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Epistemic Virtues in Business

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  • Boudewijn Bruin

Abstract

This paper applies emerging research on epistemic virtues to business ethics. Inspired by recent work on epistemic virtues in philosophy, I develop a view in which epistemic virtues contribute to the acquisition of knowledge that is instrumentally valuable in the realisation of particular ends, business ends in particular. I propose a conception of inquiry according to which epistemic actions involve investigation, belief adoption and justification, and relate this to the traditional ‘justified true belief’ analysis of knowledge. I defend the view that epistemic virtues enable and/or motivate people to perform epistemic actions. An examination of the key epistemic virtues of love of knowledge, epistemic courage, temperance, justice, generosity and humility provides some initial evidence suggesting that the way epistemic virtues enable or motivate is by countering a number of biases that have been uncovered by behavioural economics, and also indicates ways in which the instrumental epistemic value view is superior to other approaches to epistemic virtue offered in the literature. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Boudewijn Bruin, 2013. "Epistemic Virtues in Business," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(4), pages 583-595, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:113:y:2013:i:4:p:583-595
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1677-3
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    2. Walter, Christian, 2016. "The financial Logos: The framing of financial decision-making by mathematical modelling," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 597-604.
    3. Anthony Asher & Tracy Wilcox, 2022. "Virtue and Risk Culture in Finance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(1), pages 223-236, August.
    4. Clayton Davies & Glenn Parry & Janet Carruthers & Marcus Kepple-Palmer, 2015. "The Epistemological Foundations of Music Piracy in the Digital Marketplace," Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015), National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 9(4), pages 42-53.
    5. Marco Meyer & Chun Wei Choo, 2024. "Harming by Deceit: Epistemic Malevolence and Organizational Wrongdoing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 189(3), pages 439-452, January.
    6. Natalie Victoria Wilmot, 2024. "Language as a Source of Epistemic Injustice in Organisations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 195(2), pages 233-247, November.
    7. Boudewijn Bruin, 2016. "Pledging Integrity: Oaths as Forms of Business Ethics Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(1), pages 23-42, June.
    8. Erwan Lamy, 2023. "Epistemic Responsibility in Business: An Integrative Framework for an Epistemic Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(1), pages 1-14, February.
    9. Lisa Warenski, 2024. "Organizational Good Epistemic Practices," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 194(3), pages 485-500, October.
    10. Christopher Baird & Thomas S. Calvard, 2019. "Epistemic Vices in Organizations: Knowledge, Truth, and Unethical Conduct," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 263-276, November.
    11. Hong Jiang & Wentao Liu & Lili Jia, 2019. "How Humble Leadership Influences the Innovation of Technology Standards: A Moderated Mediation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-20, October.
    12. Mark Christensen & Geoffrey Lamberton, 2022. "Accounting for Animal Welfare: Addressing Epistemic Vices During Live Sheep Export Voyages," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(1), pages 35-56, September.
    13. Pablo Sanz & Joan Fontrodona, 2019. "Moderation as a Moral Competence: Integrating Perspectives for a Better Understanding of Temperance in the Workplace," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(4), pages 981-994, April.
    14. Alvaro Turriago-Hoyos & Ulf Thoene & Surendra Arjoon, 2016. "Knowledge Workers and Virtues in Peter Drucker’s Management Theory," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(1), pages 21582440166, March.
    15. Steffen Böhm & Michal Carrington & Nelarine Cornelius & Boudewijn Bruin & Michelle Greenwood & Louise Hassan & Tanusree Jain & Charlotte Karam & Arno Kourula & Laurence Romani & Suhaib Riaz & Deirdre , 2022. "Ethics at the Centre of Global and Local Challenges: Thoughts on the Future of Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(3), pages 835-861, October.
    16. Vita Akstinaite & Graham Robinson & Eugene Sadler-Smith, 2020. "Linguistic Markers of CEO Hubris," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 167(4), pages 687-705, December.
    17. Joanna Crossman & Vijayta Doshi, 2015. "When Not Knowing is a Virtue: A Business Ethics Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(1), pages 1-8, September.

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