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Business Ethics and Postmodernism: A Dangerous Dalliance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Clarence C. Walton
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Abstract

Postmodernism, a poorly defined term, is nevertheless influencing art, architecture, literature and philosophy. And despite its definitional ambiguities, some philosophers see in postmodernism a reason for the rise and interest in business ethics. This view is chailenged on two grounds: (1) its philosophical source in Europe; and (2) its vocabulary. Martin Heidegger, one of the major forces in postmodernism’s rise, left a confusing legacy. In his early years, Heidegger advocated moral subjectivism; in his later years, he argued that moral standards could be found in the lives of human gods whose pronouncements would replace the precepts of a Western Civilization he found decadent.

Contemporary postmodernism seems to take inspiration from the views of both the younger and older Heidegger even though he, himself, saw contradictions between them. The confusion is compounded by incorporation of Neitzsche's God-is-dead thesis into Heideggerian thought, thereby, confronting philosophers with a dilemma: if God is out of the picture, and if objective rules derived from human nature do not exist, what human gods can lead us? Will they come from a political or cultural elite? How should we know them? Why should we trust them? Unless—and until—these questions are answered, it is unwise to build business ethics on a postmodern foundation.

Another—and seemingly insignificant—reason for rejecting postmodernism ethics is the esoteric vocabulary used by its expositors to advance it. More jargon will not help philosophers who try to respond to moral questions raised by business managers themselves.

Type
Response Articles
Information
Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 3 , Issue 3 , July 1993 , pp. 285 - 306
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 1993

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References

Notes

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62 Ibid., p. 206.

63 Ibid., p. 273.

64 Patricia Werhane made this point in her thoughtful study, Adam Smith and His Legacy for Modern Capitalism (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991), p. 178.

65 Incidentally, these important points have been ignored in the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, especially Art. 17.

66 This suggests that The Wealth of Nations and the Theory of Moral Sentiments should be read as a single text. Both books have been published in New York by the Oxford University Press in 1974.

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77 On an earlier occasion I defended business ethics against charges that it was “useless,” “irrelevant,” “dangerous” and “confused.” There is little hope that postmodernism rhetoric helps to refute the allegations. Clarence, C. Walton, ed., Enriching Business Ethics (New York: Plenum Press, 1990), p. 3Google Scholar.

78 Postmodernism is concerned with humanity’s need for a new dwelling for a new time and a new space. Unfortunately, its theory does not provide a reliable architecture for such a structure. A return to David Harvey’s already noted essay justifies this point.

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82 Idem.