Socrates arises as an indispensable reference

A good back could probably help well begin 2009, which looks simple step. Socrates arises as an indispensable reference. As the philosopher must be regarded as an authority on goods. This seems curious. How this old fool, strange énergumène without fortune and work, have anything to teach us on this point In its time, the business world was rudimentary, and yet he did there not understand much. Then, a fortiori, that could be to hear, we live in a world of complex markets and sophisticated products

Flashbacks. Athens, 5th century BCE. Des people competent, intelligent, subtle and ambitious, invent a new market, Known as "sophists", name derived from "sophia", which means knowledge and wisdom. They are similar to philosophers like wolves to dogs. What they were before That the floor leads to power. This is even more true in the Athenian democracy than elsewhere. At the meeting, to the tribunal, in the street, that which prevails is always one who persuades the crowd and manages to persuade her of the merits of his case. That the Sophists sell, it is the art of persuading, convincing technique. It allows to lead opinion, so to win. Customers are not missing.

Socrates comes to spoilers. He has nothing against the word, on the contrary. Nor against knowledge, both to be sure. That fortune be him seems not be objectionable. What bothers, in sum, it is that the Sophists did not define the borders of the area of goods. They sell that asked, white or black, depending on the circumstances defence or charge, praise or blame, war or peace, acquittal or put to death. They lack of having clarified what cannot buy or sell, which is outside the order of the goods.

Commerce, for Socrates, are the truth, virtue, property, justice, values, consistency of thought. One might add trust, honesty, attention to others. All these "property" is not, cannot, and do not have to become of the goods. They lie outside the circuit by gasoline, not by accident. All this is well known. But we forget to note how this distinction is extremely beneficial for the movement of goods. More often, found blandly that Socrates saves the world the truth, be it in geometry as in morality. On the credits to be ripped from market corruption, which is without price. It is unclear how this rescue is also positive for business. That the goods are traded at best, in fact, it is essential that their area is bounded, and that known clearly what can be good and what is not.

Back to 2009. The lesson of Socrates, could be to strengthen the world of goods by setting clear boundaries. In the current context, it may while this old demarcation takes a new flavor. The crisis shows that it had lost sight of this ancient evidence. Once and for all whether cannot monetize trust, would this not an asset to the markets Understand definitively that you buy techniques, know-how, skills, but moral values, or even of human qualities, never would this not useful, in the time coming Discern again, in all areas, that it is possible to buy and sell, and what cannot be, would it not decisive for the health of the goods to that of the moral Once again, everything is matter of spaces of measures, terminals. Have limits, not everything or everywhere for humans, is indispensable. For the goods also.