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Moral Imagination

Moral Imagination. Moral Imagination. What it is and why you need it in the business, law, and life. USD Academy for Financial and Estate Planning November 9, 2005. Moral Imagination: Overview. The Scandal Approach to ethics The challenge An example of moral imagination

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Moral Imagination

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  1. Moral Imagination Moral Imagination What it is and why you need it in the business, law, and life USD Academy for Financial and Estate Planning November 9, 2005 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  2. Moral Imagination: Overview • The Scandal Approach to ethics • The challenge • An example of moral imagination • It’s not just what we do, but how we do it • From “either-or” to “both-and” • Discussion (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  3. Business Ethics—no shortage of scandals • Adelphia • Enron • HealthSouth and Scrushy • Imclone and Martha Stewart • Tyco's WorldCom • Qwest Communications • Dick Grasso's controversial pay package • Exxon Mobil profits ($9.9B for 3rd quarter) (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  4. Legal & Government Ethics • Ralph Inzunza and Michael Zucchet • Duke Cunningham • I. “Scooter” Libby • San Diego pension scandal (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  5. The Scandal Approachto Ethics • Points out what is wrong • Usually with other people • Too easy • Doesn’t provide leadership (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  6. Another Approach:Moral Imagination • The real moral challenge: how to create goodness out of bad situations • Moral imagination can help us to do that. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  7. Truth and Reconciliation Hearings • In South Africa and several South American countries, after the overthrow of repressive regimes, leaders faced a difficult challenge: whether or not to hold trials for the crimes committed by the previous regime. • To hold trials threatened to continue an unending cycle of recriminations and bitterness • Not to hold trials seemed to condone the crimes of the past and devalue the suffering of the persecuted • Truth and reconciliation hearings showed moral imagination, looking for a way of combining both accountability and healing. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  8. Nelson Mandela In a nation scarred by deep bitterness and hatred, Mandela saw the possibility of goodness in an evil world • Invitation to his jailer to attend inauguration • Wearing the Springbok cap (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  9. It’s not just what we do, but how we do it:The role of moral imagination in informing our actions Not only is it important to do the right thing, but to do the right thing well—and this requires moral imagination. • Example #1: Telling the truth well • Giving clients bad news • Example #2: Disciplining students • Pacific Northwest example • Example #3: Helping your child to understand the world. What happens, for example, when your child sees a teacher not being fair? Seeing injustice in the world? (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  10. Moral Imagination and Finding a Common Ground • Moral imagination allows us to find the common ground beneath seemingly irreconcilable positions. • The challenge: to imagine a possibility that preserves the shared value linking apparently incompatible positions. • Imagination allows us to discern—recall Ignatius’ beautiful phrase, “the discernment of the spirit”—the possibilities of goodness in a situation, and this is essentially an imaginative act. • The real moral challenge is figuring out how to bring goodness out of bad situations. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  11. The Moral “Sweet Spot” • One of the goals of moral imagination is to find the moral “sweet spot,” that is, the point at which altruism and self-interest coincide. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  12. Either/Or • In business, law and the social sciences—psychology, sociology, political science, sociobiology, economics—discussions of selfishness and altruism often presume that these are polar opposites, sometimes even mutually exclusive. • Often in business, we must choose between self-interest and helping other people. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  13. Altruism Egoism Visualizing the Dichotomy • One model sees selfishness and altruism as opposite ends of a continuum: • The more altruistic you are, the less selfish you are, and vice versa. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  14. A different way of looking at things • In this presentation, I shall argue that this dichotomy is both mistaken and misleading in harmful ways. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  15. Helpsothers 4 1 Hurtsself Helpsself 3 2 Hurtsothers Let’s Think about This in a New Way Instead of seeing this one a single scale, we can see egoism and altruism as two independent axes: Conceptualizing the issue in this way allows some actions to be done both for the sake of others and for one’s own sake, and avoids falling into a false dichotomy between altruism and egoism. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  16. The Moral Sweet Spot” The life of duty& self-sacrifice Helpsothers Self-interestand regardfor othersconverge Self-sacrificingaltruism HelpsYourself Hurtsyourself Not beneficialeither to selfor others Self-interestat the expenseof others Hurts others Looking out for #1 Drug addictionAlcoholism, etc. The Moral Sweet Spot:Reconciling Egoism and Altruism in the Real World • Ideally, we seek a society in which self-interest and regard for others converge—the greenzone. • Egoism at the expense of others and altruism at the expense of self-interest both create worlds in which goodness and self-regard are mutually exclusive—the yellow zone. • No one want the red zone, which is against both self-interest and regard for others. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  17. On-line music,intellectual property on the web The Moral Sweet Spot” Benefits Authors & distributors • We can see the challenge in regard to on-line music and other intellectual property • Often, it is harder to pay for music than to pirate it, at least until iTunes iTunes? Most pay-for-music sites Helpsusers Hurtsusers No on-lne musicat all Napster, etc. Hurts Authors & distributors (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  18. Stem cell research The Moral Sweet Spot” Helpsembryos & fetuses • The challenge of stem cell research has been to find a way to derive the benefits of stem cell research without the destruction of human embryos • Now, scientists are developing ways—such as regressing adult skin cells—that fall into the green zone. Ban on using humanembryos;embryo adoption Regressingadultskin cells Helpsthose who are ill Hurtsthose whoare ill Ban on usinghumanembryos? Stem cellresearch that Destroys embryos Hurtsembryos &fetuses (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  19. High Benefit to Others Costco Needless Markup High Benefit to Self Low Benefit to Self Wal-Mart Don’t shop here! Low Benefit to Others Wal-Mart vs. Costco (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  20. High Benefit to Others Give upall stock, consulting High Benefit to Self Low Benefit To Self UnlimitedPrivateInterests Reductionin scientificresearch Low Benefit to Others NIH Scientists Reduce conflict of interest, Retain incentives (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  21. Designing Laws & Regulations • This framework not only allows us to discern ways in which we can act, but it also provides guidelines for constructing laws & regulations. • The best laws & regulations maximize the green zone, minimizing yellow and red. • The worse laws & regulations minimize the green zone, maximizing yellow and red. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  22. The Worst Societies Little possibility forwin-win solutions Some who sacrificefor common good • A society that continually forces individuals to choose between their own self-interest and the interest of others establish win-lose scenarios. • No one want the red zone, which is against both self-interest and regard for others. High Altruism Self-interestand regardfor othersconverge Self-sacrificingaltruism Low Egoism Not beneficialto selfor others High Egoism Self-interestat expenseof others Low Altruism Drug addictionAlcoholism, etc. Many out justfor themselves (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  23. The Best Societies Maximizingthe “Sweet Spot” Some self-sacrifice • Ideally, we seek a society in which self-interest and regard for others converge—the greenzone. High Altruism Self-sacrificingaltruism Self-interestand regardfor othersconverge Low Egoism High Egoism Not beneficialeither to selfor others Self-interestat the expenseof others Low Altruism Some self-interestat expense of others Few lose-losesituations. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  24. Small Group Topics • Discuss examples in your own profession of ways to hit the moral “sweet spot.” • What are some of the examples you have seen of best practices in regard to moral imagination? • What are some of the laws & regulations in your profession that force you and your clients to choose between self and other, between altruism and self-interest. (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  25. Conclusion • Visit us on the web at: http://ethics.sandiego.edu (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  26. Unused Slides • Stem cell research (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  27. The Promise of Stem Cells (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

  28. The Danger of Stem Cells • Human embryonic stem cell research and therapy begin with human embryos, sometimes as early as the eight-cell stage. • Are these human beings at this stage? Are we killing human beings at this stage? Day 3: Eight Cells (c) Lawrence M. Hinman

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