Choosing Well: Why Behavioral Economics Is Misleading Us
Daryl Koehn (DePaul University, Chicago)

05.30-07.00PM (BST)

All are welcome. A handout is attached here.
(*Note that we will use the same Zoom link for the entire term. You can find this in the programme for the term, and you can also email for the link).  Further inquiries: alison.brady.14@ucl.ac.uk

In this talk, I consider why the trendy behavioral economics approach to choice is ethically problematic. The approach 1) misunderstands the role that character and life goals play in accounting for the why of ethical behavior; 2) fundamentally misconceives human practical rationality; 3) often unduly narrows the range of human action and choice; 4) misleadingly assumes that options are merely given to us rather than generated by us in accordance with our character; 5) is parasitic upon normative ethics, the prescriptive norms that econoethics largely simply presupposes; 6) and employs an unhelpful ad hoc approach to ethical thinking.

Daryl Koehn is the Wicklander Chair of Business Ethics and Managing Director of the Institute for Business and Professional Ethics (IBPE) at DePaul University in Chicago. She has published widely in the fields of ethics, political theory, and corporate governance. Her monographs include The Ground of Professional Ethics; The Nature of Evil; Rethinking Feminist Ethics; Local Insights, Global Ethics; and Living with the Dragon: Thinking and Acting Ethically in a World of Unintended Consequences; and Toward a New (Old) Theory of Responsibility. Edited volumes include Corporate Governance: Ethics across the Board and Ethics and Aesthetics in Business Ethics.

* Please note that this seminar series is run by academics on an entirely voluntary and unpaid basis, on top of existing teaching and other work commitments. While we endeavour to make these events as inclusive and welcoming as possible, we cannot undertake any extra work regarding the presentation, dissemination or planning of the talks or make adjustments to the existing programme.