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Randy Cohen
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Be Good: How to Navigate the Ethics of Everything Kindle Edition

by Randy Cohen (Author), Dave Hopkins (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 94 ratings
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Drawn from twelve years of the New York Times Magazine’s Ethicist column, a collection that “blends nuanced ethical discussions with gentle humor” (Publishers Weekly).

As he provides carefully considered answers to readers’ questions about everything from inheritance issues to secrets between spouses to whether shrubbery robbery is ever acceptable, Randy Cohen helps you locate your own internal ethical compass. Organized thematically in an easy-to-navigate Q&A format, and featuring line illustrations throughout, this amusing and engaging book challenges us to think about how we would (or should) respond when faced with everyday moral challenges, in areas from sex and love to religion, technology, and much more. Sure to provoke thought and spark healthy debate, Be Good is a book to refer to again and again.

“While there’s plenty of common sense inside this book, there’s also lots to ponder about right and wrong.” —Alaska Journal

“What struck me most was his claim that, despite our quickly changing world of social media and altered interpersonal communications, ethics themselves have not changed much over time . . . When in doubt about how to act, be good.” —Oprah.com
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  1. Print length
    321 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Chronicle Books LLC
  5. Publication date
    August 10, 2012
  6. File size
    1428 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"What struck me most was his claim that, despite our quickly changing world of social media and altered interpersonal communications, ethics themselves have not changed much over time. Etiquette changes; social mores shift. But whether you're a Googler or a gladiator, the basic line stays the same: When in doubt about how to act, be good. We all know (pretty much) what that means."
- Oprah.com

"What struck me most was his claim that, despite our quickly changing world of social media and altered interpersonal communications, ethics themselves have not changed much over time. Etiquette changes; social mores shift. But whether you're a Googler or a gladiator, the basic line stays the same: When in doubt about how to act, be good. We all know (pretty much) what that means."
- Oprah.com

"What struck me most was his claim that, despite our quickly changing world of social media and altered interpersonal communications, ethics themselves have not changed much over time. Etiquette changes; social mores shift. But whether you're a Googler or a gladiator, the basic line stays the same: When in doubt about how to act, be good. We all know (pretty much) what that means."
- Oprah.com

"What [Cohen] has created is "a set of practice problems" meant to test and strengthen the reader's own ethical compass. "
- Publisher's Weekly

"What [Cohen] has created is "a set of practice problems" meant to test and strengthen the reader's own ethical compass. "
- Publisher's Weekly

"What [Cohen] has created is "a set of practice problems" meant to test and strengthen the reader's own ethical compass. "
- Publisher's Weekly

"While there's plenty of common-sense inside this book, there's also lots to ponder about right and wrong."
- Alaska Journal

"While there's plenty of common-sense inside this book, there's also lots to ponder about right and wrong."
- Alaska Journal

"While there's plenty of common-sense inside this book, there's also lots to ponder about right and wrong."
- Alaska Journal

About the Author

Randy Cohen established himself as the author of the popular "The Ethicist" column in the New York Times Magazine, which he wrote for twelve years. He has appeared regularly on NPR, and is host of the radio series Person Place Thing. He lives in New York City.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008YXQXXI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books LLC (August 10, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 10, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1428 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 94 ratings

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Randy Cohen

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
94 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jeff Furman
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read filled with expert advice on Ethics
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2012
Verified Purchase
This is a VERY valuable book on Ethics which is also HIGHLY-ENTERTAINING.

MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT THIS BOOK:

1) STRUCTURE - Randy Cohen selected many of the best letters and responses to his "The Ethicist" column from over the years and grouped them BY CATEGORY (e.g., Work, Sports, Money, Military, Animal Rights). So here in one book you have Randy Cohen's "best-of" and organized by subject, which adds to the power of the material.

2) INTROs TO EACH CHAPTER - Cohen has written excellent short essays introducing each chapter.
- These add the "benefit of hindsight" to Randy's original takes on each topic, and
- They bring a freshness to each topic and make each very contemporary.

3) HUMOR - Cohen is an exceptionally funny writer, and there are many great lines in this book, making for a very pleasurable read.

Many of his readers know that Randy Cohen has won several Emmys for The David Letterman Show, and was also the Head Writer for the Rosie O'Donnell Show. So it's not exaggeration to say he's probably the funniest living expert on Ethics. I also like that his humor is very "New York" (with a nice dash of Woody Allen influence!)

4) ETHICS! The book really is a treasure-trove on the subject of Ethics, with a great deal of the wisdom that Cohen put into authoring his column: "The Ethicist," plus the additional research and new takes he provides now in 2012. And there's a great range to the topics he's able to cover, aided by the diversity of all the people who sent him letters to the NY Times over those 12 years.

I highly recommend this book as a very solid and practical guidebook on Ethics. It's a great read for anyone who wants to be a more ethical decision-maker in their life, as well as in their work. And it also makes for a great textbook for instructors who teach Ethics (as I do, in my project management courses).
2 people found this helpful
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Steve Berczuk
4.0 out of 5 stars Be Good is Good
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012
Verified Purchase
Be Good is essentially an edited and annotated collection of columns from the Ethicist column of the NY Times. Randy Cohen addresses readers questions with insight, context, and where appropriate, a sharp wit. While not exactly a "guide to ethics" it is a collection of real problems with analysis of solutions, and sometimes follow up about what actually happened. Since ethics is more often than not, situational, one can learn more from the stories in the book than from something that would be more of a collection of rules. The structure of the book lends itself to be read in short bursts, so it is a perfect book to have with you to make good use of idle time. Be Good was surprisingly fun book to read, and provides both a framework for thinking of ethical issues and a cultural snapshot of the period in which the letters were written.
4 people found this helpful
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Sharon Isch
5.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought and ingredients for interesting conversations.
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2012
Verified Purchase
I was a huge fan of Randy Cohen's "The Ethicist" columns that ran in the Sunday New York Times Magazine for 12 years. I'm an even bigger fan of this new book based on that column. Because here he's not confined to two questions and 680 words per week. Here he can sort, arrange and share many of his favorite letters by topic and expand on the reasoning that went into his answers. There are chapters dedicated to Family; Home; Doctors & Nurses; Civic Life; Money; Animals; Sports; 9/ll, Iraq, Afghanistan; Work; Arts; Technology; Community; School; In Transit; Love & Sex and Religion ... each of them introduced by Cohen's overview of the subject matter in general before tackling specific questions. Often we'll learn how the questioner responded, a bit about reader reaction and, sometimes, Cohen's second thoughts based on those reactions.

This collection is also a lagniappe for all his fans who treated "The Ethicist" as a family game played at the breakfast table each Sunday--one person would read the question aloud, then go around the table for each person's answer...and only then would they read Cohen's answer and discuss it. Perhaps you'd like to join the fun. Here's a sampling of questions to ponder:

After the second time the police show up in response to a neighbor's noise complaint, the reader demands to know who complained, but the police refuse. Does he have the right to know? .... During a transatlantic flight, a request comes for any doctors on board to make themselves known. Four were on board, but only one came forward. Ethical? .... During the anthrax scare, a reader who filled a prescription for Cipro that he didn't need was criticized by friends for hoarding, but claims this is similar to stockpiling food or water for an emergency. Who's right? .... After a storm delay, the TSA made coach passengers wait three hours in the security line while first class passengers went to the front of the line and had no wait whatsoever. Ethical? .... Residents of a co-op had their apartment treated for bedbugs. Should they alert their neighbors? Even though the owner and the co-op board said not to? .... A friend revealed that he and his wife were expecting a baby, but said that info was confidential. Was the reader right in waiting until his friends went public to tell his wife? .... A man's fiancee is moving to his town from another state. When introducing her to his women friends, is he morally obligated to tell her he's slept with all of them? .... Is an atheist psychiatrist who's asked by a patient what religion he follows obligated to answer? .... Is a lapsed Catholic pall bearer at a Catholic funeral obligated to recite prayers, genuflect and cross himself during the ceremony? .... When a female client reaches out to shake hands with her Orthodox Jewish real estate agent, who refuses it on religious grounds, is she justified in tearing up the contract? (Cohen stopped counting the angry e-mails about his response to that last one when they hit four thousand.)
24 people found this helpful
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optimist22
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
I was amused on reading in the epilogue that he compared himself to Ann Landers, but realized that the comparison was apt. An advice columnist is an advice columnist no matter the subject. All in all, I found the book interesting and informative. His little asides were most often amusing, but I got a little tired of the political ones. The book made me think and entertained me, it was worth the time and the read. One of my best ways of determining the worth of a book is to decide if I would like to meet the author and spend time talking to him/her. I would definitely like to meet Mr. Cohen.
2 people found this helpful
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cecemae
4.0 out of 5 stars Ethics
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a great anytime picker-upper. Read a section or the whole thing, jump in anywhere. Some situations really made me laugh...some 'problems'' reveal the nit-pickers who seem to have a score card in hand on their friends with every restaurant tip, car pool, and invitation to make sure they 'get theirs' and that their version of 'fair' presides. Great read. As my friend said...what? are all these people from New York? where else are so many people so self centered? I had to laugh. relax folks.
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Top reviews from other countries

Joseph Sylvester Pampliega
5.0 out of 5 stars A practical guide to everyday musings of what is right or wrong
Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
It can serve a practical guide for learning how to gauge the right and/or wrong things of everyday life. Good read!
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