Abstract
We bring the distinct and complementary existentialist perspectives of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir to bear on the phenomenon of moral disengagement in managerial decision-making. Existentialist thinking is a rich source of insight on this phenomenon, because—as we demonstrate—the concept of moral disengagement overlaps significantly with the notion of ‘a consciousness in bad faith’ in Sartre’s writing, and the notion of ‘not willing oneself free’ in De Beauvoir’s writing. These concepts play a critical role in existentialist ethics, and thus existentialists carefully deliberated the phenomenon that these concepts aim to illuminate. Rather than being motivated by self-interest as implied by the bulk of extant empirical work on moral disengagement, existentialist perspectives suggest that moral disengagement can instead be motivated by an overwhelming sense of responsibility towards diverse others. From an existentialist perspective, the temptation to morally disengage will not only be felt by individuals that have a strong, trait-like propensity for moral disengagement, but by managers in general. This temptation is likely to be felt in the specific context of right vs. right dilemmas, which have up to now rarely been studied by moral disengagement scholars. Even though existentialist thought paints the problem of moral disengagement as more widespread and entrenched in the human condition, it also suggests ways of preventing moral disengagement. In arguing for these preventative approaches, we make careful distinctions between Sartre and De Beauvoir, thereby becoming the first to argue that De Beauvoir offers a unique contribution to our understanding of ethical decision-making in management.
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Notes
This type of reasoning works to displace or diffuse one’s sense of being personally responsible and is particularly likely to arise in business organizations because hierarchy and group decision-making are common to such settings (Detert et al., 2008).
Please note while Sartre was not the only existentialist to discuss freedom and responsibility, in this section, we rely specifically on the way he uses and explores these constructs. Also note that while Sartre addressed the notion of an existentialist ethics in Existentialism is a Humanism (2007), as well as very briefly at the end of Being and Nothingness (1992)—later to be reprinted as part of an essay titled, Existentialism and Human Emotions (1985)—it was Hazel Barnes who acted on the call to develop a comprehensive existentialist ethics (1978). It is true that Sartre's Notebooks for an Ethics (1992)—published posthumously—could be considered a more direct representation of his philosophy as it relates to ethics. Yet, we aver that the ideas in his notebooks represent a shift toward Marxism and away from the Existentialism of his earlier thought in Being and Nothingness (1943). Sartre's notebooks deal with the themes of alienation, oppression, and violence with emphasis on history and society rather than the individual’s condition and their situational ethics. Thus, we focus on Barnes for the discussion of an Existentialist ethics that builds on Being and Nothingness.
Here, Barnes is pointing to advertising practices. She refers to “…cynical manipulators, often collectively termed Madison Avenue, who publicly and subliminally coerce us into fitting their own commercial image” (1978, p. 85).
De Beauvoir (1976) uses a slew of terms to state this distinction; subject and object; awareness and facticity; "lack of being" and "being" (following Sartre’s nothingness and being); intentionality and fact.
De Beauvoir claims that Western Philosophy has tended to deny this two-fold human condition, either by exalting one of these facets of our existence above the other, or by reducing one to the other (see e.g., her references to Kantian thought, 1976, p. 33).
Emphasis is our own.
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We have no employment, funding, or financial conflicts of interest to declare. Under non-financial interests, we do declare that the second author is a former EIC of the Journal of Business Ethics.
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Botha, H., Freeman, R.E. Existentialist Perspectives on the Problem and Prevention of Moral Disengagement. J Bus Ethics 185, 499–511 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05130-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05130-0