Karl Homann

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Karl Homann (born April 19, 1943 in Everswinkel ) held the Chair of Philosophy and Economics at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich until 2008 . Together with his students, he developed the institutional approach to business ethics .

Life

After studying philosophy , German and Catholic theology, he was promoted to Dr. phil. PhD. He then studied economics and was awarded a Dr. rer. pole. PhD. 1985 followed his habilitation for philosophy at the University of Göttingen . From 1986 to 1990 he held a professorship for economics and philosophy at the private University of Witten / Herdecke , and from 1990 to 1999 he was a professor for business and business ethics at the Ingolstadt Faculty of Economics, an outsourced faculty of the Catholic University of Eichstätt . Karl Homann was the first to hold a chair of this kind in the Federal Republic of Germany.

From 1999 to 2008 he was Professor of Philosophy, with particular emphasis on the philosophical and ethical foundations of economics (business ethics) at the LMU Munich. Homann is a member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) .

Business ethics as economics

Economic justification of democracy

Karl Homann represents a normative individualism . For him the source of all values ​​is the individual. Accordingly, no higher authority such as natural law or divine law can be used to justify values. If such an authority existed, science would have to be geared towards discovering the correct social order. The social sciences would then be methodologically comparable to the natural sciences in terms of their research goals. If, on the other hand, one takes the individual as a starting point, this leads to a construction of society on the basis of (political) decisions and thus to the idea of ​​the social contract.

A second starting point for Homann is the phenomenon of scarcity . Because man is finite, he is subject to the shortage of material and immaterial goods, resources, knowledge and time in all areas of his life. Here Homann falls back on the concept of Gary S. Becker and the new institutional economics . For him, economics in the form of the economic principle is a method of dealing rationally with scarcity. Therefore, for him, economics is not only applicable to the field of economics, but also to other areas of life such as law, politics and even ethics.

The interpretation of the idea of ​​the articles of association presented by Homann is closely based on the conception of James M. Buchanan . In the thought model, the individuals in the pre-contractual state are on their own, similar to Hobbes . Theoretically, a partnership agreement only comes into existence when each member joins the contract. From this derives the right that individuals can object to joint decisions. This right of veto can only be revoked with his consent. This protects the individual from discrimination . The requirement of unanimity, however, becomes problematic when there is a large number of participants due to the effort involved in voting. Homann speaks of transaction costs here . In addition, opportunity costs arise when the community cannot realize all possible cooperation gains because individuals refuse to give their consent due to a lack of insight or a relatively greater aversion to risk.

One way out of such a problem is a constitution in which the individual is protected against decisions by the majority through "inalienable" fundamental rights. Without such a protective function, in a democracy based solely on the majority there is a risk of the oppression of minorities and even a totalitarian system . Aristotle had already seen this when he preferred politics to democracy . The legitimation of democracy arises from the consensus of all concerned. In a democracy, rule can therefore only be established if the restriction of individual freedom is limited to a constitutional framework. With regard to the determination of fundamental rights, Homann refers to the theory of justice by John Rawls . With Buchanan, Homann criticizes the idea of ​​a just order developed by Rawls in his second principle ( Maximin rule ). A positively described order goes beyond the legitimation by the individual and corresponds to a collective, i.e. externally prescribed norm, an ought that lies beyond the contract-theoretical justification. However, he defends Rawls against Buchanan if his proposal is understood as a contribution to the discourse on the development of an empirical, rather than theoretical, order.

The market as an ethical tool

Homann defends himself against a dualistic opposition of morality and economy . The economy is one of the subsystems of society that cannot be viewed independently of others. Ethics is a specific way of looking at these subsystems. Ethics and economics are two discourses about the same human action problems.

“In public discussion, in politics and in the media, problems of economic ethics are often viewed through dualistic glasses. Morals and economics, ethics and economics, ecology and economics, solidarity and competition are played off against each other. […] What is being faded out is the possibility of seeing ethics and economics as two sides of the same coin, not as mutually exclusive alternatives, but as twin sisters belonging together. "

The task of business ethics is "to shape the institutions in such a way that morality becomes possible." Business ethics can therefore only be understood as ethics with special, namely economic methods. Homann therefore focuses more on the implementation than on the justification of ethical principles.

The aim of ethics is to enable people to have the best possible life. A good life also includes the greatest possible welfare. According to Homann, it is the merit of Adam Smith to have shown that not state control, as was the priority in the mercantilism that was prevalent in his time, but the market contributes to better allocations and thus to a better increase in welfare. History has shown that all attempts at a state-controlled economy are inferior to the market in terms of efficiency. “The market economies of the West have proven to be far superior to all forms of socialism.” The market is therefore valuable from an ethical point of view because it is the best contributor to welfare. The market is not the goal, but (the best) means of business ethics. In this respect, morality and market do not stand against each other, but morality is realized in and through the market. Society can use the market as a means in the form it would like from a higher moral concept. Adam Smith has already seen this, too, by assigning the government certain framework tasks (e.g. infrastructure, education).

Another basic assumption of Homann is that humans act exclusively in self-interest. Man will only act if his action is to his advantage.

“Methodical economism is based on the quasi- axiom that people systematically and permanently obey moral norms and ideals if and only if they expect individual advantages from them - not in each individual case, but through the sequence of individual cases according to rules (can). […] In this way, an attempt is made to escape the empty postulating and moralizing that Hegel had already held against contemporary ethics. "

Homann understands advantage as an open term that can contain not only benefits or preferences in the sense of classical economic theories, but also the achievement of other, value-oriented goals in the field of aesthetics or ethics. It is the pursuit of advantage that ensures the functionality of the market. Norms are only followed by individuals if they derive an advantage from them. Advantages in this sense can also be the avoidance of penalties.

Because the market is based on the one hand on the individual pursuit of self-interest, on the other hand it is the instrument with which social prosperity can best be promoted, the institution of the market has its own ethical value. Homann believes that it is wrong to cause distortions in the market by calling for individual moral behavior on the part of individuals and companies.

“The basic problem of modern business ethics lies in the following dilemma: A company that, under tough competitive conditions, renders costly preliminary and additional services for moral reasons, threatens to be at a competitive disadvantage and in the long term even to be eliminated from the market. Morality that costs something is impossible for individual actors to realize in competition. The exploitability of moral behavior in competition is the problem. "

Implementing ethical principles without disrupting the market is only possible if these principles apply as general rules for all market participants in the same way. This can be achieved by designing the framework accordingly. Homann compares individual action with the moves in sport, the framework with the respective rules of the game. “The systematic place of morality in a market economy is the framework.” Or “The efficiency in the moves, morality in the rules of the game.” The framework determines the rules of action. Moral guidelines must be based on the institution of the market. If they were to be used as a yardstick for individual action, the market would not be able to achieve effects resulting from the principle of market organization. Precisely because there is competition in the market and the pursuit of profit is the guiding principle, the market promotes prosperity to a particular degree, even if this effect is not intended (intended) by the individual market participants. It is therefore wrong to judge market-based action that is carried out in accordance with the prevailing framework morally as good or bad.

Dilemma structures and framework

According to Homann, interactions in business always include the conflict between cooperation interests and natural self-interest. The actions of market participants can therefore always be presented as a dilemma structure. A provider basically wants to achieve the highest possible price. But if he sets his price too high, the customer will buy from the competitor. Two providers can overcome their dilemma by circumventing the system by negotiating prices to the detriment of the customer, Homann generally speaks of “defective”. In the example of the price agreement, cooperation means disrupting the market. Cooperation is only good if it creates a common advantage for all involved. Homan describes such constellations as "pareto-superior".

Homann distinguishes the conditions of action from the actions themselves. These include not only natural but also institutional restrictions on action. The individual who pursues his interests, whatever individual ethical principles he always recognizes, will change his actions when the conditions of action change. If one understands business ethics as institutional ethics, then it is their task to show how the conditions of action can be changed by designing the regulatory framework so that ethical goals can be achieved as optimally as possible. Because the individual follows their interests, incentive systems are an important instrument for influencing actions through the framework. Such incentives can be monetary (rewards, penalties) or social (reputation) and thus contribute to motivation. A typical example of an incentive system is the petrol price. The mineral oil tax influences not only the fiscal purpose but also economic behavior in an ethical sense. On the one hand, it leads to lower mileage and, on the other hand, to smaller and more energy-efficient vehicles. Whether this incentive is sufficient is a question of political evaluation and changes in the framework.

Another concrete example of the question of incentives is Homann's moral courage , which in an increasingly individualized and functionally differentiated society brings fewer advantages and is therefore on the decline. In modern society, more and more moral rules are being replaced by the sanctioned legal system. An improvement can only be expected if society reduces the expenditure for corresponding commitment, for example through sponsoring institutions. This can be applied to social engagement in general and to corporate social engagement accordingly. By reducing the expenditure of the engagement, society can also expect an increase.

Business ethics

The social function of companies in a market economy is to provide products and services. From the point of view of entrepreneurs and shareholders, their job is to make a profit. As long as this happens without violating the existing framework, corporate activity is ethically neither good nor bad. “In an institutional ethical approach, the assessment of entrepreneurial activity is no longer direct, but indirect or two-stage. Such a conception takes into account that under the conditions of the modern economy, each individual activity only gets its meaning through the regulatory framework in which it is carried out. ”The incentive system of the framework has an indirect effect.

Despite the relevance of the framework, companies are not exempt from moral responsibility. On the one hand, this applies to the internal organization of the company. On the other hand, there is always the situation that there are gaps in the social rules. "In the event of deficits in the framework, companies are given the task of fulfilling the moral responsibility normally given to the regulatory level again in order to fill the vacuum of responsibility that has arisen."

Certain moral behaviors are to be reconciled with the pursuit of profit by companies: this applies in particular to all measures that increase trust in a company. Likewise, companies are sometimes preferred by their customers because of their products if they meet special moral standards, for example for manufacturers of so-called organic products, for sustainable investments or in the area of ​​fair trade. The consideration of ethical requirements as a positive competitive element is sensible and necessary for companies if only for their own interests. However, companies also bear a responsibility if they cannot enforce behavior that is considered morally correct due to competition. In these cases, they must work at the level of the design of the framework to ensure that it is changed accordingly. This can be done by joining voluntary codes or advocating changes in the law. If a company cannot enforce a certain moral concept either in competition or by influencing the framework, all that remains for it is to leave the market.

Criticism of economics

A fundamental criticism of the concept of economics is the idealization of the argument. A comparison of the model assumptions with reality shows the lack of transferability of theory to practice: "The look at the facts, which would then be due, remains with Homann again only an idealizing look at the contra-factual, namely at the idea of ​​the 'framework' "If the framework were ideally written, then the market economy would also function as convincingly in reality as the idea of ​​the market economy is convincing if the ideal functioning of the markets is already assumed." Another point of criticism is directed at that which cannot be transferred to reality Image of Homo oeconomicus , even if this is only used as a model. Individual room for maneuver is allowed, but not justified. Günther Anders pointed out the personal dilemma that arises when someone is subject to practical constraints in one “business world” while he is supposed to follow individual moral standards in other worlds. Above all, the exclusion of other areas of life from business ethics is rejected. “Such an economic ethics brings ethics and economics together, but at the price that it does not do more than exaggerate an existing economic system by means of ethics.” This is because Homann has no substantive references to it gives how an ethical morality is created and how changes to the framework are to be substantiated. Ekkehard Martens says: “A serious objection can be raised against such a two-tier business ethics, egoistic competitive behavior and altruistic rules of the game. In it, the moral options for action are underestimated in individual cases and restricted by a rigid corset of general regulations. ” Michael S. Aßländer and Hans G. Nutzinger also point out that Homann's expansion of the concept of advantage does lead to knowledge gains in problem contexts that have not been analyzed before can, but on the other hand is exposed to the danger of inadmissible generalization, the loss of conceptual clarity and thus tautologization.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ An overview can be found in Karl Homann: Legitimation und Verfassungsstaat. Contract theory interpretation of democracy. In: Erik Boettcher, Philipp Herder-Dorneich , Karl-Ernst Schenk (eds.): Yearbook for New Political Economy , Volume 4. Mohr, Tübingen 1984, pp. 48–72. This idea is presented in detail in the habilitation thesis: Karl Homann: Rationalität und Demokratie . Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 1988. See also the presentation in: Karl Homann, Andreas Suchanek: Ökonomik: An introduction . 2nd Edition. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2005, Chapter 3.
  2. ^ Karl Homann: Democracy and Theory of Justice. JM Buchanan's criticism of J. Rawls. In: Hans Albert (Ed.): Economic thinking and social order. Festschrift for Erik Boettcher . Mohr, Tübingen 1984, pp. 133-154.
  3. ^ Karl Homann: Advantages and Incentives. Collection of articles. Edited by Christoph Lütge. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2002, p. 52.
  4. ^ Karl Homann, Christoph Lütge: Introduction to business ethics. 2nd Edition. Lit, Münster 2005, p. 9.
  5. ^ Karl Homann, Franz Blome-Drees: Business and business ethics. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1992, p. 36.
  6. ^ Karl Homann: Advantages and Incentives. Collection of articles. Edited by Christoph Lütge. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2002, pp. 122-123.
  7. ^ Karl Homann: Advantages and Incentives. Collection of articles. Edited by Christoph Lütge. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2002, p. 6.
  8. ^ Karl Homann: Advantages and Incentives. Collection of articles. Edited by Christoph Lütge. Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2002, p. 3.
  9. ^ Karl Homann: Discourse ethics and business ethics with economic method. In: Thomas Bausch, Dietrich Böhler, Thomas Rusche (eds.): Economy and ethics. Strategy versus morality? Lit, Münster 2004, pp. 9-12, 10.
  10. ^ Karl Homann: Individualization. Decay of morality? In: From politics and contemporary history B 21/97, 14. Similar: Karl Homann, Franz Blome-Drees: Wirtschafts- und Unternehmensethik . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1992, p. 36.
  11. ^ Karl Homann, Franz Blome-Drees: Business and business ethics. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1992, p. 35.
  12. ^ Karl Homann, Andreas Suchanek: Economics: An introduction. Mohr Siebeck. 2nd Edition. Tübingen 2005, p. 34.
  13. ^ Karl Homann: Civil courage and institutions - the economic perspective. In: Ernst Feil (Ed.): Civil courage and democratic culture . LIT, Münster 2002, pp. 55-76.
  14. ^ A b Karl Homann, Franz Blome-Drees: Business and business ethics. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1992, p. 113.
  15. ^ Karl Homann, Franz Blome-Drees: Business and business ethics. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1992, pp. 134-147.
  16. ^ Matthias Kettner: Profitability and Morality. Open problems in Karl Homann's economic and corporate ethics. In: Forum for Philosophy (Ed.): Market and Moral. The discussion about business ethics . Bern 1994, pp. 241–268, here 264
  17. ↑ The reference to Günter Anders: The antiquated nature of man. Munich 1968, p. 291, comes from Wilhelm Guggenberger: The List of Things: Dead ends of business ethics in a functionally differentiated society . Lit, Münster 2007, p. 244.
  18. ^ Franz Segbers : The house rules of the Torah. Biblical impulses for a theological business ethics . 3. Edition. Lucerne 2002, p. 63.
  19. ^ Mathias Sellmann: Religion and social order. Social theoretical analyzes. Campus, Frankfurt 2007, p. 150.
  20. ↑ Ekkehard Martens: Are economy and morality compatible with one another? ( Memento of the original from August 27, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 459 kB) In: Philosophy lessons in NRW. Articles and information No. 38, Economy and Ethics, Fachverband Philosophie NRW, May 2003. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fv-philosophie-nrw.de
  21. ↑ Michael S. Aßländer / Hans G. Nutzinger: Ethics, Altruism and Economic Reductionism. In: Wolfgang Buchholz (ed.): Wirtschaftsethische Perspektiven IX (writings of the Verein für Socialpolitik, NF 228 / IX), Berlin: Duncker & Humblot 2012, pp. 193–208; das .: The systematic place of morality is ethics! Some critical remarks on Karl Homann's economic ethics , in: zfwu 11 (2010), pp. 226–248.
personal data
SURNAME Homann, Karl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German philosopher, professor of philosophy and economics
DATE OF BIRTH April 19, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Everswinkel