How Do You Know What's Right: Thinking, Deciding, and Persuading

Issues of morality and values are among the most important questions we face—and the answers we give are central to our identity. They can also determine whether personal relationships flourish or fracture, whether teams at work cohere or collapse, and how we are perceived by our community. But moral- and value-laden questions often confound us, causing needless confusion or acrimony. In How Do You Know What’s Right?, Cliff Stromberg offers thoughtful, practical advice about how to think about and discuss moral issues with those who matter in your life. Rather than simple, cookbook rules for being moral, this book provides powerful tools for exploring, thinking, problem-solving, and persuading.

Stromberg draws widely from the insights of leading philosophers, psychologists, and experts on decision-making, creating a vivid picture of the moral frameworks we instinctively choose from, and the good and not-so-good results they can produce. He highlights the psychological features of morals and values that can lead us astray from our goals. And he explores the dynamics that can make it hard for political liberals and conservatives to discuss their differences constructively.

Whether you confront moral and value issues in your work, family, friendships, or as an engaged citizen of our democracy, How Do You Know What’s Right? will help you think more clearly about such challenges. It can help you create thoughtful dialogue rather than friction, and increase your chances of finding common ground with others.

Cliff Stromberg attended public schools, won a National Merit Scholarship to attend Yale, from which he graduated summa cum laude, and a scholarship to Harvard Law School. He then served as law clerk to a federal judge. A few years later, the president appointed him as Deputy Executive Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, overseeing the policy coordination staff. He was later an advisor to the Federal Trade Commission. Cliff is the coauthor of several books and was the founding editor-in-chief of a monthly magazine on the health care industry. He served on the board and then was elected chair of the American Bar Association's Civil Rights and Social Justice Section. He also coached traveling AAU youth basketball teams for many years. Cliff is a partner in one of the world's largest law firms, and during his career he has advised many of the nation's leading universities, health care systems, and other health organizations. He has a lifelong passion for philosophy, science, and history.