moral values

U.S. Department of War Goes to War

Why Now? What’s Next? I should have known something was up when U.S. President Donald Trump changed the name of the Department of Defense to the “Department of War.” President Trump erroneously thinks that a name change will make the country’s war-like attacks on other countries acceptable. The only way to accomplish that is with […]

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The psychology of ghosting

Ghosting and Civility The psychology of ghosting involves a fear of confrontation, poor communication skills, and avoidance of emotional discomfort. It is a self-preservation tactic used to escape awkward or difficult situations without having to directly communicate feelings. I have previously blogged about the ethics of ghosting with respect to the dating scene. Research from the online dating

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Why Good People Sometimes Do Bad Things

Cultivating Moral Values to Enhance Ethical Behavior If you are like me, there are times when you can only shake your head in disbelief when learning about someone you always felt was a good person who had done bad things in their past. Names such as Bill Cosby come to mind who, allegedly, sexually abused

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What Does the Expression “Doing good by being good” Mean?

Striving to Be a Better Person What Does “Doing good by being good” mean? Simply stated, it highlights the idea that when one acts with kindness and compassion (being good) it will lead to positive actions and outcomes (doing good). It suggests that a person’s inherent goodness, their moral character, is the foundation for their helpful and

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What Motivates Someone to Blow the Whistle?

Do Whistleblower Awards Lead to More Whistleblowing? The ethics of whistleblowing is a tricky matter. Whistle-blowing brings two moral values, fairness and loyalty, into conflict. Doing what is fair or just (e.g., promoting an employee based on talent alone) often conflicts with showing loyalty (e.g., promoting a longstanding but unskilled employee). Taken to its extreme

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What Have We Learned from Whistleblowing Cases?

Things to Think About Before Deciding Whether to Blow the Whistle Have you ever wondered when, how, and why whistleblowing first began? I did during the time that I researched whistleblowing cases for a paper that I wrote. I believe you will find the following interesting and instructive. Background The first reported case of whistleblowing

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Is Your Organization Practicing Ethics Washing?

Do What We Say, Not What We Do No, it is not about washing your clothes in a responsible way. Ethics Washing refers to the practice of ethical window dressing. It is where an organization gives lip service to ethics to make it seem as though it acts responsibly but does not do anything to make sure

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