IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v191y2024i3d10.1007_s10551-023-05487-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is Rationality Reasonable? How Ancient Logos Changes Management Theory

Author

Listed:
  • Matthias P. Hühn

    (Saint Vincent College)

  • Sara Mandray

    (ESSCA School of Management)

Abstract

Rationality and reason are often used as synonyms, although they are very different concepts. In this article we argue that rationality is the concept of reason that has been stripped of its human elements. Ancient and medieval philosophers such as Aristotle and Aquinas stressed that the concept of reason is composed of sensitive, discursive, and moral elements. Post-Enlightenment thinkers instead, building on the works of René Descartes and Isaac Newton, took these out and claimed that rationality must be based on an external logic devoid of value-concepts such as perfection, harmony, meaning and aim (Koyré in From the closed world to the infinite universe, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1957). The purpose of this essay is to highlight this shift in Western thought and its consequences for management theories. While explaining the ancient concept of reason in contrast with modern rationalism (Klein in: Williamson RB, Zuckerman E (eds) Jacob Klein—lectures and essays, St. John’s College Press, Annapolis, 1985), we aim at raising awareness of the differences between building a research programme (especially in business sciences like economics and management) on rationality or on reason.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias P. Hühn & Sara Mandray, 2024. "Is Rationality Reasonable? How Ancient Logos Changes Management Theory," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 191(3), pages 465-479, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:191:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s10551-023-05487-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-023-05487-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-023-05487-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-023-05487-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sison, Alejo José G. & Fontrodona, Joan, 2012. "The Common Good of the Firm in the Aristotelian-Thomistic Tradition," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(2), pages 211-246, April.
    2. Claus Dierksmeier, 2011. "The Freedom–Responsibility Nexus in Management Philosophy and Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(2), pages 263-283, June.
    3. Claudius Bachmann & André Habisch & Claus Dierksmeier, 2018. "Practical Wisdom: Management’s No Longer Forgotten Virtue," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 147-165, November.
    4. Henry Mintzberg, 1971. "Managerial Work: Analysis from Observation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(2), pages 97-110, October.
    5. Barry Schwartz & Kenneth Sharpe, 2006. "Practical Wisdom: Aristotle meets Positive Psychology," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 377-395, September.
    6. Dirk C. Moosmayer & Sandra Waddock & Long Wang & Matthias P. Hühn & Claus Dierksmeier & Christopher Gohl, 2019. "Leaving the Road to Abilene: A Pragmatic Approach to Addressing the Normative Paradox of Responsible Management Education," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(4), pages 913-932, July.
    7. Sandrine Frémeaux & Thibaut Bardon & Clara Letierce, 2021. "How To Be a ‘Wise’ Researcher: Learning from the Aristotelian Approach to Practical Wisdom," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(4), pages 667-681, July.
    8. Wayne Eastman & James R. Bailey, 1998. "Crossroads—Mediating the Fact-Value Antinomy: Patterns in Managerial and Legal Rhetoric, 1890–1990," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 9(2), pages 231-245, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sandrine Frémeaux & Thibaut Bardon & Clara Letierce, 2020. "How To Be a ‘Wise’ Researcher: Learning from the Aristotelian Approach to Practical Wisdom," Post-Print hal-03232780, HAL.
    2. Sandrine Frémeaux & Thibaut Bardon & Clara Letierce, 2021. "How To Be a ‘Wise’ Researcher: Learning from the Aristotelian Approach to Practical Wisdom," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(4), pages 667-681, July.
    3. Guillaume Mercier & Ghislain Deslandes, 2017. "There are no Codes, Only Interpretations. Practical Wisdom and Hermeneutics in Monastic Organizations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(4), pages 781-794, November.
    4. Arménio Rego & Marcel Meyer & Dálcio Reis Júnior & Miguel Pina e Cunha, 2025. "Wise leaders fostering employees’ speaking up behaviors: developing and validating a measure of leader-expressed practical wisdom," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 157-195, January.
    5. Costanza Consolandi & Giovanni Ferri & Andrea Roncella, 2022. "All you need is G(overnance): Sustainable Finance Following Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Frescoes," SERIES 01-2022, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza - Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", revised Jul 2022.
    6. Matthias P. Hühn, 2019. "Adam Smith’s Philosophy of Science: Economics as Moral Imagination," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 1-15, March.
    7. Ma Asunción Esteso-Blasco & María Gil-Marqués & Juan Sapena, 2021. "Leadership in Economy of Communion Companies. Contribution to the Common Good through Innovation," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 77-101, April.
    8. Claus Dierksmeier, 2020. "From Jensen to Jensen: Mechanistic Management Education or Humanistic Management Learning?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(1), pages 73-87, September.
    9. Hutzschenreuter, Thomas & Horstkotte, Julian, 2013. "Performance effects of international expansion processes: The moderating role of top management team experiences," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 259-277.
    10. Michael Pirson, 2018. "Reclaiming our Humanity- a Cornerstone for Better Management," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 2(2), pages 103-107, February.
    11. Mark R. Ryan, 2021. "Business Ethics as a Form of Practical Reasoning: What Philosophers Can Learn from Patagonia," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 103-116, April.
    12. Caleb Bernacchio, 2021. "Virtue Beyond Contract: A MacIntyrean Approach to Employee Rights," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(2), pages 227-240, June.
    13. Jacolyn Norrish & Dianne Vella-Brodrick, 2008. "Is the Study of Happiness a Worthy Scientific Pursuit?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 87(3), pages 393-407, July.
    14. James Arthur & Stephen R. Earl & Aidan P. Thompson & Joseph W. Ward, 2021. "The Value of Character-Based Judgement in the Professional Domain," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(2), pages 293-308, March.
    15. Emmanouela Mandalaki & Marianna Fotaki, 2020. "The Bodies of the Commons: Towards a Relational Embodied Ethics of the Commons," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(4), pages 745-760, November.
    16. Hannes Zacher & Liane Pearce & David Rooney & Bernard McKenna, 2014. "Leaders’ Personal Wisdom and Leader–Member Exchange Quality: The Role of Individualized Consideration," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 121(2), pages 171-187, May.
    17. Blake Allan, 2015. "Balance Among Character Strengths and Meaning in Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 16(5), pages 1247-1261, October.
    18. Matthias P. Hühn & Claus Dierksmeier, 2016. "Will the Real A. Smith Please Stand Up!," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(1), pages 119-132, June.
    19. Claudius Bachmann & Laura Sasse & Andre Habisch, 2018. "Applying the Practical Wisdom Lenses in Decision-Making: An Integrative Approach to Humanistic Management," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 2(2), pages 125-150, February.
    20. Stefano Dughera, 2022. "The evolution of workplace control leadership, obedience and organizational performance," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 399-421, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:191:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s10551-023-05487-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.