Corporate Machiavellianism and Macintyrian Capitalism: The Battle for the Soul of Business
The pursuit of profit and business success has always been the goal of CEOs and many business practitioners. This has further led to the devaluation of the human person in many business practices. This global economic system can best be described as the reinvention of the â€•Hobbessian Jungleâ€– that is described as the state of â€—war of all against allâ€˜ (bellum omnium contra omnes), and a state of â€—man becoming wolf to manâ€˜ (homo lupus homini). The present economic arrangement bequeaths on us a state where man is involved in constant economic war of self-survival to the detriment of other peoplesâ€˜ happiness and wellbeing. That the business world embodies its own morality different from other practices is the final conclusion of some ethicists. Therefore, this paper, with the use of appropriate secondary data, critically examines the fundamental strategy of the corporate world with particular attention placed on the recurrent battle between â€•Corporate Machiavellianistsâ€– and â€•MacIntyrian Capitalistsâ€–. Alasdair MacIntyreâ€˜s intellectual-moral intervention is worthy of critical assessment in any interpersonal relationship, the corporate world inclusive. Alasdair MacIntyreâ€˜s theory of virtue forms the basis of interrogating unethical business practices generated from the loopholes in the capitalist economic system. This paper concludes by recommending the emergence of virtuous corporations or MacIntyrian capitalists.