The Good, the Bad & the Difference: How to Tell the Right From Wrong in Everyday Situations [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Although this book collects many of the columns Cohen has written for the New York Times and in syndication (as "The Ethicist" and "Everyday Ethics," respectively), this book is far more than just the original columns. Added here is more overview and dialog (which a brief newspaper column would never accommodate). Some of the back and forth is in the original Q&A format of the column, but it's been augmented by postscripts and perspectives from others in the fields related to the original questions. Thus, while Cohen's answers are basically prescriptions and brief explorations, the subsequent discussions from Cohen and the others round the issues out. So, in a sense, it becomes a town-square-type discussion you won't see in some other books.

The really interesting part is that, by engaging others, Cohen opens it up to more discussion and thought from -you.- Cohen doesn't always read like the final word, and you may find that this involving book provokes discussions in your own home. (This past weekend, a question surrounding how much to include on a resume led to a good 20 minute discussion between friends.) Any time a book gets you to think, and then actually leaves its original medium on the page to become part of a broader discussion, is pretty impressive, if you ask me. So many other books of this ilk come off as absolute pontifications, that they seem to do all the thinking for you, and for me that's not enough.

Though I did not agree with everything that the author wrote,
it got me thinking . . . it also pointed out to me that
there are certainly no easy answers to a whole bunch of
complex questions.

Cohen has an engaging, breezy style that certainly did not make
this a dry philosophical tome . . . in particular, his humor added to my enjoyment of the book.

There were many memorable passages; among them:
[on whether to tell a boss if you're pregnant when looking for a job]
But inconvenient as it may be for the boss, pregnancy is a
fundamental experience that society must accommodate, rather
than ask individuals to cobble together their own solution. On the other hand, if you'd like to make your every human need
subservient to the demands of commerce, you might try this
strategy: Pledge to deliver your baby in the employee lounge
during your break, making a little cradle out of an empty box
of file folders. That'll show you're a team player.

[on when to break up with a girlfriend whose father is severely ill]
Those in a hurry to break up often seek justification from another Academy Award winner, William Shakespeare: "If it were done, when 'tis done, then "twere well it were done quickly," but the line was spoken by Macbeth; Shakespeare did not intend it
as a dating tip. As you know, MacBeth's breakup with Duncan
did not go well.

[on buying cheap seats and sneaking down to expensive ones]
It is unfortunate that your dad's seat changing embarrasses you.
But when you are 11, nearly everything your parents do is
embarrassing. So as long as you're being mortified, you might as
well endure it in good seats.

I only regret that Cohen's column is not carried in my local
paper.