Developing a Virtue-Imbued Casuistry for Business Ethics

ISBN-13: 9789401778510 / Angielski / Miękka / 2016 / 281 str.

Martin Calkins

Opis

This book has a two-fold purpose: to provide a distinctly practical method for moral decision-making within the context of business, and to show how challenging contemporary issues are similar to those of the past and how they might be satisfactorily resolved.

Spis treści

PREFACE........................................................................................................................... i

OVERVIEW....................................................................................................................... 9

PART 1: BUILDING A CASUISTRY FOR BUSINESS.............................................. 11

– Chapter 1: Features and History –........................................................................... 12

Characteristics of Case-based Reasoning...................................................................................................... 12

History of Casuistry........................................................................................................................................... 21

Ancient Greek Casuistry.............................................................................................................................. 21

Hebrew Casuistry.......................................................................................................................................... 23

Muslim Casuistry.......................................................................................................................................... 26

Christian Casuistry........................................................................................................................................ 28

– Chapter 2: Casuistry versus Ethical Pluralism with Applied Principles –............... 34

Conventional Approach: Ethical Pluralism with Embedded Applied Principles..................................... 34

Benefits of Applied Principles Approaches.............................................................................................. 35

Shortcomings of Applied Principles Approaches..................................................................................... 37

– Chapter 3: Normativity and Analogy in Casuistry –................................................ 40

Normativity’s Different Locations in Moral Reasoning.............................................................................. 40

Analogy as Reasoning Process versus Tool for Principle Formation and Validation............................ 42

– Chapter 4: The Role of Principles in Casuistry –..................................................... 48

Principles and the Proper End of Ethics.......................................................................................................... 48

The Place of Principles in Casuistry................................................................................................................ 51

– Chapter 5: Reflective Equilibrium and Casuistry –.................................................. 54

Reflective Equilibrium....................................................................................................................................... 54

Narrow Reflective Equilibrium......................................................................................................................... 55

Wide Reflective Equilibrium............................................................................................................................. 57

Reflective Equilibrium and Casuistry’s Similarities and Differences........................................................ 60

Similarities...................................................................................................................................................... 60

Differences..................................................................................................................................................... 65

Weighing the Disparities............................................................................................................................... 73

– Chapter 6: Criticisms of Casuistry –......................................................................... 75

Aimless and Lacking Moral Force................................................................................................................... 77

Unstructured........................................................................................................................................................ 78

Casuistry’s Logic and Dynamics................................................................................................................ 79

Conventional and Insular................................................................................................................................. 81

Arbitrary Taxonomies and Paradigmatic Cases........................................................................................... 85

The Structure and Dynamics of Casuistry’s Taxonomies..................................................................... 85

Subjective Naming of Paradigm Cases..................................................................................................... 87

From Paradigm to Marginal Case: The Ford Pinto Case....................................................................... 89

Lax and Prone to Equivocation....................................................................................................................... 92

A) Catholic Concerns with Casuistic Caginess: Blaise Pascal versus The Jesuits............................. 92

B) Protestantism Chimes In: Concerns with Casuistry’s Link to Authority....................................... 97

Equivocation in Principle-Based Methods: Bill Clinton versus the American People...................... 98

Modern Trends Toward Other Approaches................................................................................................. 103

The New Language of Modernity............................................................................................................ 103

The Conflation of Ethics and Law.......................................................................................................... 104

– Chapter 7: Casuistry’s Revival in Medicine and Now, Business –......................... 108

Clinical Ethics: Casuistry’s Restoration Begins.......................................................................................... 109

Elsewhere: Casuistry’s Revival Continues.................................................................................................. 111

Casuistry and Law, Computer Ethics, and Journalism........................................................................ 111

Casuistry and Business-Medicine Comparisons................................................................................... 112

Casuistry and Business: The Road Ahead............................................................................................. 114

PART 2: VIRTUE ETHICS IN THE CONTEXT OF BUSINESS............................ 116

– Chapter 8: Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics –..................................................................... 117

Background and Influence............................................................................................................................ 118

General Features of Virtue Ethics.................................................................................................................. 119

The Final Good End and Striving for Perfection................................................................................... 120

Habits that Define...................................................................................................................................... 123

Flow State and Flourishing in the Present............................................................................................... 124

Moderation and the Shifting Golden Mean........................................................................................... 125

Virtue and Personal Integration: The Competitive Runner................................................................ 128

Aspiration and Nature’s Limits................................................................................................................ 129

The Social Aspects of Virtue..................................................................................................................... 131

Summary: General Virtue......................................................................................................................... 134

Application to Business: The Tylenol Crisis and Virtue-based Management................................. 135

The Particular Virtues...................................................................................................................................... 139

Prudence....................................................................................................................................................... 141

Practical Wisdom and the Final Good End....................................................................................... 145

Example: The Prudent Runner........................................................................................................... 145

A Goal in Itself....................................................................................................................................... 146

Prudence’s Place in Business............................................................................................................... 147

Moral Prescience.................................................................................................................................... 148

Summary: Prudence............................................................................................................................. 150

Justice............................................................................................................................................................ 150

The Complete Virtue............................................................................................................................. 150

A Social Virtue....................................................................................................................................... 152

The Organizing Virtue........................................................................................................................... 156

Summary: Justice.................................................................................................................................. 157

Courage (Fortitude).................................................................................................................................... 158

Confidence: Keen in the Thick of Action But Calm Beforehand................................................ 158

Example: The Courage of the Boxer................................................................................................. 159

Example: The Courage of the Whistleblower.................................................................................. 161

Temperance (Self-Control)....................................................................................................................... 163

Self-Control and Adulthood................................................................................................................ 164

Example: Temperance and Physical Fitness.................................................................................... 165

Other Virtues................................................................................................................................................ 166

Generosity............................................................................................................................................... 167

Magnificence.......................................................................................................................................... 167

High-mindedness................................................................................................................................... 168

Ambition and the Lack of Ambition as the Extremes of an Unnamed Virtue.......................... 169

Gentleness............................................................................................................................................... 169

Friendliness............................................................................................................................................. 169

Truthfulness............................................................................................................................................ 170

Wittiness.................................................................................................................................................. 170

– Chapter 9: Building a Virtue Theory for Business –.............................................. 172

Virtue’s Various Expressions.......................................................................................................................... 172

Stoicism........................................................................................................................................................ 173

Influential Moderns.................................................................................................................................... 174

Thomas Hobbes.................................................................................................................................... 175

David Hume........................................................................................................................................... 178

The Virtues of Commerce of Adam Smith................................................................................................. 181

Sympathy of Fellow-Feeling..................................................................................................................... 183

Self-Command............................................................................................................................................ 186

Proper Wealth Acquisition versus Greed................................................................................................. 188

Prudence and Assiduity............................................................................................................................. 190

Justice and Natural Jurisprudence........................................................................................................... 190

Universal Benevolence or Social Sympathy.......................................................................................... 192

Comparison: Smith and Aristotle on Virtue in General....................................................................... 195

Comparison: Smith and Aristotle on Particular Virtues....................................................................... 200

Virtues Specific to Commerce.................................................................................................................. 206

– Chapter 10: Virtue Ethics’ Value –......................................................................... 212

Virtue Ethics’ Strengths and Weaknesses.................................................................................................... 212

Strengths....................................................................................................................................................... 214

Weaknesses.................................................................................................................................................. 221

PART 3: OVERLAPS AND SYNERGIES OF METHODS....................................... 231

– Chapter 11: The Synergy of Casuistry and Virtue Ethics –................................... 232

Casuistry and Virtue Ethics’ Similarities...................................................................................................... 232

Casuistry and Virtue Ethics’ Differences..................................................................................................... 240

Casuistry-imbued Virtue Ethics versus Virtue-imbued Casuistry............................................................ 247

Virtue-imbued Casuistry’s Synergies............................................................................................................ 248

Synergy of Strengths.................................................................................................................................. 248

Synergy of Offsetting Limitations........................................................................................................... 257

– Chapter 12: Bringing Casuistry and the Business Case Method Together –......... 263

Casuistry and Cases in Business................................................................................................................... 263

The Business Case and Case Method.......................................................................................................... 265

The Business Case...................................................................................................................................... 265

The Business Case Method....................................................................................................................... 270

The Business Case Method and Casuistry Compared.............................................................................. 273

Similarities.................................................................................................................................................... 273

Differences................................................................................................................................................... 276

Synergies: Bringing the Methods Together.................................................................................................. 279

Conclusion................................................................................................................................................... 287

PART 4: USING VIRTUE-IMBUED CASUISTRY IN BUSINESS PRACTICE.... 288

– Chapter 13: Breaking Stalemates: Using the Method to Upset the Genetically Modified Foods Impasse –    290

Background: Building to a Stalemate.......................................................................................................... 291

Proponents’ Arguments............................................................................................................................. 293

Opponents’ Arguments.............................................................................................................................. 296

Entrenching the Stalemate............................................................................................................................. 302

Defusing the Stalemate................................................................................................................................... 308

Limping Toward Resolution........................................................................................................................... 316

– Chapter 14: Cases Can Caution: Polio Eradication, Risk Exposure, and the Smallpox Case as Precedence –..................................................................................................................................... 320

Goal: Eradicating Polio................................................................................................................................... 321

Smallpox: A Cautionary Tale........................................................................................................................ 322

Killing a Deadly Disease............................................................................................................................ 323

Systematic Destruction.............................................................................................................................. 324

Gone But Not Forgotten............................................................................................................................ 326

An Effective Bioweapon........................................................................................................................... 327

Playing Catch-up........................................................................................................................................ 328

Lessons From a Near-miss.............................................................................................................................. 330

Polio Eradication in Perspective.................................................................................................................... 332

– Chapter 15: Risk Exposure: Using Cases in Strategies Involving an Aging Medication –       335

Risk Exposure in an Environment of Experimentation............................................................................ 336

Background: Tamoxifen Therapy................................................................................................................ 337

A Therapy With Risks................................................................................................................................ 339

Longstanding and Profitable.................................................................................................................... 341

Assessing the Risk Exposure of an Aging Drug........................................................................................... 343

Step One: Weighing Losses Against Profits............................................................................................ 343

Step Two: Recognizing That Something is Missing.............................................................................. 345

Step Three: Augmenting With Cases....................................................................................................... 347

Problems and Opportunities With Case Use in Business........................................................................... 350

Impediments to Case Use in Business.................................................................................................... 350

Overcoming the Impediments to Case Use in Business....................................................................... 353

Criticisms of Using Ethics as a Tool of Risk Management................................................................. 354

Going Forward.................................................................................................................................................. 356

– Chapter 16: Risk Management: Capturing the Right Situation with Prudent Case Use in Scenario-based Modeling –................................................................................................................... 360

Coming Full Circle: Cases—>Models—>Cases......................................................................................... 361

Sliding Toward Numbers........................................................................................................................... 362

What Has Been Helpful and What Is Missing...................................................................................... 363

Case: Home Health Corporation.................................................................................................................. 364

Background: Home Health Corporation............................................................................................... 364

The Big Question: To Pay or Not To Pay For Overtime...................................................................... 365

The Deterministic Approach..................................................................................................................... 366

The Upset of a New Competitor.............................................................................................................. 369

The Stochastic Approach.......................................................................................................................... 370

Strategy and Modeling.................................................................................................................................... 374

Strategy As a Guiding Process.................................................................................................................. 375

Descriptive Modeling: A Two-dimensional Snapshot.......................................................................... 377

Stochastic Modeling: A Three-dimensional Hologram........................................................................ 378

Strategic Prescience.......................................................................................................................................... 381

The Importance of Prudence in Case Selection......................................................................................... 382

Prudent Elders as Key to Effective Strategy.......................................................................................... 382

The Importance of Business Cases in Strategizing............................................................................... 383

Complications Inhibiting Case Use in Business.................................................................................... 384

– Chapter 17: Going Forward: Developing a Workable Virtue-imbued Casuistry for Business –         386

What Has Been Done...................................................................................................................................... 386

What Remains To Be Done........................................................................................................................... 388

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................... 391

APPENDIX.................................................................................................................... 393

NAME INDEX............................................................................................................... 397

BUSINESS/INSTITUTION INDEX............................................................................ 400

SUBJECT INDEX......................................................................................................... 401

WORKS CITED............................................................................................................. 406

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Blurb

Casuistry, Virtue, and Business Ethics brings together three important processes for business ethics: casuistry, virtue ethics, and the business case method. In doing so, it considers the overlap and synergy of casuistry and virtue ethics, the similarities and differences of casuistry and the business case method, and the relationships between emerging and well-established cases. The goal of the book is twofold: to provide a distinctly practical method for moral decision-making within the context of business and to illustrate how contemporary vexing issues are similar to those of the past and how they might be resolved satisfactorily.