Business ethics, ideology, and the naturalistic fallacy

Journal of Business Ethics · 1985 · Volume 4 · Issue 4

Abstract

This paper addresses the relationship between theoretical and applied ethics. It directs philosophical attention toward the concept of ‘ideology’, conceived as a bridge between high-level principles and decision-making practice. How are we to understand this bridge and how can we avoid the naturalistic fallacy while taking ideology seriously?It is then suggested that the challenge posed by ideology in the arena of organizational ethics is in many ways similar to the challenge posed by developmentalist accounts of moral ‘stages’ in the arena of individual ethics, namely, how to account for the normative force of frameworks that are theoretically derivative yet practically essential.

Keywords

Economic Growth, Business Ethic, Arena, Normative Force, Applied Ethic

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