management organisation exam
INSPIRATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT BY GREAT ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS
Prof. Tadeusz Oleksyn, VI 2020
Only for AEH students
INSPIRATIONS FROM ANCIENT GREECE KNOW YOURSELF
Know yourself is one of the oldest indications of ancient Greek philosophers.
The first of the great Greek philosophers, Thales of Miletus (625-545 BC), spoke the next: What's hard? Knowing yourself. To the question: How to live and work best and fairly - he answered: Do not do what you criticize in others.
Who is happy? He who has a healthy body, a rich soul and a nature willing to educate. It sounds
reasonable and modern.
Know yourself there were key words of Socrates (470 – 399 BC). He encouraged his students and people seeking advice from him to get to know themselfs, treating it as a lifelong task. Sokrates was an inventor of the maieutic method, used - under other names - by modern trainers and psychotherapists. . People are changing, so getting to know is an ongoing process.
You must know, to recognize your strengths, because you will rely on them. You must know your weaknesses to avoid them. You know more than you think –You will find the right solution and make the right decision yourself. I will only help you a bit in this process to make you believe that you can
The words know yourself were written on the gate of the Delphi Oracle, famous in the whole ancient world.
Know yourself is an important task for leaders in all ages.
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INSPIRATIONS FROM ANCIENT GREECE HOW TO LIVE – second key quesstion
Pythagoras of Samos (572 - 493 BC) expressed his views on how to live in his Golden Thoughts. Here are a few of them:
- Be well brought up and bring up yourself. Look after your parents, relatives and the people you
are with and working with.
- Keep your spirit balanced, be honest and verbal.
- Be altruistic and help others.
- Do not kill and eat animals. As long as people kill animals, they will kill each other.
- Friendship is precious. Choose your friends carefully.
- Nothing in excess. Be moderate in everything.
- Bad language shows a bad heart. Avoid slander and bad, false opinions.
- Don't be greedy and envious.
- Do not hurt because it will come back to you.
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INSPIRATIONS FROM ANCIENT GREECE (2) GREEK ARETES / WIRTUES
If you want to rule and perform important public functions, you must possess virtues. These were the words of Protagoras from V century BC. He was a sophist, a paid teacher (as the all sophists) of people aspiring to high state positions in Athens. Virtue education was the most important element of their education. At that time, the Greeks knew five virtues: wisdom, justice, bravery, restraint, and piety. The discovery of virtues was a great invention.
The highest goal of human existence is to achieve happiness (eudajmonio). Happiness must be achieved in harmony with virtues.
Evil comes mainly from ignorance. That's why you should constantly consider
discuss and understand better and better the meaning of such concepts as good, evil, courage,
justice, etc.
Be moderate in everything. Virtue is between extremes. Aristotle, IV century BC, has already written about 18 virtues [Great Ethics]. The Greeks believed that moderation differed theirs from barbarians.
4 Ancient Greek virtues were taken over by Christians (from Plato) and called them cardinal virtues.
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INSPIRATIONS FROM ANCIENT GREECE (2) WHAT IS WISDOM?
The most important virtue /Greek arete/ was (for Sokrates) wisdom. If you have wisdom, you have every rest virtues.
This view was called the unity of virtues. However, not all the then philosophers had so opinion. Some of them thought that one could be wise and at the same time, for example, not brave, scanty or not moderate.
Sofists, in particular, were of a different opinion than Socrates. They were influential group of philosophers from the fifth and fourth centuries before Christ and they were known as realists.
The dispute between Socrates and the sophists was very loud. Interestingly, it is „never ending story”: This dispute has continued for centuries - to this day. A few years ago, an international conference was held in Wrocław, entitled the same Unity of Virtues which enjoyed a great interest.
Socrates and his greatest student Plato thought, that wisdom is much more than knowledge, and knowledge is much more than information. Today we think similarly.
Epicurus (341 – 270) believed that the inherent joy of life is a natural state human. If this joy is not felt, it means that one lives wrong and doing wrong things.
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INSPIRATIONS FROM ANCIENT GREECE (3) WHAT IS WISDOM (2)?
There are many people, that have wide knowledge from one or several fields. Nevertherless wide knowledge it is not windsom yet. Ancient philosophers – Greek but Chinese too – thought that to know and to speek – it is not enough. You ought to do it, in your life, everyday. Then you are wise and realieble – as a man and as a leader. Such a view of wisdom, practical and real wisdom, would also be useful doday - especially in management.
Leaders, including managers, are more respected when they act in accordance with what they say. They are credible and enjoy greater authority. They are also imitated more often.
Socrates was sure, that most important value (arete) is wisdom. His student, Plato, thought that most important is justice. Scrates said, that
JUSTICE IS A FORM OF WISDOM
Although Socrates valued wisdom so highly, he did not absolute it. He knew the limits of the discursive mind. He said about himself:
I KNOW THAT I KNOW NOTHING
Socrates combined a mind that he had developed all his life with the intuition and inspiration embodied by his famous daemonion, who had repeatedly warned not only him, but also people associated with him. There are many testimonies to this.
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INSPIRATIONS FROM ANCIENT GREECE (4) MODERATION - NO EXCESSIVE, NO GREED / CUPIDITY
All the great Greek philosophers and all philosophical schools advocated
moderation in everything. They saw very badly the lack of restraint,
greed, lust for power and conceit. It was believed that the proper purpose
of human life was happiness and pleasure, and avoiding annoyance, illness
and pain. So the teaching of Greek philosophers was very reasonable, very
sensible.
Philosophers from the cynic school showed the dog as a metaphorical model.
The dog is honest and authentic. You can see when it likes someone and
when it doesn’t. He has small needs - one dinner is enough for its.
It does not need expensive clothes, honors, fame and money. He is faithful and honest. We would
also like to expect from today's leaders that they will be real, honest, authentic, free from: pride,
greed, lust for power and hypocrisy. That they will be brave. That they will be like this beautiful dog.
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INSPIRATIONS FROM ANCIENT GREECE (5) WHAT THE STOICS TELL US
The Stoic School was the longest-standing and most philosophers of ancient Greece but also of Rome. This school existed from the 3rd century BC until the end of antiquity. But its message was also continued during the Renaissance (neostoicism) and in the 20th century (modern stoicism).
Most famous there were: Zenon from Kition (IV century BC), Chryzyp from Choloj, Aristypa from Chios, Romans: Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, emperor - philosophy (II century). In the Renaissance period Justus Lipsiusie (16th century), and in the 20th century L.C. Becker.
The Stoics have created a mature philosophy that also inspires generations from their distant future. Their ethics are especially interesting.
Stoic ethics supports the achievement of happiness through internal moral discipline and the good fulfillment of duties. A person should engage in what is important and dependent on her.
However, one should not worry about external matters, completely independent. You have to live in harmony with nature and respect it. A state of calm happiness, independent of external factors, should be protected. Be moderate in everything, including work. You should not be manipulated, also your emotions; keep „stoic calm”.
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INSPIRATIONS FROM ANCIENT CHINA
The Chinese themselves say that they had only two really outstanding people in their entire history: Laotsy / Lao – cy and Confucius. They both lived 25 centuries ago, both were philosophers.
Lao – cy (602 – 500 BC) was associated with Taoism and its largest representative. Taoism was a philosophy of nature and at the same time a cult of ancestors. The attitude towards nature was respectful, even religious. This was accompanied by very deep observations of nature – earth, sky, seasons, nature, life and its nature.
At the center of Taoist cosmology was Dao / Tao. Dao means „road”, but it doesn't explain anything. Dao is inexpressible. It's easier to say if it is not than what it is. It seems to be the supreme being, the highest principle and cause. It escapes all definitions. The wise man may, however, as a result of spiritual development and enlightenment, achieve a state of oneness with the Tao.
An important element of Dao is De, which could be interpreted as a natural ethics. Ethical laws are as natural as the laws of nature.
One of the principles of Taoism, very useful in management, is wu-wei. It consists in recognizing the natural force that lies in both every person and every thing. Recognizing this power is very useful in managing and working with people, because you can rely based on it. Another principle - pu - encourages us to be gentle with everyone, because both people and things are delicate and fragile. It's easy to destroy them. So Dao style management is fragile, excluding sharpness and brutality.
The main work of Taoism, attributed to Lao-zi, is Dao-de-jing, considered the greatest achievement of Chinese philosophy. Is also most often in the world - after the Bible - a book published in the world.
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INSPIRATIONS FROM ANCIENT CHINA (2)
Confucianism was another great philosophical and religious system, next to Taoism.
The founder of this system was Konfucjusz / Kong Fuzi / Kongzi (551-479 BC). He is considered the greatest Chinese teacher, philosopher, political theorist whose ideas influenced the civilization of East Asia. He was a manager and adviser to several rulers. He advised, among others simplification of the tax system and reduction of taxes. He was interested both ordinary people's lives and state management.
Confucianism refers to the cult of ancestors and the heavenly order, proposed - but not imposed - by heaven. According to this order, power should be gentle, oriented to the good of people and families. The ruler, but also the head of the family, should not use all the power he possesses and not resort to strength.
At the time of Lao-zi and Kofucius, the Chinese already knew five moral determinants (virtues), similar to Greek virtues, which arose at the same time at the other end of the world.
Until 1905, collections of his works formed the basis for exams for candidates for public service in China.
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FIVE CHENESE MORAL DETERMINANTS / VIRTUES
Ren - goodness, humanitarianism. It should be good (kindly, caring) treat man, respect his dignity and show him respect in life everyday. This virtue also applies to the treatment of oneself; following it is unworthy to offend one's own honor.
(2) Yi - integrity, equity, fulfillment of duties. If you proceed in the right way, everyone gets what they deserve. It is about fulfilling duties, responsibilities, professional and social roles
attributable to man, fair and dignified conduct. Everyone has the duties he has to fulfill. The
effects should be entrusted to Heaven's will, fate, destiny (ming). To understand ming means to
understand the inevitability of the world and therefore, do not pay attention to external failures
or good luck. The result of such action is happiness and peace, because we are free from
fears for the success of our actions and fear of failure.
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FIVE CHENESE MORAL DETERMINANTS / VIRTUES (2)
(3) Li - volume, suitability, compliance with rules and rituals. In strongly of ritualized behaviors every gesture, word, service its meaning symbolic. There was no room for deviations. The behavior of others should be understandable and predictable. Thanks to this, social relations were simple and not forced to constantly fight for hierarchy.
(4) Zhi - wisdom. It is about the wisdom of understanding the world, the Way (Dao), and principles
moral, but also for ordinary life wisdom.
(5) Xin - trust. Trust was (and is) understood in both directions. Subordinates fulfill their duties and trust that the government cares for them interesting superiors fulfill their duties and trust that subordinatesthey do the same.
In practice, social relations are based on trust and whole communities society consists of such communities. Chinese trust means something other than European, namely by fulfilling duties and the belief that others will also fulfill them.
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CHINESE SPECIFICITY - CONCLUSIONS FOR MANAGEMENT
1. The earthly order should be a reflection of the heavenly order. Heaven should feel good
together with the lords of heaven and not be stressed. It should be the same on earth.
2. Good manners and habits are more important than law. There were few laws in China.
Lao - cy used to say: the more bills, the more thieves.
3. Although at distant ends of the world and without mutual contact, both the Greeks and the
Chinese came to similar conclusions and adopted similar value systems. In both cases the
invention of virtues was very important.
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MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE SAVE OF OUR PLANET
Today our planet is in a deep crisis. This applies to both the biosphere - and therefore the space in which living creatures live - as well as the climate, natural resources, devastation and pollution.
Every year, 60,000 species of plants and animals die - largely as a result of human activities and robbery. The climate is dangerously warming up. Natural resources are depleted - including such basic for human life as fresh water and oxygen. Earth and waters are extremely polluted, forests cut down. It's in the Pacific a floating island made of rubbish, mainly plastic, about the size of France.
Ecological problems mainly result from the pursuit of getting rich - and therefore greed. It is not true that only rich people are greedy. Poor people are also greedy, or at least a large part of them. They would like to be rich, but they can't be it - because of lack of competence, laziness, bad organization of their country or region, age or ill health.
It would be good if humanity would move away from consumerism, reduce its excessive needs and material aspirations. It is not about asceticism, but about moderation. Moderation is objectively necessary because the state of our planet.
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MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE SAVE OF OUR PLANET (2)
The main problem: the world is ill prepared for this challenge.
Why? Because of few reasons:
1. Until recently, people were convinced that nature has almost unlimited possibilities for
regeneration and renewal and is completely subject to man. This was confirmed by the words
of the Old Testament "make your land submissive”.
2. Only recently have people started to realize how far the devastation and degradation of the
Earth has come, and the matter is very serious. Nevertheless, there are still people who do not
accept this.
3. The problem is extremely difficult, very expensive and it is not known, is it real or not.
Humanity has no experience in undertaking and carrying out such a great work. In addition,
humanity is not united, there is no common world government or uniform legal regulations.
Each country is more interested in its own economic growth, enrichment and prosperity, than
in a joint, solidar rescue of the planet.
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