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The Power of Ideals: The Real Story of Moral Choice
Cynicism often seems a smarter choice than idealism. There are reasons for this. Politicians have disappointed us time and again; trusted institutions have proven to be self-serving and corrupt; hopes for lasting world peace repeatedly have been dashed; and social inequities persist and increase, unabated by even the grandest of charitable efforts. It is now considered foolish to think that people can be counted on to rise above their narrow self-interests to serve the broader good, or to tell the truth if it does not reflect well on the self. Supporting this bleak view of the human condition is a moral psychology that has taken increasingly cynical turns in recent years. Famous studies have shown that we have an almost unlimited potential for cruelty when placed in the wrong situations.
The Power of Ideals presents a different vision, supported by a different kind of evidence. It examines the lives and work of six 20th century moral leaders who pursued moral causes ranging from world peace to social justice and human rights. Using these six cases to illustrate how people can make choices guided by their moral convictions, rather than by base emotion or social pressures, authors William Damon and Anne Colby explore the workings of three inner truthfulness, humility, and faith. Through their portrayal of the noble lives of moral leaders, the authors argue that all of us--with ordinary lives--can exercise control over important life decisions and pursue ideals that we believe in.
The Power of Ideals presents a different vision, supported by a different kind of evidence. It examines the lives and work of six 20th century moral leaders who pursued moral causes ranging from world peace to social justice and human rights. Using these six cases to illustrate how people can make choices guided by their moral convictions, rather than by base emotion or social pressures, authors William Damon and Anne Colby explore the workings of three inner truthfulness, humility, and faith. Through their portrayal of the noble lives of moral leaders, the authors argue that all of us--with ordinary lives--can exercise control over important life decisions and pursue ideals that we believe in.
238 pages, Hardcover
First published March 24, 2015
About the author
William Damon
43 books32 followersOne of the world’s leading scholars of human development, William Damon is Professor of Education at Stanford University and the Director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence. Prior to joining Stanford in 1997, he was University Professor and Director of the Center for the Study of Human Development at Brown University.
By focusing his work on the positive aspects of “growing up” rather than on the severe behavioral problems of adolescents, Damon has put himself on the forefront of the emerging positive psychology movement in the United States. Damon speaks regularly to public and academic audiences about contemporary trends in child development and has written widely about personal development and moral commitment at all ages of life.
His current research explores how people develop character and a sense of purpose in their work, family, and community relationships. He examines how young people can approach their careers with a focus on purpose, imagination, and high standards of excellence. Damon also has written widely about how to educate for ethical understanding. His work is used in professional training programs in the fields of journalism, law, and business.
Damon is the author of 17 books and numerous book chapters and articles on education and human development, especially character development. His work has been influential for research and theory in academic developmental psychology and in the broader society, especially around questions of childrearing and schooling. His 1995 book, Greater Expectations: Overcoming the Culture of Indulgence in Our Homes and Schools helped create a societal push to increase standards for achievement and service and was the recipient of the prestigious Parents’ Choice® award. Damon’s other books written for general audiences include The Moral Child, Some Do Care, The Youth Charter and Good Work. He is founding editor of the well-known series, New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development and editor in chief of the definitive Handbook of Child Psychology, fifth and sixth editions.
Damon’s research and insights have been regularly covered in national publications, including the Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Washington Post. His many national talk show appearances include Oprah, Today, Primetime Live, Talk of the Nation, The Diane Rehm Show, and Morning Edition.
Among many national recognitions, Damon was recently elected to the National Academy of Education. He received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Northern California.
By focusing his work on the positive aspects of “growing up” rather than on the severe behavioral problems of adolescents, Damon has put himself on the forefront of the emerging positive psychology movement in the United States. Damon speaks regularly to public and academic audiences about contemporary trends in child development and has written widely about personal development and moral commitment at all ages of life.
His current research explores how people develop character and a sense of purpose in their work, family, and community relationships. He examines how young people can approach their careers with a focus on purpose, imagination, and high standards of excellence. Damon also has written widely about how to educate for ethical understanding. His work is used in professional training programs in the fields of journalism, law, and business.
Damon is the author of 17 books and numerous book chapters and articles on education and human development, especially character development. His work has been influential for research and theory in academic developmental psychology and in the broader society, especially around questions of childrearing and schooling. His 1995 book, Greater Expectations: Overcoming the Culture of Indulgence in Our Homes and Schools helped create a societal push to increase standards for achievement and service and was the recipient of the prestigious Parents’ Choice® award. Damon’s other books written for general audiences include The Moral Child, Some Do Care, The Youth Charter and Good Work. He is founding editor of the well-known series, New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development and editor in chief of the definitive Handbook of Child Psychology, fifth and sixth editions.
Damon’s research and insights have been regularly covered in national publications, including the Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Washington Post. His many national talk show appearances include Oprah, Today, Primetime Live, Talk of the Nation, The Diane Rehm Show, and Morning Edition.
Among many national recognitions, Damon was recently elected to the National Academy of Education. He received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Northern California.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 28, 2017
This book offered some well-supported food for thought as to what it means to be a moral person. However, the authors set up a strawman to organize the book around that was hard for me to overlook. They created a false dichotomy of a "new school" of behavior science thinking in comparison to a more reflective, deliberate approach to building behaviors. This misrepresents the work they term "new school" and was distracting--at times angering--for a reader such as myself whose work focuses in those areas. I don't know if the authors truly don't understand the work around habit and decision-making, or if they deliberately chose to oversimplify it in order to fill more pages, but in either case it was a distraction from their thesis.
December 25, 2016
The book started with a lot of promise, but falled to impress me. Colby and Damon did such a wonderful job with their last book about moral exemplars, but this was a let down. Their critiques of the "new science of morality" were poorly asserted, showing their lack of knowledge in the other areas of psychology other than their own. There needs to be more of a compromise between the biological and social psychologists and the developmental and educational psychologist when it comes to morality. Coherence of all fields is necessary for a more complete view of morality.
November 7, 2021
Human values are those virtues that guide us to take into account the human element when interacting with other living beings.
Values are the foundations for every viable life within society: they make space for a push, a movement of one towards the other, leading to peace and balance.
Human values thus defined are universal, that is, they are shared by all human beings, regardless of their religion, nationality, culture, and personal history. By nature, they lead us to consider others.
Inspiring book!
Values are the foundations for every viable life within society: they make space for a push, a movement of one towards the other, leading to peace and balance.
Human values thus defined are universal, that is, they are shared by all human beings, regardless of their religion, nationality, culture, and personal history. By nature, they lead us to consider others.
Inspiring book!
May 14, 2020
- تبقى متواضعا ما لم تصف نفسك بهدا اللقب
- الإيمان لا يقتصر على مفهومه الديني، وقد يتعدى ذلك إلى الإيمان بالنفس و القدرات و الغير.
"الاشخاص المؤمنون هم أكثر انجازا و اكثر نجاحا من أولئك الذين لا يملكون ما يؤمنون به"
أما القاعدة فهي : "كن مؤمنا، و آمن بذاتك بشكل خاص"
- الإيمان لا يقتصر على مفهومه الديني، وقد يتعدى ذلك إلى الإيمان بالنفس و القدرات و الغير.
"الاشخاص المؤمنون هم أكثر انجازا و اكثر نجاحا من أولئك الذين لا يملكون ما يؤمنون به"
أما القاعدة فهي : "كن مؤمنا، و آمن بذاتك بشكل خاص"
May 9, 2020
Chapters on faith and humility deserve 5 stars. The first chapter I could have lived without.
October 12, 2021
The book's theme is distance yourself from your ego, and be humble. Clear enough, but the repetition of a handful of nouns and verbs are not compelling without numerous case studies and interviews.
March 26, 2021
It's been almost 5 years that I read this book and I don't have much to say now. I wars beginning my note-taking journey and I just want to let my personal notes (in pt-BR) here as they were written in 2016.
**Here are my raw notes about the book:**
A falta de fé é Nihilismo, não ateísmo -- George Vaillant
Fé é importante e faz as pessoas terem uma sensação de complitude
Os seres humanos só pensam em si mesmo. Isso é da nossa natureza. Hoje pensamos um pouco no próximo por causa da sociedade, que nos força a isso.
Experimento do dinheiro para dividir. O primeiro faz o lance, se o segundo não aceitar, ninguém ganha nada.
**Here are my raw notes about the book:**
A falta de fé é Nihilismo, não ateísmo -- George Vaillant
Fé é importante e faz as pessoas terem uma sensação de complitude
Os seres humanos só pensam em si mesmo. Isso é da nossa natureza. Hoje pensamos um pouco no próximo por causa da sociedade, que nos força a isso.
Experimento do dinheiro para dividir. O primeiro faz o lance, se o segundo não aceitar, ninguém ganha nada.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews