From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Thu Jul 08 2004 - 15:02:22 BST
Hi Paul,
> Paul:
> I thought you were in favour of Randian "self-interest." If
> self-interest is detrimental to profitability, there appears to be a
> contradiction in your ideals here. Or are corporations better off being run
> by a CEO who knows best?
Well, since you (and Pirsig) have made it clear that's there's a
distinction between Big Self and little self, and that little self is an
intellectual pattern created by Big Self, I hesitate to buy into your
premise here that there's such a thing as "self-interest" other than as an
abstract concept. Perhaps, and I throw this out only as a possibility, a
CEO is more likely to be able to recognize his participation in the Big
Self and thus, through greater recognition of arete, achieve better things
for his company.
If, on the other hand, you view self-interest as a "real" motivating
force, then you have tapped into the drive for "betterness" that
characterizes all organisms and that, according to Pirsig, explains
evolution better than the Darwinian principle of purposeless chance. In
that sense, self-interest competes with other self-interests, and may the
best man win. At the biological level, such contests are ruled by the law
of the jungle. At the social level, such contests are either ruled by the
laws governing society or, in a free market, by the laws governing honest
trading (caveat emptor), or a combination thereof.
In regards to an employee-owned company, the tendency is for each employee
to look after his own interests rather than the interests of the company
as a whole. That's human nature. Dan Glover's post on the difference
between an business owner's outlook compared to that of his employees
illustrates this beautifully. An owner (or CEO) must necessarily have a
broader and deeper awareness of factors affecting his company's health and
profitability than the average employee, and thus is usually in a better
position to make decisions regarding the company's future course.
Do owners make mistakes? Sure. Are some owners crooks? Definitely. But
employee representatives (union bosses) are no less susceptible to
criminal behavior, nor are politicians, priests, trial lawyers or any
other group you care to name.
I don't know if I've answered your question or not. But I hope so.
Best regards,
Platt
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