Book Review
A beautifully written book that highlights the tricky choice of choosing between right vs. right. Kidder offers practical tools for dealing with difficult moral dilemmas from our personal lives to human existence. He makes an abstract subject easy to understand and cites extensive scientific research to support his thesis. The book dealing with the subject of ethics is a must-read for leaders because their decisions affect so many people. In my opinion, the book should be a mandatory read at policy-making levels across the world so the world lacking ethics might benefit from its valuable findings.
Key Takeaways:
- Ethical decision-making requires understanding and analyzing the ethical dimensions of a situation.
- People face ethical dilemmas when they have to choose between two or more competing values or principles.
- There are six stages of moral development, and individuals can progress through these stages as they develop their ethical decision-making abilities.
- Using ethical frameworks such as consequentialism, deontology, or virtue ethics can help individuals make more informed ethical decisions.
- Ethical decision-making involves considering the consequences of various options and selecting the option that has the most positive consequences.
- The ability to make ethical decisions can be influenced by a variety of factors, including one’s personality, upbringing, and the cultural and social context in which one operates.
- Making ethical decisions is not just an individual responsibility, but also a social responsibility. Organizations and communities can play a role in promoting ethical behavior and creating a culture of integrity.
How Good People Make Tough Choices Summary
The book provides practical tools and detailed guidelines for identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas in our everyday lives through enlightened and progressive personal behaviour. Kidder builds his case with extensive scientific research. He makes an abstract topic of ethical theories and moral issues confronting us in the age of technology easy to understand. The book aims at reconciling our individual lives and our existence as humanity to the ideals of morality and ethics.
Favorite Quote From Author
“The world, of course, hardly ever presents a truly level playing field. All things are rarely equal. An action that is right in the abstract may, in the push and pull of human interchange, be less right than some other. That’s where the tough choices arise.”
Books like How Good People Make Tough Choices
- You’re About to Make a Terrible Mistake
- Giving Voice to Values
- The Long Game
- Words that Hurt
