Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Business Ethics in East Central Europe pp 20–41Cite as

Rejection of Holistic Social Engineering Ethics and Transition

  • Conference paper

Part of the book series: Studies in Economic Ethics and Philosophy ((SEEP))

Abstract

This paper argues that it is possible to generalize Smith’s classical rejection of holistic social engineering from ordinary to extraordinary times. Our attention is especially drawn to transitions, during which an open or hidden crisis results, and an old order is dismantled, and in its place, a new one is established. Ethicists are shown to play an extraordinarily important role in such „states of emergency” (e.g. the first three years of the Czech Velvet Revolution 1990–1992), because they mediate various influences on individual and collective choices.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • ALCHIAN, A., DEMSETZ, H. (1972): „Production, Information Costs, and Economic Organization“, American Economic Review, 62 (1972), pp. 777–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • BERGER, P. (1986): The Capitalist Revolution, New York (Basic Books) 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  • BERGER, P.; LUCKMANN, T. (1966): The Social Construction of Reality, New York (Double-Day) 1966, p. 250.

    Google Scholar 

  • BERLE, A., MEANS, G. (1932): The Modern Corporation and Private Property, New York (Macmillan) 1932.

    Google Scholar 

  • BURNHAM, J. (1941): The Managerial Revolution, New York (John Day) 1941.

    Google Scholar 

  • COASE, R. (1988a, orig. 1937): „The Nature of the Firm“, in: COASE, R.: The Firm, the Market and the Law, Chicago (The University Chicago Press) 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  • COASE, R. (1988b, orig. 1960): „The Problem of Social Cost“, in: COASE, R.: The Firm, the Market and the Law, Chicago (The University Chicago Press) 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  • DAHRENDORF, R. (1990): The Modern Social Conflict, Los Angeles (University of California Press, Berkeley) 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  • DURKHEIM, E. (1957): Suicide, New York (The Free Press) 1957.

    Google Scholar 

  • FURET, F. (1994): Promyslet francouzskou revoluci, Praha (Atlantis) 1994. French Original: Penser la Révolution française, Paris (Gallimard).

    Google Scholar 

  • GARFINKEL, H. (1967): Studies in Ethnometodology, Englewood Cliffs (Prentice Hall) 1967.

    Google Scholar 

  • GOFFMAN, E. (1967):Interaction Ritual, New York (Anchor Books) 1967, p. 270.

    Google Scholar 

  • HAYEK, F.A. (1973):Law, legislation and Liberty, London (Routledge Kegan Paul Ltd.) 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  • HOLMES, S. (1995): Cultural Legacies or State Collapse?, Budapest (Collegium Budapest) 1995, p. 51.

    Google Scholar 

  • KABELE, J. (1993): „The Dynamics of Social Problems and Czechoslovak Transition“, Social Research 60(4) (1993), pp. 763–768.

    Google Scholar 

  • KABELE, J. (1994): „Ethics and Economics“, in: BOHATA, M. (Ed.): Ethics of Business in the Transformation Period, Prague (CERGE-EI) 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • KABELE, J. (1995): Prerody: principy sociálního konstruování (Transitions: the Principles of Social Construction of Reality), Praha (Institut sociologickych studií, FSV UK, Karlova Universita [habilitaãnf práce]) 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • KNIGHT, F. (1921): Risk, Uncertainty, and Profit, New York (Hart, Schaffner, and Marx) 1921.

    Google Scholar 

  • LINZ, S. (1974) : Breakdown of Democratic Regimes: Crisis, Breakdown and Re-equilibration, London (John Hopkins Univ. Press) 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • MARX, K. (1974): Rukopisy (Grundrisse I, II), Praha (Svoboda) 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • MENGER, K. (1976, orig. 1871): Principles of Economics, New York and London (New York University Press) 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • MERTLÍK, P. (1993): Institutional Change: Some Czech Lessons, EAEPE 1993 Conference „The Economy of the Future: Ecology, Technology, Institutions“, Palace of Congress, Barcelona, Catalania, Spain 29–30 October.

    Google Scholar 

  • MLCOCH, L. (1994): „The Ethical Dimension of the Reestablishment of Private Property in the Czech Republic“, in: BOHATÁ, M. (Ed): Ethics of Business in the Transformation Period, Prague (CERGE-EI) 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • MLCOCH, L. (1995):The Restructuring of Property Rights Through the Institutional Economist’s Eyes, Kolloquium “Tschechische Republik und Ostdeutschland im Vergleich. Institut für Soziologie, Universität Erlangen-Nürnburg, 6.-8. März 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • NORTH, D. C. (1990) Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press) 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  • POPPER, K. R. (1950): The Open Society and Its Enemies, Princeton (Princeton Univ. Press) 1950.

    Google Scholar 

  • POPPER, K. R. (1960): The Poverty of Historicism, 2nd edition, London (Rout-ledge and Kegan Paul) 1960.

    Google Scholar 

  • RÖNA-TAS, A. (1994): „The First Shall Be the Last? Entrepreneurship and the Communist Cadres in the Transition from Socialism“, American Journal of Sociology, 100 (1994), pp. 40–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SCHUMPETER, J. (1964): Business Cycles, New York (McGraw Hill Co.) 1964.

    Google Scholar 

  • SCHUTZ, A. (1962): Collected Papers 1. The Problem of Social reality, Hague (Martinus Nijhoff) 1962, p. 360.

    Google Scholar 

  • SMITH, A. (1759): The Theory of Moral Sentiments, London 1759.

    Google Scholar 

  • SMITH, A. (1930, orig. 1776): Wealth of Nations, London (E. Cannon) 1930.

    Google Scholar 

  • SRUBAR, I. (1994): „Variants of the Transformation Process in Central Europe. A Comparative Assessment“, Zeitschrift für Soziologie, 3 (1994), pp. 198–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • STARK, D. (1992): „Path Dependence and Privatization Strategies in East Central Europe“, East European Politics and Societies 6 (1992), pp. 17–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • STARK, D. (1996): „Recombinant Property in East European Capitalism“, American Journal of Sociology, 101 (4) (1996), pp. 993–1027.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SZELENYI, I. (1995): The Rise of Managerialism. The „New Class“ after the Fall of Communism, Budapest (Collegium Budapest) 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • TILLY, CH. (1978):From Mobilization to Revolution, Reading/MA (Addison-Wesley) 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • WEBER, M. (1968, orig. 1921): Economy and Society, New York (Bedminster Press) 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  • ZAPF, W. (1991): „Der Untergang der DDR und die soziologische Theorie der Modernisierung“, in: GIESEN, B., LEGGEWIE, C. (Eds.): Experiment Vereinigung, Berlin 1991, pp. 38–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • ZAPF, W. (1993): „Die DDR 1989/1990 — Zusammenbruch einer Sozialstruktur?“, in: JOAS, H., KOHLI, M. (Eds): Der Zusammenbruch der DDR, Frankfurt/M. (Suhrkamp) 1993, pp. 29–48.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Jiri Kabele
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Ethical Economy and Business Culture, The Hannover Institute of Philosophical Research, Gerberstraße 26, D-30169, Hannover, Germany

    Peter Koslowski

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Kabele, J. (1997). Rejection of Holistic Social Engineering Ethics and Transition. In: Koslowski, P. (eds) Business Ethics in East Central Europe. Studies in Economic Ethics and Philosophy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-60883-4_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-60883-4_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64597-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-60883-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation