Business Is Not Inherently Unethical

Unfortunately, some people might assume negative things about the moral character of those in the business world simply because they are in business.  Certainly not everyone holds these fallacious views about businesspeople!  But as a Christian and as someone in the process of obtaining a business-related degree, I want to emphasize why it is erroneous and fallacious to view businesspeople as unethical by default.  Business is not some inherently unethical thing, but something that can be used in a legitimate or illegitimate way, as with all other things.

How might some people view those in business?  Marketers might be assumed to be deceitful, manipulative people who would misrepresent a product if that is what attracted buyers.  Managers might be thought of as egoistic leaders who have no genuine concern for their underlings.  And other examples could be listed.  But just because a man or woman is involved in successful business, whatever his or her function (accountant, manager, marketer, R & D, human resources, etc), does not mean that he or she has no regard for ethics and other humans.

It does not follow from being a marketer that one intends to deceive others about a product, or from being a manager that one tramples on subordinates, or from being a general businessperson that one only cares about profit, and so on.  There is no logical incompatibility between Biblical ethics and business.  To condemn the whole of business as sinful is a deeply fallacious, contra-Biblical overreaction to the offenses of some businesspeople.  It is itself sinful to condemn that which is not immoral (Deuteronomy 4:2).

Could a marketer misrepresent a product's safety, features, or quality?  Of course!  But this does not invalidate the entirety of marketing or mean that marketing cannot exist apart from dishonesty.  Could a manager overlook the diligence of workers, treat them callously, or treat them unfairly?  Of course!  But this does not mean that to be a manager one must engage in such behaviors.  Business does not inherently require dishonesty or self-absorption or a utilitarian willingness to do almost anything for profit.

Slave trading (Exodus 21:16) and prostitution (Deuteronomy 23:18) are examples of occupations that are intrinsically unethical, yet they fit into a relatively small category; outside of this class of activities (the examples I gave are not exhaustive), all business occupations can be pursued in a way that is not morally wrong.  There is no traditional position within a company that itself requires unethical behavior for the position to even continue to exist!

Businesspeople are not slaves to selfishness and moral apathy simply by nature of being businesspeople.  Business can offer unique opportunities to practice egoism, illicit manipulation, and deception, but it also can offer opportunities to treat others in a dignifying way, express care for the community, and exercise legitimate stewardship of resources.  Assumptions are inherently fallacious, and they become no less fallacious when they are made about the character of businesspeople being negative.  In this case what is true of the part, of some businesspeople, is not true of the whole.  In order to have a consistent worldview, Christians must not view things like business as outside the domain of Christianity and Christian ethics.