Hubris, Nemesis, and Government Ethics
In the October 28 issue of the New York Review of Books, there is an
essay by the excellent South African novelist J. M.
Book Reviews
Ethics Codes & Reform
October 20, 2010
Ethics Attacks and Ethics Reform
Meredith McGehee wrote
a thought-provoking Campaign Legal Center blog post yesterday about
the upside of election time ethics attacks on opponents.
"Current political thinking generally laments this development, arguing that it cheapens the process and puts all politicians in a bad light." But she sees it as a good development. I don't agree.
Does the Prospect of Attacks Cause Politicians to Better Police Themselves?
"Current political thinking generally laments this development, arguing that it cheapens the process and puts all politicians in a bad light." But she sees it as a good development. I don't agree.
Does the Prospect of Attacks Cause Politicians to Better Police Themselves?
Resources & Learning
September 25, 2010
Lewis Hyde's New Observations on Civic Virtue, Mixing Values, and the Freedom to Listen
Two years ago, I wrote a
blog post about a book by Lewis Hyde entitled The Gift, which had a
lot to say, philosophically, about gift-giving and -receiving, an issue
of relevance to government ethics.
September 6, 2010
The Kingdom of Individuals V: Citizens as Irritants
In order to develop their identities, and cement the loyalties of their members, organizations tend to contrast themselves with other organizations, and with those they deal with, whether they are clients, customers, or citizens. Bailey wrote, “If contact with outsiders is experienced as painful and involves rejection, organizational solidarity is likely to be enhanced." In other words, in the local government context, seeing citizens as irritants creates solidarity.
September 4, 2010
The Kingdom of Individuals IV: Ethics and Power
One of the problems in talking about conflicts of interest is that we
tend to assume that people with conflicts analyze their situations
before acting. We think that, for example, they balance acting in their
personal interest, or in the interest of a family member or business
associate, against the consequences of getting caught. Or we think that
the principal ethical considerations they bring to bear on their
situation arise from their local code of ethics or their spiritual or
philosophical beliefs.
September 3, 2010
The Kingdom of Individuals III: Obligations to the Community and to the Organization
Bailey has a word for putting the organization ahead of the individual: holism (as opposed to individualism). What
complicates this concept in government is that there are two wholes,
the organization itself and the community it works for. One of the
things that most determines a local government's ethical environment is
which of the two wholes an official or employee is most supposed to put
above his or her personal interest.
Resources & Learning
May 9, 2010
An Alternative to Punishment
This is a follow-up to yesterday's blog post on ethics fines. This
week, I've been reading Karen
Pryor's bible on positive training, Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of
Teaching and Training (Bantam, 1999).
I'm reading the book to get ideas for training the puppy I will soon be getting. Positive training is a more humane and, supposedly, more effective approach than traditional obedience training.
I'm reading the book to get ideas for training the puppy I will soon be getting. Positive training is a more humane and, supposedly, more effective approach than traditional obedience training.
Resources & Learning
April 16, 2010
Moral Clarity VIII - Transcending Our Limitations Through Ethics
This is the eighth and last in a series of blog posts inspired by reading Susan Neiman’s book Moral
Clarity:
A
Guide for Grown-Up Idealists (Princeton, 2008), which is itself inspired by the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant. What’s wonderful about Kant’s approach to ethics is that it not only
focuses on the role of reason. It also shows how ethics allows us to
transcend our ordinary limitations.
Resources & Learning
April 15, 2010
Moral Clarity VII - Confidential Information
This is the seventh in a series of blog posts inspired by reading Susan Neiman’s book Moral
Clarity:
A
Guide for Grown-Up Idealists (Princeton, 2008). Neiman’s discussion of Daniel Ellsberg, the government official who let us know
about the Pentagon Papers, shows the effect that access to confidential
information has on government officials. It’s very similar to the
effect of power.
Resources & Learning
April 12, 2010
Moral Clarity V - The Categorical Imperative and Exceptionalism
In my first blog post relating to Susan Neiman’s book Moral
Clarity:
A
Guide for Grown-Up Idealists (Princeton, 2008), I
referred to Immanuel Kant’s “categorical imperative.” It’s time to say
a little more about it.