19. Encyclopedias
Description of Publication: Encyclopedia of Ethics
This encyclopedia is an anthology of 435 signed articles (between 1,000 and 5,000 words each) on topics dealing with, among other things, business ethics; political, social, and legal theory; trends; summaries of leading concepts; and biographical entries. Subjects range alphabetically from abortion to work.
The Encyclopedia of Ethics, edited by Laurence and Charlotte Becker, is an extremely handy reference piece on those so-called philosophical subjects that almost always seem to cause controversy. I say "so-called" because few of us would consider ourselves philosophers, yet most would never hesitate to give a person our opinion on abortion, Martin Luther King, happiness, charity, Sartre, child abuse, or war, to name but a few topics. The authors have given careful attention to theories of rational choice and economic analysis; feminist ethics; virtue theory; and moral psychology. The encyclopedia also includes a 13-part, multi-authored, 60,000-word history of ethics from the pre-Socratics through the first nine decades of the 20th century. Each article has a bibliography and the usual cross-references. See-also references are supplemented with two indexes: an analytical index of the text of the articles and an index of authors cited in the bibliographies. The article is signed at the end by its author.
For a more business-like approach to the ethics area, try Business Ethics: A European Review (ISSN 0962-8770) by Blackwell Publishers, which is found in the United Kingdom at: www.blackwellpublishers.co.uk.
Business Ethics is now entering its sixth year providing incisive and topical articles. It lends itself as a forum for businesspeople and academics to exchange experiences and informed insights on the various moral and ethical challenges and opportunities that increasingly face modern businesses throughout the world.
One bimonthly publication by Sussex Publishers Inc., (212) 260-7210, that also contributes to the investigation of human behavior is Psychology Today (ISSN 0033-3107), but some would argue it is not a candidate for this type of business reference text. While it's true to an extent that Psychology Today covers many topics outside the world of work, every once in a while it's right on target. In the 1995 March/April edition, for example, it covered the topic of love at work in "Frisky Business," by Mary Loftus.
Despite the danger of sexual harassment, there's a whole lot of loving going on in the office. The warming of the workplace reflects a complex upheaval in the ways we work. Given endless workweeks, the reclaiming of emotional wholeness, and a new ideal of love as partnership, love at work makes a lot of sense to a lot of people-except the human resources department. Don't look for guidelines just yet in the company handbook.
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Encyclopedia of Ethics
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