Aristotle For FUN!

On By southwerkIn Capitalism, ethics

If you have been to my blog for the last few days, you will find that I am investigating the beginnings of ethics. You can blame this on Chris MacDonald, who runs an excellent web site called Business Ethics Blog. I like his ethical analysis of various societal ethical problems (the Gulf Oil spill, etc.) and feel that my analysis is more plebian(a kind way of saying – not as good). So, I am going to study ethics in more detail and with more care. I’ve had classes and I have actually read a good number of the ethical philosophers. Unfortunately I was neither looking for the philosophers’ perceptions of the business world or how to analyze using their rules. I’ve got a general idea about the rules, but that is not enough, so I am working on the subject.

I’ve been listening to lectures on the internet from You Tube on this subject carefully skipping anything from the Hoover Institute or the National Review.

Sometimes when you are browsing on the web, you are incredibly lucky and find something wonderful.

I did. I found a lecture on Aristotle by a fellow named Mark Steel. Have you ever wanted to attend a serious course taught by a stand up comedian? Well, this is it. You get laughs and a lot of fascinating information. Further, I liked his analysis of the Aristotle’s teachings.

So, if you want a good laugh, a good time and some knowledge of classical philosophy. This is where to go!

James Pilant

P.S. I’ve posted the first one of three ten minute sections. The second two are on the right side of the page when you bring up the first one. I’d put them all up but my WordPress account is not putting them up the way I want.

By the way, if you think I intend to get good with the purpose of out pacing Chris MacDonald, you are entirely mistaken. On an academic plane, he is better than me. I really occupy a different niche in the business ethics blogging. On academic matters, I learn from him.

4 thoughts on “Aristotle For FUN!”

  2. James, I love the blogs on Aristotle and Plato. Here is my take on Aristotle and the ancient Greek notion of virtue.
    Aristotle believed that deliberation (reason and thought) precedes the choice of action and we deliberate about things that are in our power (voluntary) and can be realized in action. The deliberation which leads to the action always concerns choices and not the ends. We take the end for granted – a life of excellence or virtue –, and then consider in what manner and by what means it can be realized. To make an ethical decision, a person must internalize the traits of character that make him/her an ethical (virtuous) person. Deciding on what is moral in a given situation is not only what conventional morality or moral rules require but also what a well-intentioned person with a “good” moral character would deem appropriate.
    Virtue theorists place less emphasis on learning rules and instead stress the importance of developing good habits of character, such as benevolence. Plato emphasized four virtues in particular, which were later called cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. Other important virtues are fortitude, generosity, self-respect, good temper, and sincerity. In addition to advocating good habits of character, virtue theorists hold that we should avoid acquiring bad character traits, or vices, such as cowardice, insensibility, injustice, and vanity. Virtue theory emphasizes moral education since virtuous character traits are developed in one’s youth. Adults, therefore, are responsible for instilling virtues in the young.
    The philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre believed that the exercise of virtue requires “a capacity to judge and to do the right thing in the right place at the right time in the right way.” Judgment is exercised not through a routinizable application of the rules, but as a function of possessing those dispositions (tendencies) that enables choices to be made about what is the good for people and by holding in check desires for something other than what will help to achieve this goal. MacIntyre relates virtues to the internal rewards of a practice. He differentiates between the external rewards of a practice (such as money, fame, and power) and the internal rewards, which relate to the intrinsic value of a particular practice. MacIntyre points out that every practice requires a certain kind of relationship between those who participate in it. The virtues are the standards of excellence that characterize relationships within the practice. To enter into a practice is to accept the authority of those standards, obedience to the rules, and the commitment to achieve the internal rewards. Some of the virtues that MacIntyre identifies are truthfulness and trust, justice, courage, and honesty.
    As a professor of accounting and ethicist I point out to my students that the accounting profession is a practice with inherent virtues that enable accountants to meet their ethical obligations to clients, employers, the government, and the public at large. For instance, for auditors to render an objective opinion on a client’s financial statements, auditors must be committed to perform such services without bias and to avoid conflicts of interest. Impartiality is an essential virtue for judges in our judicial system. CPAs render judgments on the fairness of financial statements. Therefore, they should act impartially in carrying out their professional responsibilities. The virtues enable accounting professionals to resolve conflicting duties and loyalties in a morally appropriate way. They provide accountants with the inner strength of character to withstand pressures that might otherwise overwhelm and negatively influence their professional judgment in a relationship of trust. For example, if your boss, the CFO, pressures you to overlook a material misstatement in the financial statements, it is the virtue of honesty that leads you to place your obligation to the public, including stockholders, above your employer’s interest (loyalty to one’s supervisor). It is the virtue of integrity that enables a person to withstand the pressure to look the other way. Now, in the real world this is easier said than done. A person may be tempted to be silent because out of fear of losing one’s job. However, the ethical standards of the accounting profession obligate accountants and auditors to bring these issues to the attention of those in the highest positions in an organization including the audit committee of the board of directors.
    I acknowledge to my students it may be a difficult concept to internalize that, when forced into a corner by one’s supervisor to go along with financial wrongdoing, you should stand up for what you know to be right even if it means losing your job. I implore them to ask the following questions: Do I want to work for an organization that does not value my professional opinion? If I go along with it this time, might the same demand be made at a later date? Will I begin to slide down that ethical slippery slope where there is no turning back? How much is my reputation for honesty and integrity worth? Would I be proud if others found out what I did (or didn’t do)?

    Like

  3. I am delighted that you would take the kind of time and effort to assist me in my developing ethical outlook. I would like to post this as a separate web posting with your permission?
    Thank you!
    James Pilant

    Like

Comments are closed.