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Choosing the Right Thing to Do
Book

Choosing the Right Thing to Do

In Life, at Work, in Relationships, and for the Planet

David A. Shapiro
Berrett-Koehler, 1999

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Discerning right from wrong can present difficult choices, but author David A. Shapiro tries to cut through the ethical fog to clarify your moral decisions. His thought-provoking, conversational guide to moral choices offers multiple insights. While he acknowledges how difficult ethical decisions can be, he also clearly sets down many ways to understand them and make them, whether they involve personal or professional considerations. The book is readable, not self-righteous or preachy. It simply shines a light on the processes involved in selecting your actions from across a broad right-to-wrong spectrum, and gives a number of real-life examples.getAbstract.comrecommends this book to everyone, because everyday decisions can be more complicated than they look

Summary

Your Moral Legacy

Everyone makes moral choices all day long, day in and day out, every day. What goes into making these choices? Typically, you do the best you can with your experience and the information at hand to make decisions that reflect your values and the kind of person you’d like to be. Every choice you make helps to create your identity. Who you are is your character, which becomes the legacy you leave behind.

How do you know if you’re doing the right thing when you make these endless choices? Do you care? Each choice carries a moral legacy. Is that important to you? How do you define morals or ethics? Many factors color our moral choices, particularly fear although, ironically, a lack of fear can also play a strong role: Courage propels many choices.

Societies that combine being afraid with being indifferent end up doing nothing in the face of crisis except sitting in silence and watching atrocities occur around them and around the globe. Often the legacy of these societies is this terrible inaction "not simply through lack of compassion, but through lack of knowledge." People are paralyzed because they feel powerless. Their rationalization is "If ...

About the Author

David A. Shapiro is a writer, consultant and curriculum designer who specializes in progressive business and personal development programs. He is co-author of Repacking Your Bags: Lighten Your Load for the Rest of Your Life.

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