Moral Courage

by Rushworth Kidder

Book Overview

Why did a group of teenagers watch a friend die instead of putting their own reputations at risk? Why did a top White House official decide to come clean and accept a prison sentence during Watergate? Why did a finance executive turn down millions out of respect for her employer? Why are some willing to risk their futures to uphold principles? What gives us the strength to stand up for what we believe?

As these questions suggest, the topic...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060591560
• ISBN13: 9780060591564
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

An important topic no matter what your station in life

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.

Maintaining Principles Under Pressure

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.

Moral Courage by Rushworth Kidder

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.

An amazing examination of what it takes to be a hero

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.