.  Prudential dimension pertains to our self-interest and legal dimension pertains to the law in our social system.  These dimensions overlap with one another.  Rarely we encounter ethical dilemmas.  The key is to clearly define our possible actions and to go through a consistent approach in arriving at a quality decision.

There are negative ethics (things that we shall not do) and there are positive ones (things that we shall do).  Confusing the two often leads to fuzziness when making decisions because positive ethics are like aspirations, they are lacking in bright lines of what we shall not do.  We also need to distinguish between action- and consequence-based ethics.  “Thou shall not kill” is a good example of action-based ethics.  But will we kill if killing is for a ‘greater good’?  Misusing consequence-based ethics may lead us to justify our wrongs.  In fact, rationalization often comes in ethical-sounding clothing.

We form our touchstones by consulting our religious legacy, secular legacy, as well as the codes written by our organization and professional bodies.  With our touchstones, we can draft our own ethical code, test them out, and live by it.

Transgressing ethics in any circumstances often result in a lost of opportunities for our own growth.  More often than not, we can create alternatives.  And some of these alternatives can transform our life and work.  When in doubt, put ourselves in other’s shoes.  Start with the ones we love.

Living by our ethical codes is a skill that we need to turn into a habit, into a way of life.  And we shall continue to expand our ethical space as we grow.