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 are angry that the 10 original Rorschach plates are reproduced online, along with common responses for each. For them, the Wikipedia page is the equivalent of posting an answer sheet to next year’s SAT. They are pitted against the overwhelming majority of Wikipedia’s users, who share the site’s “free culture” ethos, which opposes the suppression of information that it is legal to publish. (Because the Rorschach plates were created nearly 90 years ago, they have lost their copyright protection in the United States.)

I am not sure how to respond to the news item. The availability is nothing new. Back when I gave the Rorschach, I often wondered about the availability in the library of books that contained the Rorschach cards and responses. Sure those were not as easily available and cost money to purchase, but were in most University libraries. So, people having access to images of the cards is not new. If this only occurred with non-copyright protected documents it would be easier to deal with and accept.

So is there a lesson. If there is it is that for those human resource professionals involved in testing, the security of tests will remain a huge problem and will probably become a more significant issue in the future.  

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 Face of the Priesthood.” Fr. Cozzens has a background in counseling, psychology, and pastoral theology. He also has many years of experience with seminarians.

Fr. Cozzens provides an excellent and in-depth look at the challenges faced by the priesthood. This is a deeply personal and psychological reflection. It could also be viewed from the standpoint of how an institution attempts to handle the human resource challenges presented by a major crisis.

If there are any disappointments, it is that Cozzens offers no real solutions and the book is based on dated psychological theories. In addition, there is more attention paid to the failures in the trenches than to the role of leadership. Nevertheless, the book serves as a tremendously insightful look into the question of spiritual and ethical lapses in the priestly profession.

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 reading books on ethics.

In “Doing the Right Thing at Work,” James L. Nolan looks at ethics from a Catholic perspective. The subtitle is “A Catholic’s Guide to Faith, Business and Ethics.” The book is based on the Woodstock Business Conferences and includes case studies from that conference. There is not a lot of ethical guidance in the book. More than providing ethical guidance, the book shows Catholic business people how they can find the right answers on their own through faith and prayer. Depending upon your viewpoint, his approach could be seen as a positive or a negative.

Although the book reads as a series of spiritual exercises, I did find two comments made by Nolan to be intriguing. The first is that the real tough ethical issues involve where there is no good solution, only a series of bad solutions, but one must be chosen. The second is his 5 pillars, or 5 point program, which includes:

1. Self awareness
2. Expanding your horizon
3. Engagement in work and the world
4. Community
5. Prayer

The book makes for a quick read or can be used as the basis of setting up a spiritual program. It does not so much tell you what the right thing is, or even how to identify the right thing, as much as it attempts to provide guideposts for finding the right answer on your own.