Title of the talk:
Quantitative versus qualitative Freedom
by Prof. Dr. Claus Dierksmeier Director of the Global Ethic Institute at the University of Tübingen Wednesday, 14.09.2016; 13:45-15:15 Jacobs University Bremen, Research IV, Seminar Room
In economic philosophy and business ethics literature, the idea of freedom has forever been a contested concept, particularly in regard to the legitimacy of a business ethics going beyond the requirements of the law. In order to provide both conceptual clarity and normative orientation in the debate over corporate responsibility and its premise – managerial freedom –, I employ two contrary archetypes of freedom built on the categories of quantity and quality. Through the lens of quantitative and qualitative freedom respectively, one arrives at distinct normative answers to questions of corporate culture and governance, of strategy and leadership which shall be discussed especially in regard to the strategic integration of demands for social, moral, and ecological sustainability into the rationales of business.
In economic philosophy and business ethics literature, the idea of freedom has forever been a contested concept, particularly in regard to the legitimacy of a business ethics going beyond the requirements of the law. In order to provide both conceptual clarity and normative orientation in the debate over corporate responsibility and its premise – managerial freedom –, I employ two contrary archetypes of freedom built on the categories of quantity and quality. Through the lens of quantitative and qualitative freedom respectively, one arrives at distinct normative answers to questions of corporate culture and governance, of strategy and leadership which shall be discussed especially in regard to the strategic integration of demands for social, moral, and ecological sustainability into the rationales of business.