"The driving force of capitalism is the attainment of increasing rates of surplus value. This is inevitably exploitative and demeaning of the human condition. This makes an increased awareness of ethics in business practise untenable. Discuss."
The statement comprises of three arguments, or, more specifically, one argument and two consequences. They consist of the type argument 'if A then B' and 'if A and B then C'. In addition there is the request to 'discuss' in the statement. 'Discuss' could only apply to 'C'. In this case 'A' and 'B' would be taken for granted. I cannot easily accept this so I apply 'discuss' to 'A', 'B' and finally 'C' and approach each phrase separately. So I can reveal that 'if A and B then C' is only true under prior assumptions made about 'A' and 'B'.
Chapter A deals with 'A', capitalism. Here I will provide a definition of capitalism containing its characteristics and effects and arrive at the answer as to whether "increasing rates of surplus value" are the "driving force of capitalism".
Chapter B shall examine whether capitalism "is inevitably exploitative and demeaning to the human condition". But before the terms 'exploitation', 'demeaning' and 'human condition’ are discussed, they need to be defined. This chapter contains an analysis how 'capitalism' and 'humans' interact and interfere each other.
Chapter C works on 'untenable (business) ethics'. Ethics, business ethics and their significance for 'humans' and 'capitalism' are presented. The focus here will be on the overlapping areas of 'ethics' with the contents of the other two chapters. The chapter concludes with conditions that fulfil the statement 'if A and B then C', with arguments discussed in light of the essay statement.
But, actually, things are not that easy. The path of argumentation is relatively thin and unsatisfying. That is why the 'findings' section at the end of this essay questions the facts 'if A and B then C'. There are some underlying assumptions that this statement is built on. I will uncover some of these 'granted facts' and try to go one step back. The then broader but also deeper insight into the notions of 'rationality', ‘bureaucracy’ and 'ideology' also mark the turn to my self-reflective essay.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Ethics and capitalism
2. 1 Capitalism
2. 2 Human condition
2. 3 Ethics
3 Interim findings
4 An attempt to explain the paradox of self-exploitation
4. 1 Industrialisation and the rise of the modern era
4. 2 Rationalism and bureaucracy
4. 3 Ideology and identity
5 Me as a manager
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This work examines the philosophical and structural tensions within modern capitalism, specifically investigating the statement that the drive for surplus value is inherently exploitative and undermines business ethics. The research aims to deconstruct the definitions of capitalism, human nature, and ethics to understand why the paradox of self-exploitation persists and how managerial identity is shaped by these systems.
- The intersection of capital accumulation, surplus value, and exploitation.
- The impact of modern industrialisation on the "human condition."
- Analysis of utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics in commercial contexts.
- The role of bureaucracy and rationality in dehumanizing economic agents.
- The construction of managerial identity within capitalistic belief systems.
Excerpt from the Book
2. 1 Capitalism
Capitalism is a "type of economic organisation" (Lash & Urry, 2000, 36) or an "economic system" (De George, 1986, 104). It describes "ways in which people are related", particularly those relations that "are mediated by money and commodities, by prices and wages, by supply and demand" (De George, 1986, 111). Systems contain structures in the form of rules, that people, as players within the system, rely on. As such, it shapes people's lives. An economic system, taken out of its societal context, described separately, and formed into an abstraction to get a better insight into its functioning and rules, is still just a model. It does not reflect the functioning of the existing society completely (De George, 1986).
Three basic features are held to be essential to capitalism: available accumulation of industrial capital, private ownership of the means of production and a free market system (De George, 1986). Industrial capital is the basic means, the wealth or money to purchase, build or transform means of production in order to create goods and services. The notion of capital as productive input into production can be expanded to other resources, like land, raw materials, labour and knowledge. The accumulation of these input factors is not a specific characteristic of capitalism but of every modern society (De George, 1986). Private ownership, however, is one. Private ownership relates to all the resources for the production process, both as inputs (like raw materials) and means of production (like plants and factories). Private property - owned by the individual or a group of individuals - guarantees that the outcomes, out of the productive use of the property, is allocated to the owner of the resource, too. The free market seems to be the most extensive of the three basic elements of capitalism. What is it? A market is basically a 'platform' or place where demand and supply meet, where goods are exchanged for mutual benefit.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Defines the scope of the essay, setting out to investigate the validity of the statement regarding capitalism's exploitative nature and the subsequent untenable status of business ethics.
2 Ethics and capitalism: Explores the defining characteristics of capitalism, the human condition, and various ethical frameworks, identifying the friction between economic models and human well-being.
3 Interim findings: Critically evaluates the logic of the prior analysis, questioning the underlying assumptions of capitalism as a model and the limitations of applying purely mathematical or utilitarian measurements to complex social lives.
4 An attempt to explain the paradox of self-exploitation: Investigates the historical roots of industrialization, the rise of modern rationality and bureaucracy, and how these forces have shaped ideology and identity in the workplace.
5 Me as a manager: Concludes with a self-reflective analysis on the future of management, advocating for a shift toward sustainability and an ethical framework that recognizes the multifaceted nature of human beings.
Keywords
Capitalism, Surplus Value, Ethics, Human Condition, Exploitation, Rationality, Bureaucracy, Ideology, Business Practice, Utilitarianism, Deontology, Virtue Ethics, Sustainability, Industrialization, Managerial Identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this work?
The essay explores the inherent tensions between capitalistic economic structures and the possibility of maintaining ethical business practices, arguing that the system itself creates an exploitative paradox.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Central themes include the nature of capital accumulation, the reduction of human beings to economic agents (the "economic man"), the role of bureaucracy, and the influence of ideologies on identity.
What is the central research question?
The work investigates the claim that the drive for increasing surplus value in capitalism is inevitably exploitative and makes an awareness of ethics in business practice untenable.
Which methodologies are employed?
The author uses a multidisciplinary approach, synthesizing literature from economics, moral philosophy (utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics), sociology (Weber, Marx), and organizational theory.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body deconstructs capitalism as a model, examines the human condition through Maslow's needs and human rights, and analyzes how industrialization and bureaucratic rationality have institutionalized a "gloomy vision" of human nature.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key concepts include capitalism, exploitation, ethics, rationality, bureaucracy, ideology, sustainability, and the paradox of self-exploitation.
How does the author define the "paradox of self-exploitation"?
The author argues that individuals, while participating in the market as consumers and workers, contribute to a system that negatively impacts their own well-being, creating a self-destructive, contradictory cycle.
What role does bureaucracy play in this analysis?
Bureaucracy is depicted as a "rational machine" that enforces instrumental rationality, often causing a displacement of goals where rules become ends in themselves, leading to dehumanization.
How does the author view the "economic man" model?
The author criticizes the "economic man" as an abstraction that inaccurately models human behavior by ignoring non-rational factors, complex emotional needs, and intrinsic moral values.
- Citation du texte
- Christian Bacher (Auteur), 2005, Capitalism, Ethics and the Paradoxon of Self-exploitation, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/51703
