Ethics Books

It's remarkable how this centuries old treatise on politics remains as timely and insightful.

If you substitute the words "the government" whenever Machiavelli refers to "the prince," you may find yourself agreeing that his suggestions are reasonable when it comes to preserving order. Somewhat shocking...

"The Prince" by Machiavelli is one of the greatest classics of political science. Unfortunately, Machiavelli has developed a reputation for encouraging leaders to stop at nothing in order to get power. While it is true that Machiavelli advocates that leaders must sometimes do wrong in order to maintain power, he doesn't advocate doing wrong only to hold power. In Machiavelli's world view, the stability of a leader's power is actually a greater good for a society. It must be remembered that the world in which Machiavelli was writing in was a war-torn 16th century Italy. In this world, leaders would often change and this would lead to economic instability and violence. A strong leader would reduce this instability and bring prosperity to the citizens of his country.

Another thing that might surprise readers is that Machiavelli is a believer in the power of the people. As a staunch republican, he believed that the strongest base of power for a leader is the people that he leads. As you read through this book, you'll notice an interesting split between Machiavelli's opinion of individuals and of the people. Machiavelli is very critical of individuals--setting them up as people who can't be trusted and which must be held at arms-length. However, when talking of the people, he claims that a ruler cannot rule for long without the support of the people. In fact, he goes so far as to say that the support of the people is stronger than any fortress. The citizens of a state are it's strongest fortress.

There are many intriguing ideas presented in "The Prince". No doubt you'll be able to find something that applies to your situation. I highly recommend this especially to anyone involved with people management whether in business or in school.

This book was written by the famous Italian statesman Niccolo Machiavelli in 1531. This book is a classic and I was pleasantly surprised that the content was not dated and the principles translate easily into the modern worlds of business and politics.
The author wrote this book as an instruction guide for governing princes in the 1500's when Italy was divided into city states and were being defeated by many foreign powers. I belive that the work is directed to Lorenzo de Medici by a letter included in the work and because at the end of the writing Machiavelli calls for a prince to unite and lead Italy against its oppressors.
The book is not unethical as I had imagined from my understanding of the ruthlessness of Machiavellian ethics. The author is only explaining tactics to use to maintain power in a kingdom or city state that are pragmatic for his time period.
Here are some examples from the book:
1. When conquering a territory keep the current laws and institutions in place, but eliminate all the family of the defeated prince.
2. When trouble is sensed ahead of time it can be easily remedied, if you wait for it to show itself, it is to late.
3. Whoever is responsible for another becoming powerful, ruins himself.
4. There is no surer way of keeping possesion than by devastation.
5. Men do you are harm either because they hate you or they fear you.
6. Violence must be inflicted once and for all, it must be over quickly.
7. Build your power through the people.
8. Power is maintained through religious institutions.
9. Neglect the art of war and you lose your state.
10. If you act virtuously, you will be undone by those who are not, make use of this or not according to need.
The above is just a small sampling of the lessons in this book. My review can not do this book justice, it is full of wisdom and life lessons. It is a guide book for business leaders and politicians. I strongly suggest adding this book to your home library and referring to it often.

Part One is called The Princes Are In Peril; here the author examines the spiritual crisis in the West. People live longer, healthier lives and enjoy greater material wealth than ever before. Obviously prosperity is not enough since negatives like stress disorders and divorce are widespread. Many people are perpetually medicated. The missing element is purpose/meaning; people try to obtain it through financial prosperity or other external means of recognition. It is also expressed vicariously through imagined heroes like celebrities in sport, music and film. The author claims that human beings have an inherent desire to be heroic. This book is about true heroism; what it is and how to pursue it. Genuine heroism is within reach of all and its attributes include doing what is good, living with dignity, helping others, controlling our passions and choosing to do the right rather than the popular thing.

The Good Book provides a model for two kinds of hero: Adam as public hero who is to dominate the earth and Adam as private hero who is commanded to nurture it. The Bible offers us the alternative to Homer's classical superhero in works like the Iliad and Odyssey. The biblical hero seeks righteousness rather than recognition, virtue instead of victory, and moral courage over mortal conquest. The classical hero uses force, subdues others, and seeks the adulation of the masses plus material rewards as well as glory and fame. These desires are all born of insecurity; it's a game of win and lose. The needs of the classical hero that permeate today's celebrity culture erode self-esteem. In contrast, the biblical hero does not seek personal glory and performs unsung acts of heroism. Examples are Moses and the firefighters of 9/11. This hero has a strong consciousness of the Godly nature. S/he knows that people are inherently valuable and worthy of love simply because we are made in the image of God.

Excellent insights emerge from the chapter on the Machiavellian view. Be very wary of the false perception that "nice guys finish last." Sometimes it may appear to be true, as also reflected in the saying "no good deed goes unpunished." Choosing right action does seem to harm us in some cases by creating circumstances in which people take advantage of us. But the author shows how Machiavelli missed the point. The most important things will always be God, family and friends. One's aim ought to be a struggle for goodness, not material success. Goodness is definitely not the opposite of material success anyway but a psychological necessity, not easy to achieve and demanding constant effort. It is a process of unceasing inspiration rather than a goal to be reached. A further point of vital importance is that personal imperfection is no impediment to making this choice! If one has a weakness, that is no excuse for an "anything goes" attitude; hypocrisy remains the tribute that vice pays to virtue. Fallibility makes our determination more inspiring; it is through the unending struggle to choose the good that heroism emerges. The fact that this kind of person, the biblical hero, often appears serene is because s/he has accepted this struggle as part of life.

But often it is hard to know what the right choice is in a given situation. In this regard, the author surveys various systems designed to show the way, including the promise of reward in an afterlife, the Ten Commandments, utilitarianism, natural selection, secular humanism and personal morality. Observing that religion itself is no guarantee against evil and sometimes even the carrier, he concludes that the blueprint for goodness is available in the Bible, in the example of Biblical heroes. Briefly defined, goodness is the act of conferring dignity upon others.

Part Two is titled The Path to Biblical Heroism. The dictionary definition of hero is "a god, warrior or idol." Clearly this refers to the classical hero or celebrity. The biblical hero is quite different; s/he aims to preserve and enhance life and give it to others by granting them dignity, and is constantly monitoring his/her own behavior. The most important things are honoring one's parents, forgiving freely, serving a higher purpose, casting off egotism through self-restraint and fighting evil.

Boteach points out that pacifism permits evil to flourish. Those who refuse to oppose monsters like Hitler, Stalin, Milosevic, Saddam, Arafat, Bin Laden, Nasrallah and Ahmadinejad are not good people. In some cases it may simply be ignorance, but pacifism is neither pious nor holy as it denies the concept of justice and even demonstrates contempt for it. Indifference in the presence of evil is wicked. We must rally our forces and do everything we can to combat it. This truth is of particular significance today as we witness the resurgence of antisemitism and a Zeitgeist turning ever more nihilistic. How many times must history repeat itself before people realize that they have a responsibility to oppose such evil, since neither they nor their children are immune to its destructive effects? As the old song goes: "What comes to one must come to us all."

The author has a talent for dressing common sense in refreshing new gear as he deals with the importance of relationships, gratitude, trust, telling the truth, and of choosing love over justice. Behaviors with lasting positive results include assisting others, mentoring someone, finding joy in the everyday, getting rid of the lust for glory and being a hero to your children rather than to the world. Ultimately biblical heroism gives us all the freedom we need, as well as the peace that comes with it. I was reading The Thirteen Petalled Rose by Adin Steinsaltz - a profoundly esoteric work - at the same time, and the synchronicities were truly remarkable. Steinsaltz writes on mysticism, a subject for which human language is notoriously inadequate, but time after time Boteach came to the rescue with his clear and commonsensical analyses of issues that encompass psychology, morals, ethics, relationships and spirituality. If I had a minister with the insight and communication skills of Rabbi Boteach I would certainly attend church regularly instead of just practicing my religion in private.

In part one: The Princes Are In Peril, the author discusses the spiritual crisis in the West. We live longer, healthier lives and enjoy greater prosperity than ever before. Obviously material abundance is not enough since negatives like stress disorders and divorce are widespread. Many people are perpetually medicated. The missing element is purpose/meaning; people try to attain it by financial prosperity or other external means of recognition. It is also expressed vicariously through imagined heroes like celebrities in sport, music and film. The author claims that human beings have an inherent desire to be heroic. This book is about true heroism; what it is and how to pursue it. Genuine heroism is within reach of all and its attributes include doing what is good, living with dignity, helping others, controlling our passions and choosing to do the right rather than the popular thing.

The Good Book provides a model for two kinds of hero: Adam as public hero who is to dominate the earth and Adam as private hero who is commanded to nurture it. The Bible offers us the alternative to Homer's classical superhero in works like the Iliad and Odyssey. The biblical hero seeks righteousness rather than recognition, virtue instead of victory, and moral courage over mortal conquest. The classical hero uses force, subdues others, and seeks the adulation of the masses plus material rewards as well as glory and fame. These desires are all born of insecurity. It's a game of win and lose. The needs of the classical hero, unfortunately permeating today's celebrity culture, erode self-esteem. In contrast, the biblical hero does not seek personal glory and performs unsung acts of heroism. Examples are Moses and the firefighters of 9/11. This hero has a strong consciousness of the Godly nature. S/he knows that people are inherently valuable and worthy of love simply because we are made in the image of God.

Excellent insights emerge from the chapter on the Machiavellian view. Be very wary of the false perception that "nice guys finish last." At times it may appear to be thus, as also reflected in the saying "no good deed goes unpunished." Choosing right action does seem to harm us in some cases by creating circumstances in which people take advantage of us. But the author shows how Machiavelli missed the point. The most important things will always be God, family and friends. One's aim ought to be a struggle for goodness, not material success. Goodness is definitely not the opposite of material success anyway but a psychological necessity, not easy to achieve and demanding constant effort. It is a process of unceasing inspiration rather than a goal to be reached. A further point of vital importance is that personal imperfection is no impediment to making this choice! If one has a weakness, that is no excuse for an "anything goes" attitude; hypocrisy remains the tribute that vice pays to virtue. Fallibility makes our determination more inspiring; it is through the unending struggle to choose the good that heroism emerges. The fact that this kind of person, the biblical hero, often appears serene is because s/he has recognized and accepted this struggle as part of life.

But often it is hard to know what the right choice is in a given situation. In this regard, the author surveys various systems designed to show the way, including the promise of reward in an afterlife, the Ten Commandments, utilitarianism, natural selection, secular humanism and personal morality. Observing that religion itself is no guarantee against evil and sometimes even the carrier, he concludes that the blueprint for goodness is available in the Bible, in the example of Biblical heroes. Briefly defined, goodness is the act of conferring dignity upon others.

The second part is titled The Path to Biblical Heroism. The dictionary definition of hero is "a god, warrior or idol." Clearly this refers to the classical hero or celebrity. The biblical hero is quite different; s/he aims to preserve and enhance life and give it to others by granting them dignity, and is constantly monitoring his/her own behavior. The most important things are honoring one's parents, forgiving freely, serving a higher purpose, casting off egotism through self-restraint, and fighting evil.

Boteach points out that pacifism permits evil to flourish. Those who refuse to oppose monsters like Hitler, Stalin, Milosevic, Saddam, Arafat, Bin Laden, Nasrallah and Ahmadinejad are not good people. In some cases it may simply be ignorance, but pacifism is neither pious nor holy as it denies the concept of justice and even demonstrates contempt for it. Indifference in the presence of evil is wicked. We must rally our forces and do everything we can to combat it. This truth is of particular significance today as we witness the resurgence of antisemitism and a Zeitgeist turning ever more nihilistic. How many times must history repeat itself before people realize that they have a responsibility to oppose such evil, since neither they nor their children are immune to its destructive effects? As the old song goes: "What comes to one must come to us all."

The author has a talent for dressing common sense in refreshing new gear as he deals with the importance of relationships, gratitude, trust, telling the truth, and of choosing love over justice. Behaviors with lasting positive results include assisting others, mentoring someone, finding joy in the everyday, getting rid of the lust for glory and being a hero to your children rather than to the world. Ultimately biblical heroism gives us all the freedom we need, as well as the peace that comes with it. I was reading The Thirteen Petalled Rose by Adin Steinsaltz - a profoundly esoteric work - at the same time, and the synchronicities were truly remarkable. Steinsaltz writes on mysticism, a subject for which human language is notoriously inadequate, but time after time Boteach came to the rescue with his clear and commonsensical analyses of issues that encompass psychology, morals, ethics, relationships and spirituality. If I had a minister with the insight and communication skills of Rabbi Boteach I would certainly attend church regularly instead of just practicing my religion in private.

This book is a life changing book. After reading this book, you will want to read ALL of Boteach's books. His writing style is contemporary and easy to digest. Read this book to find out the true meaning of being a superhero.

As Dean of the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University in California, Ira really does get what it takes to survive in today's business climate.

Finally, one place to turn to for a scholarly yet inspiring look at the social responsibility movement. Jane Nelson and Ira Jackson have pulled together the fractionated resources, rationales and best practices into a cohesive guide. It's the big shoulders on which the next iteration of capitalism can build. A valuable resource for the practitioner, and inspiration for the 'global citizen' in all of us. Elsie Maio

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)-how well businesses behave in the marketplace as citizens and what they contribute, beyond how they actually run their businesses-has been on the corporate agenda for several decades, and served as a proactive way for corporations to demonstrate core `values' beyond the profit incentive. Some companies, such banking institutions, came to table reluctantly, and only after being coerced by the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act, which mandated that banks increase lending broadly in inner-city (and often impoverished) communities where they did business. Other international companies, such as Anita Ruddick's worldwide chain, The Body Shop, took it upon themselves to aggressively do business in a principled, values-defined way.

Not all corporations were so inspired, of course, to do good; and most businesses viewed CSR as being limited to charitable donations and philanthropy, not to a systemic and strategic choice for embracing social values to create core value for stakeholders. In the late 1990s, when American saw their financial wealth increase by $3 trillion a year for the years 1998-2000, at a time when the Dow had rocketed to the11,000 level, stakeholders were less concerned with how well the corporation was doing for society.

But those days are over, at least for the foreseeable future, and businesses now must react to public demands for better governance, transparency, and accountability. They have to do this on their own, building trust from stakeholders, enlarging their reach to fuel economic growth, tapping their `distinctive competencies' to harness innovation for public good, and do so while adding real value (in the form of profits) while they create values, grow stock price, improve employee satisfaction, and enhance their global brands as a fundamental part of doing business.

A new approach for helping corporations to achieve that ambitious task is Profits With Principles: Seven Strategies for Delivering Value With Values, by Ira A. Jackson and Jane Nelson, both fellows at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, a book that uses case studies of companies that have created incremental value for their firms while bringing values into the way they do business.

They also suggest that companies have to react to a crisis in confidence facing business, that while "two-thirds of Americans think that corporations make good products and compete well in the global economy . . . only one-third feel large corporations have ethical business practices." Those attitudes inevitably affect share price and sustainable competitive advantage, issues that reflect directly on company worth, shareholder return, and brand equity. In fact, Jackson and Nelson suggest that intangible assets-the very kind CSR activities help create-contribute significantly to corporate value, with some 50 to 90 percent of value being based on those assets, depending on industries. "They are often spoken about in terms of different types of capital," they say of these intangible assets, "intellectual capital or human capital; social capital or relationship capital; and environmental capital."

To leverage these assets, businesses have to start thinking in a new way about creating long-term profitability and sustained competitive advantage. In fact, corporations have to begin thinking more like entrepreneurs, who exploit opportunities to create a new way of doing business, and who use what is termed "incongruous situations" to drive growth strategies in innovative, revolutionary ways. For businesses, this will mean fostering an intrapreneurial effort from within the organization, using the techniques and vision of entrepreneurs and driving change from inside existing corporate models.
One important prescription being suggested is external innovations corporations can use to create value while effecting positive social change and benefits. Jackson and Nelson's suggestion, for instance, to "spread economic opportunity," shows how companies can have a profound and direct effect on economic and social systems, not only in the immediate communities in which they do business, but also beyond with a national and global reach.

A salient example the authors provide is the case study of how BankBoston achieved a startling resurgence in profitability and influence "consistent with values and a concern for purpose beyond profits." The case study describes how the Bank established a new paradigm by beginning to address serious societal concerns, among them the difficulty experienced by inner-city minority residents of obtaining credit and mortgages. BankBoston proactively answered that need by setting up First Community Bank, a bank-within-a-bank designed to address the specific needs of the once-marginalized, largely-minority population of urban Boston.

What has now become Fleet Community Bank since the 1999 merger of Fleet and BankBoston, Jackson and Nelson note, "has grown to 157 inner-city branches, with 1,500 employees in five states. It has $5 billion in deposits, a $14.6 billion commitment to mortgage and small business lending-one of the largest by any bank-and an innovative inner-city investment bank." And the value created for shareholders by embracing values? BankBoston's share price, which in the early 1990s had been as low as three dollars a share, by the late 1990s climbed to $118 a share and saw a market capitalization exceeding $15 billion.

Another innovative principle, "engage in new alliances," calls for shifts in thinking about social responsibility and the way businesses impact on the communities where they operate. Here the authors suggest a change in the way corporations make philanthropic contributions, so that instead of the "stand-alone, one-way transactions" common to traditional corporate giving, `strategic partnerships' are established between the business and the recipient. These relationships are much more dynamic, sustainable, and beneficial-both for the recipient nonprofits and for the businesses who become their sponsors.

The core belief here is that companies concerned with both profit making and providing social benefits-creating value and values-outperform businesses that focus exclusively on financial gains. That view is supported by other studies which looked at the relationship between the financial and social performance of ninety-five companies. Reviewing the findings of that research, Lynne Sharp Payne, a professor at Harvard Business School, wrote "that only 4 of the 95 studies found a negative relationship between social and financial performance. Fifty-five studies found a positive correlation between better financial performance and better social performance."

No one suggests that transforming corporations into socially-responsible entities is an easy task. But each time a Ken Lay walks into a Federal courthouse to answer for grave corporate misconduct, it is yet another compelling argument why companies that do not embrace a strategy for delivering value with values do so at the risk of losing competitive advantage, brand equity, and a leadership role in the global marketplace.

I met Jenny, the author, at a 2006 summertime Dylan show, spontaneously bought her book outside the venue, and immediately read it cover to cover with tremendous joy. Her insights are incisive and succinct, and while her conclusions are not phenomenologically scientific in the Aristotelean sense, they are perfectly true hermeneutically in addressing the enigmas and parables embedded within the textuality of Dylan's verse. Plus, she is absolutely dreamy and delicious, as are all holy beings! I recommend this meditation to any person interested in peace through art and song in these modern times, and who cares to expand the limits of his or her perspective and the diminishing horizon of contemporary creativity.

this excellent book will interest dylan fans especially. heart-warming, sincere and inspired analysis of dylans mystical nature.
thank you jenny!!!!

I enjoyed reading this book. It really does great justice to Dylan and Dante. This book is a wonderfull read. It is really interesting and insightfull. I happen to know Jenny Ledeen and she is a true Dylan expert. I will be happy to get you a copy of her book, signed and everything. I will also talk with Jenny soon and get her to write a review for you. If you want this book email me I will send you a copy.

A perfect read for anyone interested in exploring more deeply the connection between being Christian and being a citizen. Especially important for students of religion as it spans thousands of years of theological thought and brings together the inspiring stories of the saints and martyrs who made the ultimate political witness. Seriously good stuff.

Finally, a book that understands both the public and political nature of Christian witness and practices without buying into the false dichotomy presented by both the left and the right. York offers a text that presents not just another alternative to our understanding of politics, a but a genuine politic rooted in the lives and deaths of those that the church has called 'martyrs.' An important and timely read that offers the potential for a philosophy that, to quote Peter Maurin, is so 'old, it looks new.' This contains a strong biography on Oscar Romero as well.

By far, one of the more comprehensive and interesting accounts of martyrdom in contemporary culture. York's account of the martyrs' politics calls into question all current forms of what we consider to be politics and demands that Christians, who so love their martyrs, take more seriously the subversive and nonconformist practices of Christianity greatest practitioners. This is a book that will be both widely read and heavily debated.

Incredible variety of authors! This is a great collection of new and very, very old authors. Anyone who has ever had a philisophical thought is represented in this book. This book gives you a ton of ammunition for future dinner parties. Sit back and enjoy.

I am so impressed with Quote Junkie; I have purchased two books of different editions for class and enjoyed them so much I decided to get another. These quotes are out of the box in there thinking but validated by the world's most respected philosophers. Get it, get it, get it!

I am amazed by the number of different quotes, different topics, and different people that are in this book! Before reading this book, the only philosophers I knew of were Aristotle and Socrates. This book is very impressive. This is one you should put in your personal library.

I agree with the reviewer who said this book should never have been allowed to go out of print. It speaks to an issue - what we mean when we say "God" or address "God" - that has been too long ignored by the progressive side of Protestant Christianity, a mistake that as made progressive Christianity less and less persuasive to the sons and daughters of progressive Christians.

I am also glad to see it back in print, but I have a caveat. Until recently, this book has been available free of charge to online readers at religion-online, a university-supported website with a wealth of materials reflecting the best of mid 20th century progressive theology. I had been using it in class and discovered only very recently that it has been "pulled" from availability online - coincidentally, at a time when it is finally being re-released in print. This seems odd for a book last copyrighted - according to the copyright announcement in the new edition - in 1960!! Unless large media companies have staged yet another retroactive-copyright coup in the last year, this book should have become public domain in 1988, absent any copyright renewal.

For me, this is a minor inconvenience. Although I will not have a hard copy in hand in time for my class on Thursday, having been previously content with the online book, I will purchase a copy. Before I decide whether to purchase that copy new or used, however, I'd like to know more about the relationship betwen the new print edition and the withdrawal of the online edition.

I would also like to point out that the re-enclosure of this now quite old text by copyright (or perhaps some other legal ploy) will considerably reduce the number of readers who will be exposed to it, which is a pity. Relatively few young internet-junkies probably read the whole thing online, but more of them would have read enough of it to become interested in Niebuhr online than will read it in print.

This is a wonderful book and resource for any theological library. H. Richard Niebuhr is a great theologian and helps to clarify certain points of theological doctrines.

This book should never have been allowed to go out of print; I am glad to see it available. The author was one of the great Christian ethicists in American history. His book, a collection of essays with overlapping themes, is still valuable. You will think about God and all the little gods we worship differently as a result of reading and thinking about this book. Also, Niebuhr has a unique, very fine writing style.

This is undoubtedly one of the funniest books I have ever read!

I read this book back in 1974 and I think about it often. The book taught me a whole new way to look at sexuality and the Puritan ethic. I think I will buy another copy and read it again.

This is my favorite book of all time. It is informative, witty, funny, sad, poignant. An essential item for your bookshelf. A reference book on the human condition. Worth any price just for the chapter on "six seconds of obscenity".

Henry Veatch's RATIONAL MAN is both an introduction to ethics and an introduction to Aristotelian ethics. Although published in 1962, the book remains one of the best introductions to ethics. It's written in non-technical language and contains plenty of examples from literature and life.

Following Aristotle, Veatch develops a theory of ethics broadly within the natural law tradition. Contrary to the skeptical or relativistic approach, man can have ethical knowledge. Ethics is based on human nature and the goal ("end") of man's life determines what is right. For man, that end is "intelligent living" or the "examined life." Veatch disagrees with Aristotle, however, in arguing that a life of contemplation is not ethically superior to intelligence applied to the problems of everyday life.

Along the way, Veatch discusses a number of questions and counterarguments, such as the "is/ought" problem, utilitarianism, whether a belief in moral absolutes leads to intolerance, and the possibility of ethics without God. In a few places I thought Veatch skimmed over objections too lightly (for example, the obvious counterargument that crooks like Goebbels and Stalin were intelligent in their own way), but this is a minor complaint.

The Liberty Fund edition contains a useful introduction by Douglas Rasmussen. Veatch (1911-1999) was an important voice in the twentieth century Aristotelian renaissance and those who know him only through this book will be impressed with his list of publications in most areas of philosophy

Probably the finest tribute to this book comes from Mortimer J.Adler, who, in the addendum to "The Time of Our Lives", and repeated in "Desires, Right and Wrong", gives Mr Veatch credit for writing the only common sense interpretation of Aristotle's Nichomean Ethics in modern times. In easy to read, entertaining fashion, Veatch makes Aristotle, as it applies to today's world, as clear and simple to follow as though you had Adler [or Veatch] at your side to coach you. He presents Aristotle's guideline to finding the way to a good life well lived that is easy to grasp, and easy to adopt. How to make a genuinely good life for one's self was never more appealingly examined.

The ancient Greek aphorism, "The unexamined life is not worth living" is attributed to Socrates, but Aristotle worked out its meaning in his book "Nicomachean Ethics." More than 2,300 years later, American philosopher Henry Veatch revives Aristotle's ethics of rational man to show that we can lead moral and intellectually virtuous lives.

Veatch argues that a virtuous life is possible because self-reflective individuals can use reason to inform the conduct of their lives. Reason is more than the sum of practical or professional knowledge. Reason is that self-aware, critical gaze that moves us to make the proper choices in our conduct. In any situation, if our choices are wise and intelligent, then we will have acted virtuously, which is the natural end or purpose of our development.

Veatch centers his ethics in the person, with an eye toward crowning reason as the key to an examined, and thus happy life. He asserts that values and facts are not separated in human nature. Our lives are infused with values, and reason turns values into virtues. When applied correctly, rational thinking can lead to the perfection of human nature. When applied to the wrong ends, such as wealth or power, rational thinking can lead to unhealthy or shriveled selves.

The moral virtues--courage, temperance, honesty and self-respect--are real values that are present in human nature and are needed for the good life. Yet, there are no fast and firm rules on how and when to act virtuously. Virtues are the ends to which we should direct our thinking, but the specific situation and issue will determine what the virtuous response should be.

The relationship between moral virtue and intellectual virtue is paradoxical. Our purpose, or aim, is to live virtuously, yet we do not know prima facie what the virtuous course is. Instead, virtue is a potential in all of us that can be realized if we think intelligently on how to conduct our actions.

Veatch argues that other schools of ethics--relativism, utilitarianism, existentialism, and fatalism--miss the mark in describing the relationship between values and fact in human experience. These schools place the source of ethics in various passions or irrational facets of human nature. Relativists come in for an especially withering critique. Veatch points out that Relativism has produced a wide variety of incompatible ethical prescriptions--tolerance, might makes right, conformity, and libertinism. This diversity of prescriptions exists because the relativist school lacks a strong central core.

In some ways, Veatch's critique of other schools of ethics is his most valuable contribution. His goal of reconstituting rational man for the modern (or post-modern) world comes up short. At the end, one is left to wonder if Veatch's sunny views of human nature and rationalism are more of an ideal than a reality. He rebukes the nihilism that underlies existentialism, but does not the cruelty of war, famine, and death mitigate against perfection? In the end, we are all dead, and perfection remains far away. All we are left with is our hopes for things to get better.

Veatch admits that human beings can form notions of "absolute and infinite good." Yet, even with a superbly examined life, illuminated by reason, human beings remain empty at the core, stuck in the interminable fight between what we are versus what we are not. Nevertheless, the school of "practical wisdom" elucidated by Veatch stands out for its optimism and common-sense appeal.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to excel in a corporate job. While I am sure this book would help create a successful relationship between mentors and protégés, my review is written from the perspective of an employee navigating a career. The author, an executive at IBM, imparts wisdom from two decades of her own experience and the best advice received from numerous highly successful mentors. These bits of wisdom are easy to remember, and the stories and examples bring them to life.

I have been fortunate to have learned much of the author's advice through years of strong mentors, but this book would have been valuable when I started my career. Despite that, even I took some notes from this book; it also reinforced some lessons I learned the hard way. The author addresses topics including: taking the right job too early, using language so others view you as a leader, various methods for building & maintaining networks, and steps employees should take to maximize the probability of delivering a successful project. In addition, the author has a section of "Q&A" garnered from her experience pioneering a mentoring program at IBM, which is particularly helpful for people who are relatively new in their career.

This book would be beneficial to people working in a variety of careers. The appendix has great examples of emails (and what NOT to do), business commitments (and results), and a career development plan, and none of these examples are specific to a certain field or industry. I think this book is especially useful for employees in large corporations, but much of the information is applicable even for people in small companies.

This is a quick read, chock-full of wisdom that can be both remembered and referred back to in the future. I will be buying this book for anyone I know as they graduate from college or graduate school, and I will recommend it to people I know who are not as successful in their careers as they had hoped.

Sure, I grabbed this book of the shelf because of the smart professional look to the cover; then I read the list of chapters. WOW. I skipped ahead a few to chapter 5 "Real Mentors tell you "The Verbs the Thing" This one chapter beat all my management courses to date. So I went back tot he beginning and devoured all the morsels this IBM Protoge has been willing to share. When is the sequel ????
It's a steal of a book here, there are great jewels, wish I could hear more. Very applicable.
Thank you !

I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to excel in a corporate job. While I am sure this book would help create a successful relationship between mentors and protégés, my review is written from the perspective of an employee navigating a career. The author, an executive at IBM, imparts wisdom from two decades of her own experience and the best advice received from numerous highly successful mentors. These bits of wisdom are easy to remember, and the stories and examples bring them to life.

I have been fortunate to have learned much of the author's advice through years of strong mentors, but this book would have been valuable when I started my career. Despite that, even I took some notes from this book; it also reinforced some lessons I learned the hard way. The author addresses topics including: taking the right job too early, using language so others view you as a leader, various methods for building & maintaining networks, and steps employees should take to maximize the probability of delivering a successful project. In addition, the author has a section of "Q&A" garnered from her experience pioneering a mentoring program at IBM, which is particularly helpful for people who are relatively new in their career.

This book would be beneficial to people working in a variety of careers. The appendix has great examples of emails (and what NOT to do), business commitments (and results), and a career development plan, and none of these examples are specific to a certain field or industry. I think this book is especially useful for employees in large corporations, but much of the information is applicable even for people in small companies.

This is a quick read, chock-full of wisdom that can be both remembered and referred back to in the future. I will be buying this book for anyone I know as they graduate from college or graduate school, and I will recommend it to people I know who are not as successful in their careers as they had hoped.