College of Business Administration

Seminar in Business and the Good Society

Discussion Questions for April 24, 1997:

Assigned Reading:

The Good Society (Bellah et al.)

Session Facilitators:

Shawn Couch/Chris Powell

1. At the end of World War II, the government changed its dominant role of providing the common defense, to one of funder, underwriter, and regulator of the national economy. "That is to say, the postwar institutional framework was thought of as existing for instrumental purposes: to forestall a depression, to raise the standard of living, to benefit stockholders, to educate the work force, to assist the aged and indigent, and so on." How would you rate the government's job currently? What ideas do you suggest to make things better?

2. As citizens within a representative democracy, are we responsible only for our own good or for the common good?

3. In the late 19th century, corporations were ruled by the Supreme Court "to be 'persons' who had to be left free to enter into contracts...on whatever terms the market allowed." Do corporations operate as "morally responsible individuals," or "as an important agency in the construction, maintenance, and transformation of our shared lives;" or are they too concerned with making money "as a shark that lives off the community?"

4. Currently many government policy decisions are made on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis. "Cost-benefit analysis has the apparent virtue of allowing a purely neutral weighing of advantages and disadvantages of any given policy in monetary terms, though its critics argue that it systematically overlooks important public concerns that cannot be quantified." What are these public concerns? How are policy decisions made in your good society?

5. America is currently in the midst of a "rights dilemma" in which everyone is said to have them (rights), but when they conflict, there is no rights language to evaluate competing claims. How can the assessment of individual rights be changed to solve this problem? How are rights disputes handled in your good society?

6. Education in 1776 America was a very localized and simple institution; over the last 100 years it has developed into an enormous institution. Who is responsible for the education (standard and moral) of the members of today's society? Is education a 'public good' or a 'private good'? How is education handled in the good society?

7. In America we have a constitutionally-mandated separation of church and state. Why is it then that there are so many religious organizations lobbying their views in Washington (at a time when mainline church membership has decreased)? What is the appropriate role of the church in a good society?

8. In early 1950, "in an atmosphere of crisis," the National Security Council drafted NSC 68--"the comprehensive statement of 'United States Objectives and Programs for National Security'," which was a blueprint for the cold war. Now that the cold war is over, what role should the United States play in world politics?

9. The authors conclude with a chapter titled "Democracy Means Paying Attention." What does this statement mean to you? How is democracy utilized in your good society? What is the moral defense for a democratic society?

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