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Chapter One: The Business of Ethics: Reasoning About Right
and Wrong
Learning Objectives for Chapter One
2. Describe ethical subjectivism.
4. Recognize the different forms of ethical subjectivism.
5. Discuss the difference between deductive and inductive moral reasoning.
SUMMARY: Chapter One introduces students to the concept of business ethics as a
study of morality in business. The chapter discusses amoralism and ethical subjectivism
for the business world and gives an overview of the limits of those ideas. Students are
also exposed to the basics of deductive and inductive moral reasoning.
Business ethics is the study of what people in business ought to do. Ethics asks
A Famous Ethical Dilemma
A prominent businessman published an article to serve as a parable. While mountain
Amoralism
Amoralism does not recognize that morality is a reason for doing or not doing
something. An amoralist may do socially responsible things because they are good
for business, but not because they are morally superior.
The is the theory that it is useful to believe that the idea
Ethical
Some businesses make talk about morality but act amorally, while others may act
morally but not want discussion about it
Many people believe that morality is subjective, so one set of beliefs is no better than
another. There are several forms of ethical subjectivism:
Rationalization supports that moral statements are just the preferences of the
speaker.
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Doing Moral Reasoning
Deductive moral reasoning starts with a general moral principle and deduces