Why, despite their best efforts, do good people find themselves in conflict? Cooperative Wisdom: Bringing People Together When Things Fall Apart introduces a novel approach to ethics that consistently dissolves conflict, restores goodwill, builds common purpose, and helps people thrive. Developed from years of scholarship and proven practice, this insightful approach to conflict resolution is effective in boardrooms and family rooms, classrooms and committees, faith communities and government agencies.

Introduction
Five Virtues that Dissolve Conflict and Restore Cooperation

Chapter 1
Being Good Is Not Enough:
Why We Need Social Virtues Now More than Ever

Chapter 2
Proactive Compassion:
Anticipating and Responding to Vulnerabilities
Practices:
1. Respond to risks revealed by specialization
2. Intercept harms triggered by change
3. Address gaps between assigned responsibilities

Chapter 3
Deep Discernment :
Discovering Bedrock Values
Practices:
1. Distinguish values from means
2. Be vigilant about accumulating harms
3. Honor multiple points of view

Chapter 4
Intentional Imagination:
Expanding What's Possible
Practices:
1. Examine assumptions
2. Extend known resources
3. Excavate concealed resources

Chapter 5
Inclusive Integrity:
Reworking Cooperation So Everyone Can Thrive
Practices:
1. Enlist flexible specialists
2. Anticipate predictable weakness
3. Treat every plan as a hypothesis

Chapter 6
Creative Courage:
Embracing the Risks of Engagement
Practices:
1. Address the failing hypothesis
2. Confront imbalanced benefits without undue blame
3. Hold tight to the cooperative vision

Chapter 7
Cooperative Wisdom:
The Social Virtues in Action

Acknowledgments

Appendix:
The Five Virtues and Fifteen Practices That Support Them

Index

About the Authors