How to Know What the Right Thing to Do Is The Moral Point of View suggests that sometimes people have to set aside their own interests and act in the best interests of others. This notion of doing what’s best for others – at least some of the time –... Read more →
Virtue + Practical Wisdom = Human Flourishing We gain practical wisdom through the choices we make in life. Aristotle refined the idea of practical wisdom in his classic book, Nicomachean Ethics. Ethics, said Aristotle, was not mainly about establishing moral rules and following them. It was about performing a particular... Read more →
Do You Value, Values? Values are basic and fundamental beliefs that guide or motivate attitudes or actions. They help us to determine what is important to us. Values describe the personal qualities we choose to embody to guide our actions; the sort of person we want to be; the manner... Read more →
Words of Wisdom from the Ethics Sage Do you care about others or are you a selfish individual? Do you accept responsibility for your actions or blame others for bad things that happen to you? Do you love others unconditionally or expect something in return? These are some of the... Read more →
The Moral Challenge of Choosing Between Right and Wrong Integrity is an often misunderstood value and that’s the reason it is reasonable to ask whether it is always a moral value. The dictionary defines it as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” That’s fine... Read more →
On Being an Ethical Person When your moral compass is headed true North, you will know you are on the right path to ethical decision-making. By placing moral in front of compass we create a clear vision of the mental processes that point us in an ethical direction. Using the... Read more →
Rational Egoism Underlies College Students’ Beliefs Rational egoism is a particular brand of ethical egoism that claims the promotion of one’s own interest is always in accordance with reason. Rational egoism, also called rational selfishness, is the principle that an action is rational if and only if it maximizes one’s... Read more →
Applying the Takings Clause of the U.S. Constitution The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: “No person shall be deprived…of property without due process of law.” The Amendment includes a provision known as the “Takings Clause,” which states that private property [shall not] be taken for public use, without... Read more →
Educating the Mind as Well as the Heart and Soul of College Students It’s time to shake things up in our attempt to teach ethics to college students. The old ways do not work well. The days of lecturing ad nauseam about the philosophy of ethics is gone. Let’s face... Read more →
Published Research Papers by Steven Mintz You can now follow my academic published papers on bepress. These include articles on the philosophy of ethics, ethics in business, ethics in accounting and higher education ethics. Read more →