Stephen Hicks, Ph.D.

Spring 2010 CEE guest speakers

The Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship has announced its four guest speakers for this semester:

Roberto Salinas Leon, Ph.D., on business, education, and philosophy in the US and Mexico.

William Kline, Ph.D., on David Hume’s ethics.

Jeffrey Orduno, J.D., on property rights and the law.

Douglas Rasmussen, Ph.D., on Aristotle and contemporary ethics.

Above is a jpeg version of the flyer. For the pdf, click here. CEE’s announcement is here. For more information, email Chris at CEE [at] CEE [dot] edu, or stay tuned for posts updating times and places.

Character and entrepreneurship

Business education is often good at teaching useful business theories and skills but less often good at teaching ethics. Ethics is often seen as irrelevant or as an obstacle, so business ethics is either not included in the core business curriculum or offered as an elective ornament.

Claim: Ethics is organically central to business success, and should be so built into business education. Two quotations from giants of American business in support.

First, from Georges Doriot, one of America’s trailblazing venture capitalists, as quoted in Jeffrey Young’s Forbes Greatest Technology Stories:

“Doriot spends most of his time talking to people who bring him prospective investments. He says he has considered no less than 5,000 of them since 1946. He is considered by friends and critics alike as a brilliant judge of character. But he has to be, he explains. ‘When someone comes in with an idea that’s never been tried, the only way you can judge is by the kind of man you’re dealing with’” (p. 101).

Second, from financier J. P. Morgan, who was once asked whether money was always loaned out based on one’s assets. Morgan replied, “No, sir, the first thing is character.” And, Morgan continued, if someone he couldn’t trust asked for funding, he wouldn’t make the loan even if he had “all the bonds in Christendom” (quoted in Kaizen, Issue 6 [pdf], featuring my interview with venture capitalist Kevin O’Connor).

For both Doriot and Morgan, character is fundamental. So what is good character? How does one acquire it, develop it, and make it second nature? How does one recognize it in others? How does one build institutions that support, nurture, and reward excellent character? That is a core part of business ethics.

And to make a plug for business and ethics here at Rockford College, the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship’s web log has a series of recent posts on patents and innovation, low-cost eye care in India, whether new jobs are most created in new or small businesses, and the psychic benefits of non-profit work.

Spring 2010 Philosophy courses

The line-up of Philosophy courses for the Spring 2010 semester is now available [pdf]. The list includes my courses and those being taught by my Philosophy colleagues Matthew Flamm and Shawn Klein, as well as a new cross-listed course being taught by our colleague Rafal Krazek of the French Department.

The spring semester will set a historical record for the most philosophy courses offered at Rockford College in one semester: Eleven. (Philosophy is a growth industry at RC!)

For more information, please go to Rockford College’s IQWeb site.