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Simon, C. A. & Nice, D. C. (1997). Stoicism: Relevant applications for contemporary public administration. The American Review of Public Administration, 27(2): 168-180. 

Stoic philosophy, particularly in its later versions, offers numerous useful insights for public administrators.  The Stoics also combined an interest in philosophical questions with a strong emphasis on practical problem solving.  Their ideas should be of interest to both scholars and practitioners.

Questions that apply to this article:

1. What are the elements of stoicism?
2. How can the elements of stoicism ameliorate the pressures on bureaucrats during times of limited resources, highly contentious and stressful environments, and high levels of uncertainty?
3. Why should their ideas be of interest to both scholars and practitioners?

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Brunius, T. (1958). Jeremy Bentham's moral calculus. Acta Sociologica, 3, 73-85. 

This article discusses the works of Jeremy Bentham as it relates to the creation of his work regarding the moral calculus of human beings.

Questions that apply to this article:

1. What are some of the critiques that have been leveled at Bentham’s utilitarian theory?
2. Why might engaging in the rational calculus Bentham proposes impede action?
3. What does the author conclude about developing a means such as Bentham’s utilitarian calculus?

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Gantt, E. E. & Burton, J. (2012). Egoism, altruism, and the ethical foundations of personhood. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 53(4), 438-460.

Most contemporary theorizing in psychology rejects the possibility of genuine altruism by endorsing explanations that assume psychological egoism. We seek to reframe psychological inquiry on the question of altruism by exploring an alternative, nonegoistic conceptual framework, within which genuine altruism is possible and whereby the meaning and moral dimensions of altruism can be more fruitfully explored. Two central features of our analysis are (a) the conceptual necessity of human agency for the preservation of the possibility of meaning in human affairs and (b) an examination of the ontological necessity of a genuinely social and moral understanding of personhood that preserves the possibility of altruism. Once these two issues have been addressed, an alternative conceptual framework for exploring the question of altruism drawing on the work of the French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas is briefly presented.

Questions that apply to this article:

1. How are individuals affected by egoism?
2. How does determinism affect human behavior?