This volume traces the research and teaching contributions of Kenneth Goodpaster over more than 45 years of his career. The book shows the content and the progression of these themes over the years identifying four insights in applied ethics: the moral insight, the institutional insight, the anthropological insight, and the Socratic insight. It highlights such concepts as conscience, corporate responsibility, corporations as agents and as recipients, stockholders, stakeholders, comprehensive moral thinking, and ethics education. In addition, Goodpaster explains phrases such as teleopathy, moral projection, human dignity, and the common good. Finally, the book examines with concern the implications of the foregoing for the polarizing and partisan trends in contemporary business behavior.
This open access book traces the research and teaching contributions of Kenneth Goodpaster over more than 45 years of his career. The book shows the content and the progression of these themes over the years identifying four insights in applied ethics: the moral insight, the institutional insight, the anthropological insight, and the Socratic insight. It highlights such concepts as conscience, corporate responsibility, corporations as agents and as recipients, stockholders, stakeholders, comprehensive moral thinking, and ethics education. In addition, Goodpaster explains phrases such as teleopathy, moral projection, human dignity, and the common good. Finally, the book examines with concern the implications of the foregoing for the polarizing and partisan trends in contemporary business behavior. Kenneth Goodpaster's new book, Times of Insight: Conscience, Corporations, and the Common Good reflects the culmination of 50 years of incredible philosophical insights forming the basis of business ethics. His concept of 'corporate conscience' as a moral projection from individual conscience to organizational behavior is both an original as well as a most worthwhile approach to organizational responsibility. Coupling that with a clear notion of the common good, Goodpaster provides substantive grounds for a creative analysis of ethical issues in business. This is one of the most exciting new books in the field. - Patricia H. Werhane, Professor Emerita, University of Virginia and Professor Emerita, DePaul University. "Beginners beware. "Wickedly interdisciplinary" describes corporate ethics. More than "interdisciplinary," the field asks questions that range across disciplines, nations and centuries. Who better to cut this Gordian Knot than Ken Goodpaster, a true giant in the field, who mixes a prodigious knowledge of contemporary corporations with a deep understanding of intellectual history to produce a new and stunning amalgam. A must-read." - Thomas Donaldson, The Mark O. Winkelman Professor, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania As one of the pioneers in business ethics, Kenneth Goodpaster has given us a great gift of synthesizing 50 years of philosophical reflection and corporate practice on some of the most important questions and issues for business today. This work is not nostalgia, but an important source of wisdom for leaders today and into the future. - Dr. Michael Naughton, Director, Center for Catholic Studies, Koch Chair in Catholic Studies, University of St. Thomas.
Our society's longstanding commitment to the liberty of conscience has become strained by our increasingly muddled understanding of what conscience is and why we value it. Too often we equate conscience with individual autonomy, and so we reflexively favor the individual in any contest against group authority, losing sight of the fact that a vibrant liberty of conscience requires a vibrant marketplace of morally distinct groups. Defending individual autonomy is not the same as defending the liberty of conscience because, although conscience is inescapably personal, it is also inescapably relational. Conscience is formed, articulated, and lived out through relationships, and its viability depends on the law's willingness to protect the associations and venues through which individual consciences can flourish: these are the myriad institutions that make up the space between the person and the state. Conscience and the Common Good reframes the debate about conscience by bringing its relational dimension into focus.
In today's fast-paced business environment, organizations face increasingly complex ethical challenges. From navigating cultural differences in global operations to balancing profit motives with social responsibility, businesses must make moral decisions that impact their stakeholders and the broader society. However, many need more frameworks and insights to address these challenges effectively, leading to ethical dilemmas that can harm their reputation and bottom line. Ethical Quandaries in Business Practices: Exploring Morality and Social Responsibility is a practical guide for organizations and individuals grappling with ethical decision-making. Delving into real-world case studies and offering theoretical perspectives equips readers with the tools to analyze ethical challenges in various business contexts. From understanding the ethical implications of marketing strategies to promoting ethical leadership and corporate governance, this book offers actionable insights to help businesses navigate complex ethical landscapes. It also addresses the growing demand from consumers, investors, and regulators for enterprises to prioritize social responsibility, providing strategies for integrating ethical practices into organizational culture.
Globalization and information technology are driving the world into a new era. Is it the responsibility of business to pursue the common good - and more precisely, to participate in the construction of the global common good? This book brings together contributions from various disciplines, written by scholars who are at the forefront of this debate. It provides multiple insights into a tripartite relationship: business, globalization and the common good. It helps explain why the business sphere will probably not be in a position to ignore the common good much longer, and why this latter concept, widely ignored in today's management realm, is likely to become part of tomorrow's corporate policies and practices in the global context. Finally, this work opens up a plethora of avenues for future research, calling for the development of transdisciplinary approaches and for the elaboration of a research program embracing theoretical, empirical and spiritual perspectives to tackle this complex issue.
Vocation is more than a job. It is our relationships and responsibilities woven into the work of God. In following our calling to seek the welfare of our world, we find that it flourishes and so do we. Garber offers here a book for parents, artists, students, public servants and businesspeople—for all who want to discover the virtue of vocation.
Relying on both Chenu's previously unpublished materials and his many publications, Christophe Potworowski examines the role of faith and contemplation in the Dominican life and in theology as well as considering the historical and social dimensions of the human situation in terms of individual and ecclesial existence. He discusses the prophetic role of the theologian and some of the problems this involves. Potworowski raises the question of how incarnation as an overall structure is related to the particularities of Christology and provides insights into the development of Catholic theology in the crucial period leading to Vatican II. The accompanying bibliography of Chenu's complete writings, unavailable elsewhere, is a valuable instrument of theological research.
