The Ajax Dilemma: Justice, Fairness, and Rewards (Hardback)
$18.96 - Save $1.28 (6%) - RRP $20.24 Free delivery worldwide (to United States and
all these other countries) Usually dispatched within 48 hours | |Short Description for The Ajax Dilemma A leading philosopher shows how the story of Ajax and Odysseus sheds new light on the contentious issue of disproportionate rewards in contemporary society.
Full description- Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
- Published: 08 December 2011
- Format: Hardback 272 pages
- See: Full bibliographic data
- Categories: Literary Studies: Classical, Early & Medieval | Political Science & Theory | Classical History / Classical Civilisation | Western Philosophy: Ancient, To C 500 | Ethics & Moral Philosophy | Social & Political Philosophy
- ISBN 13: 9780199768615 ISBN 10: 0199768617
- Sales rank: 419,350
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Full description for The Ajax Dilemma
We live in a world where CEOs give themselves million pound 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 honour those whose behaviour 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 armour 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 armour, 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 favour 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 global issues today.
