President of Providence College, 1965-1971; President of North Adams State College, 1979-1983;
More ...
This series of columns on business ethics actually addresses a broader view of ethical thinking that applies to all aspects of professional and private morality. Here ethics is treated as an ongoing exercise in trying to figure out (reason) what the problems are and what an individual or group might do about them. Ethical thinking is a life-time job of becoming more and more human so that other persons can do likewise.
There is more to morality than telling the difference between right and wrong. Life offers an abundance of choices among several good options, whether or not one even thinks of the worst moral alternatives. Laws, rules and regulations are only a part of the ethical enterprise: making good and useful rules and getting rid of useless or harmful rules is also part of being ethical.
Becoming as good a human being as is possible, growing in generosity, in courage, in self-control and in wise judgment, challenges every thoughtful person,
These essays on business ethics try to show that the business of ethics is much more demanding than the ethics of business.
For a more rigorous treatment of some fundamental ethical principles one might consult my essays on the digital commons: “Strategies for Life” and “Natural Law Naturally Changes.”