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From the category archives:

Ethics

Determinism in the Workplace IV: Why Behavior?

August 22, 2009

Before going much further in this discussion, I need to explain my emphasis on “behavior.” OK Tim, you say, “what about attitude?” Frankly, as a manager in the workplace, I didn’t give a tinker’s damn about attitude (except possibly as it might be expressed in behavior). I can’t see it, I can’t measure it, and [...]

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Health Care: Is US Congress High on Cocaine?

August 17, 2009

Health Care: Is US Congress High on Cocaine? …the greatest concentration (95%) of cocaine-laden money is to be found in our national capitol… As to…Congress, I can only hope that they are addicted to cocaine rather than holding worldviews of Social Darwinism. I would have much more respect for them.

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Determinism in the Workplace III: Rewards.

August 1, 2009

Imagine the following workplace scenarios:
1) In a manufacturing assembly line productivity (number of parts assembled per worker) seems to have suffered a serious decline.
Analysis: Bonuses were previously based on individual worker piecework (measured daily) and were changed to reflect total line output along with other company objectives that workers feel are in the hands of [...]

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Steal (or Copy) this Blog – Please

July 29, 2009

The Rorschach has been leaked by Wikipedia.
I debated posting this news item, because it adds to the publicity for what would appear to be at least a borderline ethical act. However, as reported by the New York Times and other media outlets, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia has been engulfed in a furious debate involving psychologists who [...]

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Health Care Debate

July 29, 2009

Our history is replete with repeated examples of unbridled capitalism failing our societies when human avarice trumps moral/ethical concerns for the well being of the majority of our fellow humans.

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Determinism in the Workplace II: Punishment.

July 28, 2009

Determinism and the moral imperative to help our fellow humans (not to mention fulfilling a commitment to the success of an organization we are part of) suggests that, when possible or evident, we use our influence to “engineer” circumstances such that we contribute to the success of people within that organization. Now, we can’t change [...]

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Determinism in the Workplace Part I: Determinism or Free Will. You Can’t Have It Both Ways or Can You?

July 20, 2009

Determinism states that we live in a world governed by natural laws. No need for blame, punishment, or vengeance. Determinism can be a far more humane belief system than those embracing free will.

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Morscruethal Behaviors or Just Lip Service?

July 4, 2009

I have long thought about moral, scrupulous, and ethical behavior as it relates to the human animal. I claim no profound thoughts or high-ground in this matter. Yet in the stream of human shared consciousness I witness I am often troubled by what we say as opposed to what we do. I think of the [...]

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Book Review on Ethical Dilemmas: The Priesthood Crisis in the Catholic Church

March 17, 2009

Recently, I received a notice that the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus had declared bankruptcy. As someone who attended Jesuit schools for 8 years, this news saddened me, especially when combined with the parish closings in Northeast Ohio.
In that context, I would recommend a 2000 book by Donald B. Cozzens entitled “The Changing [...]

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Ethics and Spiritual Exercises – Book Review

February 18, 2009

This is certainly a time when ethics occupy significant space on the front pages of the business sections. As I have previously comments, it is surprising to me, although not to others, that despite trying to put a major emphasis on ethics over the last 10 years, so little has been accomplished. So I started [...]

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