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Hartman's quandary: Reconciling pluralism and realism for virtue ethics in business

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  • Nisigandha Bhuyan
  • Arunima Chakraborty

Abstract

There is considerable consensus on the idea that Aristotelian virtue ethics advocates moral realism. In numerous works, the well‐known business ethicist Edwin Hartman grapples with reconciling the unitary vision of life that a particular kind of moral realism advocates and the pluralist respect for diverse cultures and belief systems that comprise our world. This paper closely follows Hartman's efforts to reconcile his liberal values with his guarded support for Aristotelian moral realism. We argue that the realist interpretation of Aristotle's function argument can be employed to strengthen Hartman's critique of the concept of Homo economicus, which is often posited by its proponents and critics alike as the only viable position for a business manager. Drawing from Aristotle, the paper posits a novel notion of species‐excellence as the ultimate telos of human life and an objective basis for a critique of Homo economicus.

Suggested Citation

  • Nisigandha Bhuyan & Arunima Chakraborty, 2023. "Hartman's quandary: Reconciling pluralism and realism for virtue ethics in business," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 226-235, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:32:y:2023:i:1:p:226-235
    DOI: 10.1111/beer.12454
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edwin Hartman, 2008. "Socratic Questions and Aristotelian Answers: A Virtue-Based Approach to Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 78(3), pages 313-328, March.
    2. Edwin Hartman, 2011. "Virtue, Profit, and the Separation Thesis: An Aristotelian View," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 99(1), pages 5-17, March.
    3. Edwin Hartman, 2009. "Principles and Hypernorms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 88(4), pages 707-716, October.
    4. Matthew Sinnicks, 2019. "Moral Education at Work: On the Scope of MacIntyre’s Concept of a Practice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(1), pages 105-118, September.
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