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Bring Your Non-self to Work? The Interaction Between Self-decentralization and Moral Reasoning
1Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 8ST UK.
Journal of Business Ethics : JBE
|November 8, 2021
Summary
Buddhist leaders use self-decentralization, rooted in emptiness theory, for moral reasoning. They employ skillful means and the middle way to prioritize social outcomes, navigating challenges of agency and context.
Area of Science:
- Psychology of Religion
- Moral Psychology
- Buddhist Studies
Background:
- Spirituality significantly impacts work and personal life.
- Limited understanding exists on how spirituality informs moral reasoning strategies.
- Buddhist philosophy offers unique perspectives on self and morality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how Buddhist leader-practitioners operationalize self-decentralization for moral reasoning.
- To investigate the role of Buddhist concepts like emptiness, skillful means, and the middle way.
- To identify challenges and tensions in applying these concepts to moral decision-making.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative examination of Buddhist leader-practitioners' interpretations and practices.
- Analysis of self-decentralization as a moral reasoning strategy.
- Exploration of Buddhist philosophical concepts: emptiness theory, skillful means, and the middle way.
Main Results:
- Buddhist leader-practitioners share a common understanding of self-decentralized identity.
- Self-decentralization is operationalized through skillful means and the middle way to focus on social outcomes.
- Tensions arise concerning agency (re-centering the self) and karmic reasoning for behavior, alongside contextual constraints leading to vulnerability.
Conclusions:
- Buddhist leader-practitioners utilize self-decentralization for moral reasoning, prioritizing social outcomes.
- Challenges related to agency and contextual factors create complexities in moral decision-making.
- A model is presented, inviting further research on dynamic self-interpretations in moral reasoning.
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