If you’d like to continue your study of ethics and ethical intelligence, here are some books you may find useful. It’s a highly idiosyncratic list and hardly an exhaustive survey; but all of the works are informative, and some are even entertaining.
Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Translated by Martin Ostwald. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1962.
There are two platforms upon which ethics, and thus ethical intelligence, rests: conduct and character. That is, we can talk about what we ought to do, or we can talk about who we ought to be. The framework for the first is made up of principles; for the second, it is virtues. Following the Beauchamp-Childress model (see p. 194), I have used a principle-based approach in shaping the discussion and have not mentioned virtues at all. Yet a full appreciation of the ethically intelligent life must take virtues into account, and it is to Aristotle we must turn to do so.
Ethical virtue speaks to excellence of character. For example, it’s one thing to say, “You ought to do something rather than nothing if your boss has a drinking problem,” but quite another to be able to take action. The same is true for the CEO who becomes ill and has to take a leave of absence. It’s not easy to accept the fact that no one will live forever, but it must be done anyway. In both situations, the virtue of courage is needed, and Aristotle devotes considerable attention to explaining what it is and how to develop it.
In a future volume of the Ethical Intelligence series, I will explore the role that virtues play in the ethically intelligent life. But before I do, you will find Nicomachean Ethics to be indispensable reading. There are many translations available; I mention Ostwald’s only because it is the one I have studied.
Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress. Principles of Biomedical Ethics. 6th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
As I mention in the acknowledgments, Ethical Intelligence rests firmly on the shoulders of this monumental, highly influential work. The principle-based approach to ethics, along with the actual principles I’ve presented, are derived from Beauchamp and Childress’s book. To avoid repetition, I’ll leave it at that for now, but suffice it to say that Principles of Biomedical Ethics is nothing short of a masterpiece. If my approach to ethics resonates with you, then you owe it to yourself to read Beauchamp and Childress’s book posthaste.
Deborah J. Bennett. Logic Made Easy: How to Know When Language Deceives You. New York: Norton, 2005.
The only problem with learning even a few fundamentals of logic is that you’ll get depressed when you see how many examples of illogic there are out there. Politicians, pundits, journalists, professors and teachers, your friends and family, and perhaps from time to time, even you, commit at least some of the fallacies described in Bennett’s book. This is far from a trivial matter because a person’s fallacious arguments about x give us no basis to decide whether x is true. I cited one type of fallacy, ad hominem attacks, in the section on ethically unintelligent criticism, but it’s useful to know about many of the other sorts of bogus reasoning you encounter on a daily basis. Although I am loath to admit it, the book you have just read may include a few fallacies (though I’ve done my level best to ensure it does not).
Other books about logic and critical thinking that I like are Madsen Prie, How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic (London: Continuum Books, 2007); and Anthony Weston, A Rulebook for Arguments, 4th ed. (Indianapolis: Hackett, 2008).
Dale Carnegie. How to Win Friends and Influence People. Rev. ed. New York: Pocket Books, 1981.
In chapter 2, I discussed Carnegie’s book with respect to the fifth principle of ethical intelligence, and for its simple but profound insights, it’s well worth reading (or rereading, if it has been a while). It’s not explicitly about ethics, but many of the suggestions in How to Win Friends and Influence People do in fact show how to apply the five principles of ethical intelligence in daily life.
In my efforts to teach ethical intelligence across the country, I’ve also benefited greatly from Carnegie’s book The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking: Modern Techniques for Dynamic Communication (New York: Pocket Books, 1990). The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking is a revision by Dale’s wife, Dorothy, of his book Public Speaking and Influencing Men in Business, first published in 1913.
Daniel Clowes. Wilson. Montreal: Drawn and Quarterly, 2010.
What in the world does a graphic novel about a self-absorbed do-nothing have to do with ethical intelligence? A lot, actually. This deeply moving story shows the dangers of focusing obsessively on our own needs and desires. Ethics, as I’ve suggested throughout this book, is about balancing duties to self and duties to others. It’s useful to see what can happen when you take other people out of the picture. Wilson longs for connection but can’t bring himself to do it (at least in a legal way). A heartbreaking — but also, in places, laugh-out-loud funny — work of art.
H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr. The Foundations of Bioethics. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
This is, quite simply, one of the most brilliant and astonishing books I’ve ever read. You may not agree with many of the conclusions Engelhardt reaches, but you can’t help but be awed by the breadth of his knowledge, the elegance of his arguments, and the sheer audacity of his willingness to take unpopular positions on some of the most important ethical issues in health care and biomedical research. My analysis of the Golden Rule was shaped by this work (though my formulation of its replacement is slightly different from Engelhardt’s).
Ruth R. Faden and Tom L. Beauchamp. A History and Theory of Informed Consent. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.
If you want to explore in greater detail the principle of respect for patient autonomy (a broader version of which I call the third principle of ethical intelligence, Respect Others), this is the place to go. Of particular interest is Faden and Beauchamp’s discussion of three elements in the continuum of influence: persuasion, manipulation, and coercion.
Harry Frankfurt. On Truth. New York: Princeton University Press, 2004.
Frankfurt’s previous work, On Bull——, is better known, but its twin, On Truth, is also worth reading. I’ve assumed, rather than argued for, the idea that truth in general exists, as does ethical truth in particular, whether such truth is created or discovered. What Frankfurt does so eloquently and concisely is explain why truth should be valued at all. I’ve taken it as axiomatic that Do No Harm, for example, is an ethical imperative. It may rightly be considered as a premise in any argument about what we ought to do or ought not to do. But it is for experts in epistemology (the branch of philosophy that examines what we know and how we know it) to help us understand why it matters that what I am calling the first principle of ethical intelligence is to be considered true rather than an expression of personal preference. Frankfurt is the best kind of expert: he makes difficult material accessible.
Jostein Gaarder. Sophie’s World. Translated by Paulette Moller. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.
Disguised as a children’s story about the relationship between inquisitive teenager and a philosopher, Sophie’s World examines many of the major philosophical questions from pre-Socratic times to the modern era. If you regret not having taken a survey course in philosophy in college, Gaarder’s popular novel will help you make up for this gap in your studies.
Daniel Gilbert. Stumbling on Happiness. New York: Vintage Books, 2007.
For Aristotle, the quintessential ethical question is, What does it mean to be happy? Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, draws upon research in behavioral economics, philosophy, cognitive neuroscience, and psychology to answer Aristotle’s question. That answer is consistent with the ethically intelligent life as I have presented it here: a life of interconnectedness, in which we make choices that honor both others and ourselves.
Daniel Goleman. Emotional Intelligence. 10th anniversary ed. New York: Bantam Books, 2006.
This is the book that started it all: it gave us a deeper understanding of what it means to be smart. Goleman shows that “book smarts” and a genetic predisposition for doing well academically may not only be insufficient for functioning well in the world; these qualities can be counterproductive. The fully human life must make room for being attuned to how other people are feeling. Goleman’s work also prompted me to develop the concept of ethical intelligence. Let’s face it: the term ethics is off-putting to many because it seems punitive; ethical intelligence is inviting and appeals to our better nature. I owe Daniel Goleman an enormous debt of gratitude for inspiring the present project, and I can only hope to do for ethics what he has done so marvelously for psychology.
Jon Kabat-Zinn. Wherever You Go, There You Are. 10th anniversary ed. New York: Hyperion, 2005.
Of the many books on mindfulness meditation out there, this is by far my favorite one. Kabat-Zinn, founding executive director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, describes the philosophy of mindfulness in plain, accessible language. While reading the previous sections on anger, multitasking madness, and criticism, you may have wondered, “I know I need to do a better job in these areas, but how can I get started?” The solution may very well be mindfulness. Kabat-Zinn’s practice CDs (series 2) are a great way to make this a part of your daily life. They’re available at www.mindfulnesstapes.com.
Immanuel Kant. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Translated and edited by Mary Gregor. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
What I call the third principle of ethical intelligence, Respect Others, is a broader formulation of Beauchamp and Childress’s Principle of Respect for Autonomy. It is Immanuel Kant who advanced the notion of autonomy (literally, “self-rule”) and stressed the importance of treating human beings as ends in themselves rather than merely as means to an end. Kant’s work is notoriously difficult, but Groundwork is a good place to begin exploring his contributions to ethics.
Alasdair MacIntyre. After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory. 2nd ed. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1984.
I first learned of this monumental book while a senior at Swarthmore College, when fellow student John Duvivier told our class that it was “piercing the arid air of philosophy” and proposed using it as the basis of his commencement address. That phrase stuck with me, and when I got around to reading it in graduate school at Georgetown, I saw what he meant. MacIntyre argued that ethics had become overly focused on action and neglected character. In calling for a renewed appreciation for excellence of character, After Virtue is one of those rare books that will prompt you to see the world — and your life — in a completely new way.
Jeffrey Moses. Oneness: Great Principles Shared by All Religions. New York: Ballantine Books, 2002.
Do ethical values vary from religion to religion? Not at the most fundamental level, as Jeffrey Moses illustrates here. He cites specific textual references in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other traditions that call upon the faithful to tell the truth, avoid harming others, and follow all of the other forms of right conduct I’ve discussed in this book. It’s true that each faith has a unique way of presenting their calls to action. With respect to loving one another, for example, Judaism says, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” This idea is expressed in Christianity this way: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another even as I have loved you.” In Islam, it is, “No one is a believer until he loves for his neighbor, and for his brother, what he loves for himself.” The articulations may be different, but the core ideas, which I’m calling the five principles of ethical intelligence, are the bedrock of every religious and spiritual tradition the world has ever known.
Plato. The Republic. In The Collected Dialogues of Plato, Including the Letters. Edited by Edith Hamilton and Huntington Cairns. New York: Princeton University Press, 2005.
Whatever preconceived notions (that is, prejudices) you may have about philosophy, Plato will dispel them all. The polar opposite of dry, boring academic exercises in pseudo-intellectualism, Platonic dialogues crackle with wit, wisdom, and excitement. They read like great screenplays about the things that matter most. You may wish to start with The Republic, a work that can be read as politics, philosophy, or simply great literature. This is where you’ll find the allegory of the cave, a metaphor for levels of knowledge. I fell in love with philosophy in high school because of this book, and it may cast a similar spell on you, too.
Dr. Seuss. “The Zax.” In The Sneetches and Other Stories. New York: Random House, 1961.
Stubbornness is ethically unintelligent because it can prevent us from doing things that are beneficial to ourselves and others. This wonderful story illustrates how stubbornness is self-defeating. A north-going Zax and a south-going Zax meet, and each refuses to budge. They remain firmly planted while life unfolds around them, presumably for the rest of their lives. Yes, it’s hard to swallow one’s pride, or admit defeat, or simply defer to others; but “The Zax” shows why it’s in our own interest to do so.
Bruce Weinstein. Is It Still Cheating If I Don’t Get Caught? New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2009.
When Rolling Stone magazine asks rock musicians to list their five or ten favorite albums, one or two inevitably are their own work, which suggests an appalling lack of modesty and humility on their part. At the risk of being accused of the same thing, I feel compelled to mention my previous book here, simply because it takes the five principles of ethical intelligence (which I call “Life Principles” there) and shows tweens and teens how to apply them in their own lives.
David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding. Eat This, Not That!: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Books, 2010.
I explained in chapter 10 why it is ethically intelligent to eat healthfully. It is extraordinarily difficult to do this, especially with so many temptations everywhere you look. Updated yearly, this delightful book accomplishes the near-impossible feat of providing valuable information about good and bad nutrition in an entertaining way. Each page has detailed color photos of both gastronomic nightmares and daydreams. You’ll be appalled when you see how much fat, sodium, and carbohydrates are tucked away in certain restaurant meals, compared with some of the healthier choices on the menus. Equipped with this knowledge, you’ll be better prepared to make ethically intelligent decisions when you go out to eat. Other books in the series include Drink This, Not That!, Cook This, Not That!, and Eat This, Not That! for Kids. I highly recommend them all.
Why are we so fascinated with stories about evildoers? What is it about the adventures of people doing the wrong things that keep us so entertained? I’m not a psychologist, but I suspect the reason has something to do with the fantasy that many of us have of being completely free to do whatever we want, whenever we want, and with (or to) whomever we want. In other words, these stories portray characters who are concerned first and foremost with satisfying their own desires, no matter what the consequences are. Who wouldn’t want to live this way, free of the constraints imposed by the principles of ethical intelligence?
Consider the protagonists, for example, in The Godfather (and The Godfather, Part II), Scarface, GoodFellas, and The Sopranos. It may seem that Michael Corleone, Tony Montana, Henry Hill, and Tony Soprano enjoy a kind of freedom that the rest of us only dream about. But if you actually look at what happens to these characters, they all end up worse off as a result of their lifestyle. Whatever thrill existed during their rise to power gives way to fear, isolation, and murder. On their face, these stories — and plenty of others like them — celebrate or glamorize the life of gangsters. But if you step back and consider the wide arc of each one, it’s clear that these are moral fables, or tales that vividly portray the dangers of living an immoral life. Their message is not an encouragement to live the way their characters do but just the opposite: when you focus primarily or exclusively on your own needs and desires, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy them, you will pay a heavy price and might not be able to undo the damage you have caused by your choices.
Because these stories are violent and filled with graphic language and sexuality, they are not for everyone. But make no mistake about it: only ethically unintelligent persons would choose to model themselves after these wiseguys or think their way of life is cool.
Albert Maysles, codirector of such documentary films as Salesman, The Gates, and the Oscar-nominated LaLee’s Kin, has bemoaned the current state of cinema and, by extension, all of popular culture. “They’re stories about bad people doing bad things to other bad people,” he said, and it’s hard not to agree with him. But once upon a time in America, there was a TV program that showed how good, not how evil, we can be to one another. That program was The Andy Griffith Show (created by Sheldon Leonard). “A Medal for Opie,” an episode from season 2, which I discussed in the context of the fourth principle of ethical intelligence, is but one of many outstanding examples of how to put the five principles of ethical intelligence into action. It’s possible to teach a wide-ranging course in ethics using only The Andy Griffith Show, and at least one college professor I know of is doing just that (not to mention the countless numbers of Sunday schools that do the same). And it’s not just for us old-timers. I showed a clip to eighth graders, who sat in rapt attention throughout. There has never been, and probably will never be, a TV show as consistently good — in every sense — as The Andy Griffith Show.
Here are some recommendations for other films and TV programs that will deepen your appreciation of ethical intelligence. For ease of reference, I’m categorizing these works by the principle each illustrates so well.
The Red Balloon (written and directed by Albert Lamorisse) and Spirited Away (written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki) are two cinematic gems. The central conflict in each is resolved nonviolently. Why are there so few films like this for children and even fewer for adults?
In Late Spring (written by Kazuo Hirotsu, Kogo Noda, and Yasujiro Ozu; directed by Yasujiro Ozu), a father and his adult daughter live together in a small Japanese town after World War II. He wants her to get married; she wants to live the rest of her life with him. Does the father ultimately do the right thing to make things better for his daughter? There’s much room for debate. If you’ve never seen a film by Ozu, you’re in for a treat. If you’ve seen this before, it’s worth another look.
Confidentiality
Rear Window (written by John Michael Hayes, based on the short story “It Had to Be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich; directed by Alfred Hitchcock) is an exploration of what it means to be a good neighbor. The duty to respect a person’s right to privacy should be infringed to protect the well-being of others, right? What’s James Stewart’s character doing spying on his neighbors to begin with? This magnum opus invites repeated viewings and a lively discussion of these issues.
Truth Telling
It might seem that the obvious choice here is A Few Good Men (written by Aaron Sorkin; directed by Rob Reiner) with its oftrepeated line “You can’t handle the truth!” But I’ll recommend instead The Invention of Lying (written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson), if only for the opening sequence, which perfectly illustrates why it is ethically unintelligent to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in every social situation.
Promise Keeping
Is there anything more boring in movies than stories about adultery? Still, the best way to show the value of being faithful to one’s partner may be through narratives that show the consequences of infidelity and how difficult it is to keep the ruse going. I’m thinking here of scenes from The Ice Storm (written by James Schamus, based on the novel by Rick Moody; directed by Ang Lee) and The Kids Are All Right (written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg; directed by Lisa Cholodenko). The discovery of infidelity is made through small observations: a new scent on a spouse’s skin, the presence of another person’s hair on a hairbrush. Something always gives the cheater away, no matter how hard he or she tries to keep it under wraps.
Although a bit dated and simplistic, 12 Angry Men (written by Reginald Rose; directed by Sidney Lumet) is still one of the best examples of how prejudice in the jury box contaminates everything it touches but can be vanquished by one juror’s dogged commitment to objectivity and fairness.
In chapter 9, I discuss three examples of ethically unintelligent behavior by customers of local businesses. A comic example of this is “The Ida Funkhouser Roadside Memorial,” an episode from season 6 of Curb Your Enthusiasm (created by Larry David). An ice cream store patron abuses her sampling privileges, but her lack of ethical intelligence is matched, and even trumped, by another customer’s response to this small injustice.1 We see later in the episode how that response is self-defeating, reinforcing the central theme of this book: ethically intelligent choices increase your chances of getting what you want, and ethically unintelligent choices do the opposite.
Putting aside films and TV shows about romantic love, with what are we left? If what we‘re seeking is a story that makes you want to do good things for people, it’s hard to do better than Groundhog Day (written by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis; directed by Harold Ramis). Through a quirk in the space-time continuum, a self-absorbed blowhard is forced to live the same day over and over again and gradually learns to care about more than just himself. The film may be better known for its time-travel implications than for what the movie itself is really all about: benefiting yourself by bettering the lives of others. It’s time to revisit this tale and take its lessons to heart.
For TV, one program towers above them all. It ran on CBS for five seasons in the 1960s and told the story of a simple man who sees only the good in people. No matter what adversity comes his way, his belief that human beings are fundamentally decent is unshakable. The show is a brilliant example of how ethical intelligence doesn’t require years of formal education and of why the fifth principle of ethical intelligence may be the most valuable one of all. The show I’m talking about is, of course, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (created by Aaron Ruben). Don’t be fooled by its slapstick elements; at its core, this sitcom is a modern-day morality play about the deepest, most meaningful sense of love.
What books, short stories, films, and TV shows that bring the concept of ethical intelligence to life do you like? I’d love to know. Contact me through my website, TheEthicsGuy.com.