Philosophy class: He’s an Oxford-trained philosopher of war. CEOs can’t get enough of him

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• Moral Philosophy

Click the link below to read the article and then answer the questions:

He’s an Oxford-trained philosopher of war. CEOs can’t get enough of him

• Rodin explains that people often make ethical decisions without any knowledge of ethics, something they would never do when making financial decision. He says: “There are important ethical tools. If you don’t understand them, the odds are you aren’t going to end up in a good place.” Which ethical or philosophical tools do you know? How can they help you make better decisions. (Eg the doctrine of the mean; Bentham’s calculus)?

• Rodin describes the thinking of utilitarians as ‘the Good’, deontologists as ‘the Right’ and virtue ethicists as ‘the Fitting’. Why do you think he does this? What does he mean?

• What do you think ethical leadership looks like? Can you give any examples? Remember: an ethical leader is not the same as a perfect leader.

• Do you think businesses would benefit from doing the right things? What does Rodin say? Why are businesses tempted to do the wrong thing? What do the answers to these questions tell us about human nature and moral philosophy?

Jack Robertson, Queen Elizabeth’s School