Moral Imagination

04/19/23 (c) Lawrence M. Hinman 1

Lawrence M. Hinman, Ph.D.Director, The Values InstituteUniversity of San Diego

Moral ImaginationMoral ImaginationWhat it is and why you need it in

the business, law, and life

USD Academy for Financial USD Academy for Financial and Estate Planningand Estate Planning

November 9, 2005


Moral Imagination: Overview

The Scandal Approach to ethics The challenge An example of moral imagination It’s not just what we do, but how

we do it From “either-or” to “both-and” Discussion


Business Ethics—no shortage of scandals

Adelphia Enron HealthSouth and Scrushy Imclone and Martha

Stewart Tyco's WorldCom Qwest Communications Dick Grasso's

controversial pay package Exxon Mobil profits ($9.9B

for 3rd quarter)


Legal & Government Ethics

Ralph Inzunza and Michael Zucchet

Duke Cunningham I. “Scooter” Libby San Diego pension

scandal


The Scandal Approachto Ethics

Points out what is wrong Usually with other people Too easy Doesn’t provide leadership


Another Approach:Moral Imagination

The real moral challenge: how to create goodness out of bad situations

Moral imagination can help us to do that.


Truth and Reconciliation Hearings In South Africa and several South

American countries, after the overthrow of repressive regimes, leaders faced a difficult challenge: whether or not to hold trials for the crimes committed by the previous regime. – To hold trials threatened to continue

an unending cycle of recriminations and bitterness

– Not to hold trials seemed to condone the crimes of the past and devalue the suffering of the persecuted

Truth and reconciliation hearings showed moral imagination, looking for a way of combining both accountability and healing.


Nelson Mandela

In a nation scarred by deep bitterness and hatred, Mandela saw the possibility of goodness in an evil world

Invitation to his jailer to attend inauguration

Wearing the Springbok cap


It’s not just what we do, but how we do it:

The role of moral imagination in informing our actions

Not only is it important to do the right thing, but to do the right thing well—and this requires moral imagination.

Example #1: Telling the truth well– Giving clients bad news

Example #2: Disciplining students– Pacific Northwest example

Example #3: Helping your child to understand the world. What happens, for example, when your child sees a teacher not being fair? Seeing injustice in the world?


Moral Imagination and Finding a Common Ground

Moral imagination allows us to find the common ground beneath seemingly irreconcilable positions.

The challenge: to imagine a possibility that preserves the shared value linking apparently incompatible positions.

Imagination allows us to discern—recall Ignatius’ beautiful phrase, “the discernment of the spirit”—the possibilities of goodness in a situation, and this is essentially an imaginative act.

The real moral challenge is figuring out how to bring goodness out of bad situations.


The Moral “Sweet Spot”

One of the goals of moral imagination is to find the moral “sweet spot,” that is, the point at which altruism and self-interest coincide.


Either/Or In business, law and the social sciences—

psychology, sociology, political science, sociobiology, economics—discussions of selfishness and altruism often presume that these are polar opposites, sometimes even mutually exclusive.

Often in business, we must choose between self-interest and helping other people.


Visualizing the Dichotomy

One model sees selfishness and altruism as opposite ends of a continuum:

The more altruistic you are, the less selfish you are, and vice versa.

Altruism Egoism


A different way of looking at things

In this presentation, I shall argue that this dichotomy is both mistaken and misleading in harmful ways.


Let’s Think about This in a New Way

Instead of seeing this one a single scale, we can see egoism and altruism as two independent axes:

Conceptualizing the issue in this way allows some actions to be done both for the sake of others and for one’s own sake, and avoids falling into a false dichotomy between altruism and egoism.

Helpsothers

Hurtsself

Hurtsothers

Helpsself

14

3 2


The Moral Sweet Spot:Reconciling Egoism and Altruism in the Real World

Ideally, we seek a society in which self-interest and regard for others converge—the green zone.

Egoism at the expense of others and altruism at the expense of self-interest both create worlds in which goodness and self-regard are mutually exclusive—the yellow yellow zonezone.

No one want the red zone, which is against both self-interest and regard for others.

The Moral Sweet Spot”Helps

others

Hurtsyourself

Hurtsothers

HelpsYourself

Self-sacrificingaltruism

Self-interestat the expense

of others

Self-interestand regardfor othersconverge

Not beneficialeither to self

or others

Looking out for #1

Drug addictionAlcoholism, etc.

The life of duty& self-sacrifice


On-line music,intellectual property on the web

We can see the challenge in regard to on-line music and other intellectual property

Often, it is harder to pay for music than to pirate it, at least until iTunes

The Moral Sweet Spot”Benefits

Authors & distributors

Hurtsusers

HurtsAuthors & distributors

Helpsusers

Most pay-for-music

sites

Napster, etc.

iTunes?

No on-lne musicat all


Stem cell research The challenge of

stem cell research has been to find a way to derive the benefits of stem cell research without the destruction of human embryos

Now, scientists are developing ways—such as regressing adult skin cells—that fall into the green zone.

The Moral Sweet Spot”Helps

embryos &fetuses

Hurtsthose who

are ill

Hurtsembryos &

fetuses

Helpsthose who

are ill

Ban on using human

embryos;embryo adoption

Stem cellresearch that

Destroysembryos

Regressing

adultskin cells

Ban on usinghuman

embryos?


Wal-Mart vs. Costco

HighBenefit to Others

Low Benefit to Self

LowBenefit to Others

HighBenefit to Self

Needless Markup

Wal-Mart

Costco

Don’t shop here!


NIH ScientistsHighBenefit to Others

Low BenefitTo Self

LowBenefit to Others

HighBenefit to Self

Reduce conflict of interest,Retain

incentives

Give upall stock,

consulting

UnlimitedPrivate

Interests

Reductionin scientific

research


Designing Laws & Regulations

This framework not only allows us to discern ways in which we can act, but it also provides guidelines for constructing laws & regulations.

The best laws & regulations maximize the green zone, minimizing yellow and red.

The worse laws & regulations minimize the green zone, maximizing yellow and red.


Little possibility forwin-win solutions

The Worst Societies

A society that continually forces individuals to choose between their own self-interest and the interest of others establish win-lose scenarios.

No one want the red zone, which is against both self-interest and regard for others.

HighEgoism

HighAltruism

Low Egoism

LowAltruism

Self-sacrificingaltruism

Self-interestat expenseof others


Not beneficialto self

or others

Some who sacrificefor common good

Many out justfor themselves

Drug addictionAlcoholism, etc.


Maximizingthe “Sweet Spot”

The Best Societies

Ideally, we seek a society in which self-interest and regard for others converge—the green zone.

Some self-interestat expense of others

Not beneficialeither to

selfor others

HighAltruism

Low Egoism

LowAltruism

HighEgoism

Self-sacrificing

altruism

Self-interestat the expense

of others


Some self-sacrifice

Few lose-losesituations.


Small Group Topics Discuss examples in your own profession

of ways to hit the moral “sweet spot.” What are some of the examples you have

seen of best practices in regard to moral imagination?

What are some of the laws & regulations in your profession that force you and your clients to choose between self and other, between altruism and self-interest.


Conclusion

Visit us on the web at:

http://ethics.sandiego.edu


Unused Slides

Stem cell research


The Promise of Stem Cells


The Danger of Stem Cells

Human embryonic stem cell research and therapy begin with human embryos, sometimes as early as the eight-cell stage.

Are these human beings at this stage? Are we killing human beings at this stage?

Day 3:Eight Cells

Documents

Moral Imagination