Critical Race Theory as Ideology

The word theory signifies proposed knowledge that is not merely subjective sentiment or belief that is being prescribed or advocated as an ideology; the purpose of a theory is rather to explain. Only in terms of better understanding is the implication that a better world could result (i.e., from the enhanced understanding). Even though a theory does not constitute established knowledge, that ideologues have seized on the label as a way of legitimating their respective cherished ideologies should come as no surprise because ideology sells better in the guise of knowledge even though a theory has yet to gain sufficient support epistemologically to be recognized as established knowledge. The epistemological subterfuge—a Trojan horse of sorts—also hides the fact that the ideologue seeks to persuade or advocate rather than primarily explain. Under the patina of a knowledge-claim lies quite another instinctual urge. Nietzsche’s claim that the content of a thought is none other than an instinctual urge of sufficient power to burst into consciousness—a manifestation of the will to power—provides an explanation for why the slight of hand is so easy for ideologues to make in sliding over to present the veneer of knowledge-claims even though such claims do in fact differ qualitatively from ideological claims. I contend that critical race “theory,” as well as the related interactionist “theory,” is in its very substance ideological in nature, rather than knowledge or even a theory.

The full essay is at "Critical Race Theory as Ideology."

Business & Society and Business Ethics: Two Distinct Fields of Business

As a field of business, business and society (which includes the topic of corporate social responsibility (CSR)) can be viewed as falling within the rubric of the environment of business. Business and government can as well. Indeed, the environment goes beyond stakeholders. Although sometimes deemed as falling within this rubric, business ethics actually does not, as it is internal to a business even as unethical policies and decisions can impact stakeholders. In fact, business ethics and business and society are two distinct fields, even though they share a common border and are often fused as if they were one seamless country.

That some of the CSR literature applies ethical principles to CSR does not mean that describing or analyzing differences between the norms, values, and cultural attitudes and practices of a culture and those of a business involves ethical reasoning from ethical principles. As David Hume pointed out, you can’t get should from is. Going from a current state of affairs to what should be involves ethical reasoning. To obviate such reasoning based on ethical principles and simply say that something that exists should exist is to fall prey to the naturalistic fallacy.

So to claim that a corporation’s culture should be more in line with the society’s overall culture requires more than describing the two cultures and how they differ, as well as analyzing how the differences impact business as well as the wider society and providing suggestions as to how a corporation can move closer to societal norms, values, and mores. To go on to how things should be, reasoning a priori from ethical principles is necessary. That is, once the question of whether an extant, descriptive difference should exist is brought up, the business field of business & society is left behind and the philosophy field of ethics and the business field of business ethics are entered. 

Specifically, the philosophical field applies to ethical questions that go beyond the business side of the equation, whereas business ethics applies to whether a management or corporation should change to be more in line with societal norms, values, and/or mores. This question lies beyond the field of business and society because ethical principles rather than sociological, anthropological, or management theory are necessary. Organizational and societal norms, values and mores fall within the basic (not applied) disciplines and sociology and anthropology. Ethical principles and ethical reasoning fall within philosophy. Sociology and anthropology are social sciences, whereas philosophy is in the humanities. Treating the field of business and society as if it were synonymous with business ethics conflates two social sciences with a field in the humanities.