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2012 | OriginalPaper | Buchkapitel

6. The Christian Notion of Αγάπη (agápē): Towards a More Complete View of Business Ethics

verfasst von : Domènec Melé

Erschienen in: Leadership through the Classics

Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

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Abstract

Business Ethics, significantly developed over the last three decades, generally does not consider the notion of ἀγάπη (agápē) which is central in Christian ethics. This article analyses the meaning of agápē in the Christian Bible and argues that this Greek word can be translated as “love”, in the sense of a self-giving love, and including the sacrificing of one’s own interests for the good of others. Agápē is a virtue which inspires all other virtues in the Christian tradition. Philosophically speaking, agápē means “love of benevolence”, a notion which is not too far from the Confucian notion of ren, generally translated as “benevolence” or “loving others”. The article moves on to discuss how agápē can be introduced in business ethics and argues that a business ethics theory which includes the consideration of “love of benevolence” is more complete than others which ignore it.

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Vorheriges Kapitel Ancient Ethics and Contemporary Systems: The Yamas, the Niyamas and Forms of Organization

Nächstes Kapitel Ethics as Practice Embedded in Identity: Perspectives on Renewing with a Foundational Link

See also Wikipedia, based on Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_words_for_love, (accessed September 14, 2011).

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ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν.

This translation could have its roots in the Greek word xaris, meaning grace, something given with gratuitousness. This makes clear the idea of donation in contrast to eros, which as noted, has a meaning of self-possession.

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In summary and in this line, the Roman Catholic Church explains that the practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, and charity binds everything together in perfect harmony; it is the form of the virtues and articulates and orders them. Charity is the source and the goal of Christian practice; and adds that Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, nn.1827, 1827).

According to Catholic Roman Church agápē (charity) is “the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbour as ourselves for the love of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1822).

St. Paul writes: “when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts” (Bible, Letter to Romans 2:14-15).

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Titel: The Christian Notion of Αγάπη (agápē): Towards a More Complete View of Business Ethics
verfasst von: Domènec Melé
Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Buch: Leadership through the Classics
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-32444-4

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-642-32445-1

Copyright-Jahr: 2012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32445-1_6

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