Author: Jacobs Jane
Place: New York
Publisher: Vintage Books
Year: 1994
Volume: Survival ab 8
Pages: 236
ISBN: 0-679-74816-4
Subject: Philosophy
Sub-Subject: Moral Philosophy
Keyword: Moral System, Working Life, Ethical Conflict, Moral Contradictions
Classification: 174.42
Shelf: C6R5
Accession No: B825
Contents: Contents : Preface; One : armbruster`s Summons; Two : A pair of contradictions; Three : Kate on the commercial syndrome; Four : Why two syndrome; Five : Jasper and kate on the guardian syndrome; Six : trading, taking, and monstrous hybrids; seven : anomalies; Eight : casts of mind; Nine : Armbruster on ssyemic moral corruption; Ten : Syndrome – friendly inventions; Eleven : Hortense on castes and flexibility; Twelve : pitfalls of the methods; Thirteen : Hortense`s defense of moral flexibility; Fourteen : Plans and Champagne; Appendix : the commercial and guardian; Moral syndromes; Notes; Acknowledgments.
Abstract: This book explores the dual moral systems that underpin human working life, arguing that humans uniquely operate within two distinct frameworks: one based on territorial needs (like other animals) and another rooted in trade and production. These systems each have their own valid values and rules. Traditional moral teachings often fail to address the contradictions that arise in work, such as conflicts between loyalty and honesty. The author rejects the cynical view that morality applies only to private life, asserting instead that clear ethical rules can guide professional behavior. The book critiques both philosophical ideals and piecemeal modern ethics for not adequately explaining the moral complexity of working life. Through dialogue among equal characters rather than didactic exposition, it explores practical moral dilemmas faced in various professions and institutions. Topics include ethical lying, inefficiencies in government, male bonding, the ethics of law, and the intersection of commerce with science and art. The work emphasizes the need for democratic, informal dialogue to navigate the ethical challenges in business, government, and society at large. The goal is to provide clarity and useful moral insights for individuals engaged in modern working life, including those in post-Marxist and capitalist systems.