Ethicmentality - Ethics in Capitalist Economy, Business, and Society [Paperback]

Ethicmentality is an innovative book. It blends ethics withmentality to capture the interdependence of ethical life and social lifecreatively. The book is also innovative because of the way this interdependenceis explored. By focusing on practical ethical behavior in todays economy,business, and society, Michela Betta has advanced an understanding of ethics freedfrom the burden of moral theory. By introducing a new type of analysis thisbook also contributes to methodological innovation. Familiar issues are revisitedthrough the notion of ethicmentality. Capitalist economy is presented in termsof a mentality embedded in society, culture, and politics. Government is revealedas mentality about how to govern economically through market freedom ratherthan human rights. The rise of the financial economy is described aschallenging the traditional capitalist mentality of equal opportunities. Amoney mentality around debts and owing is perceived as having replaced credit andowning, and the rise of corporation managers as having destroyed the oldmentality of ownership. Ethicmentality shows the potential of constructive critique from economic, business, andsociety perspectives. It also breaches traditional limits by developing the ideaof ethical capital and entrepreneurial ethics. Ethical thinking is infused withthe Aristotelian notion of virtues and moderation to reflect about modern work. Ethicmentality helps us see thecomplexity of social and personal life. Given the pervasive nature of mentalityand ethics focus on individual deliberation, ethicmentality represents their productivecombination, a new blend for ethical and social analysis.