Aligning Civic and Corporate Leadership with Human Dignity: Activism at the Intersection of Business and Government
From a tradition of discourse ethics, human dignity can be defined as “being an equal member in the realm of subjects and authorities of justification.” Additionally, “to act with dignity means being able to justify oneself to others; to be treated in accordance with this dignity means being respect...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer Science + Business Media B. V
2017
|
| In: |
Journal of business ethics
Year: 2017, Volume: 146, Issue: 1, Pages: 125-133 |
| Further subjects: | B
Jürgen Habermas
B Human Dignity B Paul H. O’Neill B Alfred Herrhausen B Rainer Forst B Theory of justice B Proxy representation B Ideal speech situation (ISS) B Matthias Kettner |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | From a tradition of discourse ethics, human dignity can be defined as “being an equal member in the realm of subjects and authorities of justification.” Additionally, “to act with dignity means being able to justify oneself to others; to be treated in accordance with this dignity means being respected as such an equal member.” Conversely, “to treat others in ways that violate their dignity means regarding them as lacking any justification authority” (Forst 2013, p. 101). The guidelines found in Habermas’s “ideal speech situation” (ISS) are essential to guarantee this notion of human dignity. Based on aspects of Habermas’s (ISS), as well as Rainer Forst’s theory of justice, this study analyzes efforts made by the late speaker of Deutsche Bank, Dr. Alfred Herrhausen, and the former CEO of Alcoa and United States Secretary of the Treasury, Paul H. O’Neill, to challenge the way debt crises in the developing world were handled. Both leaders understood indebted countries, the livelihoods and dignity of its citizens, not as an external entity but as an integral part of their agendas. The two agents included underrepresented groups in their considerations and discussions through a proxy or surrogate participation, giving them a greater voice and acknowledging their dignity. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1573-0697 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of business ethics
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s10551-015-2917-5 |