I wanted to share my response in a LinkedIn discussion around ethics (I don’t know if that link will work if you’re not a member of the group). It started when someone asked participants to list a few ethics books they’d found helpful. I posted several titles, culled from the archives of my Positive Power [...]
Entries Tagged as 'ethics'
Should Ethics Be Based in Philosophy…Or Practice?
December 6th, 2009 · View Comments · Ethics: General
Tags: books·ethics·philosophy·practical·praxis
Ben Franklin: Genius and Contradictions
November 27th, 2009 · View Comments · Business Ethics, Entrepreneurship, Ethics: General, Publishing, Transparency vs. Secrecy, propaganda
While visiting Minneapolis, I took in the opening day of the new Ben Franklin exhibit at the Minnesota History Center in downtown Saint Paul. I’ve long ben a Franklin fan. To me, his far-reaching curiosity, big-picture viewpoint, multiple interests, creativity, willingness to question authority and even make fun of it, media and persuasion skills, dedication [...]
Tags: abolitionism·Ben Franklin·Benjamin Franklin·contradictions·diplomacy·ethics·invention·morality·science·slavery
Corruption Roundup: Many ‘Stories, One URL
August 14th, 2009 · Comments Off · Business Ethics, Ethics in Government, Ethics-International, Ethics: General
Exactly how did Bernie Madoff steal his billions? Why are Halliburton’s hands so dirty? What happened with corruption cases in the rebuilding of Iraq? Following a link from EthicsWorld’s e-newsletter, I came to a single URL that has multiple stories on corruption: http://www.ethicsworld.org/publicsectorgovernance/corruptioninvestigations.php#sec. This is what we’re up against, those of us who believe in [...]
Is It Right to Force Business Owners to Violate Their Beliefs?
May 8th, 2009 · View Comments · Business Ethics, Ethics in Government, Ethics: General, Marketing Techniques and Philosophies, Shel's Personal Life, Social and Economic Justice
When someone contacts me regarding my copywriting/consulting services, I send back an e-mail response that includes the following:
Please note that I reserve the right to reject a project if I feel I’m not the right person for it. This would include projects that in my opinion promote racism, homophobia, bigotry or violence–or that promote the tobacco, nuclear power, or weapons industries–or if I do not feel the product is of high enough quality that I can get enthusiastic about it.
In other words, I am putting out my values and stating clearly that I will not accept projects in conflict with my values. I have in fact occasionally turned down projects because they were promoting causes I actively disagree with.
Tags: elane photography·ethics·gay weddings·new mexico human rights·right to refuse work·same-sex marriage
Is it Ethical to Pay for Referrals?
March 25th, 2009 · View Comments · Business Ethics
Very interesting discussion at LinkedIn on when it is or isn’t OK to pay referral fees. I don’t believe you have to be a member to see the discussion though you do if you want to make a comment (might have to join the group first, I don’t know). Here’s my take. When colleagues refer [...]
What Is It About Politicians and Corruption?
November 14th, 2008 · View Comments · Ethics in Government, Ethics-International
From liberal Democrat State Senator Dianne Wilkerson of Massachusetts to Chen Shui-bian, the former President of Taiwan, there’s been another spate of politicians caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Some of these people, like Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, have had positions of public trust for decades. Isn’t it time we looked at this [...]
Why I Read People I Disagree With
April 30th, 2010 · View Comments · Diversity, General Commentary, Shel's Personal Life, Web 2.0/Social Media, language
Ryan, while you and I are poles apart politically (I think Obama has sold out to the conservatives), and while I do consider myself a person of faith, I don’t happen to be a Christian, or particularly religious. But for me, those are not reasons to unsub. You always keep a civil tone, and I think core disagreements force me to rethink my positions, justify them to myself, and sometimes find them wanting and shift.
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Tags: civil disagreement·conservative christians·ethics·Ryan Healy