Books on ethics
Glenn’s understanding of ethics arose out of a concern about what drives people to act unethically. This examination of people’s motives led him to see the links between our conduct, our beliefs about the world, and the values we hold.
From this viewpoint he developed a framework of human values which reflects five dimensions of the person, which he calls Cognition, Emotion, Valuing, Energy/Spirit and Psyche/Soul. Along with this, he offers a model for how people differ along an ethical spectrum, from people who have no regard for ethics at all through to people who have a high commitment to the well-being of all.
We have become accustomed to thinking of ethics negatively, as a constraint on our actions, through rules with which we must comply. But ethics needs to be seen positively, as the foundation of our relationships with other people and with the physical world. Ethics is bound up with our sense of purpose in life.
We also need to recognise the negative influence of the business world when it seeks to banish the place of ethics from business. To say that profit is the only important thing is both a conceit and a delusion. We are human, and we need to have regard for the well-being of others, and for the natural world.We need to abide by the values of truth, peace, fairness and justice, respect and kindness, or our lives are worthless.
These are Glenn’s books on ethics:
The Concise eBook of Ethics (2012).
Glenn has other resources available on his approach to ethics. He is available to talk about his perspective on ethics for a variety of audiences, and to conduct workshops and educational courses.
Five faculties of the person
The five faculties (or dimensions) of the person are shown in the image below. Cognition, Emotion and Valuing are shown as three separate and complementary dimensions. This is to say that all three dimensions are necessary, and that valuing (our judgements about right/wrong, good/bad, true/false) is not a subset of the emotions. Valuing also leads into the higher dimensions of the person – to Spirit (or Energy) and to Psyche (or Soul). A whole new understanding of ethics comes out of this perspective.
Diagram of the five faculties of the person
Core Values
Cognition: Truthfulness
Emotion: Peace-making
Valuing: Fairness, Justice, Respect
Energy/Spirit: Compassion
Psyche/Soul: Appreciation
Availability of books: The links near each book take you to my Spotlight page on the Lulu.com website, from where my books may be purchased. They are print-on-demand, and wherever you are globally, they are printed and posted in or near your country. Enjoy.
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Read a sample from the book:
A Foundation for Living Ethically
Today, many people seem to think they can reject ethics, and even think that success requires its rejection. Others think they can choose what ethical principles to accept and reject, because it is just personal and subjective. A lot of talk that relates to ethics is confused or confusing. In the face of this we might despair, or resort to scrambling for popularity, power and material success, knowing that our victory, should it occur, may be fickle and transient, and it will probably cost us personally.
In this book you will find a plausible foundation for living an ethical life, based on five core human values. It begins with the simple idea of ethics as having regard for the well-being of others.
This is not to suggest that you can be perfect or superior to others, but it is to say you can live ethically, and also that it is a worthwhile way to live. Watch the video below.
Published 2020. Paperback, 195 pages. ISBN 978 0 6480811 6 6
ebook version: ISBN 978 0 6480811 7 3
Click one of the links below to go to Lulu.com to purchase the book (paperback or epub).
Read a sample from the book:
Human Values and Ethics in the Workplace
This book shows how our values and behaviour arise out of our beliefs – our world view. Part I of the book presents a framework for conduct, and Part II looks at how this works out in practice in the workplace and in leadership.
Published 2010. Paperback, 325 pages. ISBN 9 7812570 1303 6
e-book ISBN 978 0 6487797 7 3
Read a sample of the book: Click here
The LIttle Book of Ethics
A Human Values Approach
This little book succinctly presents a framework for thinking clearly about ethics. It explains how people see ethics in terms of rules, or relationships, or deep identity and spirituality. It offers five core human values based on five dimensions of the person, addresses frequently asked questions about ethics, and provides a self-evaluation exercise for readers.
Published 2011. Paperback, 100 pages. ISBN 978 0 980 40454 8
e-book version ISBN 978 0 6487797 2 8
The Concise eBook of Ethics
This book seeks to provide the essence of the author’s ideas in the original book, Human values and ethics in the workplace. It presents the key concepts of the approach to ethics through a framework of human values, and offers some steps for putting ethics into practice. It also includes a chapter on “Why you should be ethical”.
Published 2012. ebook, 28 pages (epub file)
ISBN 978 0 6480811 9 7