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Aristotle thinks this EA is a good idea

8/21/2012

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I'm reading the book  Practical Wisdom, by Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe, and it's details how we've lost our way as a society.  We are rarely doing the right thing.  For example, bankers used to be service providers, who looked out for their clients, now they are people who are trying to make the most money off their customers, and if that means putting them in detrimental financial situations, so be it.  This is just one example the book details a lot more, in everyday life as well as business.  It's all based on Aristotle's ideas around Practical Wisdom, and maintaining the essence of our jobs (being a banker to help people, not take as much money from them as possible).  And they outline that our loss of practical wisdom is detrimental to our individual happiness as well as the society's ability to function.  And!, a big And here, they say the way back is to create social environments where people are encouraged to do the right thing, rather than going against the grain, being an uncanny outlaw as they call it.  There will always be a few people who do the right thing and fight for what's right, but they will not fight forever, they will get tired and give up.  So we need to make companies where doing the right thing is encouraged, and that is what this Employment Agency is all about.  It gives people the security to stand on their morals and not fear getting fired, so they can be the outlaws, so it will foster the outlaws until they can turn companies around.  And companies which the EA starts will be like this from the beginning. 

Here is a good summary from a blogger

At the beginning of the last chapter he says that this idea doesn't make sense to his students, or other people he tells it to, unless he relates it to friendships.  He says that people don't get the need for Practical Wisdom (the need to foster societies where we don't do all we can in order to make the most money, but rather work towards doing that which we set out to do in the first place.  e.g. a doctor who's primary goal is to help the sick rather than see as many patients as possible.) until they see what it takes to be a friend.  They see it takes a lot of work to be a good friend, it takes a lot to know what your friends need, how to read them, and there will be ups and downs, heartaches and joys.  But the better you get at it the more joy you have.  This is life, we need to work hard to be good at it.  We need to practice and keep pursuing the goal, and we will be rewarded.

This could be the key to describing the idea of this sites idea, the Employment Agency to achieve Spontaneous Cooperation.

"the wiser we are in what we do, the happier we are" - Schwartz & Sharpe
"the purpose in life is human flourishing" - Aristotle



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The Key To Happiness

4/14/2011

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"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. 
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.  -- Dali Lama
It's the ultimate win-win.  I just heard a good TED talk on the importance and power of compassion, and how it can be incorporated in business leadership.  Check it out
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