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Everything Flows: A Pragmatist Perspective of Trade-Offs and Value in Ethical Consumption

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  • Alex Hiller

    (Nottingham Trent University)

  • Tony Woodall

    (Nottingham Trent University)

Abstract

The debate around ethical consumption is often characterised by discussion of its numerous failures arising from complexity in perceived trade-offs. In response, this paper advances a pragmatist understanding of the role and nature of trade-offs in ethical consumption. In doing so, it draws on the central roles of values and value in consumption and pragmatist philosophical thought, and proposes a critique of the ethical consumer as rational maximiser and the cognitive and utilitarian discourse of individual trade-offs to understand how sustainable consumption practices are established and maintained. An in-depth qualitative study is conducted employing phenomenological interviews and hermeneutic analysis to explore the consumption stories of a group of ethically minded consumers. The research uncovers the location of value within a fluid, yet habitual, plurality of patterns, preferences, morals, identities and relationships. Its contribution is to propose that consumer perception of value in moral judgements is represented by an overall form of aggregate personal advantage, which lacks conscious reflection and delivers a phenomenological form of value rooted in habits, reflecting a pragmatist representation of value unified as a ‘consummatory experience’.

Suggested Citation

  • Alex Hiller & Tony Woodall, 2019. "Everything Flows: A Pragmatist Perspective of Trade-Offs and Value in Ethical Consumption," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(4), pages 893-912, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:157:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s10551-018-3956-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-018-3956-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Saki Morita & Keiji Jindo & Petros Maliotis, 2023. "Exploring the Influence of Work Integration Social Enterprises on Consumers through Differentiated Customer Value Proposition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-16, March.
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    4. Diletta Acuti & Marta Pizzetti & Sara Dolnicar, 2022. "When sustainability backfires : A review on the unintended negative side-effects of product and service sustainability on consumer behavior," Post-Print hal-04381310, HAL.
    5. Mainardes, Emerson Wagner & Coutinho, Ananda Raquel Silva & Alves, Helena Maria Batista, 2023. "The influence of the ethics of E-retailers on online customer experience and customer satisfaction," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).

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