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Lesson 6 Major Ethical Philosophers

Accountancy (Silliman University)

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LESSON 6 MAJOR ETHICAL PHILOSOPHERS
THE CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHERS AND THEIR PHILOSPHIES
PLATO.
 Ancient Greek philosopher who was a student of Socrates and a teacher of
Aristotle
 His writings explored justice, beauty and equality, and also contained
discussions in aesthetics, political philosophy, theology, cosmology,
epistemology and the philosophy of language.
“Better a little which is well done, than a great deal imperfectly.”
What does this mean?
Plato knew all about quality content. Quality over quantity wins every time – as
true now as it was in 300 BC. Too many businesses flood their websites with
keyword-heavy, valueless content, because it drove search engine ranking up in the
past, but semantic search changed the SEO game. You’re better off heeding the wise
words of Plato and putting up less content with more value. Core truths speak to
human nature and the very heart of ethical business practices.
ARISTOTLE.
 student of Plato and one of the founders of Western philosophy
 spent about twenty years at Plato’s Academy in Athens, first as a student
and then as an associate
 he tutored the young Alexander of Macedonia, who would become
Alexander the Great.
“All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature,
compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.”
What does this mean?
In marketing, we appeal to customers with reason, ignite their passions,
spark their desires, answer their needs (nature), depend on their habits, and often
benefit from the winds of chance. I’d be willing to bet some marketing decisions are
even driven by compulsion.
“First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second,
have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and
methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end.” – Aristotle
Project management, in a nutshell. A few last words we can use today: With
excellent project management software such as Podio, you can assign tasks and set
goals to keep your project on track and on budget.
IMMANUEL KANT.
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 taught philosophy at the University of Königsberg for several years
 his parents were members of a strict sect of Lutheranism called pietism, and
he remained a practicing Christian throughout my life
 Religion and ethics went hand in hand for Kant, and God always remained
the ground or matrix upon which his concept of morality was raised
What was his philosophy?
The term deontology stems from the Greek deon—duty, obligation, or
command. As an ethical system, it is the radical opposite of utilitarianism in that it
holds that the consequences of a moral decision are of no matter whatsoever. What is
important are the motives as to why one has acted in the way that one has.
So an action may have beneficial results, but still be unethical if it has been
performed for the wrong reasons. Similarly, an action may have catastrophic
consequences, but still be deemed moral if it has been done on the basis of the right
will.
The best example of this is Kant’s famous allusion to an axe-murderer who,
in seeking his victim, must always be told the truth as to his would-be victim’s
whereabouts. By Kant’s reasoning, one cannot lie even in this dire circumstance in
order to save the life of an innocent person.
Kant was not diminishing the significance of human life in holding that the
truth must always be told. Instead, he was insisting that truth-telling is one of the
inviolable principles that frames our lives. To lie—even in defense of life—is to
cheapen and weaken an essential pillar that sustains us.
UTILITARIANISM AS AN EXAMPLE OF A CONSEQUENTIAL THEORY
THOMAS AQUINAS
 an Italian philosopher, theologian, and priest
 sometimes called the prince of Scholastics
 follows Aristotle in thinking that an act is good or bad depending on
whether it contributes to or deters us from our proper human end
“Unlimited happiness can only be achieved through God, and God alone.”
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AUGUSTINE.
 Pagan father, Patrichus and a Christian mother, Saint Monica. 365 AD
 he went to the town of Mandaura where he laid the foundation of his
knowledge of Latin literature and grammar
 accepted the teachings of Manichaean, which seem to offer him a rational
presentations of truth
 Augustine ethic was called the typical ethic that is eudaemonistic in
character, which proposes an end for human conduct namely happiness. But
this happiness is can only be found in God. The ethic of Augustine if
primarily in the ethics of Love.
The three sufficient conditions for committing a sin:
 receiving an evil suggestion
 taking pleasure in the thought of performing the act suggested
 consenting to perform the act
DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHIES’ IMPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESS
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES
Ethics is considered a normative science because it is concerned with the systematic,
study of the norms of human conduct, as distinguished from formal sciences such as
Mathematics, physics sciences such as Chemistry and Physics, and empirical
sciences such as economics and Psychology.
Ethics is a normative science also because it involves a systematic search for moral
principles and norms that are used to justify our moral judgements.
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Socrates: HAVE THE COURAGE TO DISAGREE.
He was conceived in Athens 469 BC. He originated from a poor family. his dad was
a stone worker and his mom was a maternity specialist. In early life he took up the
control of his dad as a stone carver and a while later he turned into a volunteer
officer. He was discovered blameworthy of "debasing the young". He trusts that the
general population ought to ask and make inquiries. He was first individual to give a
down to earth and political concentration to theory and morals. In business,
administrators ought not to sleepwalk or basically oblige the group.
Plato: HAVE THE POWER TO RULE.
He had been intrigued in political illicit relationships. His prime conviction was that
an individual must investigation themselves so as to discover their dimension of
character. He is acclaimed for his choices regarding the matter of the real world. In
business, it is constantly vital to know the qualities and shortcomings of everybody.
Aristotle: LET PEOPLE SEEK FULFILLMENT.
He was conceived in around 384 BC. His dad, Nicomachus, was a court doctor. He is
enlisted in Plato's institute. He was the most down to earth and business situated all
things considered. He put together his morals with respect to a mental hypothesis of
human instinct. In business, the association must give and condition that is
conductive to human development and satisfaction.
COMPARING CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHIES IN RELATION TO THE
BUSINESS SETTING
Ethics is a philosophical term derived from the Greek word ethos meaning character
or custom. There are generally three levels of analysis appropriate to business
ethics.
 the system of free enterprise
 the corporation
 individual within the corporation
How various ethical doctrines may affect a business practice?
 Aristotelian approach may help us talk and think about the
management's good ethical habits
 Catholic faith in action which a business man struggles to succeed in a
business while serving the community
EXAMPLE OF HOW BELIEF SYSTEMS AFFECT BUSINESS PRACTICES
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He who says he can and he who says he can't. Mr. Tony Meloto, is the brainchild of Catholic entrepreneur and social worker.
Received the Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 2006 for his work as
Catholic faith in-action founder and primary mover of Gawad Kalinga, which has mobilized a massive army
A Catholic businessman obliges himself to struggle to succeed in business while of volunteers who are working together in bayanihan [lit. “in solidarity”] to bring
serving the community and trying to live the life of a good Catholic in a world of about change and to restore the dignity of the poorest of the poor.
temptations and contradiction realities. Now known largely because of its success in mobilizing donors, volunteers, and
 Pay taxes properly the intended beneficiaries themselves in building beautiful and colorful houses in
 To not bribe thousands of communities all over the country. Building a nation empowered by
 To speak against corruption people with faith and patriotism; a nation made up of caring and sharing
 To create jobs and pay living wages communities, dedicated to eradicate poverty and restore human dignity.
 To provide quality goods and services Gawad Kalinga (GK) ("to give care) is a Philippine poverty alleviation and
 To not steal nor cheat nation-building movement known officially as the Gawad Kalinga Community
 Men and women whose hearts and minds are oriented the alleviation of Development Foundation. GK invites and engages rich and poor, young and old,
poverty private and public sector, the Philippines and other countries around the world to
 Being good Catholic business people come together to leverage resources and meke sure that the goodwill and actual
impact on-ground is multiplied many times over.

Necessary Core Competencies:
 Communication
skills
 Numeracy
 Critical thinking
 Problem solving
 Ability to work in
Two successful Philippines cases of socially-oriented enterprises created by
prominent Catholic or Christian businessmen
1. Gawad Kalinga (lit. "give care'')
The problem of poverty is so massive, hence our response cannot be small. To
rebuild the nation, we need a movement like Gawad Kalinga that is able to inspire
and engage strategic institutions and individuals to help us replicate and grow
 Catholic Moral
aggressively so we can reach our target.
Center
 Learning how to Mission: Ending poverty for 5 million families by 2004.
handle ethical
dilemmas ECONOMY OF COMMUNICATION
The most recent development in the economic vision of the Focolare
Movement emerged in 1991 and is known as the Economy of Communication. This
project emerged in Brazil and aims to offer a global Christian response to the
pressing problems of poverty and injustice through challenging the underlying ethos
of business and finance.

2. Bangko Kabayan (lit. "national solidarity bank")

GAWAD KALINGA

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