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The Ethical Mind

Article Review

Misti Walker

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The Ethical Mind - Howard Gardner

In the interview, The Ethical Mind, Howard Gardner, a Harvard University

psychologist explains what it means to have an ethical mind. He points out that the

ethical mind is different than the other four types of minds that people should hone in

order to improve all aspects of their life. That is,

• The disciplined mind – the mind that keeps us on track and motivated to achieve

goals

• The synthesizing mind – the mind that absorbs information, weeds out useless

information and assembles information in an effective and communicable way

• The creating mind – the mind that is constantly discovering, looking for new ideas

and designing

• The respectful mind – the mind that is open to new experiences and ideas and

believes that all men are created equal

However, these minds are not to be confused with the ethical mind. The ethical

mind is much more abstract than any of the others. It is an idea that is built on respect

for others but delves deeper by looking at the big picture. Dr. Gardner goes on to cite

whistleblowers as an example of the ethical mind. Employees who blow the whistle are

not being respectful to those they turn in. Rather, the whistleblower is more concerned

with the effects the misdeeds may have on society or the company as a whole. Risking

their job and financial security is never comfortable but whistleblowers feel they must

report actions that threaten the livelihood of the company, public, and/or shareholders.

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The ethical mind is said to begin to develop during childhood, as children

observe their parents, older siblings, and other role models. If children observe people

who are open-minded, kind, and are perceived as “playing fair”, they are more likely to

grow up and exhibit the same attributes. It is worth mentioning that peers also play an

important role in the development of these attributes, during the teen years especially.

Also important is the surrounding community; studies show that places where the

community pulls together to provide services and programs to others produce children

that reciprocate when they are older.

As with nearly everything else, the ethical mind will deteriorate unless it is properly

maintained and constantly reviewed. One of the obstacles to maintaining an ethical

mind is your peers. If your fellow students are cheating, you might think it socially

acceptable to follow suit. Likewise, in the workplace, if your boss is tweaking the

numbers but it works out to your mutual advantage, will you say anything? On the other

hand, if your boss displays equity, kindness, and efficiency, you are likely to exhibit

these traits.

How does one safeguard oneself from the erosion of their ethical mind? Gardner

states that it helps to do the right thing when you are a part of an organization that has a

unified mission and everyone is harmoniously working toward a unified goal. Absent

this, workers can periodically take a moral inventory to ensure that they haven’t gotten

off track. However, Gardner warns that people can be self-delusional and thus may

need an objective sounding board on occasion. He recommends that people have

three different types of advisors. First, you need a confidant from within the

organization. Next, you need a pragmatic friend outside of the organization. Last, you

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need an independent board. Recently, this notion has played out on the news in the

selection of the Cabinet by President Barack Obama. Many critics surfaced when the

President tapped Hillary Clinton, his former opponent, for Secretary of State. The press

immediately referred to his choices as a “team of rivals”, citing his and Clinton’s very

public disagreements on policy that came out during the primaries. Obama,

nonplussed, claims that he hopes to surround himself with people of all different

backgrounds and viewpoints to gain a more complete view on various subjects. He

rejects the idea of being surrounded by yes-men, or women in this case.

Perhaps Obama should also take Gardner’s advice when he speaks of the merit of

periodic review. At times, a leader should step back and contemplate if the organization

is still progressing towards its broad goal. In Obama’s case, bringing America back to

the ideals it was founded upon.

This article seemed a little disjointed to me. It jumped back and forth between ideas.

Otherwise, I think the author did a good job of dumbing down the philosophy ideas for

MBA students. Probably a good idea, since we all cheat all the time anyway.lol

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