Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- List of editors and contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Humanistic Management Network: paving the way towards a life-serving economy
- Introduction
- Part 1 Philosophic-historical grounding of humanism
- 1 Philosophical grounds of humanism in economics
- 2 The humanist tradition
- 3 Humanism and culture: balancing particularity and universalism among the world's religions
- 4 A requisite journey: from business ethics to economic philosophy
- 5 The global economy from a moral point of view
- 6 The implications of humanism for business studies
- 7 Current trends in humanism and business
- Part 2 Towards an integration of humanism and business on a systems level
- Part 3 Humanistic management
- Part 4 The individual as a change agent for a humane business society
- Index
- References
7 - Current trends in humanism and business
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 January 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- List of editors and contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Humanistic Management Network: paving the way towards a life-serving economy
- Introduction
- Part 1 Philosophic-historical grounding of humanism
- 1 Philosophical grounds of humanism in economics
- 2 The humanist tradition
- 3 Humanism and culture: balancing particularity and universalism among the world's religions
- 4 A requisite journey: from business ethics to economic philosophy
- 5 The global economy from a moral point of view
- 6 The implications of humanism for business studies
- 7 Current trends in humanism and business
- Part 2 Towards an integration of humanism and business on a systems level
- Part 3 Humanistic management
- Part 4 The individual as a change agent for a humane business society
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
Familiarity with current trends in a field is not only interesting as an aid to understanding our world or as a form of erudition, but also helps to guide speculation about the future. Extrapolating a future based on current trends is often better than prophesying without considering the evidence at hand and the main historical drivers of the present. This is the case for all human activity and, more specifically, for humanism in business.
“Humanism,” wrote Jacques Maritain (1996), “essentially tends to make man more humane and to manifest his original greatness by making him participate in everything in so far as it enriches him in nature and in history. It requires time that man develops virtues which he possesses, his creative strength and his rational life, and that man works to convert the forces of the physical world into tools of his freedom.” These words contain provocative ideas, which lead us to question to what extent business and humanism cross paths. In this respect, some questions arise: Does business respect the sovereign human rights of people? Do business institutions or companies make the people who participate in them more human? Does business give people the possibility to participate in organizations in accordance with their humanity? Does business foster the growth of individuals as human beings? Does business favor aspects of human potential such as creativity, rationality, and character?
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Humanism in Business , pp. 123 - 140Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009
References
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