Shared Values Troubled World
Rushworth M. Kidder, Kidder. Jossey-Bass, $28.95 (332pp) ISBN 978-1-55542-603-3
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.)
Details
Reviewed on: 01/03/1994
Genre: Nonfiction