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The Good The Bad & The Difference: How to Tell Right from Wrong in Everyday Situations by Randy Cohen Recommendation: ••
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Righteous Readers who enjoy “The Ethicist” column in The New York Times will enjoy Randy Cohen’s new collection of those columns, The Good The Bad & The Difference. Cohen structured the book into seven sections: civic life; family life; social life; commercial life; medical life; work life and school life. While I eagerly anticipated the book and looked forward to reading it, I find my interest flagging before very long. Some selections are clearly better than others, and the overall impression is somewhat wearying. Here’s an excerpt from the work life section: “I recently received a job offer, which I orally accepted. When I approached my current employer with my resignation, he made a counteroffer. I now wish to remain with my current employer. Is it correct to revoke my acceptance of the original offer? - Anonymous The most virtuous thing to do is stand by your word unless your prospective employer is willing to release you. He probably will. No one wants a disgruntled worker on staff. But while garnering offers is fine, accepting them isn’t, at least not if what you prefer is to keep your current job and get a nice raise. Next time don’t be so quick to accept an offer you may not want. If you do decide to stay where you are, there are a couple of ways to make it up to your would-be employer. First, promptly inform him of your plans, to minimize his inconvenience. And second, be candid. Tell him why you changed your mind. Who knows, he may match your counteroffer – to which I hope you’ll not blurt out another reckless acceptance. Be grateful that your indiscretion involved an actual contemporary job offer and not a marriage proposal in a nineteenth-century novel: You’d be horsewhipped and driven from the county.” Many of the answers match this excerpt: a clear response; practical suggestions; and some fine wit. Each section includes an opportunity for readers to provide their own replies to questions via www.theethicistbook.com. Each chapter concludes with a guest ethicist whose answers are compared to those given by Cohen, as well as some back-and forth replies that agree or disagree with the advice offered. In small doses, this book is enjoyable. For a page-turner, look elsewhere. Steve Hopkins, April 24, 2002
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