This is a succinct list of recommendations on how to actually apply ethical standards in the workplace by Rosabeth Moss Kanter in the HBR: http://blogs.hbr.org/kanter/2010/06/ten-essentials-for-getting-val.html.  When I have the privilege of teaching the ethics section of VJ’s course for nonprofit managers, I emphasize that ethical decisions are commonplace but difficult ones pose a dilemma, a controversy, and always a tough call for the nonprofit executive.  Judging the consequence of taking one path or the other is a choice between shades of gray, with both yin and yang on either side.  Kanter’s list reflects how dialog and stories that reflect values can help instill and promote ethical behavior.

I always liked the story about Samuel Johnson and the Platonic world of ideals.  Boswell says he can’t refute the claim of Bishop Berkeley that what we sense is not real, only ideals are real.  So Johnson delivers a swift kick to a stone saying “I refute it thus!”  There is a story about Diogenes where he wants to give a Diogenean response to a definition of man as a “featherless biped” made by Plato.  Diogenes carried a plucked chicken to the Academy and said “Here is Plato’s Man!”

At the mansion of a wealthy young man: “Since I had no where else spit, I spit on the fellow himself.  He rebuked me but I responded that he had himself to blame because I didn’t decorate this extravagant hall with such excess, leaving only yourself as a fitting place to spit.”  D. claims the young man then gave away all his wealth and put on a coarse cloak and followed Diogenes.


Since the writing attributed to Diogenes was not actually written by Diogenes, it is possible that the reports of what he said may have been spoken by others.  The Cynic Epistles (Malherbe, 1977) contains passages (trans. Fiore, SJ) ascribed to Diogenes of Sinope who probably did write some letters such as these, but the ones available were written long after Diogenes’ passing into the eternity which he doubted.  Someone revise D.’s words, so I revised them too.


To Aroueca D. writes:  “Know yourself, and if you have anything wrong with you such as stupidity, get a doctor for it and pray he does you more good than harm.”


To Zeno he advises:  “One should not wed or raise children, since our race is weal and marriage and children burden human weakness with troubles….If the human race should thus become devoid of people, how could this be regretted?”


Sometimes it is claimed that Diogenes was stolen by pirates and sold into slavery.  At the sale of the slaves, D. is displayed for purchase and asked if he has any talents.  “Yes, my skill is to rule over men, so if any of you need a master, then I am available.”


Diogenes Laertius reports (D.L. in Google books) of Diogenes (of Sinope)  that D. had issues with Plato who called him a dog, but of course, D. called himself a dog so this should not have offended.  D.L. says Plato defined a human being as a two-footed, featherless animal.  So D. brings a plucked chicken to his school and says, “This is Plato’s man.”


D. L. also says that after the “stand out of my sunlight” reply, Alexander states that if he had not been Alexander he should have liked to be Diogenes.  I suppose Alex would not have liked the living in a barrel thing.