Morality in Learning Organisations LO17934

Richard Karash (rkarash@karash.com)
Wed, 29 Apr 1998 22:51:02 -0400 (EDT)

Replying to LO17928 --

On Wed, 29 Apr 1998, Ben Compton wrote:

> The one common attribute of morality that I hear enough to consider it to
> be "common" is that the actions of one person benefit (directly or
> indirectly) another. I'll go along with that definition, but I'll change
> it this way:
>
> Morality is that state where we are free to achieve what we want most,
> without impeding other's ability to do the same.

Ben, that seems like an interesting idea to me, but I think that you're
defined "freedom" not "morality".

A quick check of a couple of dictionaries finds Morality defined as:

- The quality of an action which renders it good; the conformity of an
act to the accepted standard of right.

- conformity to ideals of right human conduct.

And, this explanation:

Synonyms MORAL, ETHICAL, VIRTUOUS, RIGHTEOUS, NOBLE mean conforming to a
standard of what is right and good. MORAL implies conformity to
established sanctioned codes or accepted notions of right and wrong [the
basic moral values of a community]. ETHICAL may suggest the involvement of
more difficult or subtle questions of rightness, fairness, or equity
[committed to the highest ethical principles]. VIRTUOUS implies the
possession or manifestation of moral excellence in character [not a
religious person, but virtuous nevertheless]. RIGHTEOUS stresses
guiltlessness or blamelessness and often suggests the sanctimonious
[wished to be righteous before God and the world]. NOBLE implies moral
eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean, or dubious in conduct and
character [had the noblest of reasons for seeking office].

Then, I think this thread is really about Ethics... Is the stance for
Organizational Learning an ethical stance?

To me, a basic principle for a learning organization is respect for every
individual. To me, this is good ethics.

-- Rick

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