Abstract
Few people think of business ethics as being addressed outside of main-stream business ethics, philosophy and corporate social responsibility circles. This view is in error. Arguably the most prominent philosopher of the last century, Ayn Rand, has provided a philosophy of business that is satisfying to many people, not the least of which is Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan. Rand's philosophy suggests that self-interested behavior is not merely an economic modeling of human behavior, but an ethical imperative. To professional philosophers, Rand is naive and unsatisfying; however, that does not diminish her appeal to the less sophisticated. After a review of Rand's great popular appeal, the article then moves on to some of the main points of her philosophy, offers a critique of those points and then encourages a more serious analysis of Rand's philosophy, particularly for those teaching and consulting on ethics.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 229-237 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | International Journal of Applied Philosophy |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |