Virtue Ethics and Leadership in the 21st Century: Barton through the Lens of Tagore

In his 2016 address at the Darden School of Business, Dominic Barton emphasized the primacy of a leader’s character over their actions, echoing the foundational principles of ancient virtue ethics. This paper explores Barton’s alignment with the Socratic tradition, underscoring the vital need to incorporate philosophy into modern business leadership, a relevance that grows ever more critical in our increasingly globalized society. I navigate the intricate relationship between philosophy and business, drawing from Barton’s insights and combining perspectives from the Western foundations of virtue ethics with the rich philosophical heritage of India, as expressed in the thoughts of Rabindranath Tagore—where the ancient wisdom of India finds a creative expression for the modern world. I highlight the contributions of contemporary business ethicists, including Wim Vandekerckhove and his predecessors, emphasizing the grounding of business principles in virtue ethics. I stress the importance of integrating the doing of philosophy into the practice of business leadership. In a world rife with disruption and uncertainty across all aspects of human life, I believe this competency is more relevant than the ability to merely enumerate and apply the conclusions of other philosophers to ethical decision making.