A Definition of Ethical Business DecisionMaking

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A Definition of Ethical Business Decision-Making

• Ethical business decision-making creates value by
  promoting sustainable networks of stakeholders
  (individuals, relationships, and groups) in a
  context of human dignity and environmental
  integrity

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Is it one part or the entirety of business
ethics? Epicurus and Rand
Self - Development
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Epicurus View of Self-Development

• Goal Oriented--Right acts promote the goal better
  than any other act
• Goal
• Right Acts

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Motivation and the Goal of Ethics

• The primary question of ethics is motivation
• Goal of ethics is self-development
• We are born to pursue pleasure and avoid pain
• We are not born knowing what kind of pleasure we
  should pursue and what kind of pain we should
  avoid

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Human Nature

• Pleasure defined as Static and Kinetic
• Static contentment, absence of pain
• Kinetic felt sensations

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How to Attain Static Pleasures

• Selfishness is rejected
• Major strategy Reduce Desires
• No superstitions
• Simple, yet profound friendship
• Self-reliance in a social setting
• Division of labor
• Justice results from a social contract not to
  harm others
• Modern day of examples of modified Epicureanism
• Downshifting
• Voluntary Simplicity

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Epicurean Goal Simplicity and StabilityFor
Individuals

• This goal requires a stable society, so justice
  is necessary

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Ayn Rands View of Self-Development
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Rands Egoistic Goal

• We should strive to promote what is uniquely
  human--pleasure is not uniquely human
• Two capacities are uniquely human
• Rationality
• Self-awareness
• We should act in ways that promote the excellence
  of these two capacities

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Rejection of Altruism

• Altruism is the belief that our first moral
  obligation is to promote the good of others
• Altruism is a tool of the lazy to rob the
  productive
• Human nature is selfish, so altruists
• Lie to others
• Lie to themselves
• Or both

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How to Develop Our Unique Human Capacities

• Things that develop rationality and
  self-awareness
• Do your work Productive Work
• Dont allow others to do your work
• Reason well (study and critical reasoning)
• no superstitions
• Health
• eat well, exercise, adequate sleep

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Rands Productive Work

• The means to self-development
• Must be chosen because we want to do it
• Must develop our unique human capacities

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Randian Goal Pursuit of Ones Own
Self-Awareness and Rationality

• Rationality shows us the need for a safe and
  stable society under a minimal government
• Libertarianism Cato Institute

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Can SD Explain All of Ethics

• Can we use SD to understand and motivate
• Family and friends (RD)
• Country, organizations (GD)
• Justice and fairness (HD)?

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Barriers to SD as a Full Explanation of Ethics

• Are we self-disciplined enough to follow Epicurus
  or Rand?
• Power of habit v. power of rational choice
• Are we rational enough to follow Epicurus or
  Rand?
• What about bounded rationality?
• Limited (bounded)
• Information
• Time
• Brain power to make fully rational decisions.

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Bounded Rationality and Logic

• We will have fire if and only if we have heat,
  oxygen, combustible material
• P fire Q heat, oxygen, combustible material
• Most logic systems have five operators and, or,
  not, if-then, if and only if
• A logic system can work with two operators Or,
  Not
• P if and only if Q
• (If P then Q) and (If Q then P)
• (Not P or Q) and (Not Q or P)
• Not Not ((Not P or Q) and (Not Q or P))
• Not (((Not (Not P or Q)) or (Not (Not Q or P)))
• Number of operators is inversely related to
  complexity of statements

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Bounded Rationality and Ethics

• Number of ethical values is inversely related to
  complexity of ethical conversations
• Can we use SD to understand and motivate
• Family and friends (RD)
• Country, organizations (GD)
• Justice and fairness (HD)?
• Think of the other three ethical dimensions as
  ethical operators that allow to talk quickly and
  effectively about how to live well with others
  (ethics).