Posts Tagged ‘values’

Get Smart: How to Think About Thinking with Chris Stewart

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

chris-stewart.jpg W. Christopher Stewart is a philosophy professor at Houghton College in Houghton, NY, where he teaches courses on aesthetics, the history of philosophy, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, philosophy of science, and business ethics. He is the author of, among other things, an essay on magic and technology forthcoming in The Hobbit and Philosophy,and earlier co-authored an essay on magic, science, and the ethics of technology for Harry Potter and Philosophy. He has served as a consultant for Pfizer, where he advised a team of marketing experts on the relationship between clinical research, consumer behavior, and Pascal’s wager.

TILE: What exactly is philosophy?
Chris: Philosophy explores fundamental assumptions about the world and what it means to be a human being. Alasdair MacIntyre (a philosopher from the University of Notre Dame) called it “the discipline in which you learn to think about what you’re doing in other disciplines.” I like that because it highlights the fact that philosophers are interested in everything, but at a very deep level. They’re interested in the underlying assumptions that inform other activities and disciplines, from science to business to sports to anything else you can imagine.

TILE: We can’t all be Aristotle. Philosophy, like finance, often scares people away. Is it even possible for the average person to philosophize like a pro?
Chris: Aristotle himself said that philosophy begins with wonder. We look around and see the way things are, and then begin to ask questions.

Philosophizing is a natural human response to experience. The evidence for that is the most common question on the lips of every small child: “Why?” Somewhere along the way, many of us lose our natural sense of wonder, and philosophizing starts to seem like something unfamiliar or strange.

Also, philosophizing isn’t just about expressing opinions, which is the easy part. It’s knowing why we believe what we believe, and being able to provide reasons to anyone who asks us for them.

That’s not easy, but anyone can do it. Just keep asking “Why?”

TILE: What’s one of your top takeaways from a favorite philosopher?
Chris: Plato said that, although mandatory physical exercise does no harm to the body, mandatory learning “never sticks to the mind.” I’ve thought about that quite a bit as a teacher, but I think it applies pretty well in any context. Any time you’re doing something simply because you think you have to, not because you want to, it’s probably not doing anyone much good, including yourself.

TILE: What’s the best advice you would give to your teenage self?
Chris: Be yourself. It sounds trite, but I really do think the impulse to conform to what everyone else is doing limits your potential. Socrates was big on “the examined life.” (Read Plato’s “Apology” to see Socrates in action.) So don’t just run with the pack. Constantly ask yourself “Why am I doing this? Where is it leading me?”

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What Does Money Mean to You? Meet the Author of “Moolala”

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Bruce Sellery is cleaning up Canada, one bumbling financial amateur after another. He’s a journalist, an author, a public speaker, and a consultant. His “thing” is figuring out what you really need and want in order to set up your financial life in the best way possible. (Sound familiar?)

Please enjoy this Skypetastic interview, beamed to us LIVE from Bruce’s HQ in Canadia:

>> TILE brings you exclusive opinions, explanations, and interviews from experts in every industry. Have a burning question or an expert you’d like to see interviewed? Just Ask TILE!

How to Stick to Your Values and Be Popular at the Same Time

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

ben-jerry.jpeg

It’s hard for anyone to stay true to themselves when they’re pulled in a million different directions by their adoring fans. (See: every celebrity breakdown in history.) But it’s especially hard when you’re a publicly-traded company.

Publicly-traded companies have a legal obligation to put the interests of their shareholders first. And often that means making money the fast and easy way instead of the most ethical way.

But there are actually two ways to judge a company’s success: the bottom line tells you how much money the company has made. The triple bottom line tells you how much good the company has done – for people and the planet – while it made that money. As a socially-responsible investor, you can choose to put your money behind companies that focus on the triple bottom line, which benefits shareholders AND the rest of the world.

Learn more about socially-responsible investing (SRI).

There’s a great opinion piece in the NYTimes that talks about how good companies can navigate the complicated world of hostile takeovers and shareholders’ rights while still staying true to their mission and values. For example, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company, because of its obligation to shareholders, was forced to sell to an international corporation (Unilever). While the acquisition didn’t totally destroy the company’s founding principles, it sure wasn’t the same company after that.

What would you have done if you were Ben (or Jerry)?

Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is…

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Socially responsible investing connects your interests and personality to your financial resources. When you invest in a socially responsible way, you ensure that your portfolio earns a competitive rate of return while also making a positive social and environmental impact. For example, you might invest in companies that have good employee relations, diversity in the workplace, a commitment to clean air, or that use sustainable forms of energy.

Companies are deemed socially responsible by research firms such as Calvert, Social Funds, and KLD Research & Analytics. They evaluate a company on its level of social responsibility based on the quality of its social, environmental, and governance (management) policies.

So how do socially responsible investors find a company they want to invest in? They use a process called screening, which considers whether or not a company’s values align with their own. For example, some investors screen out companies that pollute, that abuse their workers, or that produce harmful products like cigarettes.

Once you’ve found a company you like and decide to invest, you become a shareholder of that company. At socially responsible companies that means you stay involved and informed in the goings-on of the business. This is because socially responsible management is committed to keeping shareholders in the loop, and shareholders are encouraged to be involved corporate management.

Socially responsible investing is also called mission-based investing, sustainable investing, ethical investing, green investing, responsible investing, and value-based investing.

How do your values influence your spending?

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

A lot of different things can influence how you spend your money – your account balance, your blood sugar level, the weather. But one of the most important and overlooked factors is your personal set of values. That’s right. Values.

Take this quick quiz and see how you stack up against others (who may have similar values to yours) when it comes to how you spend your money.

Now look at your last bank or credit card statement. What portion of your money goes to experiences? How about material objects? What kind of experiences and objects do you tend to spend the most money on?