Shared Values Troubled World

Kidder, president of the Institute for Global Ethics and a columnist for the Christian Science Monitor , here interviews 24 ethical leaders from around the globe to draft a code of ethics. The interviews--six of which appeared in the Monitor --are brief but contain much wisdom: Shojun Bando, a Japanese academic and Buddhist monk, suggests how adversity might move society toward a love without egoism; Vietnamese-born author Le Ly Hayslip worries about the corrosive effects of Western materialism; educator Jill Ker Conway warns against the increase of violence against women; attorney Newton Minow muses on how television can become a moral force. In conclusion, Kidder compiles eight vital values--love, truthfulness, fairness, freedom, unity, tolerance, responsibility and respect for life. Such an admirable list, however, offers little guidance to those wrestling with applying those values to divisive issues like abortion and affirmative action. (Apr.)