Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label philosophy

The Nature of Values and Authority-Beyond Metrics

Authority is accompanied  with power, and this can be an irresistible aphrodisiac. It is so intoxicating that people continually seek to gain higher levels of authority through wealth, social position, and power accumulation. Positions of power should come with responsibility, and those who do not have the right kind of values should not be entrusted to direct others. People in power positions set the standards for others and can have an enormous impact on acceptable behaviors among their charges. A study focusing on disengagement theory found that managers who pushed others to engage in misreporting had a direct impact on the moral performance of their subordinates (Mayhew & Murphy, 2014). Supervisor requests were met with willing subordinates who misreported more, rationalized their unethical behavior and didn't feel that bad about it. Immoral bosses changed the perspective of their subordinates to the point where they no longer could have any remorse. As unethical b

Streets of Gold or Pathways to Poverty: Reviving America's Cities

Streets of gold look a little more like pathways to poverty . American cities have been on the decline for decades as investments diverted from urban areas to emerging countries that rolled out the red carpet . The infrastructure that was built when American cities were at the height of their economic might is still mostly intact waiting for visionary investors. Getting investment interest and better city governance can lead to mutual growth for business and job-hungry residents if the two can come to a mutual understanding . Pick any major city in the country and follow its historic rise and fall . You may notice that as people moved to the city , built homes , and invested their resources these collections of people grew in wealth and influence . The collective action of small and large investors created a synergy of growth that pushed profit margins to higher levels. Money , gove

Using the Philosophical Principles Conscious, Subconscious, and Intentionality in Management

We can learn a lot from philosophy and apply that to management in much the same way as we can learn from psychology, anatomy, or economics and use those principles within the workplace. I have the pleasure of engaging in a philosophy group that focuses on understanding key concepts of philosophy and finding practical uses for philosophical principles within our lives. The principles of philosophy can be used to create greater management skill and understanding of human behavior. The subconscious influences a wide variety of daily behaviors without us even knowing it. The philosophical group moved from discussions of the conscious last week to the subconscious this week. The debate included concepts such as the need for the subconscious, nature of the subconscious, and intentionality. There are three reasons why as business professor I would be interested in the conscious, subconscious and intentionality. Philosophy as a Platform : Philosophy is pre-science that lead

The State of Consciousness: Meeting the Philosophers of Artificial Intelligence

Consciousness is our state of awareness and has been debated among theologians for a long time. John Locke discussed consciousness as perception that passes through the mind while Rene Descartes followed Cartesian Dualism when pondering the differences between physical and mental matter. No one has every truly defined, empirically broke down, or proven the existence of consciousness. I had the pleasure of meeting a group of philosophers to discuss the nature of consciousness in today’s world. Of course I am not talking about sandal wearing theologians coming out from some past century to share their Socratic wisdom. Instead of unemployed philosophers the group was made of psychologists, computer engineers, and even a mathematician. They are an eclectic crew that ranged from individuals who wore t-shirts with formulas to those with proper business attire. Each attended with their own interest in the topic from a professional and hobbyist point of view. The meeting was fas

The Father of Modern Philosophy-Rene Descartes

Rene Descartes contributed and enhanced science as we know it today. He was able to create a shift in the way we view mathematics and how this applies to discovery within the world. His abilities lay in his mental creativity, analytical truth seeking ability, and the desire to understand the world around him. It was the right education mixed with the right circumstances and the right abilities to develop something profound. Descartes was born in 1596 in the town of La Haye France to a Councilor in Parliament. His father sought to create the best learning environment for his son. In 1637 he published Geometry which was a blend of geometry and algebra to create something knew called Cartesian Geometry. He was also well known for three works entitled Meditations on the First Philosophy, Principles of Philosophy, and Truth in the Sciences. Known as the The Father of Modern Philosophy he was able to reference a point in space by using two coordinates. This method became used

Book Review: Philosophy 100 Essential Thinkers

Philosophy 100 Essential Thinkers the Ideas that have Shaped our World by Philip Stokes gives a broad based understanding of the world’s philosophers. Each figure is given a few pages of explanation as well as their relevant contribution to society. One can find a broad sense of understanding as it relates to the overall concept of how philosophy has impacted societal thinking and science.  Some may wonder what the benefit of philosophy is on society. Without philosophy the basic components of modern understandings would not have been built. For example, if one didn’t wonder if the world was round we may never have traversed the ocean, built spacecraft, or had cell phones. Philosophy is seen as critical thought and human expression and contributes to both world affairs and societal development.  Philosophy doesn’t fit within a particular category of study like science but is considered the concept formation before modern science. It is the culmination of people who sat an