French Philosophy and Social Theory: A Perspective for Ethics and Philosophy of Management

315 Pages·2014·2.327 MB·English

by  Jacob Dahl Rendtorff (auth.)

Ethical Economy. Studies in Economic Ethics and Philosophy
Jacob Dahl Rendtorff
French
Philosophy and
Social Theory
A Perspective for Ethics and Philosophy
of Management
French Philosophy and Social Theory
Ethical Economy. Studies in Economic Ethics
and Philosophy
Series Editors
Alexander Brink, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Jacob Dahl Rendtorff, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark
Editorial Board
John Boatright, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
George Brenkert, Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA
{
James M. Buchanan , George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
Allan K.K. Chan, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Christopher Cowton, University of Huddersfield Business School, Huddersfield,
United Kingdom
Richard T. DeGeorge, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Thomas Donaldson, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA
Jon Elster, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Amitai Etzioni, George Washington University, Washington D.C., USA
Michaela Haase, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Carlos Hoevel, Catholic University of Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ingo Pies, University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
Yuichi Shionoya, Hitotsubashi University, Kunitachi, Tokyo, Japan
Philippe Van Parijs, University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Deon Rossouw, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Josef Wieland, HTWG - University of Applied Sciences, Konstanz, Germany
For furthervolumes:
http://www.springer.com/series/2881
Jacob Dahl Rendtorff
French Philosophy
and Social Theory
A Perspective for Ethics
and Philosophy of Management
JacobDahlRendtorff
Communication,BusinessandInformation
RoskildeUniversity
Roskilde,Denmark
ISSN2211-2707 ISSN2211-2723(electronic)
ISBN978-94-017-8844-1 ISBN978-94-017-8845-8(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-94-017-8845-8
SpringerDordrechtHeidelbergNewYorkLondon
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2014937317
©SpringerScience+BusinessMedia2014
Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpart
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation,broadcasting,reproductiononmicrofilmsorinanyotherphysicalway,andtransmissionor
informationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilar
methodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped.Exemptedfromthislegalreservationarebriefexcerpts
inconnectionwithreviewsorscholarlyanalysisormaterialsuppliedspecificallyforthepurposeofbeing
enteredandexecutedonacomputersystem,forexclusiveusebythepurchaserofthework.Duplication
ofthispublicationorpartsthereofispermittedonlyundertheprovisionsoftheCopyrightLawofthe
Publisher’s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from
Springer.PermissionsforusemaybeobtainedthroughRightsLinkattheCopyrightClearanceCenter.
ViolationsareliabletoprosecutionundertherespectiveCopyrightLaw.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexempt
fromtherelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse.
While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of
publication,neithertheauthorsnortheeditorsnorthepublishercanacceptanylegalresponsibilityfor
anyerrorsoromissionsthatmaybemade.Thepublishermakesnowarranty,expressorimplied,with
respecttothematerialcontainedherein.
Printedonacid-freepaper
SpringerispartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia(www.springer.com)
Contents
1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 BusinessEthicsandEarlyModernFrenchPhilosophy
attheBeginningoftheTwentiethCentury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.1 HenriBergson:LivingPresenceandCreativeEvolution. . . . . . 13
2.2 CreativeEvolution,MoralandReligiousDevelopment. . . . . . . 17
2.3 Bergson,BusinessEthics,andPhilosophyofManagement. . . . 21
2.4 EmileDurkheim:SolidarityandtheInstitutionalization
ofFreedom. . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . 22
2.5 DurkheimandtheInstitutionalization
oftheMoralEconomy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.6 FromDurkheimtoMarcelMauss(Colle`gedeSociologie). . . . 31
2.7 TheGiftinModernSociety,Economics,andBusiness. . . . . . . 34
2.8 IntroducingHegelinFrenchSocialPhilosophy:
AlexandreKoje`ve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.9 GeorgesBataille:HegelianismandEconomyoftheGift. . . . . . 41
3 PersonalismandExistentialism:TheirViewonBusinessEthics,
Organizations,andInstitutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3.1 PersonalistExistentialismandPoliticalEconomy. . . . . . . . . . . 46
3.2 Existentialism:Jean-PaulSartre’sFreedom
andContingency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
3.3 SimonedeBeauvoir,Ethics,andtheSecondSex. . . . . . . . . . . 62
3.4 ExistentialismandEconomics:ChristianArnsperger. . . . . . . . 70
4 ThePhenomenologicalTradition:Experience,BodyandEthics. . . 77
4.1 MauriceMerleau-Ponty:BodyandPerception. . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
4.2 EmmanuelLe´vinas:PhenomenologyandtheEthics
oftheOther. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
v
vi Contents
5 MarxisminFrenchPhilosophy:FromExistencetoStructure
andBeyond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
5.1 MauriceMerleau-Ponty:TheAmbiguityofDialectics. . . . . . . 102
5.2 Jean-PaulSartre:CircularityofDialectics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
5.3 AlthusserandMarxistStructuralismasTheoretical
Antihumanism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
5.4 Rancie`re,Balibar,andBadiou:MarxismToday. . . . . . . . . . . . 118
6 Structuralism,StructuralAnthropology,andSocialTheory. . . . . . 121
6.1 StructureandLanguageasaSystemofSigns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
6.2 ClaudeLe´vi-StraussandStructuralAnthropology. . . . . . . . . . . 128
6.3 StructuralismandContemporarySociety:RolandBarthes. . . . . 133
6.4 JacquesLacanandtheFreudianTurnofStructuralism. . . . . . . 137
6.5 Structuralism,Ethics,andOrganizationalAnalysis. . . . . . . . . . 144
7 Poststructuralism,OrganizationalAnalysis,andBusinessEthics. . . 149
7.1 MichelFoucault:Power,Subjectivation,
andGovernmentality. . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . .. 149
7.2 StructuresofPowerinModernSociety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
7.3 ArcheologyandGenealogyofPower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
7.4 EthicsBeyondBiopower?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
7.5 GillesDeleuze(andFelixGuattari):Capitalism,Desire
andControlSociety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
7.6 DeleuzeasaClassicalPhilosopher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
7.7 CriticismofPsychoanalysisandSocialTheory. . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
7.8 DeleuzeandtheArts. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. 176
7.9 JacquesDerrida:DeconstructionofCSR
andBusinessEthics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
7.10 DeconstructionofthePoliticalCommunityofOrganizations. . . 183
7.11 JusticeandResponsibilityinDeconstruction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
7.12 DeconstructionandComplexity:ThinkinginBusiness
Ethics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
7.13 Jean-LucNancyandtheContinuationofDerrida’sProject. . . . 193
8 BeyondPoststructuralism:TheCriticalHermeneutical
PhilosophyofPaulRicœur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
8.1 TheEthicalFoundationsofOrganizationalDeliberation. . . . . . 203
8.2 EthicalLifeandJudgmentinOrganizations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
9 TheTraditionofPoliticalPhilosophy:FromRaymondAron
andDemocraticInstitutionalismtoRepublicanLiberalism. . . . . . 219
9.1 RaymondAron:DefenseofLiberalDemocracy. . . . . . . . . . . . 220
9.2 CastoriadisandtheConceptofInstitutions
andInstitutionalization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
9.3 Castoriadis’sCritiqueofBureaucracy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
9.4 ANewTheoryofDemocracy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Contents vii
9.5 ClaudeLefortandMarcelGauchet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
9.6 FromLucFerryandAlainRenaut:ToLiberalism. . . . . . . . . . 236
9.7 ConsequencesoftheLiberalTraditionforBusinessEthics
andPhilosophyofManagement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
10 PoststructuralistSociologyandtheNewSpiritofCapitalism:
BourdieuandBoltanski. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
10.1 PierreBourdieu:SociologyofPraxis
andIntentionalStructure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
10.2 HabitusandtheSocialStructuresoftheEconomy. . . . . . . . . . 248
10.3 TheEconomicSociologyofLateCapitalism:LucBoltanski. . . 252
10.4 DifferentOrdersorRegimesofWorth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
10.5 TheNewSpiritofCapitalism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
11 Postmodernism,Hypermodernism,andCritiqueoftheSpirit
ofCapitalism. . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . 267
11.1 Jean-Franc¸oisLyotard:ThePostmodernCondition. . . . . . . . . . 268
11.2 JeanBaudrillard:Postmodernism,Seduction,
andSimulation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
11.3 GillesLipovetsky:FromPostmodernitytoHypermodernity. . . 279
11.4 BernardStiegler:Hypermodernism,Pharmacology,andArs
Industrialis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
12 ConclusionandPerspectives:ImplicationsofFrenchPhilosophy
forBusinessEthicsandPhilosophyofManagement. . . . . . . . . . . . 299
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Chapter 1
Introduction
Thetopicofthisbookcanbeformulatedinonequestion:WhatisFrenchphilosophy
(withitsdifferentapproaches)andwhatkindofinsightdoesitcontainforbusiness
ethics and philosophy of management? This question addresses the more funda-
mental problem of what constitutes French philosophy: Is there a particularly
French metaphysics, theory of science, or social philosophy, or does French
philosophyand social theory only refer tosome philosophersand social scientists
thatusetheFrenchlanguage?Indeed,somearguethatFrenchphilosophyismuch
morethanthis,claimingthatitisaformoflifeandculturebasedonFrenchculture
and lifestyle. Hegel (1770–1831) tried to answer this question. In his lectures on
philosophyofhistory,hearguedthatwhileEnglishspeakingphilosophyiscritical
towards metaphysics and expresses a formal idealism or skepticism, French phi-
losophyhasmuchmorelife,moremovement,andindeedmorespirit.1
According toHegel,therevolutionary philosophyofMontesquieu (1889–1755),
Voltaire (1694–1778), Rousseau (1712–1778), and d’Alembert (1717–1783)
expressedtheself-transcendenceofabsolutespirittowardstheuniversalthatrevolted
against predetermined conceptionsand ideas.Hegelunderstood that French philos-
ophersfeltathomeinmetaphysics.HeemphasizedtheelementofrebellioninFrench
Enlightenmentthoughtthatreactedagainsta1,000yearsofauthorityandhierarchical
constructionsofstate,market,andcivilsociety.WhatwasimportantforHegelwas
notsomuchpositivephilosophy,butratherthecriticalnegativeforceinart,reason,
and science that was expressed in the French philosophy and social theory of the
Enlightenment. This was a concrete manifestation of the abstract ideal of freedom
that was already present in Descartes’ (1596–1650) metaphysics. French philo-
sophyis,inthissense,markedbyaholistic,metaphysical,andcriticalapproachthat
addresses every important issue. The wish to be critical is much stronger than in
1SeeW.F.GHegel:Vorlesungenu€berdieGeschichtederPhilosophie,translatedintoEnglishas
LecturesonTheHistoryofPhilosophy,byE.S.HaldanefromMichelet’scollectionofHegel’s
lectures, Jena 1805 and later, but closer to the Heidelberg text from 1816–7, published 1892,
reproduced by Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1955. See “Section Two: Period of the Thinking
Understanding,ChapterII.–TransitionPeriodC.FrenchPhilosophy”.
J.D.Rendtorff,FrenchPhilosophyandSocialTheory:APerspective 1
forEthicsandPhilosophyofManagement,EthicalEconomy49,
DOI10.1007/978-94-017-8845-8_1,©SpringerScience+BusinessMedia2014
2 1 Introduction
Anglo-Saxon philosophy and French Enlightenment philosophy has much more
vitalitythanthemoreconceptuallyanalyticalGermanphilosophy.
As one ofthe last great thinkers of systems, Hegel would properly look on the
French philosophy and social theory of the twentieth century with rather critical
eyes because this philosophy criticizes abstract metaphysics. Hegel was right in
seeing French philosophy as vital and concerned with real problems, though the
contemporarytrendshasbecomeverycriticaltowardsmetaphysicstothepointof
sometimesbeingseenaspostmetaphysical.TheFrenchapproachtobusinessethics
andphilosophyofmanagementisalsoverycriticalandsometimesskepticaltothe
very idea of organization and management. It is therefore hard to say that French
philosophyisstillcommittedtoaclassicalidealofcontributingtotheperfectionof
humanity. Moreover, this philosophy does not contain a global concept of ethics
andhumanorganizationinstateandmarket.Itisalsoaquestionwhetherthereisa
kind of essential culture and original and particular language that is expressed in
Frenchphilosophytoday.2
The philosopher and mathematician Michel Serres (b. 1929) has emphasized
some of the same characteristics of French philosophy and social theory that
Hegeldescribednearly200yearsago.Serres,who’sthoughtandphilosophygoes
beyond usual disciplinary boundaries and combines poetics, science, cybernetics,
andtheoryoforganizations,positsthatFrenchphilosophershavedevelopedavery
admirablestylecharacterizedbytheabilitytodothingsdifferently,todifferfrom
thepredominantunderstanding,andtocriticizewidely-acceptedscientificconcep-
tions.YoucouldsaythatthecoreofFrenchphilosophyisunpredictable,creative,
andinnovative.3Frenchculturesaremarkedbyconflict,whichinformsthedifferent
approaches within French philosophy and social theory. This is exactly what this
book aims to show by drawing out some of the potential implications of the
different concepts of French philosophy for business ethics and philosophy of
management.
As a professor of history of science at Stanford University and infamous for
teaching American students in French, Serres has expressed a strong defense for
theinseparabilityofFrenchphilosophyfromFrenchlanguageandculture.Indeed,
when we want to study the implications for business this may be even more
important because French philosophy implies a universal conception of manage-
ment and leadership based on the particularities of French society and culture.
But this is interesting in the contemporary situation where international business-
people, diplomats, heads of state, politicians, and scientists do not routinely use
the French language. Indeed, this can be seen as a proletarization of the business
andwiderinternationalcommunity.Thislossofeducation,culture,language,and
philosophy has in some sense rendered French language extremely elitist. It has
become a critical language for people who are not part of the global financial
2Jean-FrancoisMattei:“AvantPropos”inJean-Franc¸oisMatte´i(sousladirectionde):Philoso-
pherenfranc¸ais,Essais,PUF,Quadrige,Paris2001,p.2.
3MichelSerres:Elogedelaphilosophieenlanguefranc¸aise,Flammarion,Paris1995.