EthicsLesson 1 of 4 in the course Ethics from Antiquity to the Present

Aristotelian and Confucian Virtue Ethics in Business

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson compares the goals and foundations of Aristotle’s virtue ethics in ancient Greece and Confucius’s virtue ethics in ancient China. Although the traditions arose in different historical settings, both connect virtue with self-control and the creation of a well-ordered life.

Aristotle and Confucius each developed an ethical system based on virtue, but they emphasized different ends. Aristotle’s ultimate aim was happiness, understood not simply as pleasure but as a flourishing life that includes the search for truth. This search requires a stable, centered person able to meet misfortune and resist weaknesses of character.

All flashcards

What does happiness mean in Aristotle’s virtue ethics?
A flourishing life, not merely pleasure, involving truth-seeking and the development of virtue.
What is Confucius’s central ethical goal?
Harmony: an ordered human and social life reflecting a wider heavenly order.
What is managerial ethics?
The ethical responsibilities of management toward itself, employees, and the organization.
What does motive mean in an integrated ethical character?
Willingness to do what is right because it is right, without expecting personal benefit.
What does ethical awareness mean?
Recognizing the ethical dimensions of events, choices, decisions, and actions.

Quiz questions

  1. When can profit be compatible with virtue ethics in business?Answer: When it is pursued fairly and contributes to human good.
  2. What is one risk of separating personal and professional ethics?Answer: It can diffuse accountability and weaken awareness of consequences.
  3. What role do International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) serve?Answer: They provide a common accounting language across national borders.
  4. What should virtue-based business education seek beyond rule compliance?Answer: Transformation that helps people internalize ethical conduct.
  5. What question is central to the debate about universal ethics?Answer: Whether objective moral truths apply across cultures and periods.

Based on Business Ethics by Stephen M. Byars, Kurt Stanberry (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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