Business-ethics-and-social-responsibility-lesson-3

UNIT 2: FOUNDATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS ETHICS

LESSON 3: Classical Philosophies and the Evolution of Business Ethics

OBJECTIVES  Describe the classical philosophies of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.  Discuss the meaning of Virtue ethics  Trace the History of Business Ethics

Socrates Plato Aristotle

SOCRATES  Born in 469 B.C.  Son of a Mason and sculptor.  Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, and as being the first moral philosopher of the western ethical tradition of thought.  Father of Ethics

SOCRATES

 One of his most important contribution to Western thought is his dialectic method of inquiry, known as the Socratic method, which he largely applied to the examination of key moral concepts such as the Good and Justice.  Focus on giving the students questions rather than answer.

SOCRATES  Self-knowledge is sufficient to achieve a good life.  Virtue can be taught just like knowledge.  True happiness is gained by doing what is right.  Knowledge is the propagation of what is good, a virtue, or excellence; whereas ignorance is the focus on what is bad, evil and not useful.  We are responsible for what we know and what we do not know.

PLATO  Born In 427 B.C.  A philosopher in Classical Greece and the founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. He is widely considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy, especially the Western tradition.

ARISTOTLE  An ancient Greek philosopher and scientist.  His writings cover many subjects – including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theatre, music, rhetoric, psychology, linguistics, politics and government – and constitute the first comprehensive system of Western philosophy.

VIRTUE ETHICS  Virtue  Comes from the word arete, means excellence.  In ancient Greek philosophy did not include moral virtues, therefore, an excellent human should include moral virtues in order to achieve happiness.

VIRTUE ETHICS  Defined as a person based ethics which looks at the moral character of the person carrying out a particular action.  Focus on helping people become good members of society.

ACTIVITY  Express in any form (song, dance, poem, skit, drawing, etc.) what have you understand in the statement below: “Virtue Ethics does not focus on the rules to follow but the development of good traits which will help the person make decisions in life.”

HISTORY OF BUSINESS ETHICS  Aristotle  Fair treatment

 John Locke  Defense of property as a natural right

 Adam Smith  Common good is associated with values

 John Stuart Mill  Immanuel Kant  G.W.F Hegel  Contributors to the emergence of Business Ethics

 John Rawls  Propagated the difference principle  Equality in Society

OBJECTIVES  Describe the classical philosophies of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.  Discuss the meaning of Virtue ethics  Trace the History of Business Ethics

 Answer page 34-35  Key words  Review questions

BUSINESS ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

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