Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What's Right and What to Do About It

• Author: Reviewed by Lieutenant Commander Dylan T. Burch
• Pages: 292-299

292 MILITARY LAW REVIEW [Vol. 219

BLIND SPOTS: WHY WE FAIL TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT AND

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT1

REVIEWED BY LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DYLAN T. BURCH*

Traditional approaches to ethics, and the traditional

training methods that have accompanied such

approaches, lack an understanding of the unintentional

yet predictable cognitive patterns that result in unethical

behavior. By contrast, our research on bounded

ethicality focuses on the psychological processes that

lead even good people to engage in ethically

questionable behavior that contradicts their own

preferred ethics.2

I. Introduction

Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What’s Right and What to Do About

It is a well-reasoned and logically argued proposal for the application of

scientific research from the field of behavioral ethics to the process of

ethical decision-making. The book argues that behavioral ethics—the

study of the way that people behave when faced with ethical dilemmas—

is the most appropriate lens through which to appreciate and influence

the psychological tendencies of otherwise well-intentioned people. To

make this case, the authors, Bazerman and Tenbrunsel, successfully

contrast scientific research with examples of readily identifiable ethical

missteps to highlight the biases that often lead to unethical behavior.

Much to the benefit of the reader, this book is not an ethics primer

and it does not advocate a particular set of ethical standards. Instead, this

book provides useful analytical tools and practical advice regarding the

ethical decision-making process. Military leaders and judge advocates

seeking to improve the quality of their advice to military commanders

are well served by both the aim and the import of the authors’ efforts.

* Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy. Student, 62d Judge Advocate Officer

Graduate Course, The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, U.S. Army,

Charlottesville, Virginia.

1 MAX H. BAZERMAN & ANN E. TENBRUNSEL, BLIND SPOTS: WHY WE FAIL TO DO

WHAT’S RIGHT AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT (2011).

2 Id. at 5.