Right and Wrong: How to decide for yourself, make wiser moral choices and build a better society

by Hugh Mackay

In life there are few, if any, moral absolutes for us to rely on, and facing an increasing array of choices we often lack the confidence of knowing we have made the right choice. In Right & Wrong, respected social commentator Hugh Mackay suggests some personal strategies that will make it easier to work out what is right and wrong for each of us in a particular situation. In an engaging, conversational style, Mackay tackles the minefield of personal relationships, business ethics, morality and religion, the benefits of moral mindfulness and the reasons why we should strive for a good life in which we are true to ourselves and sensitive to the wellbeing of others.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

320 pages, paperback

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Hugh Mackay is a social researcher and novelist who has made a lifelong study of the attitudes and behaviour of Australians. He is the author of twelve books, including five bestsellers. The second edition of his latest non-fiction book, Advance Australia…Where? was published in September 2008, and his fifth novel, Ways of Escape was published in May 2009.

He is a fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and received the University of Sydney’s 2004 Alumni Award for community service. In recognition of his pioneering work in social research, Hugh has been awarded honorary doctorates by Charles Sturt, Macquarie and NSW universities.

He is a former deputy chairman of the Australia Council, a former chairman of trustees of Sydney Grammar School, and was the inaugural chairman of the ACT government’s Community Inclusion Board. He was a newspaper columnist for almost 30 years and now writes occasionally for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The West Australian. He is a frequent guest on ABC radio.

- Biography from Hugh Mackay's website

Reviews

[Erroll Treslan]

This was a common-sensical, non-academic discussion of moral philosophy. Similar to Peter Singer's "How Are We To Live?", this book lays out a principled approach on how individuals should decide what is ethically correct without resorting to religious strictures. A "must read".

[Alistair · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a well-written and non-academic introduction to moral philosophy. Given the author is Australian, he uses Australian examples and data throughout the book, which gave it an extra special edge for me as it was easier to relate to.

The first 45 per cent of the book looks to explore and explain what morality is, how is it enforced and how it relates to individuals. Having studied philosophy, the author does it well and manages to keep it simple. For me it was too simple, however if you picked the book up with no prior knowledge it does the job without turning you off. Following this the author then explores nine different topics and the morality implications within each.

The exploration in some topics seemed weak. Having studied the ethics of war I was deeply interested in the authors view, however I left the chapter feeling he hadn't accomplished much. There was a lot of opinions quoted, the concept of Just War Theory was skimmed over very quickly and never expounded upon (if I hadn't done my masters I would have missed it completely). However the author did have the best literary image of the cold war I have ever read: "Like a couple of young teenagers allowed to go so far and no further, for whom penetrative sex was both endlessly fascinating and unthinkable, the superpowers tip-toed around the idea of mutually assured destruction." (pp218-19)

Despite these shortfalls, I would recommend the book to anyone wanting an easy to read overview of morality, and an introduction to how it raises its head in society. The book is very well written, is not complex, and doesn't seek to make the reader feel overwhelmed or demonstrate how clever the author is. An enjoyable, quick read.

[Ethan Curtis]

(only read chapter 3)

[Zane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that provides some good tests to use when wondering, "Is this ethical? Is this moral?" How do you know. Something interestig I learned from the book is that we make ethical decisions using our frontal lobes. According the author our frontal lobes don't really develop until we are at least 30 years of age? What does that say for people choosing their vocation, partners, life paths all before the age of thirty? Hmmm. The book is all about deciding for yourself - which of course is why the moral compass is often hard to navigate ----- and most rely on dead reckoning instead.

[Ernest · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book raised many interesting questions. It is definitely worth reading for anyone wishing to considering the big questions of right and wrong. In fact, everyone should consider these questions. However, this book sometimes oversimplifies concepts (especially relating to religion), sometimes resulting in uncomfortable jumps in logic. The books asks the right questions, but I didn't always agree with what was proposed.

[Philia]

In our moral judgement on issues which concerns our modern society,

what is right and what is wrong?

but what is good and what is not?

being subjective or objective?

Huge Mackay has triggered us to think, and rethink ...

[John Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read it if you already know what's right and wrong. Ethics will only annoy you.