Ethics of Duties

Abstract

The ethics of duties promotes the use of reason and, therefore, purports to safeguard the freedom of all people caught up in a particular ethical dilemma. This publication establishes why it is important to keep reason as the main objective, covers the necessary conditions for upholding reason, and discusses the categorical imperative, which is the principle that the ethics of duties holds to guide actions in all matters. We then propose a framework to apply the categorical imperative in matters of business ethics, that is, upholding the human faculty of reason, treating those in our midst as ends-in-themselves (instead of means for our own gain), and the construction of social institutions that promote freedom. Finally, a field report demonstrates how the ethics of duties helps companies pursue their objectives by delving into the nuances of the social issues they need to address.

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