If you want to enjoy things, don’t read philosophy.
Today my girlfriend said something to me that struck me as a core truth. I was reading Brian Greene’s the fabric of the cosmos, a brilliant book but to me particularly irksome for the way it claims to be about physics, not philosophy, only to make off-hand, sweeping declarative statements of a metaphysical nature. I was thoroughly in mid-rant when my girlfriend stopped me dead in my tracks by saying
“Look, if you wanted to enjoy things, you shouldn’t have studied philosophy.”
I was stunned by the apparent truth of her words. Many things become more difficult to enjoy at face value once you acquaint yourself with philosophy. This holds especially true for ethics and morality. Like a hypochondriac first year psych major, you start to question the morality of everything, and you apply your ethical preconceptions to all subjects you encounter. The whole world seems to beg the question of fairness and justice. This can make it difficult to approach things outside the normative spectrum. Especially in business it can be hampering to pursuing opportunities if the normative question is begged at every turn.
It is true that questions of ethics and morality can be applied to virtually any topic. But that doesn’t mean you should. The truth is that questions around the ethics of business are explored far less than they should, but there is a definite risk of overdoing it. Once you explore questions of fairness and justice in earnest, it is easy to get carried away. In business the opportunities for finding moral fault are abundant, but overthinking it will leave you dead in the water. You will be rendered unable to make any choice boldly for fear of acting in an immoral way, or aiding and abetting in immorality. So how do we decide when ethical decision making is an important component of your business decision that you should factor in?
The answer is simple and in keeping with our theme at this blog: in order to act with confidence you need to know the ins and outs of the subject at hand. Ethics and morality are fickle, and do not necessarily correspond to universal rules. It can be molded to suit your needs, as long as it holds up under scrutiny. Only with knowledge can you increase your depth of understanding of the situation, and act with confidence. When your actions or motives are questioned, you will be able to articulate the reasoning behind your decision. People might still not agree, but that’s inherent in the nature of ethics. Of course you can’t change your ethical outlook to suit your needs at every turn. Consistency is key, and your ethical construct needs to be reflected in all your actions. This consistency requirement will put demands on the way your ethics can be structured. But if you put your back into it and come up with a coherent story as to what fairness and justice look like to you and your company, you will be able to move with confidence. Knowledge, in this way, can become truth. Your truth.
Though that doesn’t mean they are the same thing, Brian Greene.
