What SHould I Do?: 4 Simple Steps to Making Better Decisions in Everyday Life [Paperback]

Bruce Weinstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 2000

What's right? What's wrong? A noted ethicist shows readers how to make the best decisions... in four easy steps.

The new guy in marketing keeps telling racist jokes. I don't want to make waves, but...what should I do?

My mother is terminally ill and wants to end her life. It's breaking my heart...what should I do?

We all want to "do the right thing." But how can we know what the "right thing" is?

This entertaining and straightforward guide to handling tricky and troubling situations at work, in relationships, and in day-to-day life offers a four-step process to help us make the best decisions possible. With the advice, guidance, and real-life examples in this book, we can think things through with a clearer head-and emerge with a clearer conscience-whether we're struggling with everyday conflicts or life's toughest choices.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What would you do if your boss said, "Sleep with me and you'll get a raise"? If a friend asked your opinion about a hideous new dress? Or the age-old quandary: "Should I tell my spouse about my affair?" Carefully and methodically, author Bruce Weinstein lays out all the considerations and courses of action when handling troubling situations such as these. Like a levelheaded grandfather who holds readers' hands and walks them through life's toughest dilemmas, Weinstein helps readers look inward with a clearer lens so that answers come from the person's core rather than in reaction to someone else's opinion.

The chapters are organized according to the different arenas in which problems occur, with headings such as "Making Better Decisions at Work," "Making Better Decisions in Marriage and Long-Term Relationships," and "Making Better Decisions at the End of Life." Within these chapters, Weinstein lays out anecdotal quandaries, then presents the "facts." Take Tim, who doesn't want to tell his wife, Rebecca, about the affair he had for fear of losing her but is also not sure he wants to stay married. Weinstein lists the values that are at stake (Tim hates lying but he also hates hurting his wife), and then he lists the options and evaluates the possible outcomes: tell her, hold the secret, get counseling about marital ambivalence, etc. Readers will breathe a sigh of relief when they find their dilemmas explored in these personal stories and then see the options laid out in an organized and sensible fashion. Amazingly, the answer to "What should I do?" becomes clearer (and it will differ from reader to reader) when all the courses of action are examined in this supportive and nonjudgmental fashion. --Gail Hudson

About the Author

Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D., has edited three books and published over 20 articles on ethical issues in the Journal of the American Medical Association and other publications. He earned his doctorate in philosophy and bioethics from Georgetown University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade (September 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399526285
• ISBN-13: 978-0399526282
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,385,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doing the Right Thing, September 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: What SHould I Do?: 4 Simple Steps to Making Better Decisions in Everyday Life (Paperback)

Bruce Weinstein's book is an invaluable source of wisdom in an age of moral confusion and rampant relativism. With wit and grace he takes the reader through dozens of real-life scenarios in which serious questions arise -- Should I tell my spouse about my affair? How do I deal with a co-worker who tells racist jokes? What do I do when my child befriends someone I don't approve of? In each case, Weinstein offers a 4-step process that makes the reader aware of the values at stake and helps them make the best possible decision. I highly reccomend this book to anyone concerned about doing the right thing when faced with the many ethical and moral dilemmas of everyday life.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better decisions made easy, October 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: What SHould I Do?: 4 Simple Steps to Making Better Decisions in Everyday Life (Paperback)

I have to admit I was skeptical when I picked this book up. I've never been much for these "self-help" books. However, "What Should I Do?" truly delivers. It provides a simple framework for making everyday decisions that often bog us down. In a society that has us all constantly on the move, the efficiency of this approach, if nothing else, is certainly helpful. However, what I like most is that it helps you get to the right choice for you. Rather than tell you what the right answer is (and don't we all get enough of that), "What Should I Do?" gives you a way to identify the relevant values and evaluate options.

Unlike many other books, this one also provides you with meaningful hypotheticals that show you how to apply Dr. Weinstein's suggestions to real problems in your life. For example, in chapter 5 there's a discussion of long-term relationships and that age-old problem of who does what (or who doesn't do what) around the house. By examining the options in much the same way Dr. Weinstein does in the book, my wife and I were able to reach a decision that made sense for both of us (although the solution remains a work in progress!).

Finally, as a skeptic I tend to look at the credentials of the author. There are so many hucksters on this circuit, you can't be too careful. I was pleased to see that Dr. Weinstein went to Swarthmore, has a Ph.D. from Georgetown, has edited three other books and has published over twenty articles on ethics in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Sage advice from a reliable source. This book is a gem.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars World's greatest book on ethics!, November 10, 2000

By 

liz weinstein (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What SHould I Do?: 4 Simple Steps to Making Better Decisions in Everyday Life (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading this wonderful book. It was easy to read and understand, and had great and practical solutions to some of life's most difficult ethical issues. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age !