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Who is the Ethics Expert? the Original Footnote to Plato

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

John Morse
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Abstract:

In her recent article, “The One Necessary Condition for a Business Ethics Course: The Teacher Must be a Philosopher,” Ellen Klein argues that philosophers are best qualified to teach business ethics by virtue of their expertise in ethical theory. Klein likens her claim to that of Plato’s “philosopher-king,” who claimed that the philosopher is best suited to be “king,” because he possesses a theoretical understanding of justice. In response to Klein, I point to Aristotle’s objection to Plato, which shows that theoretical knowledge of ethics is not sufficient for making a person ethical, because ethics requires both theoretical and practical knowledge. Ultimately, I argue that in order to have a successful business ethics class, one must address both the issues unique to ethical theory, and the particular structures and contexts that are unique to making an ethical decision within the business environment.

Type
Response Articles
Information
Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 9 , Issue 4 , October 1999 , pp. 693 - 697
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 1999

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References

Notes

The idea for this paper originated in Kevin Gibson’s Business Ethics Seminar at Marquette University. Many thanks to Dr. Gibson for his helpful comments, as well as his encouragement in sending out this response.

1 Whitehead, Lord Alfred North, Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology (New York: The Free Press, 1978), p. 39.

2 Ellen R. Klein, “The One Necessary Condition for a Successful Business Ethics Course: The Teacher Must be a Philosopher,” Business Ethics Quarterly 8, no. 3 (1998): 561–74.

3 Klein, “The Teacher Must be a Philosopher,” p. 568.

4 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, trans. Terence Irwin (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., 1985), pp. 12–13. All Aristotle citations and their corresponding page numbers will be taken from Irwin’s translation.

5 Ibid., pp. 158–159.

6 Ibid., p. 163.

7 Peter French, Corporate Ethics (Orlando, Fla.: Harcourt Brace and Co., 1996).

8 William C. Frederick, “One Voice? Or Many?: A Response to Ellen Klein,” Business Ethics Quarterly 8, no, 3(1998): 575–79.

9 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, p. 291.