Cognitive pathology and moral judgment in managers

Abstract

We examine the moral and managerial significance of some empirical studies in cognitive psychology. We suggest that these results may plausibly be interpreted as expressing deontological commitments of experimental subjects, even though psychologists who discuss the results seem to suppose that they show that people are irrational consequentialists. We argue that the plausibility of our interpretation suggests how managers who wish to take seriously entrenched social views on morality might best craft corporate policy on corporate responsibility, and we suggest that the form of argument we employ may be regarded as a kind of appeal to reflective equilibrium.

Citation

Curlo, E. and Strudler, A. (2001), "Cognitive pathology and moral judgment in managers", Dienhart, J., Moberg, D. and Duska, R. (Ed.) The Next Phase of Business Ethics: Integrating Psychology and Ethics (Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations, Vol. 3), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 81-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1529-2096(01)03007-3