Ethics And Morality

My FORTUNE magazine came in the mail yesterday, I got to tear it apart this afternoon and digest it. In another go around at life I may have enjoyed a carreer in the financial industry. (I like to pretend sometimes and for that FORTUNE serves as a platform.)

This week there was an article by David A. Kaplan entitled "MBAs Get Schooled in Ethics". It brought up an issue that I have heard a lot about since the financial collapse that started a year and a half ago; namely business schools should be teaching ethics and morality. Perhaps if you live in the greater Baltimore area you've heard the radio ads by Loyola's MBA fellows program claiming that ethics has been part of their culture and curriculum since the school was founded by Jesuits. Ethics is becoming a buzzword it seems around the business world. And many people looked at those in the Big Business America and harbored resentment for what they see as an obvious lack of moral direction that resulted in the recession that we've been enduring.

Ethics is not a new part of many business school's curriculum. My father several years ago drove the buss for a U of MD business class that went to visit imprisoned white collar criminals to warn them against breaking the law in business. But now there is a call that comes from many angered people for more, more, more instruction in ethics and morality.

Here's the thing that gets me. Why is it so easy in our society to point fingers and blame everybody else. It seems that the same crowd that is hollering for more ethics and morality education for MBAs is the same crowd that would say, "You can't legislate morality".1 Do you really think that if people are simply taught morality at their graduate school these things wouldn't have happened? Perhaps we should be more concerned that people are not learning morality in their homes, from committed parents, and churches. Just sayin'.

Ok, that's the rant that came from reading FOTUNE mag. I enjoyed the column btw, Mr. Kaplan.

--Ben

1 I wanted to mention that the statement, "you can't legislate morality" is something that I have said, and perhaps have even written at an earlier date on this blog. However, I have come to realize how absurd a statement it is. In fact, all legislation is an effort to legislate morality. It is a means of expressing what we believe to be the right and moral way for a society to function. Our laws may not reflect biblical morality, but it is a reflection of societal morality. For example, what are civil rights laws if not an effort to legislate morality and prohibit immorality.