Adorno, Ethics and Business Ethics

Theodor W. Adorno was one of the twentieth century’s most potent and influential European thinkers, whose impact is felt across the humanities and social sciences. However, Adorno’s thought has been almost entirely absent from the business ethics conversation. This chapter explores the relevance of Adorno’s thought for business ethics that has emerged in recent scholarship. It does so through an engagement with topics such as positivistic management, consumer culture, social media and political discourse, and the possibility of good work, and by expounding Adorno’s critical theory, the critique of the business ethics tradition implied by his work, and the debate regarding whether Adorno can be read as a ‘negative Aristotelian’.