review to Erich Schechner / Otto Zsok - meaning spark - a new Of man for the economy
EOS Verlag, St. Ottilie, 2007, 189 pages, € 14,80, ISBN 978-3-8306-7289-0
is nevertheless a quiet smile as with a heavy regret to Karl Kraus recalls, was asked by one student how he could study for business ethics, and has answered: "Not at all - they have to choose one of it already."
This cynical misunderstanding reflects exemplary reflect not only the gap between ethical standards and pursuit of life, but also points clearly to the continuing popular opposition between economics and morality, between economic activity and moral conduct, between business interests and general ethical values. Given strict profit maximization theories and an excessive obsession with success, in view of the endless homage to the egocentricity or ego-mania or pleonexy (existence yaw) of the people and a merciless performance fetishism both in society and in the entire economic area, we will raise awareness absolutely not aware of ethical issues.
But if the man can be defined as essential decisive nature, which means that he constantly and this daily and every second has to decide what he does or omits or what he is, if human life consists entirely of an uninterrupted sequence of decisions, it must certainly be the question of whether it is placed in each of our pure pleasure is how we decide - it may be away from pure caprice and whim asking if there is not yet objective and universal norms, values, goals and strategies which are to be considered in any decision-making - it must be asked for the man that designed social and economic life and on the back does the society and the business world formative and stressful, destructive, or at best, constructive.
It is hard high as possible enough that make themselves as two authors competently and sensitively on the way (but still moral and) sense mark on the industry to discover and knowing how people form the working people both in action than in the well Experience - and in all interpersonal relationships in society and in the company - a lasting effect, try to draw a human in which the specific human reflects, namely spirituality, freedom, responsibility and an essential guide to the meaning and value (e) as well as on the personal conscience.
The question, namely, what man is in his innermost being can not be irrelevant dismissed and a psychology or anthropology be assigned that declares the man only as a higher ground human animal, which only reacted and reacted, is closely tied into a more powerful arsenal out of greed, desires and self-centered wool of all kinds, therefore, only one interwoven with mental function patterns electrochemical substance, is a drawn by urges and needs-driven and controllable reaction machine, a puppet, the strings of genetic and environmental wine rivers.
contrast, is a man that freely given thickness and intrinsic relationship to the meaning and value (s) can act out on themselves (despite the requirements!) and acted autonomously into the world, and this has to answer for everything. Such a view of man "can also be used for a humane economy, to the working people to give the essential, namely the possibility of meaning fulfillment. It is a basic need of us to take this man's picture in the economy "(p. 30).
An economy away from pure utilitarianism and exclusive (monetary) profit orientation, is not to , More precisely, permanent reform, environmental and in particular to develop people-friendly, "without social as well as personal changes to be accepted" (p. 8), knowing just how much economic society and society always already penetrated more or less sustained by the processes of economic life.
is about the individual it then, and - as a very legitimate concern of the authors - that to implement a human being in the economy, the human looks fundamentally characterized by the fact that, unlike the animal, the essential question turns out to ask the question of meaning ld sst, meaningfulness in his life looks much value (s) aware of and value (s) is sore and in his conscience always finds a control for all his actions and omissions.
the book by Schechner / Zsok is a 13-page introduction, entitled "Human image and economy" prefix, which should be used as a permanent Vademecum and therefore already read several times, because in their substantive concerns of the density the authors reflected very clearly and transported, and so valuable is that the following pages, though very good to brilliant, "only" as abundant, projecting itself although quite necessary Ausfältelung their thoughts. "Seeds for behavior change" (p. 15) do not sow the authors carefully and completely indoctrination with the very legitimate concerns, "the responsibility for the growth of the flowering tree" , (ibid.) may take the reader himself, for his part in three chapters on man as a spiritual (p. 21-84), free (p. 85-121) and responsible (p. 122 - 168) may inform nature and is confronted with what each of the spiritual, what freedom and what responsibility means for the economy.
Off the orientation of the people for power and material wealth, lust, validity and recognition, all of which is enshrined in the so-called Psychophysikum (mind-body unity) of the people, the two authors, it is essentially about the spiritual dimension of man to the original and essentially human (the humanum!), a view which conceived man as mind-body-spirit unity and wholeness and is oriented to the Logotherapy of Viennese physician-philosopher Viktor Frankl with his Axiom: "Man is a being in search of meaning"
If it could be possible that not draw as a rule, dominates the economy of the people and brings him into dangerous addiction, but that man repaired INCAPABLE to be set, in turn, the economic processes and to dominate, then this can only succeed on the "spirit" as a subtle "elemental force" and "spiritual self" a final and eternal reality that is discussed today is all too little and often confused with various emanations of the brain with thought, intellect and mind.
As the imperishable, and nichtsterbliche essentially the Physical-Physical Mental and excess, as the founding spirit of transcendence in human and constituted on the economy and society can interact, so that man is taken seriously beyond a purely economic purposes, and psycho-physical needs as a deeply meaningful searching and werterorientiertes beings showing mainly chapter 1, ("Man is a spiritual being") in structure, logic and content, density is a brilliant essay, to none and stands out from the other two chapters, in turn, and actually quite coherent as a whole chapter should have been designed: the man is in fact free not only to account, but it still behaves like that freedom, it is not to be rampant, always refers to responsibility, ie they are "slowed" to be, and that responsibility is only there, where freedom prevails.
In short: This book is not only advisable, but indeed an indispensable reference for anyone who is privileged to turn to the multifaceted "screws" in society, politics and business. Is propagating from the authors, internalized meaning and value of new people-oriented image of as many people, then remains restrain us but the hope, the final Prometheus Unbound (Hans Jonas), with its dangerous forces and with his restless zeal to.
© Dr. Bernhard A. Grimm, Scheyern / Web: http://www.dr-bernhard-grimm.de/
author portraits :
Dr. Otto Zsok is director of the institute and professional Head of the South German Institute for Logotherapy, lecturer and teacher therapist.
Some of his publications:
- Logotherapy in Action, 2002
- From the good and the bad people,
2002 - The religious Urquell, 2001
Erich Schechner is a visiting lecturer at South German Institute for Logotherapy, economist and engineer with logotherapeutic training.
Some of his publications:
- Value Based Management, 2004
- HOMO RES SACRA HOMINI, 2004
- The depression of the homo faber, 2006
contact information :
South German Institute for Logotherapy GmbH
82 256 NSM Scholl-Platz 8
Phone: 08141-18041 Fax: 08141-15195
E-mail: info@logotherapie.de
Press: Online Editor, Winfried Brumma, Munich
http://www.wbrnet.info/presse.html
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