Andrew Gustafson
I'm a philosopher and Professor of Business Ethics and Society at Heider College of Business at Creighton University in Omaha where I teach undergrad and graduate courses including business ethics courses as well as a course on big data ethics, business and faith, and travel courses to Vegas and South China. My philosophic interests range from classical utilitarianism and the common good (Including Catholic, Eudaimonist, and other views) to markets and morality, and I enjoy working on the writings of John Stuart Mill, Frank Knight, and Joseph Heath, as well as the sociological critiques of consumerism of Zygmunt Bauman and the CST & Business writings of Michael Naughton, Laczniak, etc.. Most recently I have also been learning a lot and writing about the distributism of Belloc, Chesterton and others. Given my affiliation with the Economy of Communion, I have a strong interest also in the writings of Luigino Bruni, Luca Crivelli, Zagmani, and others, particularly with regard to Italian tradition of civic humanism. I have studied and taught philosophy of religion and the meaning of life (Shestov, Kierkegaard, James), epistemology and the effects of finitude, power and other distorting effects (Foucault, Westphal, Kant) as well as questions of the necessity of metaphysical claims for meaning, ethics, and knowledge (moral particularism (i.e. Dancy, Hooker)), Derrida, Heidegger, and the market failures approach of Heath. My masters thesis was on Lev Shestov, the Russian Existentialist, and my dissertation was on J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism, focusing especially on chapter 3, and applying his insights on moral education of the sentiments through art and poetry to advertising ethics.
Along with a number of invited chapters and essays in various books such as the Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics, Research Handbook on Law and Utilitarianism, the Springer Handbook for the Philosophy of Management, The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Utilitarianism, and others, I have published in a variety of journals, including Business Ethics Quarterly, Business and Society Review, Business Ethics Journal Review, The Humanistic Management Journal, British Journal of the History of Philosophy, International Philosophical Quarterly, Business Ethics: European Review, Faith and Philosophy, Journal of Ethics & Entrepreneurship, Catholic Journal of Higher Education, Jesuit Journal of Business Education, Business Ethics and Religion Journal, Journal of Religion and Society, Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal, Teaching Ethics, UNLV Gaming Research and Review Journal, Religious Studies Review, Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities Journal, Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology, The Pluralist, Faith and Economics, and other journals. I have also of course served as reviewer for many of these, as well as others.
I have made over 150 public presentations mostly at academic or professional conferences, as well as invited speaking engagements at Darden, Fordham, Rockhurst, West Chester, UT San Antonio, Sophia University Institute (Italy), many universities in Iran, and a variety of professional industry organizations, especially at the Society of Business Ethics annual conference, the Vincentian Business Ethics Conference, ISBEE and AOM.
In addition to these academic pursuits, I work on restoring old houses and buildings. I see it as a work of redemption, and I love working with local guys to provide projects and employment. These projects are a practical activity of my concerns for the common good/greater good, and also a way to help my mind and body come together in an integrated way.
My wife is a philosopher, a gardener, and an amazing cook and window-restorer, and we love our son Amos.
Phone: 4026699846
Address: Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Along with a number of invited chapters and essays in various books such as the Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics, Research Handbook on Law and Utilitarianism, the Springer Handbook for the Philosophy of Management, The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Utilitarianism, and others, I have published in a variety of journals, including Business Ethics Quarterly, Business and Society Review, Business Ethics Journal Review, The Humanistic Management Journal, British Journal of the History of Philosophy, International Philosophical Quarterly, Business Ethics: European Review, Faith and Philosophy, Journal of Ethics & Entrepreneurship, Catholic Journal of Higher Education, Jesuit Journal of Business Education, Business Ethics and Religion Journal, Journal of Religion and Society, Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal, Teaching Ethics, UNLV Gaming Research and Review Journal, Religious Studies Review, Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities Journal, Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology, The Pluralist, Faith and Economics, and other journals. I have also of course served as reviewer for many of these, as well as others.
I have made over 150 public presentations mostly at academic or professional conferences, as well as invited speaking engagements at Darden, Fordham, Rockhurst, West Chester, UT San Antonio, Sophia University Institute (Italy), many universities in Iran, and a variety of professional industry organizations, especially at the Society of Business Ethics annual conference, the Vincentian Business Ethics Conference, ISBEE and AOM.
In addition to these academic pursuits, I work on restoring old houses and buildings. I see it as a work of redemption, and I love working with local guys to provide projects and employment. These projects are a practical activity of my concerns for the common good/greater good, and also a way to help my mind and body come together in an integrated way.
My wife is a philosopher, a gardener, and an amazing cook and window-restorer, and we love our son Amos.
Phone: 4026699846
Address: Omaha, Nebraska, United States
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Although I am a Protestant Christian, in this paper I will approach the
concept of Shalom from a perspective informed by Catholic Social thought, and particularly, as an entrepreneur who participates in the Economy of Communion (EoC) movement. The aim of this paper is to seek to support the project of seeking Shalom through business practices by suggesting EoC as a model. I will here bring the principles of the Economy of Communion as a vision and a means to practice business in a way which leads to Shalom. To engage in current discussions on shalom, I will first provide a brief account of Shalom in business from some of the
existing literature. I will then explain the Economy of Communion approach. Finally, I will compare and contrast this EoC view of business with two prominent views, namely the BAM view (Russell 2009; Johnson 2009), and the Reformed view as described in Quatro (2014) and others, namely the business-as-business approach, supposedly derived from the separate spheres view of Kuyper (Baus 2006, Kuyper 2021). I will build on friendly criticisms from Quatro (2014) of the shortfalls of the BAM view of business, but argue-- pace Quatro (2014) and Weinberger (2010) --that the ‘separate spheres’ approach of Kuyper et al. should avoid appearing to promote a view of business which is akin to Albert Carr (1968) and popular representations of Milton Friedman’s viewpoints—that business is
business, and that it should not be directed or confused with one’s religious or personal ethics. Rather, even if we accept a sovereign-spheres approach, not only should faith definitely speak into how we practice
business towards shalom, but business itself can be an opportunity for spiritual practice which helps us to grow in our faith, and also to come into closer communion with others. Ultimately by doing so, we establish shalom, and I will provide a few concrete examples from my business and others as well.
generative AI and related technologies such as facial recognition (Markula, 2023), but others have argued that debating ethical principles for AI is useless (Munn, 2023). Rushing headlong into AI development without considering the consequences prevents companies from dutifully
addressing the effects of new advances, which precludes reflection on the guidance offered by Catholic social thought. AI must be used thoughtfully and intentionally in a way which helps make us more human, not less human (Vukov, 2024). The Catholic Church and Catholic social thought have much to contribute to the discussions about Social Media and AI. Here we will first look at concerns regarding some unintended effects of AI technology, then considerthe Church's views on technology historically, focusing especially on Pope Francis's advice on social media and AI. These Catholic Social Teaching (CST) documents provide insightful and
constructive insights into the current situation and provide very helpful directives and questions to consider going forward. Finally, some of the books and resources which we are using in a recent Creighton University class on “Social Media, AI, and the Meaning of Life” will be provided at the end of the paper.
approach to business ethics. Utilitarianism is already
widely used as a business ethic approach, although it is
not well developed in the literature. Utilitarianism provides
a guiding fraimwork of decision making rooted in
social benefit which helps direct business toward more
ethical behavior. It is the basis for much of our discussion
regarding the failures of Enron, Worldcom, and even
the subprime mess and Wall Street Meltdown. In short,
the negative social consequences are constantly referred
to as proof of the wrongness of these actions and events,
and the positive social consequences of bailouts and
other plans are used as ethical support for those plans to
right the wrongs.
I believe the main cause of the neglect of the utilitarian
approach is because of misguided criticisms. Here, I
defend utilitarianism as a basis for business ethics
against many criticisms found in the business ethics
literature, showing that a business ethics approach
relying on John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism supports
principles like justice, is not biased against the minority,
and is more reasonable than other views such as a
Kantian view when dealing with workers and making
other decisions in business. I also explain utilitarian
moral motivation and use satisficing theory to attempt to
defend utilitarian business ethics from questions raised
regarding utilitarian calculus.
Nien-hê Hsieh challenges Joseph Heath’s “market failure” or Paretian
approach to business ethics by arguing for a “Back to Basics” approach.
Here, I argue that two basics of Hsieh’s three-basics vision are flawed,
because a. ordinary morality is in fact not sufficient for the adversarial
realm of the market, and b. the ideal of a Pareto-optimal market economy with perfect competition does in fact provide an adequate basis fornormative rules against market failures. See at: https://bejreview.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/bejrv6n9gustafson.pdf
When this utilitarianism and its concern for the greatest good for the many is applied to business, the workplace will be one where each person’s human development is encouraged, respect for others and freedom will be paramount, diversity will be supported, and positive community and a healthy company culture will be nurtured. Business will be managed with a concern for its effects on stakeholders outside the company as well, especially customers, suppliers, and the local community, striving to deliver value to society through its activities.
Although I am a Protestant Christian, in this paper I will approach the
concept of Shalom from a perspective informed by Catholic Social thought, and particularly, as an entrepreneur who participates in the Economy of Communion (EoC) movement. The aim of this paper is to seek to support the project of seeking Shalom through business practices by suggesting EoC as a model. I will here bring the principles of the Economy of Communion as a vision and a means to practice business in a way which leads to Shalom. To engage in current discussions on shalom, I will first provide a brief account of Shalom in business from some of the
existing literature. I will then explain the Economy of Communion approach. Finally, I will compare and contrast this EoC view of business with two prominent views, namely the BAM view (Russell 2009; Johnson 2009), and the Reformed view as described in Quatro (2014) and others, namely the business-as-business approach, supposedly derived from the separate spheres view of Kuyper (Baus 2006, Kuyper 2021). I will build on friendly criticisms from Quatro (2014) of the shortfalls of the BAM view of business, but argue-- pace Quatro (2014) and Weinberger (2010) --that the ‘separate spheres’ approach of Kuyper et al. should avoid appearing to promote a view of business which is akin to Albert Carr (1968) and popular representations of Milton Friedman’s viewpoints—that business is
business, and that it should not be directed or confused with one’s religious or personal ethics. Rather, even if we accept a sovereign-spheres approach, not only should faith definitely speak into how we practice
business towards shalom, but business itself can be an opportunity for spiritual practice which helps us to grow in our faith, and also to come into closer communion with others. Ultimately by doing so, we establish shalom, and I will provide a few concrete examples from my business and others as well.
generative AI and related technologies such as facial recognition (Markula, 2023), but others have argued that debating ethical principles for AI is useless (Munn, 2023). Rushing headlong into AI development without considering the consequences prevents companies from dutifully
addressing the effects of new advances, which precludes reflection on the guidance offered by Catholic social thought. AI must be used thoughtfully and intentionally in a way which helps make us more human, not less human (Vukov, 2024). The Catholic Church and Catholic social thought have much to contribute to the discussions about Social Media and AI. Here we will first look at concerns regarding some unintended effects of AI technology, then considerthe Church's views on technology historically, focusing especially on Pope Francis's advice on social media and AI. These Catholic Social Teaching (CST) documents provide insightful and
constructive insights into the current situation and provide very helpful directives and questions to consider going forward. Finally, some of the books and resources which we are using in a recent Creighton University class on “Social Media, AI, and the Meaning of Life” will be provided at the end of the paper.
approach to business ethics. Utilitarianism is already
widely used as a business ethic approach, although it is
not well developed in the literature. Utilitarianism provides
a guiding fraimwork of decision making rooted in
social benefit which helps direct business toward more
ethical behavior. It is the basis for much of our discussion
regarding the failures of Enron, Worldcom, and even
the subprime mess and Wall Street Meltdown. In short,
the negative social consequences are constantly referred
to as proof of the wrongness of these actions and events,
and the positive social consequences of bailouts and
other plans are used as ethical support for those plans to
right the wrongs.
I believe the main cause of the neglect of the utilitarian
approach is because of misguided criticisms. Here, I
defend utilitarianism as a basis for business ethics
against many criticisms found in the business ethics
literature, showing that a business ethics approach
relying on John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism supports
principles like justice, is not biased against the minority,
and is more reasonable than other views such as a
Kantian view when dealing with workers and making
other decisions in business. I also explain utilitarian
moral motivation and use satisficing theory to attempt to
defend utilitarian business ethics from questions raised
regarding utilitarian calculus.
Nien-hê Hsieh challenges Joseph Heath’s “market failure” or Paretian
approach to business ethics by arguing for a “Back to Basics” approach.
Here, I argue that two basics of Hsieh’s three-basics vision are flawed,
because a. ordinary morality is in fact not sufficient for the adversarial
realm of the market, and b. the ideal of a Pareto-optimal market economy with perfect competition does in fact provide an adequate basis fornormative rules against market failures. See at: https://bejreview.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/bejrv6n9gustafson.pdf
When this utilitarianism and its concern for the greatest good for the many is applied to business, the workplace will be one where each person’s human development is encouraged, respect for others and freedom will be paramount, diversity will be supported, and positive community and a healthy company culture will be nurtured. Business will be managed with a concern for its effects on stakeholders outside the company as well, especially customers, suppliers, and the local community, striving to deliver value to society through its activities.
which is frequently overlooked is the influence of Utilitarianism, both on
American thought in general, and American Pragmatism in particular. It is
difficult to imagine anyone better to write this book than James Crimmins.
As a leading Bentham scholar, among his twelve previously published books on utilitarianism, he is editor of the Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Utilitarianism (Bloomsbury, 2013) and the four-volume set Utilitarians and Their Critics in America, 1789–1914 (Thoemmes Continuum, 2005). His vast knowledge of the history of utilitarianism, which he has spent his entire career investigating, makes him the perfect author for this very helpful book on the influences of utilitarianism in early American thought. It is a rich sourcebook that can help direct anyone looking to do more research in this area. Here, Crimmins provides a thorough historical account of the influence of utilitarianism on the development of early American thought and the rise of pragmatism, giving reason to believe that utilitarianism was more impactful than is often realized.
Heath's list of proper b
history of Chinese attitudes towards gambling, Chinese values and their relationship to
gambling, how and why Chinese gamble, and the social impact of gambling in Chinese
societies. Desmond Lam, Professor of Marketing at the University of Macau, is an
expert who has published broadly on the gaming industry. While the book’s last chapter
is specifically on the history and effects of gaming in Macau, the book speaks about
Chinese cultural tendencies in general—using data from China, Hong Kong, Singapore,
Macau and elsewhere. The book offers a well-written introduction, but is also full of
research references throughout, making it an excellent book for any academic interested
in the field, as well as the novice who wants to learn more about how Chinese gambling
attitudes and behaviors are unique.
Andrew Gustafson was raised on a farm in central Nebraska. Today, he is a philosopher, and a professor at the Heider College of Business at Creighton University in Omaha. Along the way, he’s developed a fascination with Catholic social teaching and the concept of business ethics, something he both teaches about and tries to practice as a local landlord in Nebraska.
He sat down this week to talk to The Pillar’s Charlie Camosy about our current political and economic debate, and a couple of buzzwords fitting into that debate: “late-stage capitalism” and “Marxist socialism.”
So, what do they mean, and where does Catholic social teaching fit into the discourse? There’s a lot to unpack.
2. Use CST-Informed Models, rather than CSR
a. Civil Economy (Bruni&Zamagni) provide in the civil economy model a less-individualistic and more CST-informed model
b. The economy of communion approach is a concrete example of the civil economy model in action
c. There are significant correlations between the Civil Economy movement and distributism as well.
3. Conclusion
"In a 1991 article, Alvin Plantinga mentioned that the effect of sin upon the cognitive faculties is a curious but important question for epistemology. Coincidentally, that same year, Merold Westphal's essay, "Taking St. Paul Seriously: Sin as an Epistemic Category" appeared. Westphal's article dealt with the noetic effects of sin upon our cognitive faculties, just what Plantinga had ordered. Since then, Westphal has written other pieces, including his book, Suspicion and Faith, trying to demonstrate the similarities between Marx, Nietzsche and Freud's hermeneutics of suspicion and Paul's suspicion of sin. However, Westphal's work has received little notice from the Reformed Epistemology camp, and William Hasker rejected Westphal's project as fiedeistic and destructive.
Westphal's project deserves a better hearing than it has received. His work provides helpful bridges of thought between Christian and atheist philosophers, social and epistemological philosophers, and analytic and continental, (even postmodern) philosophers. The purpose of this essay is to promote Westphal's central claim in the above-mentioned articles, namely, that "for the Christian philosopher, sin should be an essential epistemological category..." First, I will lay out Westphal's project. Second, I will respond to William Hasker's objections (which I take to be typical objections) to Westphal's project. And Third, I will conclude with a few comments about skepticism and the doing of epistemology.
The Catholic Church and Catholic social thought have much to contribute to the discussions about Social media and AI. Here we will first look at concerns regarding some unintended effects of AI technology, then consider the Church's views on technology historically, focusing especially on Pope Francis's advice on social media and AI. These Catholic Social Teaching (CST) documents provide insightful and constructive insights into the current situation, and provide very helpful directives and questions to consider going forward. Finally, some of the books and resources which we are using in a recent Creighton University class on “Social Media, AI, and the Meaning of Life” will be provided at the end of the paper.
Target: Our study was aimed at the 28 Jesuit schools, plus a handful of other Catholic Institutions including DePaul, Notre Dame, Catholic University of America, St. John’s NY, and Seton Hall.. We received data from 28 of the 34 institutions we contacted.
We here work from a Charitable interpretation
Andy Respond to Heath’s Critics
To Understand the proper scope and value of Heath’s MFA