Customer Reviews

Moral Courage

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Rush Kidder's new book, "Moral Courage" examines both the structure of a value system and the essential idea of morage courage which enables any value system to work. Kidder, the founder of the Institute for Global Ethics, and an important commentator on practical ethics is well suited to look at what makes ethics work in the workday world.

There are nine chapters in the book which neatly fit into three sections. The first section which I would call "Basics" includes Standing Up for Principle; Courage: Moral and Physical; and The Courage to be Moral. The second section which I would call "Elements of Moral Courage" includes The First Circle: Enduring the Hardship; The Second Circle: Recognizing the Risks; and The Third Circle: Enduring the Hardship. The final section which I would call "Practical Applications" includes Fakes, Frauds and Foibles : What Moral Courage Isn't; Learning Moral Courage, and finally, Practising Moral Courage in the Public Square.

The book uses many personal stories to demonstrate by example, just what is meant. It has a solid theoretical structure but the clear illustrations of real people applying the theory in their own lives makes it both very readable and useful as a text in courses on practical ethics.

I believe this is a book that should be in the library of any person who has a sincere interest in practical or applied ethics. Its analysis of moral courage will, I believe, become a classic. I think it will give ethicists as well as others a common language as well as a common way to examine ethical situations. Since the illustrations come from a very broad spectrum of human experience and differing societies, the book should be a useful tool no matter what area of ethics an individual is involved in. It is very clear and does not resort to jargon. It will, without doubt, be an important tool for practical ethics for many years to come.

Our pop culture-saturated society has seen its definition of heroism narrowed to the actions of "superheroes", or at the very least to borderline impossible acts of physical courage. What this exceptional book suggests is that we can all be heroes through acts of moral courage. The book features a number of fascinating examples of everyday people who saw that a situation in their lives was wrong, weighed the risks of taking and not taking action, and overcame both the fear of and actual hardships to do the right thing.

My favorite stories in the book are of those people who suffered negative consequences for taking a stand against something wrong but have experienced no regrets for acting as they did (for example, the high school student in Massachusetts who blew the whistle on some friends who she knew were plotting a Columbine-style attack but was held responsible for not acting sooner). The dilemmas in these stories are the stuff of great fiction; the fact that so many people chose to act heroically despite the consequences that they faced before and after the fact makes for very compelling reading.

Some might fault the book for being a bit dry in spots, and it might sell more copies if it had the relentlessly upbeat tone of many self-help books. But the writer's journalistic training serves him well here; this is a book about idealistic action firmly grounded in the details of everyday life. It is a tremendously inspiring, truly thought-provoking book that one would love to see as required reading in classrooms and employee training sessions everywhere.

Take a look at your hometown newspaper on any given day. You might read about a deadly fire that could have been prevented had a city or town inspector been doing his or her job honestly and diligently. Or there just might be a story about a high ranking elected official who is abusing the public trust they have been sworn to uphold. Or maybe a group of high school students have been caught plagiarizing their term papers. How do you react when you read these kinds of stories? Are you outraged or do you merely shrug your shoulders and yearn for the "good old days" when people were more responsible and more accountable for their actions.

As we enter the increasingly complex world of the 21st century, it has become quite apparent that there is a need for more and more of us to display "Moral Courage". Much to my amazement, author Rushworth Kidder reveals in the opening pages of his book that a search on the internet revealed that no one has ever written a book on this specific subject. To Kidder there are three elements to "Moral Courage"--an individual must have principles, there has to be an element of danger or risk involved and one must show a willingness to endure. As a means of illustration, the author cites numerous real-life examples of individuals who found themselves facing very real ethical dilemmas. Some of his subjects would fail the test miserably while others would respond in a heroic way. Kidder goes on to explain that the most difficult moral dilemmas are not those situations where the choices are clearly "right against wrong" but rather the situation that commonly occurs where one must struggle with "right vs. right" choices.

I cannot think of anyone who would not benefit from reading "Moral Courage". Like it or not, each one of us is bound to face a number of thorny issues and moral dilemmas during the course of our lifetime. Rushworth Kidder has given us all lots of food for thought in his fascinating new book. Highly recommended.

Rushworth Kidder's examples of moral courage by people in different walks of life are useful, instructive, and inspiring. Kidder analyses the qualities that constitute moral courage and the character of the people making morally courageous decisions in a wide variety of contexts. I don't think that there is anyone one who could not benefit by reading this book, and it doesn't need to be read through, at one sitting. In fact, it may be better to read parts and reflect on them instead of reading it cover to cover. I was moved to share it with my 15 year old daughter, who read the parts I selected with interest. Moral Courage is an ideal textbook for high school or college students as it provides real life examples and a framework of analysis that will stimulate discussion and bring attention to the issues that confront us today as individuals and as a society. Moral Courage demonstrates the great value and importance of being aware of our choices and making the tough decisions that are needed more than ever today.

If you are looking for a practical book on morality and applied ethics that most people can relate to, Rushworth M. Kidder's Moral Courage is an excellent choice. The book is well written, and includes a variety of examples of "real" people faced with moral dilemmas. Some failed. Some excelled.

He defines moral courage as "the courage to be moral" which is living according to one's principles. Building on previous works where five universal values (honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and compassion) were identified, this book discusses the elements of moral courage: (1) applying the values, (2) recognizing the risks, and (3) enduring the hardship.

Kidder recognizes that those who have moral courage will sometimes be taking a stand that is not popular, but is nevertheless "the right thing to do." In other words, he doesn't take an unrealistic, "pollyana" approach to developing and exhibiting moral courage.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to develop moral courage. This book is both inspirational and educational, and is equally applicable to the classroom and the board room.

This is an excellent book. The examples, interviews, honesty all add up to a book that should be required reading for highscoolers, business execs--really everybody that cares about building a stronger more ethical society and way of life.

While this book contains many interesting and illuminating anecedotes of personal courage (or the lack thereof), it fails on one key point.

Kidder argues against moral relativism, suggesting (based on interviews) that honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and compassion are universal values. These are just words, however, and they can mean very different things to different people. To people in a very communal culture, responsibility might be used to mean the individual's responsibility to the community. In more individualistic cultures (and in the philosophy of Ayn Rand) it would more likely mean responsibility to self. To some fairness means equality, while to others it can mean extreme discrimination. A refutation of moral relativism demands that different people agree upon the same meanings, not merely the same words.

With this failure, Kidder's entire case falls down. He presents moral courage as "the string" holding together the pearls (of moral values). When those very values are in question, moral courage becomes undefinable.

It seems that ethics is the primary issue now, ethics in government, in business and in private concerns. Moral courage is described as "the bridge between talking ethics and doing ethics." I don't think that is necessarily the moral issue.

Morality has nothing to do with ethics. Morality is standing up for your rights and standing firm when others do harm to you. He asks, "Am I motivated by my desire to uphold my beliefs or just to impose them on others?" There is no way to impose anything on anybody who is not willing to accept it.

Some of us fight for moral courage, which is so lacking in today's world. But is telling the truth right when it can hurt someone else desperately? Is that moral? Is it ethical to do things and say things which you know will cause irreperable harm to innocent people?

Our culture is full of those who get their kicks out of putting down an old woman and making her feel soiled, even though they have not touched her physically. Emotional abuse is by far a much greater harm to the psyche than any physical abuse is to the body. I know, because I endured it for 21 years. But I am a survivor, and I have always stood up for my rights. I was praised once upon a time, a while back, as sticking to my convictions, that not so many people will stand behind the courage of their convictions.

You don't have to achieve maturity to have moral courage. It just takes determination and character, no matter what your age is. No, it is not esoteric or practical, it is a necessity in today's world not to back down. That's the Scots-Irish in us Southerners.

Dr. Kidder is from the East where morals are different from the Bible Belt of the South. He is highly educated and serves on many boards as a VIP. I wonder what audience he wrote this particular book for, us commoners who have to struggle with everyday problems, like a death in the family, or the CEOs who dally with other people's money. There is a vast difference.