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We live in a world where CEOs give themselves million dollar bonuses even as their companies go bankrupt and ordinary workers are laid off; where athletes make millions while teachers struggle to survive; a world, in short, where rewards are often unfairly meted out.
In
The Ajax Dilemma, Paul Woodruff examines one of today's most pressing moral issues: how to distribute rewards and public recognition without damaging the social fabric. How should we honor those whose behavior and achievement is essential to our overall success? Is it fair or right to lavish rewards on the superstar at the expense of the hardworking rank-and-file? How do we distinguish an impartial fairness from what is truly just? Woodruff builds his answer to these questions around the ancient conflict between Ajax and Odysseus over the armor of the slain warrior Achilles. King Agamemnon arranges a speech contest to decide the issue. Ajax, the loyal workhorse, loses the contest, and the priceless armor, to Odysseus, the brilliantly deceptive strategist who will lead the Greeks to victory. Deeply insulted, Ajax goes on a rampage and commits suicide, and in his rage we see the resentment of every loyal worker who has been passed over in favor of those who are more gifted, or whose skills are more highly valued. How should we deal with the "Ajax dilemma"? Woodruff argues that while we can never create a perfect system for distributing just rewards, we can recognize the essential role that wisdom, compassion, moderation, and respect must play if we are to restore the basic sense of justice on which all communities depend.
This short, thoughtful book, written with Woodruff's characteristic elegance, investigates some of the most bitterly divisive issues in American today.
List of contents
- Part One Introductory
- Ajax
- What's at Stake: Rewards, Booty, and Incentives
- Part Two The Story of Ajax
- Part Three Learning from the Ajax Story
- A New Approach to Justice and Compassion
- The Myth
- Caring About Ajax
- The Storytellers
- The Contest: What Went Wrong
- Part Four Justice as Human Wisdom
- Bad Losers
- Compassion
- Fairness
- The Fairness Trap
- Good Things and their Doubles
- Justice
- Anger: Justice in the Soul
- Honor and Respect
- Wisdom
- Leadership
- The Answer: How to Survive the Dilemma
- Afterword
- Ajax and Odysseus: From Battlefield to Boardroom, by C. Cale McDowell
About the author
Paul Woodruff teaches philosophy at The University of Texas at Austin, where he has held positions for over twenty years as department chair, honors director, and dean. He served in the United States Army as a junior officer, 1969-71. His many books include Reverence, First Democracy, and The Necessity of Theater.
Summary
A leading philosopher shows how the story of Ajax and Odysseus sheds new light on the contentious issue of disproportionate rewards in contemporary American society.
Additional text
The timing is excellent for The Ajax Dilemma: Justice, Fairness and Rewards...this little book makes a worthy contribution to the issue of how to distribute rewards in both government and business. In this age, the story of Ajax is sure to resonate with many.
