"Ethics in the Library" Presentation

Good morning all,

 

Last week, Professor Wade Maki gave a very insightful and engaging talk on ethics and how it relates to libraries.  He began his talk by focusing on the three different philosophies on ethics:

 

Virtue Ethics – Aristotle

Bumper sticker(s):

• Virtue is the mean between excess and deficiency
• Character counts!
• Good people make good decisions

 Kantian Ethics – Immanuel Kant

 Bumper sticker(s):

• Do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason
• Always show respect for humanity – don’t use people
• Treat people as ends in themselves not a means to your ends

 Utilitarian Ethics – Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and Peter Singer

 Bumper sticker(s): 

• Achieve the greatest good for the greatest number
• The end justifies the means
• Happiness is the ultimate  

He then discussed some general information on ethics noting that “ A “code of ethics” does not entail ethical behavior just ask the Mafia.”

 

We then broke out into small groups and discussed seven ethical scenarios related to libraries and discussed how we would have approached them.

 

For those who could not attend, I have provided a link to the handout HERE. 

 

Sean