2024 the best of minds review

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(as of Nov 18, 2024 13:16:07 UTC - Details)

Philosophy professor and entrepreneur Stephen Hicks takes a critical look at unquestioned assumptions in the arena of business ethics.

Excerpt from The Best Work of the Best Minds: Business Ethics and Value Creation:

"In the eyes of many a cloud of suspicion hangs over business.

The reason is that the moral tradition out of which the competence ethic of business arises conflicts with a competing moral tradition that holds business to be immoral or, at best, amoral. For those who subscribe to this latter moral tradition, ethics is felt to be more a matter of stoically doing one's duty rather than having fun, of fulfilling one's obligations rather than fulfilling yourself, of obeying the rules rather than doing what's practical, of giving away rather than creating. Stooping to stereotypes, if this tradition's view of ethics could be personified, she would appear as a matron who goes about sniffing disapprovingly at anyone who seems to be having a good time. Having a good time means self-indulgence - but, she would declare, we are not here to have a good time; we are here to serve others, to be stewards for future generations, to be nice, to take up as little space in the world as possible. Above all, she would continue, we are here to sacrifice selflessly - to society as a whole, to God, for the greatest happiness of the greatest number, to Duty, to the working class, to the ecosystem."

Reviewer: Mark Michael Lewis
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A quick exploration into the ethical heart of business and the goodness that flows from it.
Review: A quick tour of at first counter-intuitive but then immediately obvious insights about the ethical foundation on which the world of business exists. Starting with a fascinating inquiry into how the best work of the best minds come together to provide us with products that dramatically enhance our quality of life, Mr. Hicks explores the essence of business - "the production of values for trade." In this context, the fundamental ethical context of business becomes clear: people offering value in the form of money for value in the form of work/technology/creativity. This voluntary exchange to mutual benefit is not only NOT evil, but fundamentally good. A delightful read.

Reviewer: John Vincent
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Short and sweet
Review: Short but sweet and to the point