Randy Cohen: "Be Good: How To Navigate The Ethics Of Everything"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-09-11/randy-cohen-be-good-how-navigate-ethics-everything
Randy Cohen never set out to be a paragon of virtue. Though he spent a dozen years writing an ethics column for “The New York Times Magazine,” his previous career was as an Emmy-winning comedy writer. As “The Ethicist,” Cohen tackled questions on everything from what’s OK to hold back from your spouse to navigating the ethics of social media. Though his column addressed everyday issues, it revealed much about power, money, class and gender. His most surprising letters? He says they were the ones he didn’t receive –- from politicians and CEO’s -- the people he believes need to think about ethics most. Diane talks with Randy Cohen about how to make the right choices in a less-than-clear-cut world.
Guests
Randy Cohen
creator and host of Person Place Thing, a public radio program for WAMC and original writer of "The Ethicist" for The New York Times Magazine.
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Read An Excerpt
Excerpt from "Be Good: How To Navigate The Ethics Of Everything" by Randy Cohen. Copyright 2012 Randy Cohen. Reprinted here by permission of Chronicle Books. All rights reserved.
Comments
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Very odd no 9/11 focus on the Rehm show. Very odd
Agree with Kathleen and how funny is this given the brewing ethics scandal at NPR itself. Why not ask Cohen about that one? Is it OK for news organizations and academics to collude to keep secrets from the public?
I disagree with your guest and I agree with Sam Harris that lying is a bad way to move through the world. I think using the fact that most people do it to accept it as ethical would also permit stealing. Everyone has taken something that doesn't belong to them at some point in their life, but this does not mean that stealing should be acceptable behavior.
http://www.samharris.org/lying
I have two friends Bev and John Titus who lost their daughter Alicia Titus on 9/11 . She was was a stewardess on the United Flight 175 flown into the World Trade Center. They led the march against the invasion of Iraq in New York in Feb 2003 with other 9/11 families against the invasion as well as Vets from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm because they did not want the 9/11 attacks to be used to kill others based on a "pack of lies" Their ethics are of the highest nature to me. Can you discuss this type of amazing integrity and ethics...beyond measure
Have intervened with parents and children numerous times when I have seen violence or frustration. Have always approached with empathy "oh I know it is so hard raising children" always from an empathetic stance. Then you can lend a hand or halt the abuse . It always ALWAYS has created a moment of understanding (of course not for kicking a child) but it breaks the wall of you're bad I'm good moment. Always works
Have intervened with parents and children numerous times when I have seen violence or frustration. Have always approached with empathy "oh I know it is so hard raising children" always from an empathetic stance. Then you can lend a hand or halt the abuse . It always ALWAYS has created a moment of understanding (of course not for kicking a child) but it breaks the wall of you're bad I'm good moment. Always works
Re the parent hitting the child - - adding stress to the situation serves no one. I have been in a similar situation - - I walked slowly and directly to the family, as I approached I said 'It seems that you are having a tough day. I've been through those, too, and I have a few minutes before I have to be at work. Is there some way I could help you or the kids in the next little while?"
The mother realized that she had been seen (as Diane felt was important) but neither she nor the children were isolated.
I think that re-enforcing the interconnectedness of us as human beings is a very important value in any such ethical exercises.
Tell your guest that there is no meat in mincemeat. Mostly nuts, dates, raisins and other good things.
I think the people commenting here have a greater sense of what ethics is, than does your guest! I am always skeptical of "ethicists" who claim to have all the answers. Weren't there ethicists in the 1800s to talk about slavery? How about waterboarding, NPR, is that OK now, or did that go out with the Bush administration. Most ethicists I have heard speak are basically cowards (i.e. they will not protest, or risk arrest for what they claim to believe). For instance "bioethicists" seem to think that only people are animals that deserve ethical treatment. They often serve at medical research universities that do terrible things to animals but never speak out on their behalf. Isn't that pretty hypocritical?
Speaking of which, Wayne State University (Detroit) is experimenting on shelter dogs as Cohen speaks. What does he think about that (after a dog gave up its life saving its owner from suicide in Russia)? Does he think that kind of thing is STILL ethical in a civilized society? When did "the ethicists" DECIDE that slavery was no longer OK? Curious to know.
Can you please discuss the ethics and morality Americans feel towards those who lost their lives in the horrific attacks on 9/11 and the distance or disregard most Americans feel towards the deaths injuries and displacement of hundreds of thousands in Iraq based on a complete pack of lies.
Please discuss this horrible disconnect in our country
Totally with you Cameron. When you display empathy all things change...generally. Although when it comes to violence I am with Diane you have to try to stop it...carefully
kathleen wrote: "Can you please discuss the ethics and morality Americans feel towards those who lost their lives in the horrific attacks on 9/11 and the distance or disregard most Americans feel towards the deaths injuries and displacement of hundreds of thousands in Iraq based on a complete pack of lies.
Please discuss this horrible disconnect in our country"
I agree wholeheartedly. Today is a solemn day, and we must remain in rememberance.
btw, it's interesting that people like ecgberht, jim davis, and partisan politics won't comment OTHER than politics. I guess it doesn't provide them an opportunity to bash Obama.
re: Diane's example: This mother was in public mistreating a child. And yes, this may not be the typical "child abuse" that Protective Services would deal with, but by Diane speaking up in this circumstance, she modeled to both the parents and especially to the child that some adults will notice mistreatment and will do something. Unfortunately, by saying something - even if it is non-threatening - a person risks the same type of behavior used on her by the offending adult. One can only hope this gave these parents food for thought later.
Degradation of ethics and morals from the top down. When we as a nation witness a President who lied under oath about bj's held accountable and millions of dollars and time spent on this. Then we witness an administration who created an intelligence snowjob to invade Iraq which resulted in thousands of dead, injured and millions displaced and no one held accountable. Explain those ethics
When Americans witness our congress and the Obama administration allow those who brought the U.S. economy to its knees while they walked away with enormous profits... explain how the lack of ethics in both of these situations effect the morals and ethics trickle down into the wider population.
No need to wonder why this country is imploding from the inside out
The guest mentioned that he'd received thousands of inquiries from physicians and substantially fewer from attorneys. Attorneys are bound by written codes of ethics and often have access to decisions on ethical issues written by attorneys or regulatory boards. With all due respect your guest may not be qualified in the field of legal ethics.
Along with 9/11 and the reasons for going into Iraq, please talk about the ethics of letting 1000s of unarmed people get slaughtered in Syria (even though it is a more complicated situation). Please talk about the ethics of having secret prisons and incarcerating people like Manning and going after Assange, while allowing Navy Seals to talk openly about all that they do and even make movies about it (used to all be top-top secret stuff). And, why was no one ever punished for outing Valerie Plame?
Diane did do the right thing. Stop the violence. But Diane can be dismissive and has at times an arrogant tone at times.
How ethical is it when journalist or MSM host allow very dangerous lies to be repeated on their programs. Last Friday Diane allowed CNN's Ms. Labott to repeat that Iran is working on nuclear weapons. On Monday she allowed guest to repeat completely unsubstantiated claims about Iran. Totally unethical and extremely irresponsible and dangerous. Please talk about the lack of ethics in our MSM. Seems like they did not learn anything about their failure to ask tough questions in the run up to the invasion of Iraq. HOW ETHICAL IS THAT?
Such and odd show to be having on 9/11 and not mention 9/11 and ethics.
For Randy
Was it ethical for the Bush administration to link the attacks on 9/11 with the invasion of Iraq?
@Jokr8790
The law doesn't cover ethics!! You can be as unethical as you want and never break a single law. Aren't there lots and lots of lawyers on Wall Street, at Mortgage companies, at crooked companies, even working for the Mafia. What does law have to do with ethics - really? It is only concerned with keeping people out of jail and finding ways for them to avoid having to pay out money.
as a former physician, new young physicians in my group have adopted their own ethical statement, "speed and greed." Group position was, "patient well being is of utmost importance and shall always be of primary concern." As former director of QA I saw mistakes being made daily and could not complain any longer. All older physicians I know face this from group and hospital administrators, what do we do?
In terms of animal rights, I think such groups (i.e. PETA) take it way too far.
I tried becoming a vegetarian in college, but ended up feeling awful and gaining more weight. When I began eating meat again, I felt so much better.
Yes, there is animal abuse, and in terms of animals raised for food, this is more so in feedlots. As a result, I won't buy meat from the grocery store--as I don't know where it's from, the condition of the animal at the time of slaughter, and the conditions to which that animal was raised. If you are going to eat meat, I recommend getting it from the farmer's market or a local farm. I'm fortunate to live in PA, and local farms that produce amazing meat and vegetables are in abundance.
I agree with the email in terms of the teenage boy lying to girls in order to get sex. We must admit that we still live in a society with double standards--in which boys are encouraged to have sex as soon as they reach puberty and as much as possible and without regards for the girls. On the other hand, girls who have sex are demonized.
We need to get rid of that double standard and teach both boys and girls to respect each other...in ALL aspects.
After many years of trying to decide what is moral/ethical vis a vis religions, --- i.e., what's the "bottom line" by which we all must lead our lives in the face of so many and various different religions of the world, often with contradictory beliefs?
I can only reduce it to the Golden Rule as the only standard anyone needs:
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Randy Cohen "the book is quite funny" What an odd odd choice on 9/11? What is up with the Rehm team?
I find it refreshing to not have another program on 9-11. There are -- today and lately -- enough of them on TV + radio + in written media.
This does NOT reflect on Diane!
IndieLady7
When it comes to fighting for the rights of animals, I do a little more than just talk about the food I like to eat (and I don't need PETA to tell me what is right and wrong). I organize protests and make sure to write to the people involved and make their names known to others so they can be held accountable, at least at some future date. I make sure that these people can't do what they do in secret. Those who mistreat animals today, need to be remembered tomorrow and always. The animals they have harmed and killed should also be remembered (particularly if they are loyal and loving dogs).
Truth Seeker, law and ethics can be intertwined. They are not necessarily what the average person might regard as ethical. Just as an example violating a client's confidentiality is an ethical violation which can subject an attorney to sanctions.
Jokr8790 wrote:
"Truth Seeker, law and ethics can be intertwined. They are not necessarily what the average person might regard as ethical. Just as an example violating a client's confidentiality is an ethical violation which can subject an attorney to sanctions."
Yes, but that would be SO STUPID and OBVIOUS that any lawyer that might even accidentally do it should never have gotten a law degree, in the first place. I am talking about the dozens of unethical things that people (an lawyers) do every day that DON'T get you into legal trouble and are particularly hard to prove against a lawyer (even for the purposes of disbarment). Don't play naive, OK? Lawyers are certainly no exemplars of high ethics. When it might help their clients (and their billable hours), they are willing to go the distance - right up to the line. Everyone knows this! What about O.J.?
Regarding lawyers -- we have our own Codes of Conduct and rules and trained ethicists who provide guidance to lawyers who have specific questions. Usually, these are available free of charge through our Bar associations. To ask a layman, such as your guest, for his opinion might be interesting, but would not be responsible. Questions of legal ethics, with all due respect to your guest, are too serious to be addressed in such a manner.
Anyone who cares about the ethical treatment of animals should contact Wayne State University (Detroit) and tell them to stop experimenting on shelter dogs (and any dogs). These poor animals have already suffered enough!
Tell the university president and their PR department to stop this abuse immediately!