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Abstract:

This presentation will offer a conception of virtue ethics and rule ethics as contrasting approaches in ethics and as different ways of guiding business practices. Among the questions covered are what constitutes a virtue, how moral virtues are related to moral rules, and whether the two approaches to ethics-centering on virtue or on rules-are compatible. This will take us into questions of how each theory can be applied in the management of business practices. Some individual virtues will be considered, including veracity, loyalty, courage, and integrity. Some moral rules will also be described, particularly those requiring the avoidance of harm, the production of good, and the treatment of others with respect.  In the light of what emerges, we will consider whether virtue ethics and rule ethics are compatible in the moral standards and business practices they support.