Moral Mazes
#1492 of 2,654 all-time
Moral Mazes
Robert Jackall
5 people recommended it in 3 threads, 2018–2022.
What people on Hacker News said
Someone recommended "Moral Mazes" and I heartily second it. Though mostly because it was so profoundly cynical that it pushed me to defend the systems I was so annoyed by.
It helped me better detect and understand seemingly hypocritical and self-defeating actions by middle managers in companies, and also a lot of the disingenuous emphasis on “passion” used to suppress wages in start-ups or sell job candidates on a reduced salary or equity package with poor expected value or risk characteristics.
But it did give an excellent analytical and even a normative philosophical framework to use for recognizing and diagnosing it, which sometimes helps for avoiding it, choosing your battles, or knowing when to quit or turn down job offers.
Contains some great research on how bureaucracy shapes the way that we act, think, and work.
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty? 2020 · 3 recommendations
- Ask HN: What book changed your life? 2022 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life? 2018 · 1 recommendation