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Ethics for the Real World: Creating a Personal Code to Guide Decisions in Work and Life
We often make small ethical compromises for "good" reasons: We lie to a customer because our boss asked us to. We exaggerate our accomplishments on our résumé to get an interview. Temptation blindsides us. And we make snap decisions we regret.
Minor ethical lapses can seem harmless, but they instill in us a hard-to-break habit of distorted thinking. Rationalizations drown out our inner voice, and we make up the rules as we go. We lose control of our decisions, fall victim to the temptations and pressures of our situations, taint our characters, and sour business and personal relationships.
In Ethics for the Real World, Ronald Howard and Clinton Korver explain how to master the art of ethical decision making by:
Identifying potential compromises in your own life
Applying distinctions to clarify your ethical thinking
Committing in advance to ethical principles
Generating creative alternatives to resolve dilemmas
Packed with real-life examples, this book gives you practical advice to respond skillfully to life's inevitable ethical challenges. Not only can you make right decisions, you can acquire new habits that will realize the best in yourself and transform your relationships.
Minor ethical lapses can seem harmless, but they instill in us a hard-to-break habit of distorted thinking. Rationalizations drown out our inner voice, and we make up the rules as we go. We lose control of our decisions, fall victim to the temptations and pressures of our situations, taint our characters, and sour business and personal relationships.
In Ethics for the Real World, Ronald Howard and Clinton Korver explain how to master the art of ethical decision making by:
Identifying potential compromises in your own life
Applying distinctions to clarify your ethical thinking
Committing in advance to ethical principles
Generating creative alternatives to resolve dilemmas
Packed with real-life examples, this book gives you practical advice to respond skillfully to life's inevitable ethical challenges. Not only can you make right decisions, you can acquire new habits that will realize the best in yourself and transform your relationships.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 27, 2008
84 people are currently reading
4369 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 19, 2011
I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it fell rather short of my expectations. It promises to give a comprehensive view of ethics as applied to the real world situations, but what it provides instead is a lot of examples and vignettes that try to showcase a certain moral dilemma. The stories are actually interesting in their own right, but in the end they don't provide a cohesive whole from which to extract important real world lessons. There are plenty of specific advices in the book, but they don't seem to fit any comprehensive ethical system. They are the kind of advice that you could easily pick up from a wise uncle or a senior colleague at work. The book is fairly light on ethical theory, which is not all that surprising considering its title, but one would still wish for a deeper grounding in the millennia of ethical thinking and practice. The authors claim not to advocate any particular ethical tradition or general approach to ethics, which I find a bit naive.
Some suggestions for dealing with difficult moral situations are quite ridiculous. The authors seem to have an inordinate appreciation of the power of rational persuasion in conflict-resolution situations. This may hold true for some people, but the kind of people on whom this would work are oftentimes the last persons who would put you in a moral quandary.
One constant theme that propagates throughout the book is the general aversion to lying, which obviously puts the author in the camp with those who advocate the existence of absolute moral imperatives. This is a viable moral stance, but in the real world there will be many situations where lying would be absolutely necessary in order to prevent some greater moral evil. The lack of appreciation for the trade offs between different moral actions is rather baffling.
Overall, this is an easy and readable book, but not the kind that will challenge your preexisting moral principles.
Some suggestions for dealing with difficult moral situations are quite ridiculous. The authors seem to have an inordinate appreciation of the power of rational persuasion in conflict-resolution situations. This may hold true for some people, but the kind of people on whom this would work are oftentimes the last persons who would put you in a moral quandary.
One constant theme that propagates throughout the book is the general aversion to lying, which obviously puts the author in the camp with those who advocate the existence of absolute moral imperatives. This is a viable moral stance, but in the real world there will be many situations where lying would be absolutely necessary in order to prevent some greater moral evil. The lack of appreciation for the trade offs between different moral actions is rather baffling.
Overall, this is an easy and readable book, but not the kind that will challenge your preexisting moral principles.
October 30, 2010
Although I feel ethics is an important subject for people to study, particularly today, this book is extremely weak in helping individuals develop their own code of ethics. I feel there are better books out there than this one.
March 30, 2009
This is the rare book that can change the way you live. Open the cover of this book, and you will find an immediate challenge. The jacket flap asks, "Are you almost ethical?"
Ronald A. Howard and Clinton D. Korver have given us a challenging and practical guide to ethics in our everyday lives. In the open pages of this book, the authors make a persuasive case, illustrated with real-life examples, that the white lies of convenience most of us consider an acceptable part of everyday life are the first step down a path of distorted thinking.
After setting down the foundations, the authors ask the reader to evaluate their own personal value systems, both religious and secular, as well as the worthiness of role models. The reader is then led step-by-step on the development and refining of a personal code that will guide them in their future actions. (There are several sample codes included as appendices to the book.) Finally, the authors offer guidance in applying a code in both work and personal settings Howard and Korver have provided a useful, practical tool to help every person live a more ethical life.
Ronald A. Howard and Clinton D. Korver have given us a challenging and practical guide to ethics in our everyday lives. In the open pages of this book, the authors make a persuasive case, illustrated with real-life examples, that the white lies of convenience most of us consider an acceptable part of everyday life are the first step down a path of distorted thinking.
After setting down the foundations, the authors ask the reader to evaluate their own personal value systems, both religious and secular, as well as the worthiness of role models. The reader is then led step-by-step on the development and refining of a personal code that will guide them in their future actions. (There are several sample codes included as appendices to the book.) Finally, the authors offer guidance in applying a code in both work and personal settings Howard and Korver have provided a useful, practical tool to help every person live a more ethical life.
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April 23, 20250 out 5 had to read for a class not a fun read
February 28, 2019
This book was very well written. It has black and white photos along with descriptions of the photos. These photos give us a better idea of what people's lives were like. This book is suitable for 9-20 year olds. I give this book 5 stars.
November 1, 2017
This book started slowly but had a lot of insightful perspectives on the ethical slippery slope that we all walk at home and at work.
July 9, 2018
I was assigned this book as a textbook for an Ethics class and it was the most practical, easy to read textbook I have ever read.
April 2, 2021
perfect
November 26, 2025
The scenario: Murray went to a very busy Costco. As he unloaded his shopping basket into his car, he knew he was late picking up his daughter from soccer. Murray realized he had a bottle of Italian Seasoning that he had not paid for. Should he go back and pay for it, or go and pick up his daughter?
Mastering ethical dilemmas is a matter of ethical thinking and avoiding ethical compromise (pg. 2). Making good ethical decisions in small things will lead to sensitivity in all ethical issues (pg. 3). The authors presuppose that premastering ethical distinctions enables clarity in ethical thinking (pg. 2). If Murray has an established, ethical code, then he will have clarity in what to do about the unpaid item. The authors identify stealing, lying, and harming others as the most common ethical breaches, but they do not say why they are wrong (pg. 8). Answering the why question allows objective standards of ethical behavior and keeps ethics from straying into relativism.
There are three dimensions of ethical action: prudential (self-interest), legal (does it break the law), and ethical (personal ethical standards) (pgs. 35-36). Keeping the item without paying for it breaks the law and breaks Murray’s personal ethics. Prudentially, it could be in his self-interest to leave with the item unpaid and pick up his daughter. This action could also be against his self-interest in that he could be charged with shoplifting. Positive and negative ethics play in his decision. He should not (negative) steal. He should pick up his daughter on time (positive) (pg. 39). Is he making his decision based upon the right actions (pg. 40) or fear of negative consequences (pg. 41)? Lastly, is his rationalization and the excuse of picking up his daughter a way to avoid returning to the store and paying for the item (pg. 44)?
Murray has three legacies of “ethical voices” that will inform his choice (pg. 52). The first legacy is the religious legacy (pgs. 52-58). Murray is a Christian, and his religious legacy informs him that stealing is wrong. This negative imperative is more than a rule to be followed (pg. 53). For Murray, not stealing reflects a higher positive imperative to love God and love people (pg. 54). The authors state that religious guidance is vague at times and can diminish “skillful ethical thinking” (pg. 54). Murray sees clarity in his ethical thinking primarily due to his religious legacy. The dismissiveness of the authors to the religious legacy ignores the clarity that religious systems can give individuals.
Another legacy, the secular voice, will also inform him that stealing is wrong (pgs. 58-63). The secular voice looks at the consequences of action more than the actions themselves (pg. 58). In this case, the consequences of keeping the item might be very small, and the consequences unlikely. However, arriving late to pick up his daughter might have more definite consequences. The last legacy, work, is important to consider, as ethical decisions outside of work will necessarily affect his ethical decisions at his job (pg. 63). If Murray decides to keep the item without paying for it, does it become easier to take some pens from the office supply at work home for personal use? Or does returning and paying for the item encourage him not to take small things home with him?
Had Murray read our text, he would have developed his own ethical code by drafting and testing his standards, and refining his code (pg. 73). He could then move through the flow chart of decision-making to guide his ethical choice (pg. 155). Murray starts with the question, does he return to the store and pay for the item, and arrive late to pick up his daughter? Prudentially, returning to pay for the item or leaving both seems to be in his best interest. In the next step, Murray decides that keeping the item violates a negative and a positive imperative. Murray is also an action-based thinker in that the principles matter more than the consequences (pg. 105). He realized that keeping the item would be disobeying God’s commandment against stealing, which is unloving towards God. He also realized it would be an unloving example for his daughter and for the store. It would also be unloving to arrive late to pick her up. He decides to leave, pick up his daughter, and then go back to the store and pay for the item.
Mastering ethical dilemmas is a matter of ethical thinking and avoiding ethical compromise (pg. 2). Making good ethical decisions in small things will lead to sensitivity in all ethical issues (pg. 3). The authors presuppose that premastering ethical distinctions enables clarity in ethical thinking (pg. 2). If Murray has an established, ethical code, then he will have clarity in what to do about the unpaid item. The authors identify stealing, lying, and harming others as the most common ethical breaches, but they do not say why they are wrong (pg. 8). Answering the why question allows objective standards of ethical behavior and keeps ethics from straying into relativism.
There are three dimensions of ethical action: prudential (self-interest), legal (does it break the law), and ethical (personal ethical standards) (pgs. 35-36). Keeping the item without paying for it breaks the law and breaks Murray’s personal ethics. Prudentially, it could be in his self-interest to leave with the item unpaid and pick up his daughter. This action could also be against his self-interest in that he could be charged with shoplifting. Positive and negative ethics play in his decision. He should not (negative) steal. He should pick up his daughter on time (positive) (pg. 39). Is he making his decision based upon the right actions (pg. 40) or fear of negative consequences (pg. 41)? Lastly, is his rationalization and the excuse of picking up his daughter a way to avoid returning to the store and paying for the item (pg. 44)?
Murray has three legacies of “ethical voices” that will inform his choice (pg. 52). The first legacy is the religious legacy (pgs. 52-58). Murray is a Christian, and his religious legacy informs him that stealing is wrong. This negative imperative is more than a rule to be followed (pg. 53). For Murray, not stealing reflects a higher positive imperative to love God and love people (pg. 54). The authors state that religious guidance is vague at times and can diminish “skillful ethical thinking” (pg. 54). Murray sees clarity in his ethical thinking primarily due to his religious legacy. The dismissiveness of the authors to the religious legacy ignores the clarity that religious systems can give individuals.
Another legacy, the secular voice, will also inform him that stealing is wrong (pgs. 58-63). The secular voice looks at the consequences of action more than the actions themselves (pg. 58). In this case, the consequences of keeping the item might be very small, and the consequences unlikely. However, arriving late to pick up his daughter might have more definite consequences. The last legacy, work, is important to consider, as ethical decisions outside of work will necessarily affect his ethical decisions at his job (pg. 63). If Murray decides to keep the item without paying for it, does it become easier to take some pens from the office supply at work home for personal use? Or does returning and paying for the item encourage him not to take small things home with him?
Had Murray read our text, he would have developed his own ethical code by drafting and testing his standards, and refining his code (pg. 73). He could then move through the flow chart of decision-making to guide his ethical choice (pg. 155). Murray starts with the question, does he return to the store and pay for the item, and arrive late to pick up his daughter? Prudentially, returning to pay for the item or leaving both seems to be in his best interest. In the next step, Murray decides that keeping the item violates a negative and a positive imperative. Murray is also an action-based thinker in that the principles matter more than the consequences (pg. 105). He realized that keeping the item would be disobeying God’s commandment against stealing, which is unloving towards God. He also realized it would be an unloving example for his daughter and for the store. It would also be unloving to arrive late to pick her up. He decides to leave, pick up his daughter, and then go back to the store and pay for the item.
November 6, 2024
This book was recommended to me and I had high expectations, so I think I was expecting more from what I got. Overall I think the point of being able to "master ethical distinctions to enable clear ethical thinking" by committing "in advance to ethical principles," in order to "exercise disciplined decision-making skills to choose wisely" does make sense, but it took so long for us to get there. Plenty of examples and guidance to create your own personal code, which is useful, but not something I felt actively compelled to do while reading the book. Who knows, I may revisit some of the ideas when I want to formalize my code in the future.
January 11, 2014
I like Ronald Howard's work and was therefore prompted to pick up this book. If you are new to ethics or would like a non-academic, down-to-earth book with day-to-day experiences to which one can easily relate, then I think this is a great book. It cuts through all the jargon and complex philosophical arguments and lays out some suggestions of how to increase your self-awareness and improve the way you make ethical decisions in business and in your personal life.
I hesitated giving it a higher rating because I think it's incredible difficult to write a personal code and a little more insight into the mechanics of the process of constructing a code might have been helpful. The authors did provide some steps and alerted us to potential pitfalls, but I think the descriptions and guides could have been further refined. Perhaps with the Appendix, there could have been a walk-through of an example code taking us through the process of scribbling down statements, then showing the stages of improvement and refinement as one encounters situations.
Or maybe starting with a basic template of questions and then showing how one adapts it to make it more specific and useful to one's individual code.
It may seem like spoon-feeding but with such an important task, one that most people who procrastinate because they would find the actual writing of a code too fiddly or just too daunting staring at a blank sheet of paper, I feel it's helpful to have these leg-ups so that more people get round to properly applying the ideas rather than passively nodding along to a book.
I hesitated giving it a higher rating because I think it's incredible difficult to write a personal code and a little more insight into the mechanics of the process of constructing a code might have been helpful. The authors did provide some steps and alerted us to potential pitfalls, but I think the descriptions and guides could have been further refined. Perhaps with the Appendix, there could have been a walk-through of an example code taking us through the process of scribbling down statements, then showing the stages of improvement and refinement as one encounters situations.
Or maybe starting with a basic template of questions and then showing how one adapts it to make it more specific and useful to one's individual code.
It may seem like spoon-feeding but with such an important task, one that most people who procrastinate because they would find the actual writing of a code too fiddly or just too daunting staring at a blank sheet of paper, I feel it's helpful to have these leg-ups so that more people get round to properly applying the ideas rather than passively nodding along to a book.
May 7, 2013
I picked this up subsequent to listening to a couple of author interviews. I was really impressed by his methods of reasoning and his manner in general. He struck me as someone who was really confident and comfortable within his viewpoint. He seemd calmly discriminating and caring. During the interviews he fielded some really tough ethical questions and convinced me that his method for identifying and examining ethical problematics is widely applicable and easy to implement.
So, I was really disappointed to find that I didn't get the same feeling reading his book!
I do believe that he has a pretty good bead on what sort of considerations inform a persons ethical decision making.
I dunno, maybe some guys are just better "off the cuff".
Yeah, as I write this it occurs to me that maybe this undergrad professor is just struggling a bit to make a connection with a larger more diverse audience.
I dunno. I suspect this guy is most comfortable and at his best in a one-on-one environment.
Overall pretty good though.
So, I was really disappointed to find that I didn't get the same feeling reading his book!
I do believe that he has a pretty good bead on what sort of considerations inform a persons ethical decision making.
I dunno, maybe some guys are just better "off the cuff".
Yeah, as I write this it occurs to me that maybe this undergrad professor is just struggling a bit to make a connection with a larger more diverse audience.
I dunno. I suspect this guy is most comfortable and at his best in a one-on-one environment.
Overall pretty good though.
May 10, 2015
Ethics for the Real World is a book that attempts to make it easier for you to make ethical decisions in your personal and business lives. Ultimately, this book proved less useful to me than I had hoped, being a fairly high-level analysis of most things. Useful insights in this book included the separation of issues into legal, prudential and ethical, as well as the three types of unethical behavior: deceiving, stealing, and harming. The authors point out that negative ethics are more effective than positive ethics. They also note that it is best to avoid ethical dilemmas beforehand, but if they can't be avoided, it is best to have an ethical plan already thought out
June 1, 2014
Great book, highly recommend it. Starts with principles and broadens out into decision analysis. There is a handy outline and flow chart in the appendix. It's very interactive so if you hate homework you will get less out of it. If you do the exercises you will walk away with your own personal ethical code. Like Dexter, but hopefully without the body count.
March 11, 2009
a great beginner and intermediate ethics book - the best one from the 1 or 2 others (books or textbooks or course packages) that I've read. The authors are clear, succinct, and comprehensive in their discussions on ethics and how to create a personal code of conduct
December 19, 2010
Page 33, first paragraph, last sentence almost made me abandon this book. I only kept going because I had to read it for class. It's ok. It brings up a lot of interesting ideas but I don't think I'd recommend it to a friend.
June 28, 2011
Great book and clearly examined ethics and how to apply ethical decision making to our lives.
May 21, 2013
Walks the reader though starting to build a personal, basic ethic code.
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December 5, 2014170.44 H8519 2008
Read
April 5, 2016Excellent guiding resource to developing your own ethical code in writing.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews