Were His Disclosures in the Public Interest? Reports that the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in light of the publication of his book, Permanent Record, which is about his experiences at the NSA, raises the question once again whether he did the right... Read more →

Why Youngsters Are Vulnerable I have blogged many times before on the dangers of cyberbullying in general, attacks that directed towards youngsters, and cyberbullying in the workplace. The common element in each case is the use of social media to inflict pain on others through directed postings or anonymous posts.... Read more →

Doing Good By Being Good Brings Happiness and Meaning to Life I recently read about the Ten Keys to Happier Living published by the Action for Happiness team. In case you’re not familiar with the organization, Action for Happiness is dedicated to making people’s lives happier through writings on the... Read more →

An Historical Perspective on Professional Ethics MAX BLOCK DISTINGUISHED ARTICLE AWARD: The CPA Journal--March 2018 Issue In Brief The commitment to serve the public interest in accounting has eroded, as personal and business relationships with clients and client management increasingly create conflicts of interest. Many such relationships have created barriers... Read more →

Fairness, Personal Responsibility and Moral Hazard Issues This blog was first posted on my Ethics Sage website. I’ve made a few improvements since then. Should student debt be forgiven? If so, how much should be wiped clean? This is a big issue for Democratic Presidential candidates and the country. Bernie... Read more →

Is There a Link Between Ethics, Happiness, and Meaning? I’m often asked whether ethical behavior can lead to a happier, more meaningful life. The answer is “yes!” That’s why I wrote a book on it – Beyond Happiness and Meaning: Transforming Your Life Through Ethical Behavior. Of course, many people... Read more →

Professor Claims Capitalism to Blame For Why Students Are Graded A New School professor is calling for the abolition of grades claiming it is unfair to students. Gee, I thought grades introduced fairness because students are evaluated on their work and given higher grades for better work. I guess this... Read more →

Regaining Civility in Society I have previously blogged about the decline of civility in society and rampant unethical behavior that has created conflicts everywhere we look. It seems we no longer know how to disagree with each other without being disagreeable. In short, we have lost our moral compass. One... Read more →

Role as a Moral Agent One reason businesses still struggle with ethical behavior is they are unaware of their role as a moral agent. A moral agent is a person who has the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and to be held accountable for their actions. Moral agents... Read more →

Elizabeth Warren vs Bernie Sanders Should student debt be forgiven? If so, how much should be wiped clean? Who’s morally right: Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren? These are questions that should be asked in light of the Democratic debates and promises to students that their student debt will be wiped... Read more →