Physical attractiveness is highly valued in our society and impacts a variety of decisions made by organizations. Generally speaking, research findings suggest that the more attractive the person, the greater the likelihood of favorable employment-related decisions. It follows then, that those considered physically unattractive will suffer adversely in some employment-related decisional contexts — decisions that may prevent them from achieving the good life. Until recently, discrimination against unattractive people has been considered nothing more than a moral or ethical issue. However, (...) with the introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, attractiveness as an employment-related criteria may become a legal issue. In this essay, we propose that the history of social and legal trends, coupled with uncertainties and ambiguities within the ADA, represents a possible expansion of protection for physically unattractive people. (shrink)

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was passed in 2006 and came into force in 2008. It sets out a number of core values, including dignity, individual autonomy, non-discrimination, participation and community inclusion. Although the CRPD has been recognised as an important step forward by many disabled people and their supporters and provides the foundation for building a good life, the author argues that it does not necessarily equate with it. The underpinning Western values of (...) choice, independence and control are important, but leave out groups of marginalised people for whom these goals may not be achievable. They also present challenges and dilemmas for those involved in supporting/caring roles. In this paper, the author reflects on the implications of the CRPD for the lives of people with learning disabilities, in particular those with profound needs and explores whether it provides a genuinely coherent framework for an inclusive society. (shrink)

In contemporary times, technology promises to improve our quality of life and reduce uncertainty. I argue that technology increasingly fails to deliver on these promises. Reflections on uncertainty and human fulfillment lead us to reconsider society’s relationship to technology. To make the discussion concrete, I contextualize it within the topics of sustainable development and community resilience. As an analytical lens, I use the conception of the ‘good life’ to think about the goals of engineers, including in these goals the need (...) for human happiness and deeper fulfillment. I draw from ancient philosophy, primarily the Stoics, to inform contemporary decisions on these matters. The Stoic concepts considered in this chapter are eudaimonia, global concern, fate, avoiding judgment, visualizing and growing from adversity, and phronesis. This approach is relevant to a wide range of professions interested in difficult decisions involving humanity’s future and wellbeing. (shrink)