Aristotle might very well be the most discussed thinker of the occidental tradition. His works on philosophy in general, and on ethics, poetics, politics and rhetoric in particular, have set a defining conceptual framework for continental thought. Yet, the extent of his analysis has made difficult for organization scholars to tackle its richness; especially since academic articles have become the norm in our field.
Kevin Morrell undertakes an ambitious challenge. The (very) broad title of the book, Organization, Society and Politics, could announce a lack of focus; it does not. Morrell's fine-grained understanding of the Aristotelian perspective prevents him from making the mistake of pretending that Aristotle was already talking about modern organizations 25 centuries ago. Aiming at applying his practical philosophy to contemporary phenomenon requires a in-depth reading of the Aristotelian perspective and an ability to reframe it without betrayal. In this book, Kevin Morrell achieves to provide a rich and extremely accurate account of Aristotle's philosophy while maintaining a connection to today's relevant challenges of “business and society” topics.
From the very beginning of the book, Morrell shows his ambition in not only talking about Aristotle, but also bringing his thought to the field of organization studies. In the introduction and first chapter, he challenges the different definitions of what an organization is. While referring to the academic literature, he establishes a dialogue with Aristotle's perspective on human beings as zoo politikon, “the kind of animal who naturally forms associations” (p. x). As a result, he defines “organization” in an enriched fashion, allowing for philosophical (and Aristotelian) developments; which he does in details in the second chapter arguing for the relevance of his practical philosophy to the study of organization, society and politics.
The third chapter presents Aristotle's analysis on politics by connecting politics to the rest of his work and applying its concepts to contemporary challenges about governance. Following this, Chapter 4 develops the concept of public good, with a strong emphasis “on state rather than business when it comes to considerations of koinon sumpheron” (p. 48). Then, Morrell apply this approach with three cases studies from British politics.
In Chapters 5 and 6, he focuses on rhetoric and how scholars have applied its conceptual content. He demonstrates the current relevance of Aristotle's approach on rhetoric by analyzing two classical media: talks in political speeches and texts of policies.
The seventh chapter focuses on the monumental Nicomachean Ethics in which “we find Aristotle's most complete and considered view of ethics and important themes such as friendship, happiness, the good life and virtue” (p. 97). After a very precise and concise synthesis, Morrell develops further the concepts of intellectual virtues and phronesis. The following chapter discusses the implication of these and how it can be applied to decision making and ethics.
Chapter 9 tackles the issue of aesthetics, mainly in Aristotle's poetics. The centrality of drama and poetry in Greek life makes them impossible to avoid in a true Aristotelian perspective. Morrell shows how poetics is “a scientific treatise on aesthetics” (p. 129), relying heavily on the notion of mimesis, understood as representation and imitation. He quotes Aristotle on the importance of poetics: “Poetry is something more philosophic and of graver import than history, since its statements are of the nature rather of universal, whereas those of history are singular (1451b5-7)” (p. 139). The tenth chapter applies this perspective to the pedagogy and teachings on organizations that are conducted in business schools. Following this, Chapter 11 offers a case study on “What is ‘public interest’?” (p. 162).
The concluding chapter aims at answering an interesting question: “Where do we go from here?” While trying to answer, Morrell avoids a conclusion that would close every discussion; instead, he opens a dialogue. Even though he undertook an ambitious challenge, he remains humble: “what I hope to have done here is more modest. It is to try to inspire and interest readers to see Aristotle in something of a new light” (p. 183).
Kevin Morrell has definitely achieved his goal. First, since it encourages diving into the Aristotelian perspective, this book is truly inspiring. Moreover, it provides a strong framework that is reinsuring for any first-time reader of Aristotle, while giving many insights on how to apply this practical philosophy to topics and issues of modern organizations and politics.
It is definitely a must-read in the “business and society” section.
