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Spring 2006

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 22, Number 2

Categories: Business | Spring 2006

What Philosophy Can and Cannot Contribute to Business Ethics

Nicholas Capaldi, Loyola University, New Orleans

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JournalofPrivateEnterpise,VolumeXXI,Number2,Spying2006WhatPhilosophyCanandCannotContributetoBusinessEthicsNicholasCapaldiLoyolaUniversity,NewOrleansThispaperhastwotheses.Thefirstthesisisthatmanytraditionalandcurrentnotionsofphilosophy,ingeneralandethicsinparticular,cannothelpuseithertounderstandorconstructivelycritiquethenormsofbusinesspracticeincontemporarycommercialsocieties.Thesecondthesisisthatthereisaformofphilosophicalendeavorthatiscapableofdoingso.PhilosophicalFailureMuchoftheliteratureofbusinessethicsisproducedbyphilosophers,whoarebothconfusedaboutthenatureoftheirowndisciplineandwhohavemisunderstandthepracticeofbusiness.Whatrelatesthesetwoshortcomingsisonespecificandlongstandingconceptionofphilosophy(butIhastentoaddthatitisnottheonlyconceptionofphilosophy).Theclassicalviewofphilosophyisthatitconsistsindiscoveringanexternalstructuretowhichourpracticemustconform.'Weshallrepresentthisviewas(TIPhereafterstandsfortheviewthatpracticeoughttofollowtheory).Whatthispermitsphilosopherstodoistoproclaimwhattheallegedexternalstructureisandthendemandthatcurrentpracticeconformtothatstructure.Thisprocedureimmediatelyexcusesbusinessethicistsfromknowinganythingabouttheactualpracticeofcommerce(oreconomics,etc.).1ThedistinctionbetweentheclassicalviewandthemodernviewisborrowedfromLeoStrauss.FormyownfurtherelaborationofthisdistinctionseeCapaldi(1998).NicholasCapaldi68

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Title	What Philosophy Can and Cannot Contribute to Business Ethics
Authors/Creators:	Nicholas Capaldi, Loyola University, New Orleans
Year:	2006
Volume:	22
Number:	2
Pages:	68 - 86
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	Business ethics, Philosophy, Plato, Aristotle, Nozick

Citation:
Capaldi, Nicholas / 2006. "What Philosophy Can and Cannot Contribute to Business Ethics." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 22(2): 68-86.