George Bragues is a professor at the University of Guelph-Humber and at the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Toronto. George Bragues is the Business Program Head. George holds a PhD in Political Science from Boston College as well as a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Toronto. In addition, he earned an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. Besides his work appearing in The Encyclopedia of Business in Today’s World, George has published academic articles in such journals as The Journal of Business Ethics, The Independent Review, Episteme and Business Ethics Quarterly. He has also been an occasional contributor to The National Post since 1999, writing opinion pieces on financial, economic and political issues in the paper’s financial section. (www.guelphhumber.ca/)
His article that was featured in the Journal of Business Ethics in 2006, Seek the Good Life, not Money: The Aristotelian Approach to Business Ethics. George addresses the issues that business ethicists have simply mine abstract formulas from the past; they missed out on the intellectual gains of exploring the philosophic traditions. His article seeks to rectify this shortcoming by advocating a close reading of these so called “great books” by Aristotle. The Nichomachean Ethics and the Politics points to Aristotle’s views on tying business morality to a universal conception of the good life. Aristotle insists upon the importance of exercising the virtues, of habitually acting in ways that fulfill the highest human potentialities. People are then asked to display courage, self-restraint, generosity, magnificence, magnanimity, sociability, justice, prudence and wisdom. Each of these virtues is to be practice not for the sake of financial success but financial success is defined by what is necessary to support a virtuous life. Let’s go through these nine virtues.
Beginning with courage of the seven traits,