There is no place for dishonesty in business – or in politics
In recent years there has been growing concern over politicians becoming increasingly dishonest in their public statements, a trend which appears to have only a very limited impact on the support for these politicians. In a new book, LSE Philosopher Charles Sherwood argues that such dishonesty in both business and politics undermines trust in institutions and their leaders and risks creating a wider decline of ethics in society. He writes that there is a moral requirement for business negotiators and politicians to uphold standards of honesty and to pursue positive outcomes.
For his latest article for the LSE United States Politics and Policy blog, Sherwood draws on his new book, A Fair Bargain: The Ethics of Negotiation (LSE Press) and argues that the business ethics as outlined in his book also apply to politics.