Franziska Knappe
ETHC 3P82
Dr. Yasanthi Perera
Part I – Koehn (1995)
“A good life is a happy life, and a life will not be happy unless virtue is put into practice through
a whole life.” (Koehn, 1995). This phrase, as it refers to Aristotle’s definition of a good life,
was interesting to me because I think most of us strive to have a good life, but it raises the
question of how to practice it. Aristotle refers to the example that “a sleeping man is not happy”
(Koehn, 1995) which I find an interesting concept as many people may argue that being asleep
is one of the most peaceful states in which you can be, where you can not do “harm” as you do
nothing. His statement expresses that although you may not actively engage in harmful
activities, a virtuous character is solely formed if you practice virtuous activities intentionally.
His arguments made me think about how my actions are motivated in the context of forming a
virtuous character. I was intrigued by the concept because when I think about my daily routine,
I often follow habitual procedures without actively considering the act itself and its impact,
motivations, and outcomes and still would consider myself to be happy with my life. Although
I think that being actively engaged in every act one makes is too idealistic, I had the insight that
it is important to break out of routines to ask oneself more frequently what motives motivate
and drive one’s actions. This insight impacts my personal life as I can practice being more
aware of the decisions I make. Moreover, in the general context of Koehn’s paper, I can engage
in considering the thought processes that are reflected and the direct and indirect consequences
that follow actions. In my professional life, I can potentially use this knowledge as by entering
a company, you always adapt to organizational structures that pre-determine how you act and
go about tasks, and by putting virtue into practice I can create and shape the environment I am
working in or at least be aware of it. By striving to actively put intentions into actions and
creating awareness and not just going with the flow, I can be more in control about making a
good or happy life for myself and others.
Part II – Class Discussion
In the class discussion about whether businesses should always be ethical or if businesses being
unethical can be legitimized at times, one classmate made the argument that he thinks that for
start-ups and small businesses, it might be more legitimate to act unethically than for large
companies as they must get their business started. I was surprised by this argument as in my
opinion being ethical in a business begins when the foundation of a company is set. Although I
can say, that while starting a business one can be more tempted to cut corners, I believe that
when you start on an unethical foundation it is hard to change this foundation and the system
you have built around it when the company grows. When you already experience success due
to unethical approaches, how do you determine when it is time for your company to be ethical?
I can understand why one would agree with the statement in saying that smaller businesses
might be more legitimized to use unethical techniques as they can not afford others, but I do
not agree that this is a good foundation to build on. In general, I gained insight that many
companies face ethical dilemmas and that it is not easy to be ethical all the time. Especially,
when starting a business, you sometimes stand in front of the decision of being unethical to help
your business to grow faster. This resonates with the increasing concern that economic concerns
are prioritized over ethical values and that being ethical is something a company can only afford
when its business is doing well. Although it is proven that being ethical also has economic
benefits, economics do not legitimize ethics and ethical values stand on their own. In my
personal and professional life, I can apply this knowledge by being more mindful about my
decision-making. Especially, when working in a company, I might be able to be more aware of
ethical issues and support being ethical although the economic side might suggest doing
otherwise.
Franziska Knappe
ETHC 3P82
Dr. Yasanthi Perera
References
Koehn, D. (1995), A Role for Virtue Ethics in the Analysis of Business Practice, Business Ethics
Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, S. 534, https://www.jstor.org/stable/3857397