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The Ajax Dilemma
Justice, Fairness, and Rewards
Paul Woodruff
288 pages
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127x177mm
978-0-19-976861-5
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Hardback
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08 December 2011
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- Woodruff writes in an engaging, accessible style.
- He connects the story of Ajax to contemporary issues of broad interest.
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.Readership: General readers as well as philosophers interested in issues related to justice and rewards.
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Paul Woodruff, University of Texas Paul Woodruff teaches philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, where he has held positions for over twenty years as department chair, honors director, and dean. He served in the United States Army as a junior officer, 1969-71. His many books include Reverence, First Democracy, and The Necessity of Theater.
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"Woodruff, a classicist and philosopher, offers a learned and burnished essay in the rhetorical technology of human control." "This little book makes a worthy contribution to the issue of how to distribute rewards in both government and business. In this age, the story of Ajax is sure to resonate with many" - Nancy F. Koehn, New York Times
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Part I Introductory
1. Ajax
2. What's at Stake: Rewards, Booty, and Incentives
Part II The Ajax Story
Part III Learning from the Ajax Story
1. A New Approach to Justice and Compassion
2. The Myth
3. Caring About Ajax
4. The Story Tellers
5. The Contest: What Went Wrong
Part IV Justice as Human Wisdom
1. Bad Losers
2. Compassion
3. Fairness
4. The Fairness Trap
5. Good Things and their Doubles
6. Justice
7. Anger and Justice in the Soul
8. Honor and Respect
9. Wisdom
10. Leadership
Afterword: Ajax and Odysseus: From Battlefield to Boardroom
(by C. Cale McDowell)
Bibliography
Endnotes
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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