Arriving Where We Started

This book connects Aristotle's thought to modern organization theory and business ethics. It discusses Aristotle's theory on substances with form and matter and applies that line of thought to organizations which show many characteristics of substance. It then examines form and matter of mental events and moral imagination. After discussing Aristotle's complex views on intention, rationality, and irrationality and in a business context, the book explores free will, arguing that it is much like rationality as Aristotle understands the notion. In the discussion of community and commons the book proposes that good managers in a good organization create a culture that encourages higher-order and corresponding first-order desires that help preserve the commons with due respect for the participants' autonomy. Finally, the book discusses the status of business ethics and ethics across boundaries and draws the conclusion that creating social capital that preserves the commons in an organization or a market is not just a philosophical problem, nor a matter of applying moral principles to managers' issues.