Practical Ethics for Mediators in 2008?
No, this is neither a prediction nor a demand. Rather, it is a new year’s wish on my part.
A book with a title something roughly like that is slated to appear this coming year, I believe. And I look forward to it greatly.
Conceived and edited by Professor Ellen Waldman, the book is a collection of scenarios carefully crafted by Ellen, who then solicited multiple scholars and practitioners to discuss, in detail how they would respond and why. My aspiration is not that she will coax out of the contributors a unified voice. In fact, that would rather disappoint me. Instead, I hope to be inspired, outraged, and enlightened by the variety of thoughtful voices that I expect to appear in the volume.
To be published by Jossey-Bass, I can’t find any pre-publication propaganda about the book in my online searches. But stay tuned…
Michael Moffitt
Rest Assured – We don’t speak with one voice- and the essays contained in Practical Ethics for Mediators will prove it. The book- as it comes together- reveals the different values, concerns and aspirations that practitioners and scholars bring to their work in resolving conflict. Just as Kant and Bentham held different approaches to duty, happiness, truth-telling , and the meaning of “the good”- so too do individual mediators. Autonomy, confidentiality, informed consent and impartiality. We each pledge allegiance to these concepts- but put our own gloss on what they require in any individual case.
Inspired, enraged, enlightened- I certainly hope so!And, perhaps moved to reflect again on the tensions implicit in our ethical standards and the challenges we face in trying – in Spike Jones’ immortal words- to Do the Right Thing
No pre-publication glossies , yet- but soon. I’ll provide more info when you can expect to see our heterogeneity on display- in a bookstore near you!